14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has issued a Support document that explains how users must place any Mini DisplayPort displays (such as an Apple LED Cinema Display or iMac) in Target Display Mode at the end of a chain of connected Thunderbolt devices.
With Target Display mode, iMac owners can use their 27-inch all-in-one computer with as an external display.
A user can connect any computer or other device with a Mini DisplayPort to his / her 27-inch iMac using a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable.
Alternately, they can use a converter that converts other electrical, video, and audio protocols from another source device to Mini DisplayPort compliant signals, according to Apple.
One such accessory is the recently introduced 2-meter Apple Thunderbolt cable.
According to a new Support document published by the Mac maker, “MiniDisplay Port displays can be connected with a Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt Cable (2 m) or with a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable.”
However, Apple outlines that “Only one Mini DisplayPort device can be used in a Thunderbolt chain.”
“A Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable cannot be used to connect an iMac (Early or Mid 2011) in Target Display Mode to a Thunderbolt chain,” the company informs.
Released earlier this week with a hefty price tag of $49.00, the Apple Thunderbolt Cable assists users who may want to do the above, or connect an external device, like the Promise Pegasus R4 4TB RAID System.
Repair shop iFixit, notorious for their comprehensive product teardowns, got hold of an Apple Thunderbolt cable and took it apart to confirm that the cable contains chips and firmware, thus justifying the price.
Because of its complex innards, the Apple Thunderbolt cable is regarded as an ‘active’ device.
Visit Apple’s store here to learn more about their new Mac accessory, and here for more information on Thunderbolt technology.