Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)
Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)
Product Information
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Introducing the world’s first Thunderbolt display.
Thunderbolt technology built in.
Thunderbolt I/O technology lets you move data between your devices and your computer with unprecedented speed. With two channels of 10-Gbps throughput in both directions, it’s up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0 and up to 12 times faster than FireWire 800. And it allows you to connect as many as six devices through a single, compact port.
The ultimate docking station.
With just one cable, connect any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac and get 27 inches of high-resolution screen space, high-quality audio, a FaceTime HD camera, FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet ports — and a Thunderbolt port you can use to daisy-chain additional high-performance peripherals such as hard drives and video capture devices.
Plug in and power up.
The Thunderbolt Display includes a MagSafe connector that powers and charges your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.1 The connector sits on your desk, ready and waiting. No need to unwind the cord to the power adapter that came with your notebook. Leave it exactly where it is, in your bag.
Made for the new MacBook family. A bigger display for your biggest ideas.
Connect your Thunderbolt-enabled Mac to the Thunderbolt Display for a panoramic viewing experience unlike any other. This huge 27-inch glossy widescreen display features a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio and an astonishing 2560-by-1440 resolution. That gives you more room to work with apps on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. And a worthy desktop companion to your iMac or Mac mini.
LED backlighting.
Full brightness with no waiting. That’s the big advantage of LED backlight technology. Unlike most displays that take time to warm up before they reach maximum brightness, an LED-backlit display is instantly on and uniformly bright. LED backlighting also gives you greater control over screen brightness. So you can tune the Thunderbolt Display to suit the ambient light in even the dimmest room.
Built-in FaceTime HD camera and microphone.
With the built-in FaceTime HD camera and microphone, you can connect your Mac desktop or notebook — open or closed — and make HD video calls2 or take a few snapshots using Photo Booth.
Thunderbolt Display compatibility.
Thunderbolt-enabled Macs, including the current generations of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac are fully compatible with the Apple Thunderbolt Display. Customers with Macs that only support Mini DisplayPort output, such as the Mac Pro and MacBook, as well as previous generations of MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iMac can use the 27-inch LED Cinema Display.
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Highlights
- Built-in FaceTime HD camera with microphone
- Built-in 2.1 speaker system
- Colors: 16.7 million
- Viewing angle: 178° horizontal; 178° vertical
- Brightness: 330 cd/m2
- Contrast ratio: 1000:1
- Kensington security slot
- Energy saver mode: 1W or less
- Compatible with VESA Mount Adapter Kit (sold separately)
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What's in the Box?
- Apple Thunderbolt Display
- AC power cord
- MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter
- Printed documentation
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Tech Specs
- Screen size : 27 inches (diagonal viewable)
- Screen type : TFT Active-Matrix LCD
- Resolution : 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Color resolution : Colors: 16.7 million
- Aspect ratio : 16:9
- Viewing angle : 178° horizontal; 178° vertical
- Brightness : Brightness: 375 cd/m2
- Contrast ratio : Contrast ratio: 1000:1
- Frequency Response : Response time: 12 ms
Cables
- Cable type : Thunderbolt
Size and weight
- Height : 19.35 inches (49.1 cm)
- Width : 25.7 inches (65 cm)
- Depth : 8.15 inches (20.7 cm) with stand
- Weight : 23.5 pounds (10.8 kg)
Ports
- Three powered USB 2.0 ports
- Firewire 800
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- Kensington lock slot
- Thunderbolt
Camera and Microphone
- Built-in FaceTime HD camera with microphone
Speaker Configuration
- 2.1
Electrical Requirements
- Power : 100V to 240V AC 50-60Hz
- Maximum power : 250W (Thunderbolt Display while charging MacBook Pro)
- Energy saver mode : Energy saver mode: 2W or less
Environmental Requirements
- Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
- Storage temperature: -4° to 116° F (-40° to 47° C)
- Operating humidity: 20% to 80% non-condensing
- Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)
VESA Compatibility
Compatible with VESA Mount Adaptor Kit (sold separately) -
System Requirements
- OS X v10.6.8 or later
- Thunderbolt-enabled Mac computer, including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac
Ratings & Reviews
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HORRIBLE FOR IMAC, MULTIPLE DISPLAYS AND LION
I was so excited to get my 27 inch iMac, and thunderbolt display(TBD)...until i opened them up and set them side by side.... and w ent huh?
The TBD is shorter than the 27 iMac so the screens do not line up. that is a bad design flaw. if you had the laptop or the 21 inch iMac this wouldn't even matter so I'm lost for why they didn't make them match. did they hire someone from micro$oft to design this?
Second design flaw for the TBD is actually LION the os... does not work well with multiple displays like snow leopard does! when you use the new FULLSCREEN mode in lion apps it actually dims out the TBD(or any other screens for that matter) and displays a linen style backdrop which make the $1,000 monitor a very nice paper weight. I would hope this would be addressed in a LION update ASAP.
The third and very irritating design flaw is the lack of a POWER BUTTON. so now your pretty much forced to look at the linen style backdrop because you can't turn off the monitor. its like a reminder how much you paid to look at NOTHING.
I have been a mac user and customer for over 13 years and have owned/used almost every product apple has made and let me say that I have not been this disappointed from apple ever with both the TBD and LION. …- Written by curtis G from sacramento
3216 of 4323 people found this useful
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Beautiful and full featured yet handicapped by LCD quality control
I purchased two of these beautiful displays a few weeks ago and was wowed with them. The displays have a lot of functionality wit h the multitude of ports on the backside. The ethernet, firewire, and usb ports are great when docking a computer such as an air. This is the good.
The bad is that the LCD panel inside of of the two units had a blue/greenish tint to it on the right and bottom area of the display which was very prominent when a light or white background was moved over it. I had that display replaced only to have the new one have yellowing around the bottom left corner and upper middle when on a darker background. Likely is caused by backlight bleed.
At $1000, I would assume others are using this for creative means and work like myself. Apple since will only replace the panel once. Being in photography, I am unfortunately having to return the display. Disappointing. …- Written by Barrett F from Frisco
1527 of 1731 people found this useful
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Ultimate docking station for my Macbook Air
Likes:
- great size, was a bit concerned it would be too large compared to my previous Apple Cinema 20" display, but I quickly ap preciated the extra space
- Clean simple design
- No fan, no noise - sometimes get fan noise from my MBA when using video chat 9heavy processing i guess)
- Love the Docking simplicity - I plug 2 FW 800 drives, keyboard, Ethernet (Thunderbolt HD prices are crazy, even by this monitors standards...)
- no concerns about reflection, I'm in sunny office by a window, no issues with reflection at all
- Built in FaceTime camera is great - was tired of looking sideways at my laptop during video calls
- Colors bright and even
Dislike:
- undocking - no clear documentation on how to undock when you have multiple drives attached. Found an applescript called "undock" to eject all drives prior to undocking
- Apple needs to improve communication on how to "undock", sleep computer first ? eject disks, etc...
- Smell - yes smell, for first few days, like some past macbook pros i've owned, this monitor has a "smell" for few days from the 'electronics" heating up, not too techie, but there's obviously some sort of coating etc. that emits a annoying smell, it eventually goes away, but reminded me of my past macbook pros
- no USB 3, this is a bit ridiculous, again, considering the price of thunderbolt external HDs
- would like to have audio out to plug speakers
Summary:
would i buy again and recommend - yes.
hope this was helpful to shoppers …- Written by Mark S from candiac
1177 of 1344 people found this useful
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Extremely pleased
I use mine as the monitor for a Mac Mini. I really couldn't be much more pleased with it. I did have some issues once or twice wit h it not waking up (as many reviews have mentioned), but that issue was fixed with an OS X update. It's been at least 9 months since I last had the issue.
This is a beautiful piece of equipment. It is glossy. If there is a window behind you, you're going to have issues seeing the screen. It is extraordinarily bright in a dark room. I fixed that issue by installing f.lux on my Mac. It changes the tint of the display noticeably at night, but makes it easier on the eyes. It was a little off-putting at first, but I don't even notice it anymore. …- Written by Troy W from Denver
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3 strikes you're out
Don't waste your money on the 27 inch Thunderbolt display, buy the 27 inch standard display. Why? The Thunderbolt display doesn't work very long. Display #1 (serial #C02KH3EGF2GC) failed within 24 hours. Problem: display went to sleep and never woke up. Returned to Apple store. Display #2 (serial # C02KH4DJF2GC) worked for 3 weeks and failed! Problem: display went to sleep and only would wake up if you unplugged the thunderbolt cable and plugged it back in. And then you couldn't adjust brightness or have any functioning display ports. Display #3 (serial #C02KF2W5F2GC) is currently working for an hour. If it fails, I am going back to the old standard 27 inch display. I have one working in another room perfectly for 3 years now. I am not the only one this has happened to. Read other posts. At first I thought I was just unlucky and got a lemon. I know better now. Apple has issues with this display. …
- Written by Robert L from Reisterstown
2 of 2 people found this useful
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AWFUL AWFUL DISPLAY....
The reason I bought this display was for Photography and Web Design. I wanted a High end display with an IPS Panel.
The Panel i nside the thunderbolt display is Awful. The main problem is its over Excessive Backlight Bleed. not just around the corners but the whole panel itself. This especially in low light conditions makes blacks look light grey and is Impossible to work with. I am now using a £200 Display that is so much better as blacks look black.
Apple replaced the first panel and the second had the same problem i then went to the apple store and the Display in the store had the same problem but wasn't as noticeable in light conditions. Its not until you get the display home in lower light conditions you notice the issue. Lookup Thunderbolt Display Backlight Bleed on the internet to understand more about this issue...
This has got to be the worst purchase i have made in many years and has put me off ever buying an Apple product again.. …- Written by Simon K from Birkenhead
5 of 6 people found this useful
Questions & Answers
Answers from the community
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Is the stand on the 27" Thunderbolt Monitor adjustable (height)
- Asked by Alan M from Frisco
- May 15, 2013
Answer
Not adjustable in height, but the screen angle of tilt has some adjustment.
There are several thi rd party accessories that could be used to raise the height of the stand. Another option would be to mount the monitor on a arm… Compatible with VESA Mount Adaptor Kit (sold separately) …- Answered by James H from Portland
- May 15, 2013
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Can I send video, audio, pictures etc to the display using AirPlay?
- Asked by Martin R from Reidsdale
- Apr 28, 2013
Answer
Not separately. No.
It has to be physically connected to a device via a Thunderbolt connection (T hunderbolt only - it will NOT connect to older DisplayPort devices). However, once connected to a Mac, there are apps (such as AirServer) which will allow your Mac to receive AirPlay signals and display them on the monitor.
Hope this helps! …- Answered by Adrian P
- May 4, 2013
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what is the difference between the thunderbolt display and the cinema display?
- Asked by Reynaldo Allan B from Los Angeles
- Nov 25, 2011
Best Answer
The differences between the two are:
Cinema display needs 3 connections to work, Thunderbolt disp lay uses 2.
Cinema display works with Mini Display port, Thunderbolt display only works with Thunderbolt port.
cinema display has 3 USB 2.0 ports on the back, the thunderbolt display has 3 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, an additional Thunderbolt port and an ethernet port.
apart from that, they look identical, have the same screen resolution and cost exactly the same. …- Answered by Sam R
- Mar 22, 2012
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Can you turn the Thunderbolt Display's volume OFF?
- Asked by Michael C from Riverview
- Feb 26, 2012
Answer
The best way to do this is to plug all your devices in. Once plugged in, then goto the apple icon in the top right corner open system preferences, click on the sound icon, then you will see a drop down listing the availiable sound devices. select the device that you wish to output sound. Usually if the device you select is present after removing the device, when it it reestablishes a connection (plug it back in) it will change to that device again. …
- Answered by Christopher B from Saline
- Jun 10, 2012
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Can I use my 2010 late Macbook Pro connect to Apple Thunderbolt 27' display?
- Asked by Kevin C from Richmondhill
- Dec 17, 2012
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Can I take this display with me to Australia? Will it work?
- Asked by Nicholas L from Washington
- Jul 13, 2012
