Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 208 reviews

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Good but not great

    • Written by from Oakville

    Apple always delivers high quality looking products and I am a huge fan (even as a "PC Guy"). But I have to say this is probably the first product that didn't live up to expectations.

    The overall look is great, very crisp and slick. The resolution is as predicted but the glossy screen makes it slightly uneasy on the eyes. I also own a cheap 1080p 24" ACER (I think I paid 200$) for my PC and the quality is definitely better (although the look is horrible lol).

    Resolution Quality: 8/10 (I prefer a more flat crisp image but if you don't mind glossy it would be closer to a 9.5/10 for you)
    Look: 10/10 very nice looking monitor - expecially compared to what is out there
    Price: 4/10 (If it's in the budget, it looks good, works well but is for sure way overpriced)

    19 of 25 people found this useful

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Blacked Out within 1 Hour with NEW 2013 iMAC

    • Written by from Mission viejo

    Plugged in the 27" Thunderbolt Monitor. Got a very Dimm screen, Searched everywhere to find out how to adjust the brightness. BECAUSE THE DISPLAY PREFERENCE DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE THUNDERBOLT DISPLAY!! So i shut down and tried to setup my powerbook with the new display... It NEVER turned back on AGAIN. Will be returning this 1st thing in the morning. May try swapping for the Cinema Display as thats what i thought i was buying to begin with!!! Maybe it will work.. Just Want to Add that Apple Products are NOT as nearly as stable or solid as they once where before selling out to the INTEL chips. My G4 laptop still works without ever crashing in 9 years. However my 2011 iMac completely Died out after 2 years of use and NOW this Thunderbolt box is absolutely USELESS... A huge Disappointment..

    25 of 38 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Wow!

    • Written by from pine bluff

    I have had my MB Air since Thunderbolt was introduced but did not need to purchase a Thunderbolt monitor. I have an old first generation HD Display monitor that I use with my 1st generation Mini and have been toying with the idea of replacing my Mini with a new model but found out that my HD Display won't work with the new Thunderbolt optioned Mini. Needless to say I was bummed but then I considered purchasing a new 27" Thunderbolt monitor instead of a new Mini. I'm glad I did. The connectivity is great. I did not purchase a BT keyboard instead bought a USB full size keyboard and a Magic Mouse which is also great. That left me two more ports on the back of the monitor for my two printers, one a Brother MFC color laser the other a Dymo twin label printer to print labels and stamps. There are two more USB's on each end of the USB keyboard that I used for USB drives and/or a card reader. I'm glad to see there is still Firewire connectivity for my old Canon video camera and my older Vuescan Flatbed scanner. The monitor turns on when I plug my MB into the Thunderbolt and comes alive when I close the lid. Right now I cannot say anything bad about this great monitor.

    16 of 20 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing display

    • Written by from CRESTWOOD

    I can't understand why anyone would vote less than five stars. I've had the monitor for a year and a half and have had no issues. Plus the display quality is out of this world, and it does what it's supposed to do. I have my macbook air connected to it and it works flawlessly. I especially like the convenience of connecting and disconnecting my mac and everything just works.

    24 of 36 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent display, buying 2 more.

    • Written by from Denver

    I have had the 27" Thunderbolt display for over 6 months now at home and use it daily with a MacBook Pro Retina 15", Mac Mini Server, and also previously used it with a MacBook Pro 15" (Late 2011). The quality, sharpness and color rendition of the display are beyond words and as a display it's hands down the best I've used, including over 5 different displays in the 24" range from other manufacturers. I do software engineering and Photoshop work all day for a living. We are buying two more for our business this week if that tells you anything.

    It's true that the thunderbolt adapter has problems with docked USB devices from time to time, and sometimes the graphics don't switch over smoothly, but that's happened with every monitor/docking station combination I've ever used. If you like matte monitors then this one might not be for you, but personally I like the contrast and color rendition of a glossy screen monitor a lot more. If you're judging the monitor by the quality of the speaker interface or docking features, you're doing it a disservice because as a monitor, which is it's prime reason for being, it is outstanding. Highly recommended.

    13 of 14 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    excellent display

    • Written by from London

    I bought this at an apple shop in the UK. What immediately struck me was the build quality. This display will obviously last a very long time. It works very well with my Macbook pro 15 inch .

    22 of 32 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Truly Amazing

    • Written by from PORTLAND

    I had to admit, like most of you probably are, I was a little hesitant about even thinking about spending $1,000 on a monitor. Seeing it finally in stores though, I decided to make the leap, and while I felt guilty at first, I'm so glad I did. This thing is amazing! Not only is the display the best I have ever seen, having one cord access to additional ports, a decent sound system, and a better webcam, is extremely efficient for anyone trying to pull off the laptop/desktop workspace. I currently own an 11" 2011 MBA, performance is still fantastic even with the display plugged in. Previous clam shell mode issues must have been fixed, I use it daily with no problems. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a display to accompany there Apple laptop. You will not regret dropping the cash on this gorgeous piece of techonology.

    19 of 26 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing!

    • Written by from Utica

    I work with computers all day and I often come up with plenty of work to do on my computer. This extra display does everything it is suppose to and more. I use it with my MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac. The display is clean, crisp, and clear. As a dual display option with the iMac you get more screen and work space, what more could you ask for? It allows you to work with presentations, spreadsheets, documents, movie and music software in full screen mode and still have more space to work on something else. With the a stand, keyboard, and mouse, it makes your MacBook Air and MacBook Pro come to life with a huge screen and ease to work with multiple documents on one display. Totally worth every penny, another amazing Apple product.

    21 of 30 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Beautiful Display

    • Written by from Middletown

    Recently purchased the Thunderbolt display with a new Macbook Air. What a fabulous combination!! Everything worked perfectly right out of the box. A great example of Apple product development. I do a lot of photo work and the large screen/resolution is wonderful!!

    32 of 52 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great match for Mac Mini

    • Written by from West Bloomfield

    Purchased to match my 2012 Mac Mini. Works great but need to get use to the smaller font with this high resolution monitor. Also, the ethernet port on the display was labeled incorrectly when hooked up to my router. Had to delete and rename to "display ethernet port" and all is now correct. I like having the hub on the back of the monitor to hook up my firewire 800 Time Machnine hard drive and another USB hub.

    13 of 15 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    use it all day, every day

    • Written by from Tucson

    I'm a scientific programmer working in the field of astronomy. I program all day long and the Thunderbolt display is absolutely wonderful. It is wide, crisp, and has exceptional contrast. It syncs perfectly whenever I remove and reattach to my MacBook Pro, never any hassles. I also have an older Cinema display for my home system. It is good also, but it has lower contrast and runs quite a lot warmer than the Thunderbolt. Three cheers for Apple on this one.

    12 of 13 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best in Class

    • Written by from Lake View

    I own a recording studio and I purchased this for my mac book pro at home. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. Only downside is that it needs a power button and I need a Thunderbolt port on my mac pro in the control room a the studio. Thunderbolt is the future , great product. Thank you apple.

    25 of 39 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    simple elegant design beautiful display

    • Written by from Palo Alto

    This display reduces clutter by having Ethernet, usb and Firewire coalescing in the back of the display and delivered through one cable to the computer. No need for a power plug.

    15 of 19 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing Display

    • Written by from Springfield

    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

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Perfect companion for the new Mac Mini!

    • Written by from La Canada Flintridge

    I love this display and have had no issues! I do wish they would come out with a model with less glare though! I have it hooked up to my new Mac Mini and love the extra USB ports. firewire, ethernet and Magsafe connection for my MacBook Pro!

    25 of 39 people found this useful

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    need improvement

    • Written by from 香港

    1. USB 3.0
    2. Magsafe 2
    3. built-in more powerful display card; so that all MacBook can maintain light-weight and long battery life; yet become a real desktop when using as a desktop.

    16 of 22 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Absolutely Gorgeous Display (Note: Bootcamp Users)

    • Written by from Jamaica Plain

    MacBook Pro 10,1 15" Retina, 4-core i7/ 2.7GHz, 16GB
    Mac OS X 10.8.2, Win 8 Pro VM and Win 7 Ult native with Bootcamp.
    (Because of work I have to dance with the devil.)

    TBD exhibited completely flawless Mac OS operation. Absolutely beautiful display. Interface connection a breeze - excellent design - good riddance DVI !

    Only display issue was with Bootcamp. No joy on the TBD at first. Bootcamp-Win7 process for loading drivers failed to copy over / load thunderbolt driver to Win 7 OS. Win 7 (audibly) acknowledged connection and disconnection of Thunderbolt cable and recognized the display's USB ports in the Windows Devices and Printers Control Panel but display was blank and not recognized in Window's Display Control Panel. Had to load NIVIDIA drivers manually in Win7. Much thanks to Mac tech support. It took, after several tries with tech support, a Mac certified technician to help me figure this out. All's well that ends well and I don't necessarily expect Apple to be solely responsible for all things Windows related and vice versa. (I hope this helps anyone who may have had the same issue in Bootcamp.)

    Now everything is perfect. Still giving it 4.5 stars because nothing can touch it that I've seen and it is so very worth any trouble I had with respect to Windows. I recommend no active light sources in a reflective path behind the viewer in order to fully appreciate this excellent display without reflections.

    Like to see USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI input option on back.

    BTW, the MacBook Pro is a very fine machine as well...running any OS. It has a nice display also, so I'm told.

    13 of 16 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Thunderbolt Greatness

    • Written by from concord

    Just got my display from best buy very happy with it works fine on my MBP 15 none retina. Only quirk with it is that it slows boot up and shutdown by a good amount still to be expteaced with a massive display + pci compotes run threw the cable. Looking forward to using it with my windows rig as well rebuilding it to support thunderbolt :D
    Pricey but by far the best quality on the market blows my LG led display out of the water. And no i'm not an apple fan boy just giving it a 5 star for no reason the quality stands out on its own. every new technology will have its quirks at least apple takes the time to fix them unlike many other manufactures.

    11 of 12 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing display

    • Written by from Fish Creek

    My Thunderbolt display has worked flawlessly. I decided to purchase a refurb and save $170. I have had no issues with the display. Maybe buying a refurb is the answer. Not only will you save some cash but if the display had issues and was returned, it's been fixed and tested possibly more then a new one off the line. I have it hooked up to my late 2011 MBP and I couldn't be happier with it.

    11 of 12 people found this useful

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Was Nervous

    • Written by from Baton Rouge

    I was nervous about this purchase based on some of the reviews I read here but once I got the unit home and hooked it up to a Mac Mini I am very pleased. In my opinion one of the ways Apple really stands out from other PC manufacturers is their displays... this monitor does not disappoint in that capacity and is an excellent companion to a Mac Mini and as a bonus adds three more usb and one firewire ports. Very well thought out!

    11 of 12 people found this useful