danijel973 wrote:
Tom_N wrote:
Yes, I get it. You have a MiniDisplayPort-equipped computer, and you'd like a Thunderbolt monitor with the built-in docking port. But for obvious technical reasons, that dock requires a Thunderbolt connection to a computer.
I don't expect that monitor to support Thunderbolt functionality with my non-thunderbolt Air, I just expect it to have a legacy-compatible digital input, such as hdmi, so that I could, I don't know, do outlandish stuff such as connect two computers to the same monitor and then switch inputs, like people do everywhere else for decades.
Now you're changing the subject. You started by complaining about not being able to connect a pre-Thunderbolt MacBook Air to a Thunderbolt Display: "I find their frequent changes of connectors and ports without backward compatibility (such as in case of late 2010 Air that has mini display port but cannot be connected to Thunderbolt display) rather irritating and it doesn't contribute to me liking them very much."
Guess what? Apple still sells the MiniDisplayPort-compatible 27-inch LED Cinema Display, which does work with pre-Thunderbolt MacBook Airs, and for all intents and purposes seems to be the same as a Thunderbolt Display minus the new, Thunderbolt-specific features. They are offering a legacy-compatible monitor, not to mention that you can go out and buy monitors that support your machine from several other companies.
And Apple obviously knows that hdmi is useful since they included it on the retinabooks.
Since the Retina MBPs have two Thunderbolt ports, each of which can drive a 30-inch monitor, I don't think the Retina MBPs needed HDMI for monitors. More likely, HDMI is there for connecting to HDTV-type conference room projectors.
Then there's the other issue: resolution.
Although there are versions of HDMI that can handle 2560x1440, I wouldn't count on the Retina MBP HDMI ports supporting more than 1080p (HDTV output) or 1920x1200 pixels (monitor output). That's what an Apple Tech note says the 2010 and later Minis support. (I'm going on that since I couldn't quickly find the same info for the Retina MBPs.) If that's the case, even a high-res HDMI input on a 27-inch monitor wouldn't be terribly useful for making an optimal connection to a HDMI-equipped Mac.
Apple sells a 27-inch LED Cinema Display that works with both MiniDisplayPort-equipped and Thunderbolt-equipped computers, but you don't want it, because it doesn't have the dock (possibly also because on a Thunderbolt system, it couldn't be daisy-chained).
You mean, after seeing how Apple treats "obsolete" hardware, I should invest money in their obsolete hardware?
I have a beter idea. I'll buy a 27" Dell that has many input options, has the same matrix as the Thunderbolt display, and unlike the Thunderbolt display, it isn't glossy.
Many in this forum, including myself, have advised people to consider the Dell Ultrasharp U2711. There are many good reasons to consider that monitor. But you lose the same Thunderbolt-specific features in going to the Dell, as you would lose in going to the Apple LED Cinema Display. If, between these two monitors, you have a strong preference for the Dell, then your preference for the Dell was always about something other than the supposed lack of "backwards compatibility" of Thunderbolt in the example you gave.
For instance: "it isn't glossy", whch has absolutely nothing to do with "backwards compatibility".
