That's not E.T., it's a pig.

Apple loves small.  You see the Mac Mini, the iPod Nano, the iPod Shuffle.  The smaller the better and the less plugs it needs the happier Steve Jobs gets.  So it wasn't a surprise for Apple to announce the new mini-display port specification this past October with the launch of their new Macbooks.  I mean why not?  They already had mini-DVI and micro-DVI so mini-display port is the next logical step.  Display port has been a standard since it was approved in 2006 but has yet to be widely adopted.  The technology is capable of driving displays up to 2560 X 1600, which happens to be the resolution of a 30" display.  However, the news isn't that Apple is going with mini-it's that they are offering the license to develop for the mini-Display Port for FREE!  When have you ever heard of Apple doing anything for free?  ArsTehnica noticed this week that an update on the Software Licensing page shows the free licenses to developers that fill out an Implementation Agreement.