Apple Thunderbolt Display
Encyclopedia
The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the current flat panel computer monitor sold by Apple Inc. Introduced on July 20, 2011, it immediately replaced the LED Cinema Display
, continuing with the same form factor and technical specification for the display portion of the product. New to the Thunderbolt Display is the switch from DisplayPort
and USB to a single Thunderbolt cable for the data connection between Mac and display. The Thunderbolt technology enabled faster transfer speeds, allowing the inclusion of a gigabit ethernet port and a FireWire 800 port to the product. Thunderbolt ports have so far been introduced to the MacBook Pro
(February 24, 2011), the iMac
(May 3), and on the same day as the introduction of the Apple Thunderbolt Display (July 20), the MacBook Air
and Mac mini
, leaving the Mac Pro
line as the only Mac without Thunderbolt. Macs without a Thunderbolt port cannot connect to the Apple Thunderbolt Display.
Cinema Display predecessor, the resolution of the 27-inch model is 2560 × 1440 pixels, and follows the 16:9
aspect ratio
. It is made with aluminium and glass
, having a similar appearance to the current ranges of iMac
and MacBook Pro
unibody designs. The display features a built-in HD FaceTime
camera (replacing the iSight
in the previous model), microphone, and dual speaker system (2.1). A MagSafe
cable runs from the back of the display for charging notebooks, as does a Thunderbolt cable. There is also a separate Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and a gigabit Ethernet port.
The Thunderbolt port allows for the possibility of daisy chaining
two Thunderbolt Displays from a supported Mac, or connecting other devices that have Thunderbolt ports, such as data storage
options.
On the other hand, newer Macs with a Thunderbolt port can connect with the old Apple Cinema Display
via its MiniDisplayPort connector.
Apple Cinema Display
The Apple Cinema Display was a line of flat panel computer monitors introduced in September 1999 by Apple Inc. It was initially sold alongside the older line of Studio Displays, but eventually replaced them. In July 2011, Apple replaced it with the Apple Thunderbolt Display...
, continuing with the same form factor and technical specification for the display portion of the product. New to the Thunderbolt Display is the switch from DisplayPort
DisplayPort
DisplayPort is a digital display interface standard produced by the Video Electronics Standards Association . The specification defines a royalty-free digital interconnect for audio and video. The interface is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor...
and USB to a single Thunderbolt cable for the data connection between Mac and display. The Thunderbolt technology enabled faster transfer speeds, allowing the inclusion of a gigabit ethernet port and a FireWire 800 port to the product. Thunderbolt ports have so far been introduced to the MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers introduced in January 2006 by Apple. It replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second model, after the iMac, to be announced in the Apple–Intel transition...
(February 24, 2011), the iMac
IMac
The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers built by Apple. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in 1998, and has evolved through five distinct forms....
(May 3), and on the same day as the introduction of the Apple Thunderbolt Display (July 20), the MacBook Air
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air family is a line of Apple ultraportable Macintosh notebook computers.The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, previously promoted as the World's Thinnest Notebook, introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU...
and Mac mini
Mac Mini
The Mac Mini is a small form factor desktop computer manufactured by Apple Inc. Like earlier mini-ITX PC designs, it is uncommonly small for a desktop computer: 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches tall. It weighs 2.7 pounds...
, leaving the Mac Pro
Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is a workstation computer manufactured by Apple Inc. The machines are based on Xeon microprocessors, but are similar to the Power Mac G5 they replaced in terms of outward appearance and expansion capabilities...
line as the only Mac without Thunderbolt. Macs without a Thunderbolt port cannot connect to the Apple Thunderbolt Display.
27" Thunderbolt Display model
Like its LEDLEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
Cinema Display predecessor, the resolution of the 27-inch model is 2560 × 1440 pixels, and follows the 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
aspect ratio
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
. It is made with aluminium and glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, having a similar appearance to the current ranges of iMac
IMac
The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers built by Apple. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in 1998, and has evolved through five distinct forms....
and MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers introduced in January 2006 by Apple. It replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second model, after the iMac, to be announced in the Apple–Intel transition...
unibody designs. The display features a built-in HD FaceTime
FaceTime
FaceTime is a video calling software application and related protocol developed by Apple for supported mobile devices running the iOS, in addition to Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.6.6 and higher...
camera (replacing the iSight
ISight
iSight is a webcam, both external and internal, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. The external iSight was sold retail for US$149, connected to a computer via a FireWire cable, and came with a set of mounts to place it atop any then-current Apple display, laptop computer, all-in-one desktop...
in the previous model), microphone, and dual speaker system (2.1). A MagSafe
MagSafe
MagSafe is a proprietary magnetically-attached power connector introduced by Apple Inc. on January 10, 2006 in conjunction with the MacBook Pro at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco...
cable runs from the back of the display for charging notebooks, as does a Thunderbolt cable. There is also a separate Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and a gigabit Ethernet port.
The Thunderbolt port allows for the possibility of daisy chaining
Daisy chain
Daisy chain may refer to a daisy garland created from daisy flowers, the original meaning and the one from which the following derive by analogy:*Daisy chain *Daisy chain *Daisy chain...
two Thunderbolt Displays from a supported Mac, or connecting other devices that have Thunderbolt ports, such as data storage
Data storage
Data storage can refer to:* Computer data storage; memory, components, devices and media that retain digital computer data used for computing for some interval of time....
options.
Backward compatibility
Backwards compatibility is not supported by the Apple Thunderbolt Display. Consequently, old Macs with DisplayPort (i.e. without a Thunderbolt port) cannot connect to the "Apple Thunderbolt Display".On the other hand, newer Macs with a Thunderbolt port can connect with the old Apple Cinema Display
Apple Cinema Display
The Apple Cinema Display was a line of flat panel computer monitors introduced in September 1999 by Apple Inc. It was initially sold alongside the older line of Studio Displays, but eventually replaced them. In July 2011, Apple replaced it with the Apple Thunderbolt Display...
via its MiniDisplayPort connector.
Technical specifications
| Component | LED-backlit LCD |
|---|---|
| Model | Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-Inch) |
| Release date(s) | July 20, 2011 |
| Discontinued | |
| Model number(s) | MC914 |
| Display Display device A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form... |
27 inch, TFT active-matrix LCD Liquid crystal display A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly.... , with IPS, glossy glass covered screen, 2560 × 1440 pixels resolution, with LED Light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting... backlighting |
| 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen) | |
| Pixel density | 109 |
| Response time | 12 ms |
| Refresh rate Refresh rate The refresh rate is the number of times in a second that a display hardware draws the data... |
59.95Hz |
| Colors Color vision Color vision is the capacity of an organism or machine to distinguish objects based on the wavelengths of the light they reflect, emit, or transmit... |
16.7 million (max.) |
| Contrast ratio Contrast ratio The contrast ratio is a property of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest color to that of the darkest color that the system is capable of producing... |
1000:1 |
| Brightness Brightness Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception elicited by the luminance of a visual target... |
375 cd/m2 |
| Viewing angle Viewing angle In display technology parlance, viewing angle is the maximum angle at which a display can be viewed with acceptable visual performance. In a technical context, this angular range is called viewing cone defined by a multitude of viewing directions.... |
178° horizontal; 178° vertical |
| Power | Up to 250W (while charging a MacBook Pro, via MagSafe MagSafe MagSafe is a proprietary magnetically-attached power connector introduced by Apple Inc. on January 10, 2006 in conjunction with the MacBook Pro at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco... cable); energy saver mode: 2W or less |
| Material | Aluminium Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances.... frame and glass front |
| Video input | 1× Thunderbolt cable |
| Audio output | 2.1 speaker system (49 watts) |
| Other I/O | 1× Thunderbolt port, 3× powered USB 2.0 ports, 1× FireWire 800 port, 1× Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet is a term describing various technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second , as defined by the IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. It came into use beginning in 1999, gradually supplanting Fast Ethernet in wired local networks where it performed... port |
| Miscellaneous | Universal MagSafe cable (up to 85W), Kensington Security Slot Kensington Security Slot A Kensington Security Slot is part of an anti-theft system designed by Kensington Computer Products Group,Ltd.... , FaceTime HD FaceTime FaceTime is a video calling software application and related protocol developed by Apple for supported mobile devices running the iOS, in addition to Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.6.6 and higher... camera with microphone |
| Dimensions | height: 19.35 inches (49.1 cm), width: 25.7 inches (65 cm), depth (with stand): 8.15 inches (20.7 cm) |
| Weight | 23.5 pounds Pound (mass) The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement... (10.8 kg) |
| System Requirements | OS X v10.6.8 or later, Thunderbolt port |
See also
- Apple displaysApple displaysApple Inc. currently sells LCD computer displays; a wide variety of CRT computer displays have been sold in the past.- CRT displays :In the very beginning , Apple did not manufacture or sell displays of any kind, instead recommending users plug-into their television sets or expensive third party...
- Apple Studio DisplayApple Studio DisplayThe Apple Studio Displays were a series of displays manufactured by Apple Computer Inc. that both used LCD and CRT as their displays. The Apple Studio Displays used DB-15, VGA, DVI, and ADC as their display output...
(1998 - 2004) - Apple Cinema DisplayApple Cinema DisplayThe Apple Cinema Display was a line of flat panel computer monitors introduced in September 1999 by Apple Inc. It was initially sold alongside the older line of Studio Displays, but eventually replaced them. In July 2011, Apple replaced it with the Apple Thunderbolt Display...
(1999 - 2011)
- Apple Studio Display