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2016 MBP and Apple Thunderbolt Display

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TheFertileOctogenarian

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There have been a few threads on this topic since the new MBPs were announced, but the discussion seemed to be largely speculative. Now that some folks have received their new Macbook Pros, I'm curious if anyone can confirm whether it can be connected to and successfully power Apple's Thunderbolt Display.

The biggest uncertainty, of course, is the lack of a MagSafe port to which the Thunderbolt Display can connect.

Hopefully someone can affirmatively say that it does indeed work. A picture of your setup as evidence would also be nice!
 
TheFertileOctogenarian said:
There have been a few threads on this topic since the new MBPs were announced, but the discussion seemed to be largely speculative. Now that some folks have received their new Macbook Pros, I'm curious if anyone can confirm whether it can be connected to and successfully power Apple's Thunderbolt Display.

The biggest uncertainty, of course, is the lack of a MagSafe port to which the Thunderbolt Display can connect.

Hopefully someone can affirmatively say that it does indeed work. A picture of your setup as evidence would also be nice!
Click to expand...

The Thunderbolt Displays include a MagSafe that connects to your MBP and powers it, not the other way around. It'll work exactly the same, with a new cable, except you'll need to use a separate charger now instead of using the one from the display.
 
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New_Mac_Smell said:
The Thunderbolt Displays include a MagSafe that connects to your MBP and powers it, not the other way around. It'll work exactly the same, with a new cable, except you'll need to use a separate charger now instead of using the one from the display.
Click to expand...

Not sure this is true. Your post is precisely speculation, which is why I started this thread - in hopes of getting an answer from someone who has a 2016 MBP in hand and can test it with a Thunderbolt Display.

On my late-2014 MBP, if I unplug the TB Display's MagSafe from my computer, the display turns off.
 
TheFertileOctogenarian said:
Not sure this is true. Your post is precisely speculation, which is why I started this thread - in hopes of getting an answer from someone who has a 2016 MBP in hand and can test it with a Thunderbolt Display.

On my late-2014 MBP, if I unplug the TB Display's MagSafe from my computer, the display turns off.
Click to expand...

So your Thunderbolt Display doesn't have a big power cable coming out of the back of it that connects to the wall? You just need a Thunderbolt 3/2 adapter and use the supplied cable. Not speculation, check out the specifications.

If the display turns off when you unplug the MagSafe, it'll be something to do with the computer switching to the battery. Just try using the normal charger (Not the MagSafe coming from the display) and hooking up the screen using the cable, see what happens.
 
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New_Mac_Smell said:
If the display turns off when you unplug the MagSafe, it'll be something to do with the computer switching to the battery. Just try using the normal charger (Not the MagSafe coming from the display) and hooking up the screen using the cable, see what happens.
Click to expand...
I can verify that this is true with my MacBook Air 2013. The Thunderbolt Display turns off when you close the lid only when on battery; if you use the MagSafe from the display, or from an external power adapter, it stays on.

I have a new Pro coming today -- I will test it out and report back.
 
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poorcody said:
I can verify that this is true with my MacBook Air 2013. The Thunderbolt Display turns off when you close the lid only when on battery; if you use the MagSafe from the display, or from an external power adapter, it stays on.

I have a new Pro coming today -- I will test it out and report back.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the insight.

Also, didn't mean to suggest you didn't know what you were talking about, New_Mac_Smell. I have just seen so much uninformed speculation lately without any clear answers.
 
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Okay, I need to go to bed, but I've got my new 15" MacBook Pro hooked to the Thunderbolt Display -- works perfectly. I'm using Apple's TB3->TB2 adapter. The screen, speakers, ethernet, USB, camera all work instantly. In clamshell mode, the screen stays on as long as the laptop is plugged in to the power supply. The MagSafe cable can still provide power to my MacBook Air simultaneously as well.

One big problem though... after you use the Retina screen, it is really hard to go back to the Thunderbolt. Seriously... Looks like a 5K LG may be in the my future.

Man, I am just going to keep typing because I actually love this keyboard -- so fast. 😛
 
The reason the display "turns off" when MagSafe is disconnected is because the laptop stops sending a signal via the TB cable and goes to sleep when closed and on battery power. The TB display is 100% powered by its external power cord. Go ahead and unplug it while your laptop is connected and open. The TB display will power off AND stop charging via magsafe.

Long story short, the TB cable on the TB display is for data only, zero power.
 
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