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Anyone else peeved that the 27" Display isn't the same height as 27" iMac?

T

the.orange.tuba

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 5, 2010
66
4
Just curious, are any of you 27" iMac owners(or potential owners) peeved that the new 27" Cinema Display isn't the same height?

Personally, I am. I was thinking of buying both, and now I am not buying either. I was waffling between another manufacturer and Apple, and Apple made the decision for me, which is sad because I really wanted to buy Apple, but I don't want a lopsided monitor configuration.

Anyone else out there disappointed in this? I'm not bashing, I'm just wondering if there are many 27" iMac owners considering such a purchase, and wanted to know if the height difference is affecting your decision.

Thanks!
 
They are two vastly different devices with none of the same dimensions, other than diagonal screen size. There's no reason to expect them to be the same height.
 
GGJstudios said:
They are two vastly different devices with none of the same dimensions, other than diagonal screen size. There's no reason to expect them to be the same height.
Click to expand...

Why should one not expect them to be the same height? It is a very easy mistake to make to expect the iMac and cinema display to have the same dimensions...
 
AlphaDogg said:
Why should one not expect them to be the same height? It is a very easy mistake to make to expect the iMac and cinema display to have the same dimensions...
Click to expand...

The dimensions are clearly stated on Apple's site, and are different in height, width, depth and weight. One is a complete desktop computer. The other is only a display.
 
I never noticed!

I would have thought they are (nearly) the same size so you could put a display next to an iMac, and have the screens lined up.

But I also know they are targeting the display at MacBook (Pro) users, hence the built-in charger.
 
All Taken said:
Thanks, so....

Why did people expect the dimensions to match?
Click to expand...
I didn't know until I checked that they didn't match.

I would have thought you could buy a 24" iMac and 24" display and have them line up. Same goes for the 27" iMac and display.

By chance do the actual panels line up, even if the housing does not?
 
The new display is not made specifically for the iMac. It is made mostly for the MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro. Those users do not want extra housing just so the 0.0001% of iMac owners that want an extra professional quality screen can have their displays match perfectly. Also if you do want to use it with an iMac it is only off by about 2 cm so come on give me a break it is not the end of the world. if it that big of a deal buy 2 cinema displays hook them up to an iMac and then turn your imac around and just use the 2 displays. Also if you dont like it don't buy it and i don't think apple will cry about it.
 
I am considering such a setup and am not bothered by the height difference. I do want the displays to match in height, but shimming the ACD a little is no big deal. Although as another poster suggested, 2x ACD + MP is also viable :D
 
dwhynman said:
The new display is not made specifically for the iMac. It is made mostly for the MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro. Those users do not want extra housing just so the 0.0001% of iMac owners that want an extra professional quality screen can have their displays match perfectly. Also if you do want to use it with an iMac it is only off by about 2 cm so come on give me a break it is not the end of the world. if it that big of a deal buy 2 cinema displays hook them up to an iMac and then turn your imac around and just use the 2 displays. Also if you dont like it don't buy it and i don't think apple will cry about it.
Click to expand...
If you'd read my reply earlier, I stated that they are targeted at laptop users Evidently enough iMac owners have wanted a dual display setup since before Apple even officially supported it that they added it. So of it's such a small difference, why not just line them up, given Apple's desire to have everything match?

I never said it was the end of the world, and certainly not losing any sleep over it.
 
dwhynman said:
The new display is not made specifically for the iMac. It is made mostly for the MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro. Those users do not want extra housing just so the 0.0001% of iMac owners that want an extra professional quality screen can have their displays match perfectly. Also if you do want to use it with an iMac it is only off by about 2 cm so come on give me a break it is not the end of the world. if it that big of a deal buy 2 cinema displays hook them up to an iMac and then turn your imac around and just use the 2 displays. Also if you dont like it don't buy it and i don't think apple will cry about it.
Click to expand...


So did Apple say the 27" Cinema Display was specifically for Macbook Pro's and Mac Pro owners, and that they didn't really care about any 27" iMac owners that want an aesthetically pleasing Cinema Display that lines up with viewable screen of their 27" iMac?

Also, I don't know if the 2cm is accurate, but if it is, that's .787401 inches, and well I don't consider that a small amount! Look at all those digits! :D

That was really part of the reason I posted my question, did Apple miss a market or ignore one, that's why I asked if many 27" iMac owners were considering buying one. Maybe that market for it is very small. I dunno. I just know it messed up my plans! :eek:
 
the.orange.tuba said:
So did Apple say the 27" Cinema Display was specifically for Macbook Pro's and Mac Pro owners, and that they didn't really care about any 27" iMac owners that want an aesthetically pleasing Cinema Display that lines up with viewable screen of their 27" iMac?
Click to expand...
No, but when the LED displays were introduced, Apple clearly stated what their original intent was:
The LED Cinema Display is the first display designed specifically for the MacBook.
Click to expand...
It's clear that while the displays can certainly be used by notebooks and desktops, the original design was for the notebooks, so they weren't thinking about it as a companion display for the iMacs.
 
GGJstudios said:
No, but when the LED displays were introduced, Apple clearly stated what their original intent was:

It's clear that while the displays can certainly be used by notebooks and desktops, the original design was for the notebooks, so they weren't thinking about it as a companion display for the iMacs.
Click to expand...

It seems that the 27" ACD is designed for all Macs.

Quote:
Works with every new Mac.
You can connect your LED Cinema Display to any of the current lineup of Mac notebooks and desktop computers: MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro.


The 27" ACD probably doesn't have a taller stand for stability concerns. It appears to use the same stand as the iMac, so the bottom will be a bit higher, and the top a bit lower, with about the same center of gravity.
 
drambuie said:
It seems that the 27" ACD is designed for all Macs.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know. As I said:
GGJstudios said:
It's clear that while the displays can certainly be used by notebooks and desktops, the original design was for the notebooks, so they weren't thinking about it as a companion display for the iMacs.
Click to expand...
drambuie said:
The 27" ACD probably doesn't have a taller stand for stability concerns. It appears to use the same stand as the iMac, so the bottom will be a bit higher, and the top a bit lower, with about the same center of gravity.
Click to expand...
To match the height of the iMac, the LED Display would have to be shorter, not taller. It's already 1.6 inches taller than the iMac.
 
GGJstudios said:
Yes, I know. As I said:


To match the height of the iMac, the LED Display would have to be shorter, not taller. It's already 1.6 inches taller than the iMac.
Click to expand...

The LED is shorter. It is 19.35" high.
The iMac is taller, it is 20.4" high.
 
GGJstudios said:
They are two vastly different devices with none of the same dimensions, other than diagonal screen size. There's no reason to expect them to be the same height.
Click to expand...

Of course there's a reason to expect them to be the same height. The iMac is designed to drive an additional display. Apple's 27" Cinema Display seems like a logical candidate since it's the same display size and aspect ratio. Except that when you put them side-by-side, they're offset by about an inch.

I was planning on doing the same thing, and yes, I'm a tad irritated that Apple didn't design for this incredibly obvious configuration.
 
GGJstudios said:
They are two vastly different devices with none of the same dimensions, other than diagonal screen size. There's no reason to expect them to be the same height.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's so cool to do an extended desktop configuration and watch your mouse pointer jump up/down an inch* when crossing the gap between the 2 displays.

(based on what I'm reading here, I don't know the actual vertical offset of the VIEWABLE AREAS, who cares about the height of the chassis)


:rolleyes:

Facts:

- Apple builds only 2 imac chassis. The design changes every 2-3 years. We're not talking about 999 models, it would be easy to match everything properly. So easy that it's something be expected.

- Apple builds only 1 display at the moment. Its design will last maybe 5 years or more. We're not talking about 999 models, it would be easy to match everything properly. So easy that it's something to be expected.

- the aforementioned designs have been both recently modified (iMac = October 2009, ACD 27" = September 2010). We're talking 11 month apart, not a century apart. And clearly there's not a new iMac design coming in the next few months. And even if it was, it would be so easy to match the height of the THREE of them (ACD 27", current iMac, next iMac) that it would STILL be something to be expected.

- both the aforementioned products (big iMac and ACD 27") sport a 27" viewable area and a 2560x1440 resolution. They're twins in that regard. Using them together would be as cool as a double rainbow. And functional. Matching the height of their viewable area is the LOGIC thing to do.

- In apple-land, everything "clicks". Everything is designed to work just perfectly with the rest of apple stuff. Usually. We are spoiled.

- Although it comes with a built-in display, apple provides its all-in-one desktop computer with a Mini-DP video output. Dual-head scenarios are clearly contemplated.

- Since Fall 2009, 27" iMacs have been offering enough juice (quad-core octo-threads CPUs, up to 16gb of RAM, and now SSD+HDD dual drive options) to replace MacPros in some/many scenarios, hence 27" imac dual-head setups should be expected to be more common than in the past

Given these facts, this thread TOTALLY has a point.
 
the.orange.tuba said:
now I am not buying either. I was waffling between another manufacturer and Apple, and Apple made the decision for me, which is sad because I really wanted to buy Apple, but I don't want a lopsided monitor configuration.
Click to expand...

So buy the iMac and a 3rd party monitor with an adjustable stand.

Also, if you genuinely wanted an iMac, then the difference between an iMac and whatever computer you ended up with will be a much bigger difference than the 2cm height, sheesh.
 
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