From 1999 to 2016, Apple released and continued to sell a series of digitally optimized external connected displays for Mac users. The screens started with DVI connectors, switched to Apple’s ADC connection, then returned to DVI, extended to dual link DVI, rotated to the standard Mini DisplayPort, and finally ended with Thunderbolt 2 connectors. (It was only last year that Apple announced that it would start making monitors again with its own Thunderbolt 3 display, the Pro Display XDR, and started delivering it in December for a minimum of $ 5,000. )
And, my God, many of these old Apple monitors remain in the field and in use. Apple never publishes a lot of unit sales, but it’s fair to assume that several million screens have been sold. As screens darken and components fail over time, reusing an external Apple screen with a new Mac USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 remains one of the main questions Macworld gets from its readers
This question has arisen more than ever since a large number of people who worked in an office suddenly had to move from work from home. Many of us have or prefer a dual monitor display; some readers have sent us pictures of many monitors driven by the same Mac.
You may have upgraded your Mac since 2015 or 2016 and abandoned an old Apple screen for compatibility reasons, but now it looks awfully appealing to your work at home situation. Let’s look at the options on several generations of Apple equipment.
(Also, don’t forget that if you have an iPad that can run iOS 13 and a Mac model marketed since 2015 under macOS Catalina, you can use the new sidebar functionality to extend your Mac with an iPad. do not enforce settings or want other options, check out the more widely compatible Luma Display, as well as Duet Display, which works with Apple and other mobile and desktop platforms. We also have connection instructions more modem screens (and even an older iMac) as a second display.)
In this article, I discuss compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, which relies on the USB-C connector. All current Apple Macs include Thunderbolt 3, a high-speed data transfer standard. The Apple version also allows backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 2 and via adapters can connect directly to HDMI, DisplayPart and USB 2 and 3, among other standards. The docks further extend compatibility with Mini DisplayPort, VGA, DVI and other formats. (Although we have already written about this in several articles, we have decided to put everything we know together with newer and better rated adapters in one place.)
Only one Mac model has ever included a USB-C connector that did not include Thunderbolt 3: the 12-inch MacBook that Apple introduced in 2015, updated in subsequent years, and discontinued in 2019. I will note below the exceptions for clarity.
Because it is more likely that you will have access to a newer Apple screen than an older one, I will discuss the four digital standards used by Apple in reverse order: Thunderbolt 2, Mini DisplayPort, ADC and DVI (including Dual link DVI for larger screens)).
If you don’t know which display you have, look at the back to find its model number (not its name, which often stays the same in many revisions), then enter these details in Google to find the full technical specifications and the type of connector.
Finally, a MagSafe warning. Apple has offered MagSafe and MagSafe 2 connectors with some of its latest generation monitors to allow you to use the screen as a hub: plug in one or two cables and MagSafe, and your laptop was ready to go. Apple has never licensed MagSafe to third parties, although you may find MagSafe “adapters” for USB-C, these products likely infringe Apple’s patents and have not been certified by Apple.
Therefore, if you use one and it damages your Mac, you could lose your computer and unsaved data for the minor convenience of reusing the screen charging port, and it is plausible that Apple is trying to refuse warranty repair (if it remains under warranty). Just read the one star reviews on these products for more details. I also noticed that retailers are suppressing their sales, as there are hardly any currently available on Amazon as of this writing.
Thunderbolt 2
From 2011 to 2016, Apple sold its Apple Thunderbolt Display, a 27-inch 2560×1440 pixel monitor that relied on a Thunderbolt 2 connector to transport data to and from a Mac with a MagSafe or MagSafe 2 connector (depending on the model) for load . The monitor included a 720p iSight camera (facing forward), a microphone and speakers, and several connections: a gigabit Ethernet port, a FireWire 800 port, and three USB ports.
You can look at the Thunderbolt 2 squat jack to find a lightning bolt symbol to make sure it’s not an earlier monitor that uses an identically shaped connector shape, but only supports the Mini DisplayPort. (This symbol is a rectangle with a vertical line on each side.)
Apple sells a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter ($ 49) which allows you to simply plug the Apple Thunderbolt Display screen into the adapter and the adapter into a Thunderbolt 3 port. (Note: this is not do not working with a 12-inch MacBook, which disappointed many buyers.)
Although the Thunderbolt 2 cable does not power a Mac laptop, it should allow you to use all the other ports on the screen. If you can’t get the camera to work, seeing only a black stream, try this tip to fix a software agent on Stephen Foskett’s blog.
Mini DisplayPort
Backing up, we look at the LED Cinema Display screen. A 24 inch model (1920×1200 pixels) was sold from 2008 to 2010, and the 27 inch version (2560×1440 pixels) from 2010 to 2013. This series of screens sported a cable at three ends with a USB 2.0 plug, a MagSafe power supply and a MiniDisplayPort. It also had an iSight 480p, a microphone and speakers, and a USB 2.0 hub with three ports built into the back.
Even though Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 3 carry DisplayPort video using the DisplayPort standard, the way this signal is transmitted over the cable makes it incompatible with Thunderbolt. I’ve been confusing, I know, and irritating to people since the early days of Thunderbolt.
To use a cinema LED screen with a modern Mac via USB-C, you need an adapter or a docking station. The adapter or docking station can be USB-C (for 12-inch MacBook) or Thunderbolt 3 compatible.
(Note! You cannot transmit a single DVI or dual link DVI with a DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapter via a Mini DisplayPort adapter. The DVI-based signal cannot be wrapped in this sequence. Most adapters and docks warn buyers, some who buy anyway and leave 1 star comments in the comments.)
You have three solid choices for adapters:
With the docks, the options are many, but the cost is much higher. If you’re looking to save an LED cinema screen and don’t need the range of other ports in a docking station, consider buying a much cheaper DisplayPort or HDMI screen and use a USB- adapter. C for one of these formats to connect to your Mac.
However, if you want the ports and to connect a cinema LED screen, think of these platforms.
For the 24 inch USB cinema screen:
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OWC USB-C Dock ($ 119), in addition to the Mini DisplayPort, this powered dock includes a Gigabit Ethernet, a USB-C USB 3.1 port, four USB Type A 3.1 ports, a combined audio I / O port and a SD card slot. If you later switch to another monitor, OWC includes a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. OWC explicitly notes that its docking station cannot support the 27-inch Cinema Model LED screen.
For the 24 or 27 inch USB cinema screen:
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Brydge’s Stone ($ 179.99), which works with all Macs equipped with USB-C. The powered docking station also includes Gigabit Ethernet, a USB-C USB 3.1 port, three USB 3.1 Type A ports, a microphone and audio output, and an SD card slot.
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The OWC Thunderbolt 3 docking station ($ 294.75) brings two Thunderbolt 3 ports to the mix, as well as a Gigabit Ethernet connection, a combined audio input / output jack, optical output (S / PDIF), SD and Micro SD card slots and four USB 3.1 types One ports. It supports simultaneous displays via Mini DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3.
ADC and DVI
Finally, we come back to the first range of digitally connected Apple LCD screens of a usable size. From 1999 to 2004, Apple launched the 22-inch Apple Cinema Display (DVI in 1999, ADC in 2000), the 23-inch Cinema HD Display (ADC, 2002), the 20-inch Apple Cinema Display (ADC, 2003; DVI, 2004), and the 23-inch (DVI, 2004) and 30-inch HD cinema display models (DVI dual link, 2004). These ranged from 1600 x 1024 pixels for the first to 2560 x 1600 for the last largest monitor.
For all DVI screens, except the HD 30 inch model, you can turn to a simple and inexpensive adapter. For screens with ADC, you’ll need to find an ADC to DVI adapter on eBay or elsewhere, which was once plentiful. You might even have one in your trash can from old adapters. (Don’t try to fool me; I know you have one.)
Some well-rated adapters include one from Benfei ($ 16.99), Cable Matters ($ 17.99) and Weton ($ 25.99). The Weton adapter also supports VGA and HDMI output.
The dual-link DVI port on the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display requires older hardware to operate. There is no modern cable or adapter that can connect on its own. At least one owner has purchased an Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI dual link adapter that has been out of stock for a long time. Monoprice also offered such an item, but it is also out of stock, of course.
This adapter paired with a Mini DisplayPort adapter or docking station with the port indicated for Mini DisplayPort era monitors worked for some.