the ‘apple thunderbolt display’, pictured at left, is the first display to feature the thunderbolt connectivity technology developed by intel and apple

apple computers has revealed its ‘thunderbolt display’, at an event that also saw the release of the company’s new lion operating system and updates to the macbook air and mac mini. the 16:9 2560x1440p display is the world’s first to integrate thunderbolt I/O technology, developed by intel in collaboration with apple. thunderbolt is a connection technology for PCs and accessory devices like monitors, hard drives, and speakers, that unites high-speed data transfer and HD display, sending information at 10Gbps. all new macbooks feature a built-in thunderbolt I/O port, and can thus be connected to the ‘thunderbolt display’.

the 27-inch monitor includes an HD video camera for video conferencing, a 2.1 speaker system, and an integrated magsafe charger for mac notebooks. three USB ports, a firewire 800, and ethernet and thunderbolt ports (the latter permitting the linking of up to five additional thunderbolt-ready devices) round out the device’s connectivity.

offering a 178-degree viewing angle, the ‘thunderbolt display’ also features an ambient light sensor that automatically adjuststhe device’s brightness based on external lighting conditions, saving energy.

‘the apple thunderbolt display is the ultimate docking station for your mac notebook,‘ explains philip schiller, apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. ‘with just one cable, users can dock with their new display and connect to high performance peripherals, network connections and audio devices.‘

the ‘thunderbolt display’ will be available within the next two months at a price of 999 USD.

apple thunderbolt display full view of the ‘thunderbolt display’

apple thunderbolt display rear view

apple thunderbolt display in addition to USB, firewire, and ethernet ports, the display permits the daisy-chaining of up to five devices via the thunderbolt port

intel’s jason ziller demos and discusses the thunderbolt technology, debuted this past february and which the apple display is the first monitor to offer

— apple thunderbolt display

design-aerobics 2011: TECH GADGETS course september 15 – november 15, 2011 as more and more technological objects find their way into everyday life designboom will hold an online design course on the theme of ‘tech-gadgets’. we’ll look at the most significant designs yet and ponder what might be around the corner. to see a lesson sample and information on how to enroll click here.