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Say Hello to the new Apple Thunderbolt Display

To complement its new hardware lineup, Apple also unveiled a new Apple Thunderbolt Display, previously known as the LED Cinema Display. The new display is similar to earlier models, but now includes a Thunderbolt port that will let you connect your Thunderbolt-equipped hardware.

Besides Thunderbolt, the new display includes a FaceTime HD video camera, a 2.1 speaker system, integrated MagSafe charger, three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one Gigabit Ethernet port

The 27-inch model Apple Thunderbolt Display is available for US$999 and will go on sale within the next 60 days.

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Apple Introduces World's First Thunderbolt Display

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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"
"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.

*EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.


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To complement its new hardware lineup, Apple also unveiled a new Apple Thunderbolt Display, previously known as the LED Cinema...
 

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20 Comments

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sejoki

It's ridiculous. They sell this 27" display with daisy chaining and at the same time release Lion which makes the displays unusable.
I'm exaggerating, but let's say you have an 11" MacBook Air, hooked up to two 27" Cinema Displays. Now you want to watch a video in QuickTime in full screen. Both displays go blank and you see your fullscreen video on 11".
Sorry for using the word, but that's just retarded.

July 20 2011 at 12:09 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to sejoki's comment
Eric LaRue

I presume they've picked up on that flaw and are working to get it corrected in an upcoming update?

July 20 2011 at 1:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Eric LaRue

Honestly, this could actually eliminate the need for the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros - if you need the extra screen size, just get one of these, and you get extra ports, too. :-)

July 20 2011 at 11:22 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Eric LaRue's comment
jollyllama

Unless you, uh, want a bigger screen while you're on the road.

July 20 2011 at 4:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
daveg

I just bought last week the 27" LED Cinema Display, any ideas if I could trade it in for this new model ?

July 20 2011 at 10:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to daveg's comment
Jacob Probasco

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/salespolicies.html#topic-21

Yes, just call Apple Support.

July 20 2011 at 10:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
danielpieracci

Does it work with the non-Thunderbolt MacBook Airs?

July 20 2011 at 10:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jason Schwarz

Since the Mac Pro doesn't have Thunderbolt yet, what monitor does Apple now make for that system?

July 20 2011 at 10:25 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Jason Schwarz's comment
Jacob Probasco

Nothing it seems. The Mac Pro is due for a refresh soon though.

July 20 2011 at 11:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jollyllama

Can't you convert a display port to Thunderbolt?

July 20 2011 at 4:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
SteveDelMar

The picture in the apple store shows 3 usb port and nothing else, while the one in the product page also shows the ethernet and the firewire800 ports...

July 20 2011 at 9:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Oliver Thomas Guy Ch

nice usb and firewire through thunderbolt!

July 20 2011 at 9:14 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Oliver Thomas Guy Ch's comment
SteveDelMar

and ethernet as well!!!!

July 20 2011 at 9:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to SteveDelMar's comment
Jacob Probasco

Yeah, I find that crazy. Why on earth would you need ethernet going through a display?

July 20 2011 at 11:04 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down
Todd Jolley

You would have Ethernet so that you can have everything running through the monitor so when you wanted to pick up your laptop and head out, all you need to do is disconnect the Thunderbolt cable and the power cable and go. It is a much cleaner solution, no more plugging/unplugging a myriad of cables when you dock at your desk

July 20 2011 at 11:17 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down
Seven Zark Seven

That is the killer feature of Thunderbolt.

Before you had two cables, DisplayPort and USB, and from that you get a monitor that doubles as a USB hub.

Now you have only a single Thunderbolt cable, and the monitor gives you video, audio, USB, Firewire, and Ethernet. That is awesome. The only thing missing is the ability to power the laptop via the Thunderbolt cable.

I wonder if the PC manufacturers will ever attempt that level of integration. You can't do it with USB 3.0, that's for sure.

July 20 2011 at 6:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeff Walker

Sweet a Matte option! Wait....awwww crap!

July 20 2011 at 9:05 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeremy Edwards

Where did the macbook go?

July 20 2011 at 9:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jeremy Edwards's comment
The Spectacle

Its gone.

July 20 2011 at 10:42 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Tom Craft

This makes for a great pairing with the new MacBook Air. Larger drives and ethernet when "docked", but still easily portable.

July 20 2011 at 9:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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