Apple Thunderbolt Display seems to be getting ready for a redesign

Major resellers around the world, including Amazon, MacMall and J&R, seem to have run out of stock for Apple’s Thunderbolt Display. According to Apple Insider, this is a big sign that points to the possibility that Apple will be upgrading the hardware soon.

Another major hint about the upgrade is the MagSafe cable. Currently, Apple ships a converter for MagSafe to MagSafe 2 with its Thunderbolt Displays. This allows compatibility with the latest MacBooks.

The Thunderbolt Display has traditionally used LCD technology from Apple’s iMac line-up, which was redesigned recently with a new display panel that is thinner, so an upgrade could also be on the way to bring the Thunderbolt Display up to par. iFixit’s Chief Information Architect Miroslav Djuric says that the Thunderbolt Display works as an iMac without the computing hardware.

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It may be time for an upgrade

A big problem that could arise from the impending upgrade to the display stands in the form of the difficulty of producing screens. According to an earlier report, Apple has been facing production issues for the screens of its current 27-inch iMac, and going by how the Thunderbolt Display essentially uses the same technology, the upgrade could also face similar problems.

According to the report, the problem is being caused because LG Display is facing problems in the mass production of the 27-inch iMac. The problem seems to come from full lamination issues when producing the panels. While Apple is able to ship 300,000 to 400,000 units of the 21.5-inch iMac, it is only able to ship 100,000 units a month of the 27-inch iMac.

The latest iMacs were launched back in November. At an event in October, Apple unveiled the completely new iMac with a new design, improved display with reduced reflection, third generation Intel quad-core processors, NVIDIA graphics and a new storage option termed as Fusion Drive. Apple has stressed that the new iMac is the most advanced desktop Apple has ever made.

Redesigned from the inside out, the new iMac is built of an aluminium and glass enclosure with up to 40 percent less volume than its predecessor and an edge that measures 5mm. As per an official statement by the company, the new iMac also features a completely re-engineered display that reduces reflection by 75 percent while maintaining colour and contrast. In the new design, the cover glass is laminated to the LCD and an anti-reflective coating is applied using a plasma deposition process. Apple claims that every iMac display is individually calibrated using an advanced spectroradiometer.

The new iMac features third generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processors that can be upgraded to Core i7. According to the official statement by Apple, the NVIDIA GeForce processors found here deliver up to 60 percent faster performance needed for gaming and graphics intensive apps. Every new iMac now comes with standard 8GB of 1600 MHz memory and a 1TB hard drive. Customers can choose to configure their iMac with up to 32GB of memory and a new 3TB hard drive or 768GB of flash storage. With two Thunderbolt and four USB 3.0 ports, the new iMac offers further expandability and support for high-performance peripherals.