apple cinema displays

[modular]

whats the deal with apple's display lineup?? the buyers guide says its been 926 days since the last update, with an average update every 230 days.

Wish they still sold those 23" acd's. I'm really after the matte display so the 24" is out, and the 30" is a little much.

is apple every going to update the display line?

[Hellhammer]

I think they will along with new Mac Pro in 2010. 30" LED panel is way too expensive atm so  is still waiting for it to come down.

[AnimaLeo]

What I don't understand is why it is so expencive.

[thegoldenmackid]

What I don't understand is why it is so expencive.

Welcome to the club.

Additionally, displays are the least predictable thing to guess regarding updates.

[AnimaLeo]

I mean, I don't have a problem with paying about 300 pound for a really good 24inch display. But 600 is just stupid.

[thegoldenmackid]

I mean, I don't have a problem with paying about 300 pound for a really good 24inch display. But 600 is just stupid.

Apple has always been overpriced, in displays it's rather ridiculous. But people still buy them, so why change? More importantly, is the lack of updates.

[Dr.Pants]

What I don't understand is why it is so expensive.

Besides the Apple surcharge, it uses a "higher end" screen... i.e., not TN.

... 30" LED panel is way too expensive atm so  is still waiting for it to come down.

Yeah. Plus the panel tech hasn't made too much progress in the past few years.

[katyoshi]

Apple may be overpriced but look at their quality of products and service if your product is acting funny. I bought a refurbished 24" ACD in august this year and I LOVE IT. I get to use the ichat, microphone, speakers, and the beautiful crisp display while it looks gorgeous. I get lots of complements from friends and family who come over my house. I look up other displays and with technology like the 24" ACD, the price is comparable and if not, may be more than the ACD. Sure there are other LED displays out there like samsung, but it doesn't have all these features. Plus if you have a new mac, it works seamlessly with no adapters needed and I had no problems.

[AnimaLeo]

How good are the speakers for it? And if I chose to buy some other speakers for my future mac can I stop sound from coming out of the display?

[Techhie]

Besides the Apple surcharge, it uses a "higher end" screen... i.e., not TN.


It's to bad that Apple's "higher end" panels can be found in OEM displays for hundreds less

[Techhie]

How good are the speakers for it? And if I chose to buy some other speakers for my future mac can I stop sound from coming out of the display?

A general rule of thumb is that 99% of monitor speakers aren't even worth turing on. You can turn them off by selecting a different output in system prefs, you are much better off buying an external system anyway

[thegoldenmackid]

How good are the speakers for it? And if I chose to buy some other speakers for my future mac can I stop sound from coming out of the display?

The speakers are bad. They are 2.1 with 12W output.

[Scarlet Fever]

It's to bad that Apple's "higher end" panels can be found in OEM displays for hundreds less

can you post an example?

[spaceballl]

What I don't understand is why it is so expencive.
Agreed - however in the refurb section, you can get it for $599 - I think that's a pretty good deal...

[K3mp]

Agreed - however in the refurb section, you can get it for $599 - I think that's a pretty good deal...

It is a great deal. Thats how I got mine. I can easily justify $599 for all the features it has over other displays (by the time you by speakers, display, and power adapter the prices are about the same), but $899 is a little steep for most people.

[Andy348]

It is a great deal. Thats how I got mine. I can easily justify $599 for all the features it has over other displays (by the time you by speakers, display, and power adapter the prices are about the same), but $899 is a little steep for most people.

$599 brings it closer to other displays, but not exactly on par.

I think its a fair price though!

[camgrant84]

can you post an example?

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-8277

[supinternet]

My best guess is that it won't really happen anytime soon.
seeing how their cinema displays are already top of the line, there isn't much they could really update to make it much better than it already is.

And even if they did update the line, making the cinema displays better, won't make them cheaper.

[Scarlet Fever]

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-8277

Apple's 24" panel is LED backlit instead of CCFL, is made of aluminium instead of plastic, has a built-in webcam, and includes a magsafe adapter.

If only it was matte...

[nanofrog]

Apple's 24" panel is LED backlit instead of CCFL, is made of aluminium instead of plastic, has a built-in webcam, and includes a magsafe adapter.

If only it was matte...
The panel's are different types between them too. The ACD is an IPS type, and that particular Dell is TN.

But there are other models, and other vendors. If you want to stick with some form of IPS, then you can look at the Dell 2408WFP (http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor_2408wfp?c=us&l=en&s=dfo), and it can be had for $449USD directly from Dell ATM. Hey, worth it at MSRP, but even better for $150 less. :p It's CCFL, as are most others, but they'll still "knock your socks off", and are matte. Not to mention some, such as NEC's LCD2490WUXi and Eizo Nanao's are made specifically for professionals, not consumers (which is what the 24" LCD ACD really is).

[katyoshi]

It is a great deal. Thats how I got mine. I can easily justify $599 for all the features it has over other displays (by the time you by speakers, display, and power adapter the prices are about the same), but $899 is a little steep for most people.

I believe it is a good deal refurbished. True about the add up of peripherals. such as a camera, microphone, and speakers. Speakers aren't all that bad, when they're loud, the sound is so crisp still yet. If you want bass, get a USB subwoofer.

[camgrant84]

The panel's are different types between them too. The ACD is an IPS type, and that particular Dell is TN.

But there are other models, and other vendors. If you want to stick with some form of IPS, then you can look at the Dell 2408WFP (http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor_2408wfp?c=us&l=en&s=dfo), and it can be had for $449USD directly from Dell ATM. Hey, worth it at MSRP, but even better for $150 less. :p It's CCFL, as are most others, but they'll still "knock your socks off", and are matte. Not to mention some, such as NEC's LCD2490WUXi and Eizo Nanao's are made specifically for professionals, not consumers (which is what the 24" LCD ACD really is).

No, the Dell I linked is an IPS monitor. It is their best monitor at the moment

[camgrant84]

Apple's 24" panel is LED backlit instead of CCFL, is made of aluminium instead of plastic, has a built-in webcam, and includes a magsafe adapter.

If only it was matte...

I agree, the apple is a VERY nice looking display. But from what I was reading the LED brightness makes it near impossible to calibrate well..

Also, the apple doesn't come close to the dell in terms of connectivity...

Still, I can't decide which one I would buy

[tofagerl]

You can't set the brightness lower?

[AnimaLeo]

So I'm planning on buying my mac with an apple screen in about 3 years. Does anyone think that it will go down in price? Or be improved, and how? Hmm

[dyn]

can you post an example?
A really good one was the 20" ACD vs the Dell 2007WFP: same panel lower price.

Another one is the current 30" ACD and the Dell 3008WFP although this is not the same panel, the one in the Dell is the newer version. If you take a look at the price now it's 1799 for the ACD and 1399 for the Dell which has a newer panel and a lot more features. In cases when people have a Mac with just the mini displayport the Dell is actually the only good option since you can get a mdp-dp cable from Circuit Assembly for something like 15$.

The 24" ACD vs two Dell 24" monitors (2408WFP and U2410) is another example. The Dell monitors are almost half the price, they don't come with glass making it usable in environments with a lot of light/reflections but both monitors need the mdp-dp cable to be able to hook it up to your Mac with the mdp port on it. However, those monitors also have dvi so you can hook an older Mac to the monitor without any problems; you can't with the 24" ACD because you'll need an adapter for that (which is rare or non-existent at this time).

Those Dells are even considered to be somewhat expensive regarding some competitors such as Samsung (they both do panels and monitors, a lot of their panels are in monitors from brands like Dell, Apple, etc.). So yes, those Apple monitors can be considered overpriced, especially the 30" monitor as it is 2 years old and thus uses 2 year old technology.

Plus if you have a new mac, it works seamlessly with no adapters needed and I had no problems.
If the monitor can speak displayport you only need to worry about one end of the cable: the end that goes into the Mac. Circuit Assembly and some others have such a cable. In Circuit Assembly's case you can even order different lengths: 2 meters, 3 meters, 5 meters and custom (which will take about 6 weeks). The cable from the 24" ACD is not that long, for people with a Mac Pro under their desk it's too short, they can't hook up the 24" ACD without putting the Mac Pro on their desk. The cable length is a big issue for the 24" ACD, so much that some users don't even consider it.

[nanofrog]

No, the Dell I linked is an IPS monitor. It is their best monitor at the moment
Mind posting a link to the source of that information?

I ask, as I've never seen nor heard of any IPS based panel that can achieve an 80,000:1 Contrast Ratio (I realize this is a manipulated value). Most of their real values tend to fall in the 800 - 1000:1 range. Manipulate it, and it might get published at 3000:1. Nowhere near 80k. That's TN territory.

[Umbongo]

The panel's are different types between them too. The ACD is an IPS type, and that particular Dell is TN.

But there are other models, and other vendors. If you want to stick with some form of IPS, then you can look at the Dell 2408WFP (http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor_2408wfp?c=us&l=en&s=dfo), and it can be had for $449USD directly from Dell ATM. Hey, worth it at MSRP, but even better for $150 less. :p It's CCFL, as are most others, but they'll still "knock your socks off", and are matte. Not to mention some, such as NEC's LCD2490WUXi and Eizo Nanao's are made specifically for professionals, not consumers (which is what the 24" LCD ACD really is).

The panel in the Dell linked is H-IPS, the same as the HP LP2475w (LM240WU4-SLB1).

edit: didn't read second page. Nanofrog, the contrast ratio is just Dell's typical BS applied to their first H-IPS panel.

[nanofrog]

The panel in the Dell linked is H-IPS, the same as the HP LP2475w (LM240WU4-SLB1).

edit: didn't read second page. Nanofrog, the contrast ratio is just Dell's typical BS applied to their first H-IPS panel.
Nice to know it is H-IPS. A linky would be better though. :eek: :p

How in the heck did they come up with that (80k:1)?!?! :confused: I realize they manipulate the contrast ratios (aka dynamic), but WOW. I wonder what they were smoking? ;)

[Umbongo]

http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1441159

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_monitors

As for the contrast ratio, tell me about it. I mean who is that even marketed at?

[nanofrog]

http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1441159

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_monitors

As for the contrast ratio, tell me about it. I mean who is that even marketed at?
Thanks. :)

Perhaps it's marketed at those who do some graphics work and game (sort of a semipro/high-end consumer unit for multipurpose use)?

[Scarlet Fever]

The panel's are different types between them too. The ACD is an IPS type, and that particular Dell is TN.

From Dell (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-8277);

Panel Type:
IPS - In Plane Switching

They are both IPS panels.

Also, the apple doesn't come close to the dell in terms of connectivity...

Maybe Apple aren't targeting customers like me, but I quite like the ability to plug a console into my screen. If I worked at a photolab, I'd snap up Apple's (matte) displays in an instant. For home use, I'd look at that Dell panel.

[nanofrog]

From Dell (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-8277);

Panel Type:
IPS - In Plane Switching

They are both IPS panels.
It was the contrast ratio that threw me (dynamic, which is a manipulation of the data). Taking a closer look, it is, and the contrast ratio is 1000:1. How the heck they came up with an 80x multiplier from contrast to dynamic contrast, is odd. It's typically high, but not that high. So the other panels that usually fall into that dynamic range are TN, and I wasn't aware that anyone was making such a claim on an IPS panel at all.

I didn't look deep enough, as I've gotten too accustomed to seeing "Panel Type = TFT" listings in the specs I guess. :rolleyes: :p