The Apple Thunderbolt Display is a 27-inch flat panel

computer monitor A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a electronic visual display, visual display, support electronics, power supply, Housing (engineering), housing, electri ...

developed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

and sold from July 2011 to June 2016. Originally priced at $999, it replaced Apple’s 27-inch Cinema Display. It integrates a webcam, speakers and microphone, as well as several ports (

ethernet Ethernet ( ) is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

, FireWire 800, USB 2.0, and a downstream Thunderbolt port). The Thunderbolt Display was discontinued in June 2016, and replaced by LG UltraFine displays Apple developed with LG on the consumer end, while the

Pro Display XDR The Pro Display XDR is a 32-inch flat panel computer monitor created by Apple Inc., Apple, based on an LG Corporation, LG supplied display, that was released on December 10, 2019. It was announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on ...

succeeded it in 2019 as Apple's professional display. In 2022, the

Apple Studio Display The Apple Studio Display (marketed as Studio Display) is a 27-inch flat panel computer monitor developed and sold by Apple Inc. It was announced on March 8, 2022, alongside the Mac Studio desktop, and was released on March 18, 2022. It is Ap ...

was released as the first Apple-branded consumer display since its discontinuation. The Thunderbolt Display requires a computer with a

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

port; only Mac computers are supported officially. Most Macs released since 2011 (with some exceptions) are compatible. Mac models released since 2016 are supported but require a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter. Despite using the same physical connector, it does not work with

Mini DisplayPort The Mini DisplayPort (MiniDP or mDP) is a miniaturized version of the DisplayPort audio-visual digital interface. It was announced by Apple, Inc., Apple in October 2008, and by early 2013 all new Apple Macintosh computers had Mini DisplayPort, ...

input, and similarly, the adapter does not make it compatible with

USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...

in general. __TOC__

Overview

Like its predecessor, the 27-inch LED Cinema Display, the resolution is 2560×1440 pixels in a 16:9

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

. Its chassis is made of aluminum and glass, resembling the contemporary ranges of

iMac The iMac is a series of all-in-one computers from Apple Inc., sold as part of the company's Mac (computer), Mac family of computers. First introduced in 1998, it has remained a primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since and evol ...

and

MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro is a line of Mac laptop computers developed and manufactured by Apple. Introduced in 2006, it is the high-end sibling of the MacBook family, sitting above the ultra-portable MacBook Air and previously the low-end MacBook li ...

unibody designs. The display features a built-in 720p FaceTime HD camera (replacing the

iSight iSight is a brand name used by Apple Inc. to refer to webcams on various devices. The name was originally used for the external iSight webcam, which retailed for US$149, connected to a computer via a FireWire cable, and came with a set of moun ...

in the previous model), microphone, and stereo speaker system with subwoofer (2.1 channel). An octopus cable with Thunderbolt and

MagSafe MagSafe is a series of proprietary magnetically attached power connectors developed by Apple Inc. for Mac laptops. Apple also uses the MagSafe name for MagSafe Attach, a wireless power transfer and accessory-attachment feature for the iPhone ...

is permanently attached to the back of the display for data and charging MacBooks, respectively. On the rear of the display is a Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports, and a

Gigabit Ethernet In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE or 1 GigE) is the term applied to transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. The most popular variant, 1000BASE-T, is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use in ...

port. The Thunderbolt port allows for the possibility of daisy chaining Thunderbolt Displays from a supported Mac, or connecting other devices that have Thunderbolt ports, such as external hard drives and video capture devices. In July 2012, Apple began including a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 adaptor in the box.

Discontinuation and successors

On June 23, 2016, Apple announced through a statement it was discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display and would exit the stand-alone display market. Apple subsequently worked with LG to design the Thunderbolt 3-enabled UltraFine line, consisting of 21.5-inch (later 24-inch) 4K and 27-inch 5K displays, which were the only displays sold by Apple from 2016 to 2019. In December 2019, Apple released the

, the first Apple-branded display since the Thunderbolt Display's discontinuation. In March 2022, Apple released the

, the first Apple-branded consumer display since the Thunderbolt Display's discontinuation, which similarly includes integrated speakers and a webcam.

Compatibility

The Thunderbolt Display drops compatibility with all previous standards, including VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort. It is not compatible with computers that do not have a Thunderbolt port, including pre-2011 Macs and the vast majority of desktop PCs. The 12-inch Retina MacBook and 2012

Mac Pro Mac Pro is a series of workstations and servers for professionals made by Apple Inc. since 2006. The Mac Pro, by some performance benchmarks, is the most powerful computer that Apple offers. It is one of four desktop computers in the current ...

do not support Thunderbolt. The following Macs support the Thunderbolt Display without an adapter: *

(2011 to 2015) *

MacBook Air The MacBook Air is a line of Mac (computer), Mac laptop computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc., Apple since 2008. It features a thin, light structure in a machining, machined aluminum case and currently either a 13-inch or 15-inch ...

(2011 to 2017) *

Mac Mini Mac Mini (stylized as Mac mini) is a small form factor (desktop and motherboard), small form factor desktop computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is one of the company's four current Mac (computer), Mac desktop computers, positioned ...

(2011 to 2014) *

(2011 to 2015) *

(2013) Macs released after 2016 with Thunderbolt 3 and later, which uses a

connector, are compatible using Apple's Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter.

Using multiple displays

MacBook Pro

* Macbook Pro (2011): 2 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt Displays together to get two displays, but the laptop's LCD may turn off. * Macbook Pro (2012): 2+2 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt Displays, in addition to one HDMI display and the MacBook Pro's own display, for four displays total * MacBook Pro (Late 2016): Apple released a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter for enabling the Thunderbolt 3 ports of MacBook Pro (Late 2016) to connect to Thunderbolt 2 devices. * MacBook Pro (2017–2019) Using 2 of the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapters can run 4 Thunderbolt Displays in addition to the built in Retina Display for a total of 5. * Macbook Pro 13-inch M1/M2 (2020–2022) Using 1 of the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapters can run 1 Thunderbolt Display in addition to the built in Retina Display for a total of 2. * MacBook Pro M1/M2 Pro (2021–2023) Using 1 of the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapters can run 2 Thunderbolt Displays in addition to the built in Retina Display for a total of 3. * MacBook Pro M1/M2 Max (2021–2023) Using 2 of the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapters can run 4 Thunderbolt Displays in addition to the built in Retina Display for a total of 5.

MacBook Air

* MacBook Air (Mid 2011): 1+1 Displays: Can use one Apple Thunderbolt display, in addition to the MacBook Air's own display. * MacBook Air (Mid 2012 to Mid 2017): 2+1 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt displays, in addition to the MacBook Air's own display. * MacBook Air (Intel, Late 2018 to Early 2020): 2+1 Displays: Can daisy chain two Apple Thunderbolt displays, in addition to the MacBook Air's own display. * MacBook Air (M1, 2020): 1+1 Displays: Can use one Apple Thunderbolt Display (with Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter), in addition to the MacBook Air's own display. Further displays have to rely on virtual display output like DisplayLink or Apple Sidecar. * MacBook Air (M2, 2022): 1+1 Displays: Can use one Apple Thunderbolt Display (with Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter), in addition to the MacBook Air's own display. Further displays have to rely on virtual display output like DisplayLink or Apple Sidecar.

Mac Pro

* Mac Pro (Late 2013): 6 Displays: Can run six Apple Thunderbolt Displays using six Thunderbolt ports.

Mac mini

* Mac mini (Mid 2011): 1 Display. 2 Displays daisy chained: AMD version * Mac mini (Late 2012): 2 Displays daisy chained. * Mac mini (Late 2014): 2 Displays. * Mac mini (2018): 2 Displays using TB3 to TB2 converter. * Mac mini (2020): 1 Display using TB3 to TB2 converter. * Mac mini (2023): 1 Display using TB3 to TB2 converter.

Technical specifications

References

External links

* – official site at

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

Apple Thunderbolt Display
– 27-inch user manual at

{{Apple hardware since 1998 Apple Inc. monitors Apple Inc. peripherals