Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)

Reviews for Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)

Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 207 reviews

Write a Review
  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    HORRIBLE FOR IMAC, MULTIPLE DISPLAYS AND LION

    • Written by from sacramento

    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 went 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.

    3116 of 4171 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!!!!

    • Written by from Gloucester

    After time my display started making horrible static noise! This is a very common problem that lots of people experience, you can even read about that in these reviews. HORRIBLE!

    193 of 231 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Great display, poor ethernet integration

    • Written by from Florham Park

    As a display, this monitor is magnificent. Great colors, clarity, viewing angles, etc.

    Where it fails miserably is in the ethernet integration. This display is supposed to act like a docking station where you can plug your usb and ethernet into the display, then your laptop uses the ethernet and usb interfaces in the display when the thunderbolt cable is plugged into the laptop.

    Unfortunately once you disconnect from the display, when you return and plug the thunderbolt cable back in, you may find that the ethernet port is no longer available. The only way to restore functionality is to reboot your laptop.

    You can read a very long thread discussing this problem on the apple forums. You will see this isn't just an isolated problem. Unfortunately this site doesn't allow me to publish the URL, so just google for: thunderbolt ethernet not available

    I keep hoping every OS X Lion update will fix this but after at least 6 months, the problem still persists.

    173 of 198 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    $1000 boat anchor

    • Written by from Warrenton

    Worked well for a year, then had major audio problems (static, quite loud). Finally, it was powered off to try and fix the audio and then the display went black. Not working at all now. VERY disappointed in Apple, there doesn't seem to be any quality control any more for their products. I will never buy another Apple monitor again.

    169 of 195 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Unstable and extremely Disappointing

    • Written by from London

    I bought this monitor at great expense for my Mac Book Pro.
    Out of the box it does not seem to plug in and work- like I was sold it would. In fact it is as though this device was never tested with other Apple products. It fails to open after the computer goes to sleep. Huge compatibility issues, badly tested waste of money.- And, when you do get it working, for that brief period of time, the image quality I would say is average to disappointing- I see blurring when scrolling. I wish I could give this thing no stars- As that is what it clearly deserves. Apple don't seem to test their devices with any care anymore.

    187 of 237 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Don't buy it if using with a Macbook Pro

    • Written by from Toronto

    I bought this monitor a week ago, worked great for 2 days. After your laptop goes to sleep, the monitor doesn't wake up. You have to shut down, restart, reset and sometimes start on safe mode to go back to normal.

    I looked online, TONES OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.

    Apple is not doing anything to fix it.

    Save you money and time.

    158 of 184 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Standby Issues

    • Written by from Snohomish

    I'm having similar issues as other users have reported. I bought this display and a new macbook pro retina. Everything was working fine for a couple of weeks and then I started having issues with the USB ports and network not working after coming out of standby.

    I also think there should have been a audio line out on this display. I am very disappointed with this monitor.

    139 of 159 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Nightmare

    • Written by from Lakeland

    I purchased 2 of these displays on the date of release for my work and its been nothing but a nightmare since that day. between the light bleed on the bottom left of the screen. the amount of heat these things put out. the severe issue with image persistence, and the fogging under the glass. for a $1000 a pop you would not expect to have these issues. to top everything off the apple stores in my area are an hour away and have done absolutely nothing to repair them besides replace the glass and feed me lip service about this being normal. here i am 9 months later with 7 trips to apple stores and separate apple techs, now running out of warranty and i'm screwed.

    137 of 160 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    WORST PURCHASE EVER

    • Written by from Lawrence

    USB ports on the back of the Thunderbolt display usually do not work. I have a brand new 2012 macbook pro that I am trying to use with it but I can't get the connected devices that I leave on my desk at work to operate when I connect the display to my macbook pro. I have an apple usb keyboard and a usb flash drive and neither will work routinely. Apple support doesn't have a solution. Actually, the automated system doesn't even understand the item "thunderbolt display." It just says "I don't understand."

    I recommend a simple google search on "thunderbolt display usb issues" before you throw away $1000.00

    Apple can't fix this issue and they will not give me a refund.

    I've wasted my money and my time trying to use this display the way it should work.

    My workaround as is: every morning I have to come into my office, attach the thunderbolt cable to my macbook, open my macbook to wake it up, shut it down, restart holding down the command+option+p+r to reset the pram, then wait for it to start up fully, close the lid, and then and only then can I use the keyboard or any usb peripherals.

    NOT COOL.

    133 of 155 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Bad buy.

    • Written by from Sausalito

    Amazing how crisp it is and enjoy the thunderbolt options. Great to watch a movie on I bet. HOWEVER, as an Art Director/Designer this was probably the worst display I've ever worked on. It's like looking at a mirror, reflects EVERYTHING and then some. Bad eye strain after one week so I bought a screen defuser - so basically defeats the point of spending $$$ for a sharp display.

    127 of 152 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Guaranteed frustrations on a daily basis.

    • Written by from Denver

    The Thunderbolt display will not play nicely with my MacBook Air (2011 model). Go read online forums, and you'll see that it consistently malfunctions with most Apple laptops: Clamshell mode doesn't work, the display doesn't wake up, half your windows are off-screen, etc.

    Apple is fully aware of the issue, keeps promising fixes, but the fixes never work. It's been months, and I still can't use the display normally. Applecare just makes me reset my laptop, but that only fixes the problem once.

    Unless you want to have to restart your computer every time it goes to sleep, or every time you plug it in, don't buy this display.

    108 of 119 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    DisplayPort monitor compatibility blocked last minute

    • Written by from Herriman

    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

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Dropped the ball big time.

    • Written by from Novato

    Q. I would like to connect my 27inch non thunderbolt iMac to an external 27inch display?
    A. You have to buy the non thunderbolt 27inch monitor.

    Q. I'd also quite often like to plug my Thunderbolt Air into the 27inch display?
    A. You have to buy the thunderbolt 27 inch monitor.

    Q. I have two expensive computers that are not older than two years and I have to buy an individual 27inch display for each one?
    A. Yes.

    132 of 176 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    The good old days of APPLE!

    • Written by from Omaha

    Man, I remember the good old days of APPLE, before the era of PODS & ITUNES,: Apple was company that really tried to get peoples attention with new features and new hardware.

    Now, we get the same repackaged product with questionable improvements!
    DO we have a new 30" apple display, NO!
    DO we have a new 23" apple display, NO!
    DO we have a new 27" apple MATTE display, STILL NO!!!

    THUNDERBOLT? yeah everyone at my computer lab in school is just buzzing how about how wonderful THUNDERBOLT is...NOT ! ! !

    I work in a school lab where they have the new 27" thunderbolt display and guess what, it has all the same faults that the orignal 27" display that came out a few years ago.

    APPLE HAS BECOME COMPLACENT IN BEING MEDIOCRE, THIS NEW DISPLAY IS HARDCORE PROOF OF THAT!

    197 of 313 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Ready to give up!

    • Written by from MONROE TOWNSHIP

    After using my Thunderbolt Display for 5 months with my 2.0 i7 MBP, I can safely say that the monitor itself is awesome but plagued with some very strange problems that does not go away even with the latest firmware updates.

    9 out of 10 times, thunderbolt display does not wake up after sleeping for more than a few hours. The thunderbolt cable on the MBP needs to be unplugged then plugged back in to make it work.

    2 out of 10 times, ethernet does not work after wake or after the cable has been unplugged then plugged in to wake it up. The power cable needs to be unplugged from the socket and put back in to get it working.

    I'm still hoping that this issue gets resolved via a firmware update, but in the meantime, I will probably be going back to my U2711.

    87 of 95 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    If you get one that works, its great.

    • Written by from pelham

    Two weeks ago i purchased a TBD from the apple store in soho, and immediately put it to work with my 2011 mbp. The ethernet connection and USB ports have intermittent connectivity when plugged in, and where I never or very rarely have experienced kernel panics before, they are now a regular event when plugged into the display. I expect more from apple products, especially a $1k display.

    98 of 118 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Not a docking station

    • Written by from St. Paul

    Don't waste your money. The thunderbolt cable give you nice access to USB. But you have to reboot every time you want to use the Ethernet and Firewire built into the display. Save the hassle.

    81 of 87 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Does not work as advertised

    • Written by from Montreal

    This monitor has absolutely stunning visuals. As a monitor, its unreal.

    However, the thunderbolt 'docking' element of it is just plain broken. If you connect the monitor while the computer is asleep, Audio NEVER works and Ethernet is hit and miss.

    Its clearly a firmware issue. So if you want a stunning monitor... save money and get the DELL one. If Apple fixes this issue, then this monitor is like the missing link you've been waiting for. It functions as a docking station as well as a stunning display.

    79 of 84 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Expensive display that has serious issues

    • Written by from Somerville

    This display has serious issues such as the display ethernet connection working intermittently after connecting Mac Book Air (mid-2011). Hundreds reported that problem on the forums. The only solution so far is to reboot the computer after plugging it back to the display. This is extremely annoying.

    Apple tried to fix my display twice and eventually replaced it but the issue reappeared within 48h.

    You should think twice before buying this display if you own a MacBook Air (mid 2011).

    88 of 103 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Impressive design...but fatally flawed

    • Written by from San Antonio

    As expected, this cinema display boasts an impressive design, with sharp, crisp colors. However, the intense glare/reflection from the glossy display makes it ideal for occasional use only. The glossy display requires a great deal of concentration, which is not sustainable for long hours of work. If this describes your working needs, look elsewhere, as the glare/reflection is problematic. While specially situating the display to avoid these issues is possible, it seems counter intuitive to do so. The display, out of the box, should be user friendly....especially visually. I am not sure why a glossy display is the only option, when there is clearly a substantial population of Apple computer owners that have a strong preference for a matte display. Why can't Apple offer the glossy display as standard, with the matte option at an additional cost? This is what Apple does with regard to its MacBook Pro offerings. So why not do it for the Cinema Display? And the IMac?

    80 of 88 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate