Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 208 reviews

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    An outstanding product

    • Written by from EL PASO

    The nicest thing about this display is that it just works. It docks with my mbp flawlessly. The design is just nice + again it works. It's not cheap but the same thing goes to the other monitors with similar specs.

    40 of 49 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Works perfectly

    • Written by from Camarillo

    I have a late 2011 MBP. I literally plugged in the TB cable, closed the lid and up came the screen on the new monitor. It's working perfectly for me. Wakes up from sleep just fine (read a lot of complaints on this.) Perhaps the sleep issue is a bluetooth error? My keyboard and mouse are using USB.

    Colors are great. Response is great. I wouldn't ever imagine all this power was coming from a laptop.

    Another step into the future.

    38 of 45 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Another nearly perfect product from Apple

    • Written by from Louisville

    I was seeking a solution that allowed me to move between two offices regularly without having to fumble around with cords & cables. This display addresses that need perfectly. I use a TwelveSouth Book Arc, drop my MBP15 into it, connect the Thunderbolt (via a single cable w/two connections, one for power, the other for everything else) and I'm up and running in less than a minute. The display is stunning both in terms of image quality as well as resolution. Using spaces, I regularly have the equivalent of 10-12 separate full browser windows open and/or applications running simultaneously. The display is silent, clean and features a minimal footprint (really feels like it is floating in front of me). Yes, the reflectivity is high and depending on your environment (e.g. if you have natural light coming through a window), you may need to rotate the screen slightly. That said, you can slide this display around effortlessly thanks to its aluminum stand which smoothly sails across your desk. The upside to the finish is the image quality - again stunning. Hard to envision a better execution of a product. If you own this display, you will never be able to go back to anything else.

    44 of 57 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice display (after exchange)

    • Written by from ADA

    I like the quality picture of this display. No tinting errors noted as in other reviews. However I did have to exchange the orignially purchased display.
    The display I originally received immediately would power up its cooling fans when plugged into the power supply. The fan noise was absent while the computer was on. Within 5 seconds of powering off the Mac or placing it in sleep mode, the fans would run continuously. Only unplugging it from the power supply would it stop.
    I did the Apple Care support call. Went through the motions of "resetting the PRAM", double checking all software and firmware updates with no change. Luckily I live near an Apple Store and was able to exchange it. I had the store employee open and check it first before I left the store. No fan noise.
    The replacement display has worked as it should. There is a growing link on the Apple support communities about this issue.
    The 27 inch sreen is twice the size of my previous LCD. So it took awhile to get adjusted to it.

    38 of 45 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Crystal clear

    • Written by from Somerville

    Works perfectly. Only gripe is I kind of wish it had an audio output. I assumed it did but I was wrong. After I get used to this may pick up another for dual TB displays. Still on the fence about if I need another one though.

    Would I buy again.. you betcha.

    49 of 68 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Almost Perfect

    • Written by from Sumter

    Comparing this to a typical display is like comparing a car to a building. Two completely different things. Yes, this is a display, but it's more than that. I tried several display options for my 15" MacBook Retina and all of them had horrible color and were unusable for design work no matter how much tweaking I did to the colors or how much calibration I did. They just weren't there. Looking at the Thunderbolt display is no different than looking at my MacBook Pro. Except it's huge. The colors are spot-on and text and graphics are crisp and clean. In my opinion, it's a LITTLE too pricey for what it is, but you do get excellent quality, a large, bright display that matches perfectly and a one-all solution for external hard drives, etc. One cord and a power cable and you're good to go.

    Pros:
    • One-cord simplicity with integrated charging keeps me from having to mess with a bunch of cords and from having to keep up with my power cord
    • Perfectly matched display with my MacBook Pro
    • Plenty of inputs
    • Excellent build quality (fit and finish is absolutely superb)

    Cons:
    • A little pricey, but a good long-term investment
    • No USB 3.0 support
    • No audio out means that you have to run a speaker cable to your computer or use the integrated speakers in the display, which leave a bit to be desired

    32 of 35 people found this useful

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Screen flickers, have to unplug constantly

    • Written by from Morton Grove

    I don't know if I have a defective unit or what, but my display flickers constantly to the point where it is unusable, I have to unplug it and power back up and hope that the TBD is in a good mood. If I get lucky and it doesn't flicker, the thing works beautifully. It has great picture and sound, it looks nice, and it has powered usb ports for all my iOS devices. I am going to try and return it after 6 months, hope they can resolve my issue.

    34 of 39 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    MUST BUY

    • Written by from Pueblo

    This is the best Apple product that I have invested in. Its completely worth 1000! The display, size, resolution and quality is just amazing and to die for! If you want a desktop display for your laptop this is it. Apple did an amazing job making this aluminum body display screen!

    54 of 79 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Looks and works perfectly - No issues whatsoever

    • Written by from Wyncote

    I was hesitant at first to drop $1000 on a monitor, when there are comparable displays out there for much cheaper. But let me assure you, this is worth every penny. The casing of the display itself is a work of beauty. But the graphics are so crisp and vivid (especially in 2560x1440 mode). The Thunderbolt integration is simple...literally plug and play with my MBP. No issues with the Ethernet port on the back of the monitor, and I also have my Traktor Pro DJ Console connected via USB to the back of the monitor. The only thing that I needed to figure out was how to enable the Display Ethernet port in Network settings, but that's incredibly easy to do. Also, you need to re-route the audio and microphone to the display (again, very simple configuration change through System Preferences). Highly recommend.

    33 of 37 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Good product but mixed feelings

    • Written by from San Antonio

    Make sure you have a Mac book pro that was purchased after Mar 2011 or this product will not work.

    Pros
    Beautiful display
    Large 27"
    Matches other apple gear
    Similar to a docking station

    Cons
    Sub par speakers
    $1000 - you could buy an iMac for a few more hundred
    Same thickness and weight as an iMac without the technology

    Haven't decided if I am going to keep it, but it works great!

    35 of 41 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome

    • Written by from Hornell

    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

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    No issue with ethernet port!

    • Written by from Naperville

    Just got the new Thunderbolt display and it is awesome. Screen is huge and gives you a lot of real estate to play with. I am using it as a docking station for my MBA 13". I use the m-Stand from Rain for the MBA and it gives me a lot of flexibility on my desktop. The connectivity options on the Thunderbolt display are great and I have a small USB hub connected to the back of the display. I am running Parallels desktop for Windows applications and have it configured so that I can use the MBA screen as my "Windows" desktop and then use the Thunderbolt as my "MAC" desktop. Really gives the feel of having two separate laptops.

    I tested the ethernet connectivity from the monitor and have had no issues whatsoever. "undocked", returned to "dock" and the ethernet connection is still active. I made sure my wi-fi was turned off to validate the result.

    My only "wish" is that there was a connectivity option to go from mini-displayport on my older MacBook pro - to the Thunderbolt display. I am hoping Apple or a third party will figure out a way to do this in the future.

    35 of 41 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Worth it - Simpy great! But...

    • Written by from Valencia

    In short, these displays are best on the market by far (that I have seen), in this price range. The price is actually very close to other high end monitors that do not have all the functionality these do. I own a Apple 27" Mini Display Port (aka MDP - the older model), and TWO of these 27" Thunderbolt (I do Maya and Video editing).

    The Good
    Everything. Sharpness, runs cool, design, color reproduction, I don't get people that could complain about this display. Also, I have a 17" 2.33ghz (quad core) laptop and daisy chain these TB monitors. It works perfectly with the laptop display AND the two displays running different desktops. The older MDP model won't daisy chain until you put it at the end of any other TB device. (Which I don't currently own). This is not a fault of Apple, it is a limitation of MDP. I have firewire plugged into display 1 and I also have a scanner (firewire) plugged into display 2. It all works flawless. I don't need to have the firewire drives in display 1 on for the scanner to work. Very elegant and seamless. I also do use the ethernet and USBs on display 1, and firewire and USB on display 2, which are all flawless. Interestingly, the ethernet on display 2 could also be used, but I don't.

    The Bad
    The 27" MDP (old) display I bought a year ago was flawless. The first 27" TB I purchased had the well known flaw where the fan stays on (when you unplug or sleep your computer). This IS a bug. I returned it to Best Buy, got another one, opened it and tested it (no noise), and it has worked flawlessly ever since. The second one I purchased a few weeks later was also perfect. Just beware, and return it if you encounter this issue. Also, every time I put it to sleep (and disconnect the computer), the displays get swapped, and I can't change them. I have to reboot to put display 1 back in the center, and display 2 to the right.

    37 of 46 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Wow...amazing.

    • Written by from Hermosa Beach

    I really was hesitant to make this purchase. How much of a difference could it really make I thought to myself? Having had it for six weeks now I am still in awe.

    First, I underestimated how much value there was to being able to work on applications side by side, spreadsheets next contracts, artwork next to powerpoint. Very very helpful.

    Second, having the ports in the back of the monitor is a real treat. Plug in my iPad, iPhone and a Thunderbolt back up drive and all is good in the world. Creates a great work environment.

    Finally, it is just incredibly good looking on the desktop. Brilliant display from the front and almost as amazing from the back.

    There are lots of things apple I like and then the shine wears off. So far this is one of my favorite products yet.

    34 of 40 people found this useful

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Not for everyone

    • Written by from Waterford

    I currently have a 27" iMac and a 17" MacBook Pro I just purchased the 27" Thunderbolt Display and have it situated right>left on my desk with the 27" and use my laptop to travel and work remote. The display was not exactly what I thought it would be. The biggest disappointment that needs to be fixed immediately is the lack of being able to use full screen apps without the other (secondary) screen going blank. With that being said it is pretty amazing having 54" of desktop in front of you. You can really get a lot of work done, not to mention the amazing appeal it gives your workstation. I am able to run excel permanently on the secondary screen (biz costing) as well as my icalendar (biz scheduling) While working off of the dock and all other applications on the primary screen. For that use alone the money is worth it. Now only if it was a touch screen as well. My employees love it and it saves a lot of time. FIX THE FULL SCREEN APP PROBLEM. I honestly almost returned it when I bought it I could not believe the instant disappointment something so simple and obvious got missed as the first thing I tried to do was watch a movie while I worked lol.... This was a major mistake and my loyalty to apple may change if they are to out there to realize the importance and release a update very soon. If you have one of these I know that you know exactly what I am talking about. With that being said apples concepts in the past never really focused on the full screen application. It is 2013 I have 27" x 2 = 54" of screen I want to be able to USE IT ALL.

    31 of 35 people found this useful

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Only works when the moon is full

    • Written by from Los Alamos

    I struggled with the sound problem - hopefully someday there will be a complete fix, seems to work better since I updated to Mountain Lion.

    The most irritating thing is some days I can dock my laptop and it will switch just fine. Other days it seems like there is nothing I can do to get the keyboard and mouse attached to the display USB ports (not even wired ones) to work.

    There's nothing worse than sitting down to do a bit of work on this big beautiful display and spend all my time fiddling with docking my MacBook Air. It would really help if Apple would provide some trouble shooting tips on this problem. I try powering off, putting the MacBook Air to sleep; disconnecting and reconnecting the mouse, keyboard, MacBook Air and power in various sequences. Sometimes some combination works. Other times, like now, I sit here in front of the big black display typing on my MacBook. It's really sad.

    30 of 33 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Brilliant, and truly more than just a display.

    • Written by from Milwaukee

    Four months of daily usage, this product compliments my mac mini perfectly. The resolution easily surpasses most all of the competition. It is pricey, but the built in ethernet, thunderbolt, firewire, and 3 usb easily makes up for it. I use the display ethernet with the mini ethernet to link aggregate the data signal from my airport extreme base station. Overall, very satisfied with this product.

    43 of 59 people found this useful

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Doesn't work well with my Macbook air

    • Written by from 香港

    It doesn't work well with my macbook air. Detail can search the key word "Thunderbolt display" from the Apple Offical Forum.

    62 of 98 people found this useful

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Dont Bother, only gave it one star because i couldn't select 0 stars

    • Written by from Bedford

    This is a great monitor, potentially, but has turned into the most expensive dust gathering object yet for Mac os X, as Apple seem to be able to miss, by a country mile, the point of a second monitor on one of its products. As for the most part it is useless under Mac os X with the new style full screen apps that, when in full screen mode, blank out the second screen, rendering it useless for additional apps you might want open at the same time. Think i will go back to windows.

    103 of 181 people found this useful

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice But Not Enough Pixels

    • Written by from Lake Oswego

    Okay, this is a great display. And okay, it has more then ample pixels for most people. But, for developers and designers creating stuff for the new 2012 iPad, using this display requires either zooming back or panning to create native art. Obviously, less than ideal and not what you're looking for when you're shopping for a mega-display. Hopefully, Apple has something new waiting in the wings, but until they release that phantom, this is their best offering for us and it fails a bit.

    38 of 51 people found this useful