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Tired of waiting for Thunderbolt Display

PatriotInvasion

PatriotInvasion

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 18, 2010
1,645
1,061
Boston, MA
Ok, so I've been waiting nearly a year for Apple to update the Thunderbolt Display and it hasn't happened. Perhaps they are exiting the display market or just haven't gotten around to it since they are basically an iOS company now.

Regardless, I want a large screen for my 13" rMBP and there's no way I'm paying full price for 2011 technology in the current Thunderbolt Display. Curious what others think of the other options below:

1.) Find a used 24" LED Cinema Display or 23" non-LED Cinema Display online in the $250-$500 range. These displays would be 5+ years old, so would it be worth taking the risk for the savings?

2.) Buy a brand new ASUS display in the 23-27" range and live with the fact that it's not made by Apple.

What would you do?:confused::apple:
 
yea dude I was in the same boat and just got sick of waiting so picked up a TB display on the cheap.

who knows what apple will do I mean they could have new 4k displays that are just ridiculously expensive and out of my price range

I am interested in the spec of the 28" 4k Dell display coming out in a fews weeks for under a grand. One good thing about apple is whenever I want to sell any of my gear its easy as ****
 
bhamss said:
yea dude I was in the same boat and just got sick of waiting so picked up a TB display on the cheap.

who knows what apple will do I mean they could have new 4k displays that are just ridiculously expensive and out of my price range

I am interested in the spec of the 28" 4k Dell display coming out in a fews weeks for under a grand. One good thing about apple is whenever I want to sell any of my gear its easy as ****
Click to expand...

Yea, just worried about buying a used Cinema Display and having it ***** the bed in 6 months. Also not thrilled about some black plastic behemoth from Dell or ASUS on my desk either so we'll see. Interested if anyone else has purchased a used Cinema Display in the past and had good luck. What are their expected life cycles?
 
I know it's now Apple, but I would look into the Dell displays. They are very nice and that's what I would get if I needed a display. I currently have the U2412 as a 2nd display next to my 27" iMac. If you want a 27" then the Dell U2713HM has the same resolution as the Thunderbolt display 2560x1440 and costs about $600 new.
 
Another vote for Dell. I would have picked that up if i didn't get a deal and a half on my thunderbolt display.

I am not really blown away by the 1440P 27" form factor. Spoiled by my 15R and there is a chance I might unload this and just use an Mstand.

A lot of room, but images are no where near as sharp coming from a retina machine.

If i were in your shoes op, being you have tb2 and no new thunderbolt display. Wait a month or so if you can and pick up a 4k monitor. If my early 2013 supported more then 30hz 4k I would without a doubt go that route.
 
the hook up w my rMBP is pretty convenient I must say but the one big complaint on the TB is that I became so spoiled with the retina display especially text that I was disappointed by how it appears on the TB. its a small complaint for an otherwise nice machine. I have had good luck w used apple from CL or refurbished which obviously take out much much risk. I think you could find one for 600-700 bucks.

I really don't think these new dells are unattractive at all and would not hesitate to pull the trigger.
 
You might be surprised at midnight tonight. Mac Pros starts taking orders, and most stores will have them on display tomorrow. They've been hyping it for a year and a half, they're going to want to sell something spontaneous to all the people that just came to the store to look at the new Pro. I think two 27" monitors will come out: a TB1 iMac style, and a black TB2 4k model to match the new pro. Also a new mini. Apple will want to take advantage of all the press they get from the Mac Pro in the national press, but actually make sales from the mini and TBD to pay the bills. After a year and a half of suggestion, and the new model displayed in June, coming in Fall, then December, now tomorrow release, costly movie theatre ads (absurd for a pro machine), on the day they release it they are going to want to capitalize on that hard. The mac pro with a 4k display is a halo product, but they will gain sales from mainly from the mini, and also the new TBD. You sell a lot of Malibus to people stopping to look at new Vettes. Apple is as profitable a company as it is by taking advantages of releases like this. They usually launch several products at the same time.
 
mtmac said:
You might be surprised at midnight tonight. Mac Pros starts taking orders, and most stores will have them on display tomorrow. They've been hyping it for a year and a half, they're going to want to sell something spontaneous to all the people that just came to the store to look at the new Pro. I think two 27" monitors will come out: a TB1 iMac style, and a black TB2 4k model to match the new pro. Also a new mini. Apple will want to take advantage of all the press they get from the Mac Pro in the national press, but actually make sales from the mini and TBD to pay the bills. After a year and a half of suggestion, and the new model displayed in June, coming in Fall, then December, now tomorrow release, costly movie theatre ads (absurd for a pro machine), on the day they release it they are going to want to capitalize on that hard. The mac pro with a 4k display is a halo product, but they will gain sales from mainly from the mini, and also the new TBD. You sell a lot of Malibus to people stopping to look at new Vettes. Apple is as profitable a company as it is by taking advantages of releases like this. They usually launch several products at the same time.
Click to expand...

This all sounds great and makes a ton of sense. However, Apple doesn't seem to make the move that would make a ton of sense. For some reason they zag when people think they will zig. Maybe that's what makes them great, but all I know is that all they had to do a year ago was give the Thunderbolt Display the 27" iMac treatment with the reduced glare, USB 3, and the thinner design and they would have racked up $999 a pop from guys like me. They still could have released a 4K display a year later if they wanted. Ball, dropped IMO.

Hope you're right, but I say odds are probably 95% that the Mac Pro goes on sale tomorrow and that's it. Nothing else.
 
If they just go on sale, but there are not demos yet in the stores, then those products will roll out when they hit the showrooms. The last TBD came out with the last Mac Pro as well. Nerds everywhere will flock to Apple stores to see the new pro. They will be running multiple 4k monitors to wow the crowds to pull out their credit cards, they want to be able to sell them something. So while I predict they will all come out the same day, that day might be at midnight, or this still may be yet another preliminary release date, which will be determined by shipping date. So it could be by as late as February or as early as tonight, but I expect to see multiple products.

----------

And I too have been eagerly awaiting the new display for 18 months. USB 2.0 was already outdated when they produced the first TBD. I'm checking tonight and hopefully will be ordering.
 
mtmac said:
If they just go on sale, but there are not demos yet in the stores, then those products will roll out when they hit the showrooms. The last TBD came out with the last Mac Pro as well. Nerds everywhere will flock to Apple stores to see the new pro. They will be running multiple 4k monitors to wow the crowds to pull out their credit cards, they want to be able to sell them something. So while I predict they will all come out the same day, that day might be at midnight, or this still may be yet another preliminary release date, which will be determined by shipping date. So it could be by as late as February or as early as tonight, but I expect to see multiple products.

----------

And I too have been eagerly awaiting the new display for 18 months. USB 2.0 was already outdated when they produced the first TBD. I'm checking tonight and hopefully will be ordering.
Click to expand...

Well, I was in the market for a Thunderbolt Display at the $999 price point. Unfortunately, there is no way a 4K display is released for anything less than $1,500+ and that's getting crazy for a computer monitor, 4K or not. We'll see.
 
I'm in the market for a $999 (or maybe less) monitor too. Like I said above, I think they will offer two 27" monitors, a TB2 4k and a TB1 iMac update.
 
SteelBlueTJ said:
I know it's now Apple, but I would look into the Dell displays. They are very nice and that's what I would get if I needed a display. I currently have the U2412 as a 2nd display next to my 27" iMac. If you want a 27" then the Dell U2713HM has the same resolution as the Thunderbolt display 2560x1440 and costs about $600 new.
Click to expand...

yes .. but the Dell (or any 27") is not (semi)glossy right? What a good alternative for the TBD if you want 27" and not-matte? and i just want to buy it in a store, not from ebay in taiwan.
 
The TBD with my 15" MBP Retina is great, and maybe justifies not going with a Dell. I found a used one on Craigslist last year for $700. I would also consider a refurbished unit from Apple.
 
So Apple are sticking with the Sharp for 4k then.

I guess it's looking like either the 28" Dell or the 4096 LG for me. I'll hold off until CES.
 
So it's official, Apple wants people to buy a $3,595 Sharp 4K display, cleverly named the Sharp PN-K321:rolleyes: over a display made by Apple. Incredible.

The fact that they still pitch people the 2011 Thunderbolt Display when configuring a Mac is an embarrassment for a company this size. USB 2.0 and it even needs a freakin' DONGLE to connect to every portable Mac released in the past year and a half. Either discontinue the thing and say you're out of the display market or update it. Insane. :mad::apple::mad:
 
PatriotInvasion said:
So it's official, Apple wants people to buy a $3,595 Sharp 4K display, cleverly named the Sharp PN-K321:rolleyes: over a display made by Apple. Incredible.

The fact that they still pitch people the 2011 Thunderbolt Display when configuring a Mac is an embarrassment for a company this size. USB 2.0 and it even needs a freakin' DONGLE to connect to every portable Mac released in the past year and a half. Either discontinue the thing and say you're out of the display market or update it. Insane. :mad::apple::mad:
Click to expand...

Yea, couldn't agree more. New Display should of come out along with the Mac Pro's.

Buy a Mac Pro and then a few $1,000 2011 Displays to go with it ... no thanks.

Richest tech company on the planet .... there's no excuse.
 
entatlrg said:
Richest tech company on the planet .... there's no excuse.
Click to expand...
So far, I've been left with the impression, that Apple is wise enough to prioritize things. So first things first and other things a little later.
Plus, you probably won't be getting your new Pro before February anyway, so there's some time window left.
 
entatlrg said:
Yea, couldn't agree more. New Display should of come out along with the Mac Pro's.

Buy a Mac Pro and then a few $1,000 2011 Displays to go with it ... no thanks.

Richest tech company on the planet .... there's no excuse.
Click to expand...

Doesn't even need to be 4K since I'm guessing even the pro-iest of pro's has limited interest in pulling the trigger on a $3,500 computer monitor.

Just stop selling the 2011 Thunderbolt Display at full price as if it's still worth that price, because it's not. All they have to do is give it an iMac-style thin enclosure with the laminated display, MagSafe 2, and USB 3.0 and they're good to go for another 2-3 years. Would literally take an hour for Jonny Ive to draw it up and send the dimensions to the factory;):mad:
 
PatriotInvasion said:
All they have to do is give it an iMac-style thin enclosure with the laminated display, MagSafe 2, and USB 3.0 and they're good to go for another 2-3 years.
Click to expand...
Well, for the complete docking satisfaction, they also ought add audio output and SD-card slot. And upgrade the Thunderbolt controller inside to allow better daisy-chaining. And they probably could drop the FireWire already now.
 
Anyone have thoughts on the ASUS MX239H or ASUS MX279H? Both are very nicely designed and if Apple is pushing people to 3rd party displays anyway, might bite the bullet and pick up one of these.

They are both IPS displays, but since the 27" model sports the same 1920x1080 resolution as the 23", I'd probably just go with the 23" for the higher pixel density. At a price point of $205 on Amazon, if it stinks or Apple comes out with something better in 6 months, I can live with selling it and taking a little bit of a loss. Thoughts?
 
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PatriotInvasion said:
Anyone have thoughts on the ASUS MX239H or ASUS MX279H? Both are very nicely designed and if Apple is pushing people to 3rd party displays anyway, might bite the bullet and pick up one of these.
Click to expand...

Looks really nice .. are these (semi) glossy screens?

I really don't understand why apple doesn't just release a iMac 2013 with less hardware. Same case, IPS, Thunderbolt Hub and done :)
 
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PatriotInvasion said:
Anyone have thoughts on the ASUS MX239H or ASUS MX279H? Both are very nicely designed and if Apple is pushing people to 3rd party displays anyway, might bite the bullet and pick up one of these.

They are both IPS displays, but since the 27" model sports the same 1920x1080 resolution as the 23", I'd probably just go with the 23" for the higher pixel density. At a price point of $205 on Amazon, if it stinks or Apple comes out with something better in 6 months, I can live with selling it and taking a little bit of a loss. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Being you have a rMBP you will be extremely disappointed in the 27. The 23, you may be able to live with however at that point you might as well just save your money and use the macbook screen.
 
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