Is it possible to plug a Thunderbolt cinema display into a Mini DisplayPort-equipped Mac and have it work? This question suggests that it's possible and that it's pretty much the same cable, but I don't see any explicit confirmation anywhere.
Will Thunderbolt Cinema displays work with Mini DisplayPort equipped macs
cinema-displaydisplayportthunderbolt
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Best Answer
The short answer is no. Apple's Thunderbolt Display requires a thunderbolt signal (and only that) to operate.
The spec page for the display implies very strongly that Thunderbolt displays will only work with Thunderbolt Macs.
This happens to concern me since I own a previous-generation iMac (pre-Thunderbolt) and really wanted to have the option to use it with a Thunderbolt display. So I asked the guys at the Apple Store.
The Apple Store told me no, it will not work on a non-Thunderbolt Mac.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news :(.