Wednesday, July 20th 2011

Apple Introduces World’s First Thunderbolt Display

Apple today unveiled the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, the world's first display with Thunderbolt I/O technology and the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook. With just a single cable, users can connect a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac to the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display and access its FaceTime camera, high quality audio, and Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt ports. Designed specifically for Mac notebooks, the new display features an elegant, thin, aluminum and glass enclosure, and includes a MagSafe connector that charges your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

"The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With just one cable, users can dock with their new display and connect to high performance peripherals, network connections and audio devices."
With a beautiful 16:9 edge-to-edge glass design, the Thunderbolt Display uses IPS technology to provide a brilliant image across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle. Any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac notebook can dock with the display to quickly and easily create a full-fledged desktop solution. The Thunderbolt Display includes a built-in FaceTime HD video camera for crisp video conferencing, a 2.1 speaker system for high quality audio, an integrated MagSafe charger to keep Mac notebooks charged, three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and a Thunderbolt port for daisy chaining up to five additional Thunderbolt devices.

The Thunderbolt Display is the world's first display to include Thunderbolt I/O technology. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, each Thunderbolt port delivers PCI Express directly to external peripherals such as high performance storage and RAID arrays, supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Thunderbolt-based Macs with discrete graphics can drive two external displays giving professional users over 7 million additional pixels of display real estate and the ability to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt devices, as well as video and audio capture devices.

The Thunderbolt Display includes an ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions and uses only as much energy as necessary to provide an optimum viewing experience. Made with mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass and highly recyclable materials, the new display meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status. The new display contains no brominated flame retardants and all cables and components are PVC-free.

Pricing & Availability
The new Thunderbolt Display will be available within the next 60 days through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US). The Apple Thunderbolt Display requires a Mac with a Thunderbolt I/O port.
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27 Comments on Apple Introduces World’s First Thunderbolt Display

#1
Steevo
So you can have a display that by the time you attach all your normal stuff you still ahve a clusterfuck of wires? Or you are forced to look over your macbook air to see the display and use its keyboard, and then attach a mouse.






hrmmmmmmm. What happens when your camera dies? You send in the whole thing? Ahhh. I see.
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#2
de.das.dude
Pro Indian Modder
i dont understand. i need to connect a mac to use its ether net, USB bla bla? you mean the mac doesnt have it? :O

and other than the good angle i seriously doubt, like all other apple stuff, if it will be better than other stuff on the market.
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#3
xenos
So you will need the slightly older version of this monitor to connect it up to a windows pc now and be able to use the speakers, mic, webcam and usb ports, I think my display may have just gone up in value.
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#4
Delta6326
The other day I was saying how the one nice thing about Apple is their displays but now I may have to think again.
Posted on Reply
#6
freaksavior
To infinity ... and beyond!
Not sure why y'all are bashing this one. It's a pretty cool idea. Thunderbolt has the speed needed to transfer the images.
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#7
cheesy999
freaksaviorNot sure why y'all are bashing this one. It's a pretty cool idea. Thunderbolt has the speed needed to transfer the images.
So does DVI, HDMI etc, and they don't stop you from using the display with other non-apple devices
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#8
Thatguy
Delta6326The other day I was saying how the one nice thing about Apple is their displays but now I may have to think again.
yeah, just love that glossy glarey screen facing material, just love it !
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#9
freaksavior
To infinity ... and beyond!
cheesy999So does DVI, HDMI etc, and they don't stop you from using the display with other non-apple devices
All right, all right, I see what you're saying.
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#10
Frick
Fishfaced Nincompoop
Steevohrmmmmmmm. What happens when your camera dies? You send in the whole thing? Ahhh. I see.
img.techpowerup.org/110720/97a.jpg
The same as with every other monitor with a camera in it. Your point?

It's basicly a monitor with a docking station and I don't really see the point with the hate.
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#11
[H]@RD5TUFF
FrickThe same as with every other monitor with a camera in it. Your point?

It's basicly a monitor with a docking station and I don't really see the point with the hate.
Well to be honest I really think it's aimed as a docking station for the Macbook Air.
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#12
hellrazor
The biggest problem methinks is that if everything uses Thunderbolt, you'll look in the back of your computer and see.... Thunderbolt everywhere, so if you want to unplug your keyboard you'll have to trace it to the back of your computer to figure out which one is which - or just blindly unplug shit until your keyboard lights go off.
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#13
Fourstaff
hellrazorThe biggest problem methinks is that if everything uses Thunderbolt, you'll look in the back of your computer and see.... Thunderbolt everywhere, so if you want to unplug your keyboard you'll have to trace it to the back of your computer to figure out which one is which - or just blindly unplug shit until your keyboard lights go off.
That is what is happening to USB isnt it?
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#14
1freedude
FourstaffThat is what is happening to USB isnt it?
But Macintosh/Apple stuff is all white. My USB cables are very distinguishable.

This thing is just a I/O on the end of a cable with a screen built-in. Granted, I would love to use Thunderbolt with a PC.
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#15
NC37
I've seen this movie...its called ADC and it's been done. None of these single cable solutions really take off well because they always lose backing rather quickly. Can't convince everyone to change boards/etc just to hook up a monitor. Then things are all really proprietary and limited to one brand or make. Just doesn't work no matter how good it is.
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#16
kid41212003
The idea is great... The only downside is that you have to buy the whole LCD for the cables!
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#17
de.das.dude
Pro Indian Modder
fake and gay.

always like saying that :)
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#18
Wile E
Power User
NC37I've seen this movie...its called ADC and it's been done. None of these single cable solutions really take off well because they always lose backing rather quickly. Can't convince everyone to change boards/etc just to hook up a monitor. Then things are all really proprietary and limited to one brand or make. Just doesn't work no matter how good it is.
Agree 100%. Great concept, but won't take off due to low adoption in the largest market: Windows PCs. Apple is really good for that. They just don't want to admit that they have to cater to PC as well for it to be successful.
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#19
de.das.dude
Pro Indian Modder
Wile EAgree 100%. Great concept, but won't take off due to low adoption in the largest market: Windows PCs. Apple is really good for that. They just don't want to admit that they have to cater to PC as well for it to be successful.
youre wrong. people will buy just because its an Apple. now only f they could add an i at the front.

jokes apart, it will sell. there are plenty of rich people with money to waste.
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#20
Wile E
Power User
de.das.dudeyoure wrong. people will buy just because its an Apple. now only f they could add an i at the front.

jokes apart, it will sell. there are plenty of rich people with money to waste.
It will only sell in small quantities, and will die off. ADC was the same thing, but build on top of DVI for video signal instead of Displayport.
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#21
mdm-adph
Wile EAgree 100%. Great concept, but won't take off due to low adoption in the largest market: Windows PCs. Apple is really good for that. They just don't want to admit that they have to cater to PC as well for it to be successful.
Things like "AirDrop" are perfect examples of this. "Now you can share wirelessly instantly with other macs on your home network!"

Except that most people I know have only one Mac that they own -- the rest of their house is filled with PC's.
Posted on Reply
#22
Wile E
Power User
mdm-adphThings like "AirDrop" are perfect examples of this. "Now you can share wirelessly instantly with other macs on your home network!"

Except that most people I know have only one Mac that they own -- the rest of their house is filled with PC's.
lol. That's me exactly. Have the iMac, and everything else is PCs.
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#23
de.das.dude
Pro Indian Modder
Wile EIt will only sell in small quantities, and will die off. ADC was the same thing, but build on top of DVI for video signal instead of Displayport.
small quantities should be enough for the profit apple makes per product.
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#24
Wile E
Power User
de.das.dudesmall quantities should be enough for the profit apple makes per product.
Nope. On displays they don't make any more profit than any other manufacturer.
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#25
jpierce55
Does the screen on the Mac notebook lay all the way down? Or, are you really forced to look over it to see the bigger monitor?
Posted on Reply
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