connect 2016 macbook pro to LED Cinema Display

Hi! This is absolute the best tip l have found in months and may save me from getting a new screen. Those cables l can't find in Norway, so before l go ahead and buy them from the UK, l just wanted to double check they can work with my stuff....

My Apple Cinema Display is 30" and is from 2003-2004, l believe; and my MacBook Pro is a 15" 2016.

What do you think?

🙂

Ok, I am no expert but look at the serial number and enter it in apple site support to know if it is an Apple display or a thunderbolt display. If you are sure it is an Apple display and not Thunderbolt then try the adapter, they sell on Amazon and on Alibaba, or some other site. The cost is between $13.00 and $20.00. It should work. In any case , for $20.00 you cannot go wrong, because in worst case I am sure you can resell locally. Remember also that the connector will support the picture only , no sound. I hope it will work for you because for me out of 4 monitors only two works, unfortunately I do not have the solution for the Thunderbolt Display.

You can connect your new MacBook Pro to the Apple Cinema Display using the following adapter: UPTab USB-C TypeC to Mini DisplayPort Adapter (you can get one from Amazon).

My Apple Display has the pigtail with 3 connectors - power, display, and USB. I used the Apple USB-C to USB adapter to also plug the USB display line into my new MacBook Pro. For now, that also gives me the 3 USB ports that are on the back of the display.

@Raymond Machugh: you left out the most critical part of your setup! Can you tell us precisely what Mini-Display-to-USB-C adapter you're using in the photos above?

I'm desperate to connect my aluminum-framed Apple Cinema HD display to my late-2016 MacBook Pro. Alas, there are literally HUNDREDS of Mini-Display-to-USB-C adapters for sale on Amazon...and from what I've read here, finding one that actually works is a roll of the dice. (So precise info on which adapter actually works is critical.)

Thanks very much!

Scott

EDIT: It looks like you're using this adapter:

Amazon.com: USB Type C Adapter,Benfei USB-C/USB Type C to Mini DisplayPort/Mini DP Adapter Cable With Aluminium Case Sup…

It's only $17USD, which seems way too cheap to actually work, LOL—but I may order one and try it.

Oops link here - USB Type C Adapter,Benfei USB C Type to Mini DisplayPort/Mini DP Adapter Cable With Aluminium Case Support 4K resolution for Apple New Macbook 2016, C https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06W53PXRB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_VztRrT32Sw3SZ

Hi Pdnirc, thank you so much for your answer. It looks like it is an Apple Display, and this is the set up with all the cables

This one works well

Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter A1306 also works fine on a 23inch Cinema Display cheers Ray

About Thunderbolt 3

Thunderbolt 3 is an I/O technology that connects devices to your computer at speeds up to 40 Gbps. Thunderbolt 3 combines data transfer, video output, and charging capabilities in a single, compact connector. It offers faster speeds than Thunderbolt 2—up to 40Gbps with a Thunderbolt 3-compatible cable. Thunderbolt 3 also supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectivity at up to 10 Gbps.

Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C connectors at each end of the cable. They look like this:

The following Mac models are equipped with Thunderbolt 3:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2016)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

About Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is an input/output (I/O) technology that supports high-resolution displays and high-performance data devices. It does this through a single, compact port. Thunderbolt I/O technology gives you two channels on the same connector, each with 10 Gbps of throughput in both directions.

The Thunderbolt port or connector end looks like this:

The port on your computer looks like a Mini DisplayPort. To confirm that you have a Thunderbolt port, check for this symbol next to or above the port:

Thunderbolt 3

For Mac models with Thunderbolt 3, you can use a use a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter to connect to Thunderbolt devices like displays and external disks.
Note that although it uses a Mini DisplayPort connector, the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter doesn't support connections to Mini DisplayPort displays. Also, this adapter supports only one powered Thunderbolt 2 device on a USB-C equipped Mac.

Hi there,

I can post a little about my experience on this same topic, as today I've been very disappointed with plugging displays into a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) with zero success.

I plugged that same 2010 Mini DisplayPort Cinema Display into a Thunderbolt 2 > Thunderbolt 3 adapter, and then into the new MBP. As the support article says, (buried in there) it won't work. I also used the same Mac and adapter with Apple's Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual Link Adapter and also failed, plugged into a Monoprice IPS Zero G display.

Dear Apple: it would be super useful to state on your site that the adapter cannot handle Mini DisplayPort, even though the Thunderbolt spec supports it and Thunderbolt 2 is plug-compatible with it!

I can't really understand why Apple's left DisplayPort out of its Thunderbolt 3 plans. They were a major driver of the spec in the first place.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to make this connection without buying a $300 Thunderbolt 3 dock? $300 is almost what I paid for the MonoPrice display and probably the max the 2010 Apple Cinema Display is worth.

Ugh.

They say they value pro users and pro equipment, but we can only judge them by their actions…

You can use a dock

https://www.owcdigital.com/products/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-3-dock-overview

or a cable

https://www.amazon.com/Kanex-DisplayPort-Adapter-Support-Inches/dp/B01C8PIMUE

or

http://www.accellcables.com/collections/cables/products/usb-c-to-displayport-cab le

followed by a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort adapter

Hi Malcom, did you actually test this with the Apple Cinema Display?

I wonder if this:

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-DisplayPort-Adapter-MacBook-Chromebook/dp/B01AT2V26 E

and this
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Female-Adapter/dp/B014DV2RGG

would allow me to connect a late 2016 MacBook Pro to a 27'' Apple Cinema Display.

Don't have the hardware here to test, but those, and the Amazon adapters, should work. They both go directly from Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort, so won't have the Thunderbolt 2 adapter problem.

It is possible to connect your MacBook Pro 2016 USB-C to an Apple Cinema Display (mini-Display-Port).

You need to combine a number of adapters (there is no 1 fits all solution yet) and they must be the "right" adapters, but it is perfectly working. Actually I am typing this at the moment while I am looking at my Apple Cinema Display.

I am using:

Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter

StarTec ACTIVE (!!!) HD2DP HDMI to Displayport Adapter (with USB-Powersupply)

Displayport to mini-Display-Port Female-Adapter

Look at the picture. It is not looking "great" but you can hide the cables and it works like a charm.

Good luck.