The Apple Thunderbolt Display is a 27-inch flat panel computer monitor sold by Apple Inc. from July 2011 to June 2016. As of July 2018, it is the final standalone display designed and sold by Apple. It replaced the former Apple LED Cinema Display. New to the Thunderbolt Display was the switch from Mini DisplayPort and USB to a single Thunderbolt connection for data transfer between computer and display. The increased throughput from switching to Thunderbolt enabled inclusion of a Gigabit Ethernet port and a FireWire 800 port on the display. Older model Macs introduced prior to 2011 with Mini DisplayPort are incompatible with the Thunderbolt Display.
Video Apple Thunderbolt Display
27-inch model
Like its 27-inch LED Cinema Display predecessor, the resolution of the 27-inch model is 2560×1440 pixels, and follows a 16:9 aspect ratio. It was made with aluminium and glass, having a similar appearance to the current ranges of iMac and MacBook Pro unibody designs. The display featured a built-in 720p FaceTime HD camera (replacing the iSight in the previous model), microphone, and stereo speaker system with subwoofer (2.1 channel). An octopus cable combining Thunderbolt and MagSafe is permanently attached to the back of the display for data input and charging laptops, respectively. There is also a separate Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports, and a Gigabit Ethernet port.
The Thunderbolt port allows for the possibility of daisy chaining Thunderbolt Displays from a supported Mac, or connecting other devices that have Thunderbolt ports, such as external hard drives and video capture devices.
Apple released Rev B of the Thunderbolt Display (model MC914LL/B) which includes a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 adaptor to the charging cable built into the display.
On June 23, 2016 Apple announced through a statement that it was discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display and would no longer produce stand-alone displays, saying "There are a number of great third-party options available for Mac users." Apple subsequently worked with LG to design Thunderbolt 3 enabled 4K and 5K displays.
On April 5, 2018 Apple announced that it would re-enter the standalone display business in 2019 by releasing a new display with a new version of the Mac Pro.
Maps Apple Thunderbolt Display
Backward and forward compatibility
Apple Thunderbolt Displays, like the video input on Thunderbolt iMacs, drop compatibility with all previous standards, including VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort. They are not compatible with computers that do not have a Thunderbolt port, including pre-2011 Macs and the vast majority of PCs.
As of April 2018, MacBook (Retina) 12" laptops only have a USB-C port, which cannot communicate with a Thunderbolt adapter. However, newer MacBook Pro have Thunderbolt 3 ports. These use the same USB-C connector, but can speak the Thunderbolt protocol, and can use a Thunderbolt Display with a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter.
Using multiple displays
MacBook Pro
- Macbook Pro (2011): 2 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt Displays together to get two displays, but the laptop's LCD may turn off.
- Macbook Pro (2012): 2+2 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt Displays, in addition to one HDMI display and the Macbook Pro's own display, for four displays total
- MacBook Pro (Late 2016): Apple released a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter for enabling the Thunderbolt 3 ports of MacBook Pro (Late 2016) to connect to Thunderbolt 2 devices.
MacBook Air
- MacBook Air (Mid 2011): 1+1 Displays: Can use one Apple Thunderbolt display, in addition to the MacBook Air's own display.
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012): 2+1 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt displays, in addition to the MacBook Air's own display.
MacBook
- MacBook Retina (early 2015 and late 2016): Cannot be connected with Apple Thunderbolt Display as it lacks a Thunderbolt port.
Mac Pro
- Mac Pro (Late 2013): 6 Displays: Can run six Apple Thunderbolt Displays using six Thunderbolt ports.
Technical specifications
Successor
In April 2017, Apple confirmed that a new generation of Apple-branded displays will be released after 2017 alongside with the next generation of the Mac Pro.
See also
- Apple displays
- Apple Studio Display (1998-2004)
- Apple Cinema Display (1999-2011)
References
External links
- Apple Thunderbolt Display - official site at Apple
- Apple Thunderbolt Display - 27-inch user manual at Apple
Source of article : Wikipedia
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