Apple is not about compromise, as you state in your post, but rather, the things that are going to differentiate them the most, and even more, will allow them to build the biggest profit into each product they manufacture and sell. Those specs you list may be right for you, Goldilocks (sorry!), but the more versions of a product a company makes, the less that company will make in profit.
The mere fact that there are tons of screens out there that are 24" says something about the market (i.e. Apple can't make an adequate profit from people wanting and/or needing 24" screens, since there are so many options already available).