Inventories of the Apple Thunderbolt Display are dwindling at some third-party resellers, according to a report from MacTrast. The site spoke to a number of retailers including MicroCenter, Fry's, CDW, Best Buy, MacConnection, and others.
Several stores said they had limited stock, while a number more said they were backordered or otherwise completely out of stock. One retailer, Adorama, went further, saying the Thunderbolt Display was "no longer available".
MacTrast called their customer support line and were told that "the manufacturer is no longer allowing us to order new inventory for this item, and it has been removed from our system".
Shortages of products at third-party resellers can occasionally be an indicator of a future refresh or discontinuation, but for a low-volume product like the Apple Thunderbolt Display, we can get mixed messages.
For example, this past January, AppleInsider reported similar shortages of the Thunderbolt Display at third-party resellers, but 6 months later, there is no replacement for it.
Regardless, redesigned Thunderbolt displays are expected at some point, perhaps alongside the new Mac Pro which is expected later this year. Potential features for a revamp include Retina capabilities, support for Thunderbolt 2, USB 3.0, and the MagSafe 2 connector that was introduced last year. The display may also be redesigned with the thinner profile and new display assembly process that Apple introduced with the new iMac late last year.
Top Rated Comments
OMG, could you image the "Apple" price for that? Probably close to 4K
Perhaps Thunderbolt 2 is the reason why the rMBPs haven't been refreshed yet.
I'm hoping for a 2880p Retina Thunderbolt display though, even if it's not released this year. 4K at 27" would imply a reduction in real estate once you turn HiDPI on. It'd be perfect for a 21.5" Retina iMac though.
EDIT: Just to clarify, 60Hz 4K is possible without Thunderbolt 2 if you have DisplayPort 1.2, which Thunderbolt 1 doesn't have and Thunderbolt 2 will have. In other words, it would be possible to have 60Hz 4K right now if Macs used a regular mini DiplayPort without Thunderbolt, but obviously Apple won't drop Thunderbolt just to have 4K support just a little earlier.