As expected, the Thunderbolt Display looked just like the LED Cinema Display. The displays were set to a D65 white point, a 2.2 gamma and 100 cd/m2 brightness. For comparison, we also looked at the 27-inch iMac, the 27-inch LED Cinema Display, and an HP ZR30w. Macworld Lab used a ColorMunki Photo to calibrate the Thunderbolt Display. Now, MacBook Air users can use gigabit ethernet and FireWire 800 through the Thunderbolt Display. Before the Thunderbolt Display, connecting a MacBook Air to a wired LAN required an optional USB to Ethernet connector, and external drives were limited to pokey USB 2.0 transfer speeds. The display brings some seriously fast I/O connections to Apple’s smallest laptop. The Thunderbolt Display should be most attractive to owners of the 2011 MacBook Air-and, in turn, the Thunderbolt Display makes the MacBook Air a more compelling choice for a computer.
#MAC MINI 2011 THUNDERBOLT PRO#
Laptops with discreet graphics can use three displays the MacBook Pro can have two external displays working while its built-in screen is operational. The Air’s built-in screen counts as one display, meaning you can use it with one external Thunderbolt display.
#MAC MINI 2011 THUNDERBOLT MAC#
Systems with integrated graphics, such as the MacBook Air and the $599 Mac mini, can support two displays. What you can and can’t attach to each Thunderbolt Mac and the Thunderbolt Display is a little confusing. You can attach a second Thunderbolt-equipped Mac to the display by using Apple’s $49 Thunderbolt cable and connecting the second Mac to the display’s Thunderbolt port, but you’ll need to then physically disconnect the display’s captive Thunderbolt cable from the first Mac in order for the second Mac to take over the screen. Many displays offer multiple inputs and the ability to easily cycle through the attached computers, but the Thunderbolt Display doesn’t offer such features. Sharing the monitor between two Macs is also tricky.
#MAC MINI 2011 THUNDERBOLT MANUAL#
The Displays system preference has a dated, squint-at-the-screen, manual calibration process, where you can also change the gamma and the target color temperature. While other displays offer multiple color settings and different viewing modes, the Thunderbolt Display, like the LED Cinema Display, offers only a brightness slider in the Displays system preferences. There are no control buttons on the display itself and no on-screen display menu. The Thunderbolt Display has (left to right) three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, a Thunderbolt port, and a gigabit ethernet port.The Thunderbolt Display also doesn’t have easily accessible controls to adjust the image quality. Apple doesn’t offer an anti-glare screen option for the display, so using the Thunderbolt Display in an area with a lot of light sources can be problematic. You can’t raise, lower or pivot the display. It won’t, which is why Apple still sells the LED Cinema Display.Īpple doesn’t provide much in the way of ergonomic adjustments.
The Mac Pro is the only line of Apple’s computers yet to be updated with Thunderbolt, and you can’t plug the Thunderbolt Display into a Mac Pro’s Mini DisplayPort-or any Mac’s Mini DisplayPort-and expect it to work. The Thunderbolt Display requires OS X 10.6.8 or later, and a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac, such as the 2011 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or iMac.
The built-in camera has been updated from a standard iSight to a FaceTime HD camera. The Thunderbolt Display has a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels, a brightness rating of 375 cd/m2, support for displaying 16.7 million colors, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 178 degree viewing angles, a built-in microphone, and a 49-watt speaker system-features that are all identical to the LED Cinema Display. The only other external difference is the display’s captive cable, which now splits into two connectors instead of three-a Mag Safe adapter for charging laptops, and a Thunderbolt cable, which takes the place of the separate Mini DisplayPort and USB 2.0 connectors found on the LED Cinema Display. Like its predecessor, the Thunderbolt Display has three USB 2.0 ports, but it also has a FireWire 800 port, a gigabit ethernet port, and a Thunderbolt port.
Glance at the back of the Thunderbolt Display, down at the lower left side, and you’ll find twice the number of connection ports as the LED Cinema Display. However, if you take a closer look at what the Thunderbolt Display has to offer, you’ll find a display that’s ideal for owners of the Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Air. From most angles, Apple’s 27-inch Thunderbolt Display looks just like the 27-inch LED Cinema Display ( ) released last year.
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