Apple Said to Be Working on Lower-Priced External Monitor to Succeed Thunderbolt Display

Apple has started early development of a lower-priced external monitor that would be sold alongside its high-end Pro Display XDR, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display would be a consumer-oriented successor to Apple's previous Thunderbolt Display, introduced in 2011 for $999 and discontinued in 2016.

thunderbolt display

Thunderbolt Display

The report claims that Apple's new lower-priced display will feature reduced brightness and contrast ratio compared to the Pro Display XDR, which is priced at $4,999 before factoring in an optional $999 stand:

As part of its revived Mac desktop efforts, Apple has started early development of a lower-priced external monitor to sell alongside the Pro Display XDR. Apple’s current monitor debuted in 2019 and costs $5,000 — before factoring in the $1,000 stand.

The cheaper monitor would feature a screen geared more for consumer than professional use and wouldn’t have the brightness and contrast ratio of the top-tier offering. Apple last launched a consumer-grade monitor called the Thunderbolt Display in 2011 for $999 but discontinued it in 2016.

There is no word on the size, resolution, or other specs of Apple's lower-priced display yet, but the Pro Display XDR is equipped with a 32-inch 6K display, while the Thunderbolt Display had a 27-inch panel with a QHD resolution of 2560x1440. The display would likely have far thinner front bezels than the Thunderbolt Display.

Related Forum: Mac Accessories

Top Rated Comments

djcerla Avatar
41 months ago
New R&D guy at Apple picked from MR forum.
Score: 64 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unity451 Avatar
41 months ago
Crazy that this hasn't existed yet. They could literally take one of their iMacs, rip out the brains, and sell it for $500.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtrm Avatar
41 months ago
I’m amazed. Rumors of a MacBook with more ports, MagSafe and no touchbar and now a reasonably priced monitor. Is this April 1st?!?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tcphoto1 Avatar
41 months ago
Great, I cannot justify the $5K price tag but am interested in replacing my Thunderbolt display.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
41 months ago
Inject my veins with that external display NOW!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Serban55 Avatar
41 months ago
this new monitor should take the same language of the upcoming imac redesign to work very well side by side like in the past
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...