Apple Thunderbolt Display Supplies Begin Running Short at Third-Party Resellers

AppleInsider notes that inventories of the Apple Thunderbolt Display have begun running short at third-party resellers such as Amazon and MacMall, perhaps providing the first hints of an upcoming redesign. The display remains in stock at the company's online stores, but shortages tend to show up at third-party retailers first as Apple prioritizes shrinking supplies for its own outlets.

apple thunderbolt display front side
One of the most significant changes likely to make an appearance in a redesigned Apple Thunderbolt Display is the adoption of the thinner profile and new display assembly process seen in the company's latest iMac. The current Apple Thunderbolt Display borrows heavily from the previous generations of the 27-inch iMac, and thus it seems reasonable to assume that some of the iMac design changes such as new lamination procedures to make the display thinner and more vibrant will make their way to the standalone display.

But with that lamination process leading to shortages of the 27-inch displays used in the iMacs, an issue expected to persist until next month, Apple may hold off on introducing a new standalone display for the time being in order to prioritize the iMac.

Other changes likely to appear in an updated display are a move to USB 3.0 ports, which have become standard on Mac products, and the inclusion of a MagSafe 2 port for charging Mac notebooks. The current Apple Thunderbolt Display still uses the original MagSafe design for power passthrough, with Apple bundling a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter to provide compatibility for owners of newer Mac notebooks.

Related Forum: Mac Accessories

Top Rated Comments

The Samurai Avatar
133 months ago
Heres hoping they'll introduce sensible pricing points... (Over everything else).
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jontech Avatar
133 months ago
Heres hoping they'll introduce sensible pricing points... (Over everything else).


699 is fair for this monitor
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrumApple Avatar
133 months ago
Bring back matte! Bring back matte!

Return of the matte! Come on. Enough of these headache inducing mirror displays.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nunyabinez Avatar
133 months ago
699 is fair for this monitor

$699 would be a steal for this monitor.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PoorImpulseCtrl Avatar
133 months ago
Heres hoping they'll introduce sensible pricing points... (Over everything else).

$1000 isn't outlandish for an IPS display running at 2560x1400. Competitors are in the $7-800s, without ports and docking ability.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xero910 Avatar
133 months ago
How awesome would it be if Apple started putting in graphics cards in these displays? Obviously it would have to be a build option when ordering online. The idea of being able to get iMac graphics capabilities in MacBooks seems like a great idea. Hell, even iMac owners could benefit from it, assuming Apple could get SLI/Cross-fire functionality.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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