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Target Display Mode which turns iMacs into monitors is not supported on newer iMacs (anything post 2015): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592 https://supp

by tl 5y ago

Target Display Mode which turns iMacs into monitors is not supported on newer iMacs (anything post 2015): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

ChuckNorris89 5y ago
This sounds terrible for the consumers and for the environment as once the computer inside dies or is obsolete, you have to throw away a perfectly good display that could have a second life as an external monitor plugged into a more modern system since display technology doesn't go outdated as fast as computing.
- Forgeties79 5y ago
  As someone who finally bit the bullet and scrapped/curbed 2 old iMacs, yeah. It hurt a lot. Perfectly good, well-calibrated 21.5” and 27” monitors just reduced to paper weights. Plucked the ram/HDD’s and sent them on their way. I looked into every possible option for them. Such a waste.
  - kllrnohj 5y ago
    Especially a waste since it's even the same panel as the one you're throwing away. Apple hasn't upgraded the 27" 5k for 8 years now, this new one included (lots of non-display upgrades like the camera and audio, sure, but the display itself hasn't changed)
    - Forgeties79 5y ago
      27” 2.5K actually (should’ve specified). It was a mid-2011 iMac. The 21” was a 2009 (belonged to a sibling).
- jkestner 5y ago
  It's terrible. The original reason Apple dropped this feature was because there wasn't an external bus that could push that many pixels. But Thunderbolt can do it now. This reuse would be more meaningful than preconsumer recycling of aluminum. I use https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/ https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/ to use my iPad or an old Mac's screen as a secondary screen and it's good.
  - Forgeties79 5y ago
    Well this is upsetting. I just scrapped and curbed 2x iMacs like 2 months ago because they couldn’t do anything anymore. This would’ve been perfect.
- jibbers 5y ago
  Wouldn’t an obsolete computer still be perfectly fine for less demanding users? Average Joes, poor people, a kid’s first PC, etc. — give it away, I say.
  - Forgeties79 5y ago
    Depends on how old. My sisters old iMac ran perfectly fine but couldn’t load 75% of the internet unfortunately and most of the apps couldn’t be updated past a 5-6 year old build.
SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
"You can use more than one iMac as a display, if each iMac is using a Thunderbolt cable to connect directly to a Thunderbolt port on the other Mac (not the other iMac)." Do Mac's not have USB ports? It's truly bizarre that you need 1 thunderbolt port per monitor. That's an incredible amount of wasted bandwidth.
- stephenr 5y ago
  How is a USB port from pre-2015 going to help you transmit a DisplayPort signal?
  - SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
    Good point.

by tl 5y ago

Target Display Mode which turns iMacs into monitors is not supported on newer iMacs (anything post 2015): https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

ChuckNorris89 5y ago

This sounds terrible for the consumers and for the environment as once the computer inside dies or is obsolete, you have to throw away a perfectly good display that could have a second life as an external monitor plugged into a more modern system since display technology doesn't go outdated as fast as computing.

Forgeties79 5y ago
As someone who finally bit the bullet and scrapped/curbed 2 old iMacs, yeah. It hurt a lot. Perfectly good, well-calibrated 21.5” and 27” monitors just reduced to paper weights. Plucked the ram/HDD’s and sent them on their way. I looked into every possible option for them. Such a waste.
- kllrnohj 5y ago
  Especially a waste since it's even the same panel as the one you're throwing away. Apple hasn't upgraded the 27" 5k for 8 years now, this new one included (lots of non-display upgrades like the camera and audio, sure, but the display itself hasn't changed)
  - Forgeties79 5y ago
    27” 2.5K actually (should’ve specified). It was a mid-2011 iMac. The 21” was a 2009 (belonged to a sibling).
jkestner 5y ago
It's terrible. The original reason Apple dropped this feature was because there wasn't an external bus that could push that many pixels. But Thunderbolt can do it now. This reuse would be more meaningful than preconsumer recycling of aluminum. I use https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/ https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/ to use my iPad or an old Mac's screen as a secondary screen and it's good.
- Forgeties79 5y ago
  Well this is upsetting. I just scrapped and curbed 2x iMacs like 2 months ago because they couldn’t do anything anymore. This would’ve been perfect.
jibbers 5y ago
Wouldn’t an obsolete computer still be perfectly fine for less demanding users? Average Joes, poor people, a kid’s first PC, etc. — give it away, I say.
- Forgeties79 5y ago
  Depends on how old. My sisters old iMac ran perfectly fine but couldn’t load 75% of the internet unfortunately and most of the apps couldn’t be updated past a 5-6 year old build.

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago

"You can use more than one iMac as a display, if each iMac is using a Thunderbolt cable to connect directly to a Thunderbolt port on the other Mac (not the other iMac)." Do Mac's not have USB ports? It's truly bizarre that you need 1 thunderbolt port per monitor. That's an incredible amount of wasted bandwidth.

stephenr 5y ago
How is a USB port from pre-2015 going to help you transmit a DisplayPort signal?
- SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
  Good point.