Will the new Macbook (2015) work with the Thunderbolt Display?
I'm considering purchasing the new MacBook and have a 27" Thunderbolt display. Will the new MacBook work with the display?
Yes this will!
8 replies
I was concerned because when I bought my MacBook Air, it did not work well with my LED Cinema Display (blinking, etc.) and I had to purchase the Thunderbolt display.
A Thunderbolt display requires a computer with a Thunderbolt port. The new MacBook does not have a Thunderbolt port.
So the follow-up questions would be: Will there be a USB-C adapter for the Thunderbolt display and will it work properly with the display?
Well this is all a bit embarrassing. Three years ago I persuaded my department to buy me a Macbook Air, which (via "X11") makes a very nice interface to our LINUX system. Scrounging a bit of extra money last year, I managed to purchase a ThunderBolt display. So when I'm at base, it's perfect - I just dock the air, and I get a brilliant monitor interface to our LINUX Cluster. Unfortunately storage is nearly full on the 3-year old air, and this year I've made a bid to 2015/16 computer budget to buy the new MacBook.
Problem is, if this really cannot be connected to the Thunderbolt display, then it gives the impression I've bought obsolete display equipment. Surely there must be some sort of USB-C -> Thunderbolt connector that Apple could design?
No. The USB-C port does not provide the connectivity required for ThunderBolt so there will be no USB-C to ThunderBolt adapter.
This could be the demise of ThunderBolt now that Apple has opted for USB-C just as FireWire has fallen into disuse.
The new USB Type C adapters offer options to use other displays. For example, the Apple Cinema Display may work because type c is compatible with a mDP.
Since USC-C does not support ThunderBolt, there is no way to convert from USB-C to ThunderBolt.
Will the new Macbook (2015) work with the Thunderbolt Display?