Is the Thunderbolt display worth the cost?

[Geekbabe]

As the owner of a 13 inch MacBook Air, I'm now eying the 27 inch Thunderbolt display. I'd like to have the ability to dock my Mac, use faster external storage options and have the bigger display when working on blog projects. 1K is a lot of money, is this display worth the cost?

 

[rugby]

As the owner of a 13 inch MacBook Air, I'm now eying the 27 inch Thunderbolt display. I'd like to have the ability to dock my Mac, use faster external storage options and have the bigger display when working on blog projects. 1K is a lot of money, is this display worth the cost?

Yes. Just set up two the other day for a client and they are great additions to MacBook airs.

 

[vbuggy]

'Worth the cost' is surely immaterial. It's the only thing that matches. It's the only dock offered for the Air.

For better or for worse you're now in the Apple ecosystem. You have your non-options, and you pay for it, pure and simple. I don't mean that in any particularly weird way, it's just the way it is. I kind of don't get the people who buy a Mac and then try and twist other unsuited solutions to it in order to save a few bucks here and there. That defeats the object of the exercise.

I'm not the world's greatest Mac-lover, I honestly think the hardware is overdesigned junk and indicative of what happens when you let a team of prima donna industrial designers and a bunch of marketing guys who know uninformed consumers like the back of their hand run amok - but everything around my Macs are, as much as is possible, from the Apple ecosystem for the least hassle.

 

[Geekbabe]

'Worth the cost' is surely immaterial. It's the only thing that matches. It's the only dock offered for the Air.

For better or for worse you're now in the Apple ecosystem. You have your non-options, and you pay for it, pure and simple. I don't mean that in any particularly weird way, it's just the way it is. I kind of don't get the people who buy a Mac and then try and twist other unsuited solutions to it in order to save a few bucks here and there. That defeats the object of the exercise.

I'm not the world's greatest Mac-lover, I honestly think the hardware is overdesigned junk and indicative of what happens when you let a team of prima donna industrial designers and a bunch of marketing guys who know uninformed consumers like the back of their hand run amok - but everything around my Macs are, as much as is possible, from the Apple ecosystem for the least hassle.

Actually I'm not trying to "twist" anything, I'm debating if I should aim my sights at getting the Thunderbolt or wait for the ThunderBolt Dock that Belkin will be releasing sometime in early Q12.

If I'm paying 1K for a combo dock/monitor, I just want to be darn sure that the screen quality will be thrilling.

 

[Stuxnet]

I don't think he was saying you were twisting anything; he was referring to people who enter the Apple "ecosystem" (and apt term) and try to shoehorn non-Apple solutions into that ecosystem.

I'm actually in the same boat as you. I have a MBP on the way and I really want the TBD. It's gorgeous in my opinion (I don't necessarily agree with vbuggy's "overdesigned junk" assertion, but I can see his point) and can't wait to get my hands on one. I just wish they had an anti-glare option. The biggest complaint about the TBD's is the ridiculous amount of gloss slapped on it (okay, so maybe it's overdesigned a little 🙂 ).

 

[Geekbabe]

I don't think he was saying you were twisting anything; he was referring to people who enter the Apple "ecosystem" (and apt term) and try to shoehorn non-Apple solutions into that ecosystem.

I'm actually in the same boat as you. I have a MBP on the way and I really want the TBD. It's gorgeous in my opinion (I don't necessarily agree with vbuggy's "overdesigned junk" assertion, but I can see his point) and can't wait to get my hands on one. I just wish they had an anti-glare option. The biggest complaint about the TBD's is the ridiculous amount of gloss slapped on it (okay, so maybe it's overdesigned a little 🙂 ).

My work area is on a wall without any windows so I'm not too worried about the glare, perhaps I'll take a trip to the Apple store to see the monitor in person.

 

[sm625]

I hope thunderbolt takes off. My company is looking at getting everyone notebooks and we want them to be able to dock into a full workstation with two and possibly even three monitors. I dont want to be stuck with a proprietary docking solution. I want to be able to plug in one cable and have it connect everything, including wired LAN. Oh, and I want it to charge the notebook battery too. (That's not too much to ask is it? lol. I'm talking maybe 40 watts here, nothing extreme.)

 

[vi edit]

My only comment is that it's only a couple hundred bucks off from a full fledged iMac 27". You can get refurbs/open boxes for $1400 and with that you get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a functioning CDrom, and a 1 gig HD. I can't bring myself to spend that much on *just* a monitor. May as well go up to the iMac and use it in target display mode.

 

[TheStu]

Actually I'm not trying to "twist" anything, I'm debating if I should aim my sights at getting the Thunderbolt or wait for the ThunderBolt Dock that Belkin will be releasing sometime in early Q12.

If I'm paying 1K for a combo dock/monitor, I just want to be darn sure that the screen quality will be thrilling.

It gets pretty good reviews from what I have seen, and the price is comparable to other 27" IPS displays out there (we are talking 2560*1440 resolution). With the inclusion of the dock, it is actually more cost effective than the older 27" LED Display.

There are certain things that are lacking that the (for example) Dell U2711 offer. No height adjustment for example. If you want it higher you will need to prop it up. If you get the Belkin Dock, you could get the matte U2711.

 

[TheStu]

My only comment is that it's only a couple hundred bucks off from a full fledged iMac 27". You can get refurbs/open boxes for $1400 and with that you get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a functioning CDrom, and a 1 gig HD. I can't bring myself to spend that much on *just* a monitor. May as well go up to the iMac and use it in target display mode.

A CD ROM and a 1GB HDD! Dang, that is one bitchin' computer!

I kid 😉

 

[vi edit]

A CD ROM and a 1GB HDD! Dang, that is one bitchin' computer!

I kid 😉

doh.

TB. The new GB.

 

[Kadarin]

Actually I'm not trying to "twist" anything, I'm debating if I should aim my sights at getting the Thunderbolt or wait for the ThunderBolt Dock that Belkin will be releasing sometime in early Q12.

If I'm paying 1K for a combo dock/monitor, I just want to be darn sure that the screen quality will be thrilling.

If you have an Apple store nearby, go look at one. Then you'll be able to make an informed decision as to whether it's "overpriced/designed junk" or a really nice display and dock that you'd both like and find useful.

 

[KeithP]

My only comment is that it's only a couple hundred bucks off from a full fledged iMac 27". You can get refurbs/open boxes for $1400 and with that you get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a functioning CDrom, and a 1 gig HD. I can't bring myself to spend that much on *just* a monitor. May as well go up to the iMac and use it in target display mode.

That would be my feeling as well. If you decide that the 27" is the way you want to go, I would definitely hit the refurb store and pay the extra bucks to get an entire 27" iMac.

-KeithP

 

[Geekbabe]

If you have an Apple store nearby, go look at one. Then you'll be able to make an informed decision as to whether it's "overpriced/designed junk" or a really nice display and dock that you'd both like and find useful.

Oh I have no doubt it's a well constructed device, I'm just wanting to hear about the screen/image quality. I'll most likely take a trip into Boston to see the display in person 🙂

 

[alent1234]

i think dell sells an equivalent monitor for around $800 or close to what apple sells it for. it's not your average cheapo $200 22" screen

 

[vi edit]

i think dell sells an equivalent monitor for around $800 or close to what apple sells it for. it's not your average cheapo $200 22" screen

No one really sells an "equivalent" Thunderbolt display other than Apple. The hook, especially with something like the MBA is that it also gets you an HD Facetime camera, gigabit ethernet access, and everything you need in one cable. It's the ultimate docking station.

 

[manly]

My only comment is that it's only a couple hundred bucks off from a full fledged iMac 27". You can get refurbs/open boxes for $1400 and with that you get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a functioning CDrom, and a 1 gig HD. I can't bring myself to spend that much on *just* a monitor. May as well go up to the iMac and use it in target display mode.

I'm too cheap to get the TBD but how is using the more expensive iMac as an oversized display any better?

 

[Reliant]

I'm too cheap to get the TBD but how is using the more expensive iMac as an oversized display any better?

Just the idea of getting a computer + display instead of display. For $1400 or whatever the display is a bargain or the pc is a bargain, depending on how you look at it.

 

[Reliant]

I've really been toying with this idea myself. I have a few 27 Cinemas at work and love it. I have an Air that seems like it'd be peppy enough if I hooked it up to a Thunderbolt display to use for general purpose computers to supplement my gaming PC. If I could find an easy way to simply use the monitor for my gaming pc and the Air, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[manly]

Just the idea of getting a computer + display instead of display. For $1400 or whatever the display is a bargain or the pc is a bargain, depending on how you look at it.

it's a waste of $400 if the Mac part of the iMac is completely unused, which was the recommendation.

 

[vi edit]

it's a waste of $400 if the Mac part of the iMac is completely unused, which was the recommendation.

Eh that really depends. MBA's have limited drive space. Max of 256 gig. Most are 128 gig. If you want to bootcamp then it's down even more. Plus they do not have optical drives so if you want to rip any movies you need something else to do it with. Plus you are getting a bluetooth keyboard and mouse included which are nice in a docking situation. Those are worth $100-$150 themselves if you bought retail from Apple reseller.

With dropbox/airdrop it's freaking easy to share files back and forth so you can use the iMac for backup since it has a much larger drive.

I just think the iMac is a smoking deal for what it is and can easily be turned into a docking station + a lot more for not a significant amount more money if one was to purchase a separate keyboard and mouse for the situation and needed/wanted additional space to backup to.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

Eh that really depends. MBA's have limited drive space. Max of 256 gig. Most are 128 gig. If you want to bootcamp then it's down even more. Plus they do not have optical drives so if you want to rip any movies you need something else to do it with. Plus you are getting a bluetooth keyboard and mouse included which are nice in a docking situation. Those are worth $100-$150 themselves if you bought retail from Apple reseller.

With dropbox/airdrop it's freaking easy to share files back and forth so you can use the iMac for backup since it has a much larger drive.

I just think the iMac is a smoking deal for what it is and can easily be turned into a docking station + a lot more for not a significant amount more money if one was to purchase a separate keyboard and mouse for the situation and needed/wanted additional space to backup to.

I second this as well. If you are docking your Macbook Pro or Air you will need a mouse/kb to go along with it. The iMac acts as a dock, as well as a backup/extension of the hard drive on your laptop. Can't really beat it for it's bang-for-the-buck. Getting a used one is a great value compared to the cost of getting a brand new TBD imo.

 

[Geekbabe]

Hmmm getting a refurb iMac might not be a bad plan, will have to blog my arse off to get those invoices flowing🙂

 

[manly]

Eh that really depends. MBA's have limited drive space. Max of 256 gig. Most are 128 gig. If you want to bootcamp then it's down even more. Plus they do not have optical drives so if you want to rip any movies you need something else to do it with. Plus you are getting a bluetooth keyboard and mouse included which are nice in a docking situation. Those are worth $100-$150 themselves if you bought retail from Apple reseller.

With dropbox/airdrop it's freaking easy to share files back and forth so you can use the iMac for backup since it has a much larger drive.

I just think the iMac is a smoking deal for what it is and can easily be turned into a docking station + a lot more for not a significant amount more money if one was to purchase a separate keyboard and mouse for the situation and needed/wanted additional space to backup to.

Will the iMac even power an attached MB as the TBD will? Isn't that a basic feature of any docking solution? The TBD will give the OP's MacBook Air all the requisite ports, i.e. FW800 for external storage.

You have a valid point that the iMac isn't that much more money, but that's still assuming the OP want's it as a "home server". As a 27" display and docking solution, I think it's somewhat inferior. While I like the Apple keyboard, I'm not a big fan of the bundled Magic Mouse and don't value it at $69 retail.

I do agree the 27" iMac is a fantastic standalone Mac.

 

[Geekbabe]

Will the iMac even power an attached MB as the TBD will? Isn't that a basic feature of any docking solution? The TBD will give the OP's MacBook Air all the requisite ports, i.e. FW800 for external storage.

You have a valid point that the iMac isn't that much more money, but that's still assuming the OP want's it as a "home server". As a 27" display and docking solution, I think it's somewhat inferior. While I like the Apple keyboard, I'm not a big fan of the bundled Magic Mouse and don't value it at $69 retail.

I do agree the 27" iMac is a fantastic standalone Mac.

I was originally considering just the Thunderport display as I wanted a solid docking station that would give me options to use faster external storage. As beautiful as the MacBook Air is, the USB 2 ports don't thrill me.

I've been watching the Apple store online, refurb TBD do come up for $849 ...