Apple Discontinues Thunderbolt Display

Apple today told several news sites that it plans to discontinue its Thunderbolt Display, which has been available for purchase online and in Apple retail stores since it was first introduced in the summer of 2011.

thunderbolt_display_elcap_roundup_header

"We're discontinuing the Apple Thunderbolt Display. It will be available through Apple.com, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last. There are a number of great third-party options available for Mac users," said an Apple spokesperson.

Apple will continue to sell existing Thunderbolt Display stock so long as it remains available, but once stock is exhausted, the Thunderbolt Display will no longer be available as production is ceasing. It is not clear why Apple has decided to make an announcement concerning the discontinuation of the display and if it means a new 4K or 5K display is on the horizon.

Stock shortages ahead of WWDC sparked rumors that Apple might be planning to introduce a new display at the event, but no new hardware appeared and Apple instead focused on software for iOS devices, Macs, Apple TVs, and Apple Watch devices.

Rumors have suggested Apple is working on a 5K display, and if true, such a display could feature a resolution of 5120 x 2880 pixels, USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 peripherals, and a design that mimics the latest iMacs. Speculation suggests it could come equipped with a built-in GPU or use a DisplayPort 1.2 Multi-Stream Transport setup to stitch two halves of a display together to make one seamless display.

If a new Thunderbolt Display is in the works, it could launch alongside next-generation Skylake Retina MacBook Pros, which are rumored to be in the works for late fall.

Related Forum: Mac Accessories

Top Rated Comments

farewelwilliams Avatar
101 months ago
they couldn't figure out how to make it thinner.
Score: 117 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fs454 Avatar
101 months ago
Why so? It has been one of the best quality displays available in the market IMO.
Not by a long shot. 2560x1440 110ppi display for $1000 in 2016? USB 2 ports?

My $500 Dell P2715Q blows it out of the water, is matte, 4K, IPS, 3X USB 3.0 ports, identified by macs as a Retina display with multiple scaling options and is an absolute dream to look at/edit video on. I'm sure anyone with $1000 could do even better than me, but I opted for two of these Dells to go with a custom built 12 core Haswell-E/980Ti hackintosh because I simply couldn't push myself to buy a 2013 Mac Pro with worse video and CPU for more money. I'll pay the apple tax all day, but for frick's sake at least keep the hardware current so I don't feel totally jipped.

Their official statement really leads me to believe they're just going to straight up not make a standalone display anymore, though.
Score: 71 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pickaxe Avatar
101 months ago
Okay. So this is the direction Apple is taking.
Unless Apple exceeds my expectations with the MacBook Pro refresh, I'm done with this company. There's nothing for me here anymore.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
criticalmind Avatar
101 months ago
I cannot imagine anyone buying this for the last two to three years. I mean, it is 2011 tech costing one grand ...
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Altis Avatar
101 months ago
Maybe if Apple didn't seem to have so much contempt for Mac users...
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pbrutto Avatar
101 months ago
Sad that people still bought these
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
iPhone 15 General Feature Green

Apple Says These New iOS Features Are Coming Later This Year

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:45 am PDT by
Apple has previously announced three new iOS features that it said are coming to the iPhone later this year, as outlined below. The new features include the ability to install iPhone apps on the web in the EU, RCS support in the Messages app, and next-generation CarPlay. Web Distribution Apple recently announced that eligible developers will soon be able to distribute their iOS apps to ...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

Seven Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Tuesday March 19, 2024 5:20 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
maxresdefault

iOS 18 Rumored to Feature 'More Customizable' Home Screen

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:10 am PDT by
iOS 18 will feature a revamped Home Screen that is "more customizable," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He revealed this information in his Power On newsletter today, but he did not provide any specific details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will announce iOS 18 at its annual developers conference WWDC in June. Other features and changes rumored for...
combine images

Top Stories: iOS 18's Generative AI Features to Rely on Google?, Latest on New iPads, and More

Saturday March 23, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
We're getting closer to the launch of new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, while rumors about iOS 18 are continuing to ramp up with this week's surprise revelation that Apple has been talking to Google and others about potentially helping power the generative AI features expected to be a major part of this year's update. Other news this week saw the release of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1...