Is it possible to use an iMac as a thunderbolt display?

[gdourado]

Hello,

How are you doing?
Out of curiosity, I was wondering this...
I know the thunderbolt 27 iMac can do target display mode from a thunderbolt equipped Macbook Air...
My question is the iMac, like the Thunderbolt display, has ethernet port, firewire ports and usb ports...
Can those be used in target display mode?
Like, having the network connected by ethernet cable to the iMac, have some firewire 800 external drives daisy chained from the iMac, and use that from the Macbook air?

Cheers and thanks!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

No.

I don't know, if you can establish a network connection between two TB equipped Macs though.

 

[GGJstudios]

My question is the iMac, like the Thunderbolt display, has ethernet port, firewire ports and usb ports...
Can those be used in target display mode?

Unless they've changed something from the original Target Display mode, no, you can't.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3924

The 27-inch iMac works like any other external display while it is in Target Display mode, except that you cannot access its built-in iSight or USB and FireWire ports.

You can, however, access the speakers on the iMac.

OS X Lion: Use another Mac as a display