05-03-2012, 07:37 PM

Hey, there. I was just in at BestBuy today and was chatting with the Apple rep. I'm thinking of getting a 27" iMac along with the 27" thunderbolt display to have dual displays. I know they are designed a bit different and the TBD is a bit shorter than the iMac, but I assumed I could put something under the stand to make them the same height. However, the Apple rep told me that they don't work well together, as the TBD screen actually has different dimensions than the iMac.

I'm a bit confused, as I looked up the specs and they are both the same width (65 cm) and are the same resolution (2560x1440), so how much different could they be? He said the TBD is the "widescreen" model, whereas the iMac is not. If they are the same resolution and same width, then the pixels would have to be awfully funny shaped to support what he's saying. Is he smoking something illegal, or am I missing something?

05-03-2012, 09:36 PM

Is he smoking something illegal, or am I missing something?

If he's an Apple rep working in Best Buy..... enough said. The displays are the same as you have already noticed. They would go well together. As for the height, I believe there is a way to extend it but it requires disassembling the display in order to do it. I'm not sure I would want to disassemble a $999 display!

By the way, B&H Photo (an authorized Apple dealer in NYC) has the same display for $929 including free shipping.

05-03-2012, 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

If he's an Apple rep working in Best Buy..... enough said.

Ha ha...I was thinking the same thing. Especially with the closing of some Best Buy stores (and maybe more to come)...moral & customer service may be suffering.

I agree...the two displays should & seem to be the same (27" and same resolution)...just need to figure out the height issue.

- Nick

05-03-2012, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

By the way, B&H Photo (an authorized Apple dealer in NYC) has the same display for $929 including free shipping.

Good deal, GREAT company to deal with. I've been a B&H fan for years, since I would wander into their B&M

05-04-2012, 02:16 AM

Thanks, guys. Good to clear that up, and I'll definitely check out B&H. Most people think I'm nuts to setup up two 27" displays, but I have two 24" ones now and just love it. I figure two 27" ones will be even better. They're IPS panels, so should look the same from every angle, right? I just like having everything open at once, rather than flipping between windows all the time.

As for BestBuy, it's kind of scary, but I think I know more about Mac products than they do, and I don't own one yet I wish we had an Apple store here.

05-04-2012, 02:20 AM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

...just need to figure out the height issue.

I'm kind of surprised that Apple made them different heights, but I guess at the time dual displays wasn't very common. I'm thinking they need to market a little slab of aluminum on the App Store that is just the right height

06-28-2012, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

If he's an Apple rep working in Best Buy..... enough said.

I'm still arguing with that guy in BestBuy. I need to take a tape measure in sometime. I tried to show him that the iMac display is the same as the Thunderbolt display, but with the chin added on the bottom. He remains adamant that they are both completely different shapes - that the TBD is shorter and wider, even though they are the same resolution. I suggested that the the pixels must be really strange shaped, but he didn't see the issue. Sigh...

06-28-2012, 02:17 PM

Here's a side by side of someones TBD + iMac 27" - they are using a stand under the TBD to raise it, still off a bit but much closer then without.

Dual monitors: 27" iMac and 27" Thunderbolt Display - MacRumors Forums

06-28-2012, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by Nethfel

Here's a side by side of someones TBD + iMac 27" - they are using a stand under the TBD to raise it, still off a bit but much closer then without.

That stand for the TBD almost looks purposefully designed for the purpose of making the tops of both displays line-up.

- Nick

06-28-2012, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by Nethfel

Here's a side by side of someones TBD + iMac 27" - they are using a stand under the TBD to raise it, still off a bit but much closer then without.

Thanks. The image you provided seems to confirm my point, that the actual usable screen area is still identical. The monitor case is obviously a bit different, but that doesn't have any bearing on the screen.

06-28-2012, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

That stand for the TBD almost looks purposefully designed for the purpose of making the tops of both displays line-up.

- Nick

That's what I was thinking. I had to go look it up to see if you can still buy them

06-28-2012, 02:37 PM

This likely isn't on anyone else's wishlist, but I'm kind of hoping that if/when a new iMac is announced, that it matches the TBD, or there is a new display introduced that matches it, or that a new iMac and a new display are introduced that match each other.

09-08-2012, 04:24 PM

For anyone still in doubt now that I own both the 27" iMac and the 27" Thunderbolt display, and have measured them, and ... {drum roll}...
I can confirm that the display area is identical in shape and size

09-08-2012, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Lastmboy

For anyone still in doubt now that I own both the 27" iMac and the 27" Thunderbolt display, and have measured them, and ... {drum roll}...
I can confirm that the display area is identical in shape and size

Case closed…good job!

- Nick