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Apple is discontinuing its Thunderbolt Display. That means, for now, Apple is no longer in the external monitor business.

The 27-inch flat panel computer monitor has been sold by Apple since 2011, when it replaced the Apple LED Cinema Display.

The move isn't a complete surprise. Reports of limited supplies of the Thunderbolt Display first appeared last month, just ahead of WWDC.

In a statement, an Apple spokesperson confirmed the news, saying:

We’re discontinuing the Apple Thunderbolt Display. It will be available through Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last. There are a number of great third-party options available for Mac users.

With a resolution of 2560x1440ppi, the Thunderbolt Display was one of the most coveted displays of its time. In recent years, 4K monitors have become more prevalent, and many have wondered how long the Thunderbolt Display would hang around. 

Earlier this month, rumors indicated that Apple could be working on a 5K display (the same resolution as the iMac), but with a built-in GPU to help drive those graphics. Those rumors were later refuted – and we didn’t see any new hardware at WWDC.

It’s always possible Apple could come out with a 5K external display later this year, but right now, it's our understanding that Apple has no plans to replace the Thunderbolt Display.

When you consider that Apple has sold external displays in some form or another since 1980, the fact that the company could be exiting the display space is a big deal.

Fortunately, plenty of companies – including LG, Samsung and Dell – sell external monitors that work great with a Mac.

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