Chosen Solution
Is there an adapter or a download that will make the Thunderbolt display compatable with the Mac mini A1347 model?
I’ve been wondering about this ever since Thunderbolt was released. Apple’s party line is that Thunderbolt displays require Thunderbolt computers - but they also say that Thunderbolt is pin-compatible with mini-DisplayPort, so you can use the Thunderbolt port on 2011/2012 computers with the mini-DisplayPort connector on pre-2011 monitors. Thunderbolt carries video, FireWire and USB. If it were like the old ADC connector, it would carry power as well; but the Thunderbolt monitor has an AC power connector. It seems logical to me that a mini-DisplayPort cable (or a Thunderbolt cable) would connect a mini-DisplayPort computer directly to a Thunderbolt monitor, but it would only carry a single video signal; no FireWire, no USB, no Thunderbolt video daisychaining. I can’t see what the harm would be in trying - the DisplayPort can’t supply any data that Thunderbolt can’t handle. At the very worst, the monitor won’t sync. Here’s an idea: Since your 2010 mini-DisplayPort Mac mini is small enough to unplug and carry around, you might try taking it to your nearest Apple Store and asking if you can plug it in. Depending on the staff at the store, you might not find anyone who’ll go for it. If you judge that the staff is resistant, you might try beng a little more tricky, and ask if you can plug your unidentified computer in, to see how it works with the monitor. This is easier with a laptop, since the Thunderbolt models look the same as the Unibodies. The 2010 mini has an optical drive; the Thunderbolt mini doesn’t.
