Reviews for Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)

The quality of the picture is excellent in a dark room, but the screen is too glossy to be used near a window. I wished I could have used this display as a docking station but unfortunately, the Ethernet connexion only works if you boot your laptop with the display connected. It does not work if you just wake up the computer and then plug the display.

60 of 66 people found this useful

First off the size of the display cannot even be disc ribbed in any words, much bigger in person. I think its a decent display, high resolution and nice and glossy. One thing I think apple could have improved on was making this a high resolution anti-glare...

32 of 35 people found this useful

I love everything about this screen. Upgraded from a 23 inch screen and the difference is incredible. Like a huge hot bath. Contrast and sharpness are better than expected and the Thunderbolt cable is very cool too...

25 of 41 people found this useful

Good stuff first:
• The display quality is terrific.
• Only need two cables going into my laptop now (thunderbolt & power).
• No more external power brick for the display (compared to Apple's older displays).
• Built-in mag-safe connector means I can keep my laptop's charger in its bag.
• I think the speakers sound pretty good.

Bad stuff:
With my laptop lid closed, it's impossible to wake the computer from sleep with a wired keyboard, without doing a hard restart. Which means, if I want to use this display and not lose all my work, I can't put the computer to sleep, ever. This should be fixable with a software/firmware update.

76 of 82 people found this useful

This is the first Apple product I'm not willing to give a five star rating, as Apple's subcontractor seems to have some serious quality control issues.

The good part: The display looks stunning and matches all my other Apple gear, as well as acting as a docking station. Being able to connect my 2011 MacBook Pro with just two cables, hooking everything else up to the display, is great.

The bad part is quality of the screen itself, though. I'm now on my third! Apple Store replaced the first one during the remorse period, due to a hot pixel. The replacement was worse however, having a couple of dead pixels, what appeared to be some sort of dust or debris within the panel, as well as poor backlighting in general, and particularly poor and non-uniform backlighting along the lower edge of the screen. The current one has a funny smell, that I'm hoping will go away, and what seems to be some smudges or fingerprints within the panel or behind the front glass at the lower part of the display. However, as it is only visible against a solid background, and the panel has no pixel errors and the backlighting is much better, I will keep it. I am sure Apple Store would exchange it if I complained though, they've been very understanding and helpful so far, it's just such a hassle and I'm afraid I might get an inferior one instead.

The Verdict: If you get a perfect sample, this is a great product, but be prepared not to. Apple Store's customer service has been great, though.

44 of 48 people found this useful

Definitely deserves 5 stars. I think the average rating on this product is being weighed down by people giving it 1 star because they didn't bother reading the product description, or even the title. This is a thunderbolt display, meaning you must have a thunderbolt connection. I don't understand the confusion, but this has been getting many 1 star reviews for that reason.

Besides that, this display is amazing. It is crisp, sharp, and very bright. Games and videos just look great. And the screen real-estate allows you to multitask very easily as well. I'll never be able to go back to anything smaller. Surprisingly, the speakers give off amazing sound. There are 2 speakers, and a one inch subwoofer inside that are great for casual listening.

Overall, this display is incomparable with any other. If you look for any other monitor with thunderbolt connection, similar speakers, or similar pixel count, you'll find that $999 is a great deal. Definitely worth the money. I highly recommend you go to an apple store and try it out if you have any doubts about purchasing.

26 of 39 people found this useful

While the overall quality of the display is outstanding, there is problems with the audio system, in the form of static that plays from the display's speakers whenever any sound is produced by an attached computer. While some may not notice this, I have good hearing, and find this static sound unacceptable for such an expensive monitor. Will probably take the original and second unit that Apple sent me (both have the static issue) back, and wait till they fix this issue, or come out with a better monitor. (Search on the static sound issue in Support here if you don't believe it).

33 of 34 people found this useful

This is one the best best displays I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Most displays that I use with my MBP don't have the same resolution or brightness as my MBP but this Thunderbolt Display is refreshing to say the least. This display is definitely worth the investment.

16 of 21 people found this useful

I bought a 27" thunderbolt display thinking I could daisy-chain it to my current monitor (DELL U2711 w displayport). In fact I even took my monitor and laptop into the Apple Store to test it myself before making my purchase. It worked great, I placed my order. Now today I get my monitor and the daisy chaining doesn't work. I call Apple only to find out the daisy chaining of a displayport monitor used to be supported but no longer is. What a joke! First time ever I've purchased an Apple product that was different than the one I tried in the store. I'm extremely disappointed, and would like to know if displayport compatibility is going to be restored someday.

117 of 137 people found this useful