RIP Thunderbolt Display: Apple discontinues its only monitor

By Christian de Looper June 24, 2016

apple discontinues thunderbolt display — Martin Voltri / Flickr

Looks like the days of having a matching second display with your iMac may soon be over. Apple has told a number of news outlets that it is discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display, which it has offered through both its website and retail stores since 2011.

The Thunderbolt Display will continue to be available through both the Apple website and Apple retailers as long as stock is available, however once the display is sold out, that’s it for the Thunderbolt Display.

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It’s currently not known exactly why Apple is discontinuing its display, however some rumors suggest that Apple is working on a larger 5K display. Stock shortages before WWDC also led some to believe that Apple would unveil a new display at the conference, however no such announcement was ever made.

A 5K display would certainly be an impressive one, and would match Apple’s 5K iMac. It would offer a resolution of 5,120 x 2,880, and could also include things like USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a design to blend in with the latest iMac computers. If such a display is currently being worked on, it could launch with the next generation of MacBook Pros, which are said to have a launch date of this fall.

Still, for now there’s no official news of a replacement, and it’s possible there won’t be any confirmation from Apple until the new display is available for purchase.

Of course, if you’re looking for a new display you don’t have to go with a Thunderbolt. There are plenty of computer monitors out there that offer excellent image quality, many of which are far cheaper than the Thunderbolt Display was anyway. You won’t be able to get any of those third-party displays from the Apple Store though — if you’re currently looking for a second display for your Mac, you’re on your own.

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Christian de Looper

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Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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