I have Thunderbolt Display and it's awesome. The LCD is great, though it might not be the best in the current market but the overall package doesn't compare to anything available right now.
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Apple's Thunderbolt Display Classified as 'Vintage' Amid Rumors of a Replacement
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The aluminium ACD is the pinnacle of monitor. Standard matte screen finish. Clean lines, capacitive brightness adjustment on the side! 😍
Just recycle the design with a 2021 specced monitor and i/o and i'll be happy haha
Just recycle the design with a 2021 specced monitor and i/o and i'll be happy haha
I'm glad to see so many people want Apple to introduce a new Mac monitor. My guess is that if Apple does build one it will be designed to go with the new iMac for multi-display set-ups. Add me to the list of those who would buy a new Apple branded display on release.
I think it is the same amount of people in uproar when they discontinued the TBD and released the LG monitors.
As I have a relationship with the business team, I let them know my thoughts on this quite clearly when it happened
it is top of my list of things that really frustrate me about Apple. Everything is designed to the nth degree, then the major element on your desk that is looked at the most, is a third party item.
It makes no sense to me whatsoever, and really am hoping they remedy this. In fact it will be an instant purchase if they release a monitor that ís a reasonable price [for a pro who doesnt make movies.....]
Anyone TB display cable (MagSafe power & TB split) got somewhat busted that connection would intermittently go off?
I bought another TB cable to connect to my mac as a workaround. But I wonder how many of you take it to Apple or Apple Authorized Service Provider to replace the original cable. And what's your experience?
Amazon sells the replacement cable; but I would rather get the genuine cable instead.
I bought another TB cable to connect to my mac as a workaround. But I wonder how many of you take it to Apple or Apple Authorized Service Provider to replace the original cable. And what's your experience?
Amazon sells the replacement cable; but I would rather get the genuine cable instead.
If Apple would literally just take the 5K display from the iMac and sell it for $999 I would take two to put on either side of my 5K iMac. Anyone know how much the display component of the iMac costs Apple? It's a really nice LCD but I feel like it can't be that much since the 5K starts at $1799.
High Sierra was the last Mac OS to natively implement subpixel rendering, which made use of the RGB subpixels to significantly increase the resolution in one direction, enabling text to be far sharper. There's a whole thread about it here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-subpixel-aa-debacle-and-font-rendering.2184484/
It can be reimplemented in Mojave through the command line, but I've found text still isn't as sharp as with HS (perhaps because HS was natively designed to work with subpixel rendering, while Mojave was not).
Incidentally, this isn't the first time Apple made a change to its text rendering that obsoleted older monitors. Snow Leopard was the last OS that looked good with an HD (~100 ppi) monitor. Thus I stuck with SL for many years after its expiration until I was able to upgrade to a 27" 4k, which is ~160 ppi. That worked well until Mojave, which obsoleted non-retina montiors (at least for me).
Apple has traditionally been more concered with preserving the glyph shape of fonts than with readabiliy. Windows (with ClearType), by contrast, has emphasized readability. (It's probably the only thing I prefer about Windows, especially when using lower-grade monitors). Compare text readability with, say, a 24" FHD (1920 x 1080) or 24" WUXGA (1920 x 1200) monitor on Windows 10 vs. Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur. The difference is striking. I own both of those; fortunately, they're secondary monitors, so I can tolerate them in High Sierra.
I find it varies by individual, and the OS you are using. It depends on how you use your monitor, how sharp your near-field vision is, how sensitive you are to text that isn't crisp, and whether you are using something later than High Sierra. With High Sierra, I'm fine with my 4k/27" monitor (~160 ppi), but that's only because High Sierra natively implements subpixel rendering. With Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur, I need a retina monitor to avoid eyestrain. Since my primary monitor is 4k/27", I'm stuck with High Sierra until I can upgrade to a large retina display.
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I just picked up 4 of these.
all of them work.
$50 each.
At WINGS thrift store for battered women in NILES ILL.
all of them work.
$50 each.
At WINGS thrift store for battered women in NILES ILL.
Even a M2 or whatever it is called could be as low as $1799, but you can clearly see why Apple made the step from Intel to AS, more money to be made.
With smaller bezels then.
I really like the one I have.
Apple now considers the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display to be a "vintage" product because it has been close to five years since it was last offered for sale.
The Thunderbolt Display was today added to Apple's list of vintage and obsolete products, which are part of a support document on obtaining service for an Apple product after a warranty expires. Products are considered vintage when it’s between five and seven years since Apple stopped distributing them for sale.
Apple introduced the Thunderbolt Display in 2011, but never shipped updated models. It was discontinued on June 23, 2016, with no successor to follow. Apple in 2017 debuted LG UltraFine displays made in partnership with LG, but for many years, there was no Apple-designed display available.
That changed with the release of the Pro Display XDR, which accompanied the 2019 Mac Pro. At $5,000, the Pro Display XDR is not a replacement for the more affordable $999 Thunderbolt Display, but there are rumors suggesting Apple is developing a lower-priced Apple-branded external monitor.
There is no word on when a new display might be released, and as of January 2021, work on the new display was said to be in the early stages. To cut down on pricing, the rumored display is said to feature a screen geared for consumer use without the top-tier brightness and contrast.
Now that it's on the vintage list, the Thunderbolt Display may not be eligible for repair in some states and countries. Apple previously refused to offer repairs for products on the vintage list entirely, but as of 2019, select vintage products are eligible for service. Repairs are primarily available for vintage iPhones and Macs, however, so it is not clear if the Thunderbolt Display will be eligible.
In addition to adding the Thunderbolt Display to the vintage list, Apple has also included the original iPad Air, which was first released in 2013 and discontinued in 2016, and the 27-inch Apple Cinema Display, discontinued in 2014. The 2013 11 and 13-inch MacBook Pro models were moved from the vintage list to the obsolete list, which means repairs are no longer available.
Article Link: Apple's Thunderbolt Display Classified as 'Vintage' Amid Rumors of a Replacement
For what it's worth, the OS X volume and brightness controls work great with the LG Ultrafine 4K/5K Thunderbolt displays.
But yeah, no built-in webcam and the built-in LG speakers are average at best. Otherwise, the LG monitors are excellent. But I'm sure Apple can do better!
It's not Apple marketing, it's what Apple customers want, and buy. It is NOT just a coincidence that all Apple laptop/desktop displays are 220 pixels per inch.
People who want to work at 160PPI and look at the monitor from a metre away, they buy a LG/Huawei/KungFu monitor or even a smaller 4K TV. To be honest, these are monitors for people who either have poor eyesight or don't wear the correct glasses/contacts. Also, some people just aren't bothered by low-res displays, they just don't notice it or don't care for whatever reason. Sophisticated Apple users want 220 DPI because it looks the best when viewed from a normal distance.
It's actually 3:2 according to the specs.
Not sure I like the ports in the stand. Easy to access, but messy and ugly having to look at them all the time. The iMac/LG port positioning hides everything away more neatly.
Finally, the lack of a built-in webcam means it doesn't solve the main complaint with the LG Ultrafine displays.
Well you can buy it for $400-600, so probably costs Apple like $250 ish.
5K Apple Thunderbolt display build
In summer 2020 I saw this DIY video and wanted to do something similar, but I had some reservations about the way that it has been done with an iMac chassis. Obviously, these types of displays look fantastic, but as a self-avowed Apple devotee, I just couldn’t stomach the idea of just having a...
forums.macrumors.com
I still have one of these that was provided by my employer (I didn't choose it), and it is ok for a glossy 27" 1440p@60Hz. The TB2 dock part isn't great, and I had problems connecting external drives through it, and had to just connect drives directly to my MacBook Pro. I wish it allow input from something other than ThunderBolt; it should have had a DisplayPort input.
It's currently taking up space unused in my WFH office because I can't use it with my PC, and I swap my monitors between Mac and PC. Even if my PC had ThunderBolt, a lot of PC's with TB3 don't work with the TB2-to-TB3 adapter.
I hope Apple doesn't do another Thunderbolt-only monitor.
It's currently taking up space unused in my WFH office because I can't use it with my PC, and I swap my monitors between Mac and PC. Even if my PC had ThunderBolt, a lot of PC's with TB3 don't work with the TB2-to-TB3 adapter.
I hope Apple doesn't do another Thunderbolt-only monitor.
Love my old 27 inch Thunderbolt display. I bring my 16 inch MBP into the office and hook it up via adapter. Had to replace the plug on it just recently, but otherwise it's still going strong and the USB dock on the back even works with my setup. It's gorgeous, even though it's thicc.
Writing this comment on my 27" TB display. I'm desperate to upgrade to a new monitor but I think I will wait for the larger M1 iMacs to hit the market, hopefully coming in at 30 inches. This display is still going strong and has never failed me. It baffles me why Apple left the monitor market all those years ago.