Would you get a Thunderbolt display now?

[Haifisch]

So rumors are abound about the next gen TBD being retina. Even if price will not be an issue (and it will be $$$), can a 2012 15" rMBP drive that monitor? Is TB 2 required for 4K?

Also, with the current TBD, can a 2010 MacBook Air with mini-display port output compatible with it?

I'm considering the TBD because of its awesome resale capability if the new TBD is worth upgrading to, but I won't dump my rMBP to get 4K.
Thanks for your help?

 

[TyPod]

Also, with the current TBD, can a 2010 MacBook Air with mini-display port output compatible with it?

I don't think so. In order to run the TBD, you need a TBD port on your MBA.

 

[COrocket]

4K displays require TB2. This was one of the big features emphasized with the release of the new Mac Pro, so I'd imagine that Apple would have advertised this capability if their laptops could drive 4K displays. Mini Displayport is compatible with TB, so you should have no problem running the display with your 2010 MBA.

 

[Giuly]

4K displays require TB2. This was one of the big features emphasized with the release of the new Mac Pro, so I'd imagine that Apple would have advertised this capability if their laptops could drive 4K displays. Mini Displayport is compatible with TB, so you should have no problem running the display with your 2010 MBA.

A Thunderbolt port is compatible with DisplayPort displays, but not vice versa.

 

[takeshi74]

Would you get a Thunderbolt display now?

Nope no room for it. This is why polling is pointless. Decide based on your needs/wants.

 

[chaseychasem]

Would you get a Thunderbolt display now?

No, because the one I tried this spring never came back online the first time my MBP woke from sleep while connected to it. (Well, the speakers and ports did!) AppleCare was stumped, even though the issue has been reported in the official support forums more or less from the beginning.

 

[CWallace]

So rumors are abound about the next gen TBD being retina.

I personally see it as very unlikely that Apple will update the Thunderbolt Display with a retina or 4K screen.

During the WWDC keynote introduction of the Mac Pro, Apple mentioned third-party 4K displays, which seems strong evidence that they will not be releasing their own 4K monitor (either as the next ATD or as a separate display model in addition to the ATD).

Is TB 2 required for 4K?

Thunderbolt 2 or HDMI 1.4. The rMBP HDMI port is 1.4, however it appears (per a thread on the Apple Support Forums) OS X does not currently support resolutions beyond those supported by HDMI 1.2 (you need Windows running via BootCamp to fully exploit the resolutions supported by HDMI 1.4). This may change with the release of OS X Mavericks.

Can a 2012 15" rMBP drive that monitor?

The Intel HD 4000 and nVidia GeForce GT 650M GPUs in the rMBP can output a 4K video stream, but they cannot natively drive a 4K display per The Verge, who connected a 15" rMBP to an Asus PQ321 4K monitor and ran some tests. That may be due to the HDMI 1.2 limit of OS X, however.

Also, with the current TBD, can a 2010 MacBook Air with mini-display port output compatible with it?

As noted up-thread, you must have a Thunderbolt port to drive an Apple Thunderbolt Display.

 

[Haifisch]

Thank you CWallace.

 

[wbensky]

You might also want to check out the MacRumors Buyer's Guide for rumors about when and when not to buy their products. I'm pretty sure that other Apple fan sights have similar things as well.