Using iMac as a display for MacBook Pro?

Question

I understand that the new iMacs can be used as external displays but can not find any information on how this works. Is it just a matter of connecting a MacBook Pro to the iMac and hitting a key? Also, what cables do I need to get this to work?
Thanks
Tony
null

Answer 1

Hey, I just got my 27" iMac last week and can verify that this works, as of a few minutes ago. I used the cable that converts from DisplayPort (the end that plugs into the iMac) and the mini DisplayPort (the end that connects to the MacBook Pro.
Plugged in the cable and the iMac screen flashed gray for a second, indicating, I guess, that the iMac had detected the external device. Then I could toggle it over with the Cmd-F2 keyboard trick. When you toggle it on, the iMac screen looks like a giant second monitor for the MacBook Pro. When you toggle it off, the screen switches back to your regular iMac desktop. When I first connected the cable, the MacBook screen dimmed briefly with an overlayed thermometer bar I hadn't seen before indicated some sort of calibration, perhaps? That took a few seconds, then it worked like a charm.
HOWEVER, if you are expecting the iMac to function as a second display for another device (like a PC, for example), the same trick DOES NOT work. This isn't clear in the documentation on apple.com and even some of the people in the Apple Store who I spoke to when I was buying it had not much clue about this, other than that it would work with a MacBook Pro. There's another device required (evidently) to make this work. Have had to order it, but have not tried it yet:
http://lowendmac.com/ed/bashur/09db/dvi-to-mini-displayport.html
Hope this helps!