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Buying a new 30" display. Was hoping Apple would update theirs, but NOPE. Any ideas?

T

Tripppletrouble

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 15, 2009
12
0
Hi all!

I'll be ordering a new Mac Pro desktop within the next few days, still not sure on the exact build to order specs but it will definitely be a desktop Mac Pro.

I also am going to get a new monitor, I HOPE at least if I can decide on one, very soon :confused:

My PLAN was to wait until that WWDC thing & then get them. Because I really thought almost for sure :eek: that Apple would finally update their 30" display. Either to be a better/higher quality one of course & so that I could get the built in iSight cam (which yea I could just buy a cheap webcam separately but a built in one on the 30" display would obviously have been ideal. at least for my preferences).......

So any way. THAT didn't happen of course as we now all know :mad:

And so I'm stuck with this dilemma:

I already have 1 older 23" Apple Cinema display. It still works pretty good & doesn't have any major problems that I notice so far. But I do lots of graphics&video projects & NEED to add a 2nd monitor to my setup for more screen space & such.

* Resolutions:
Obviously I'd like to get the highest true resolution I can get at the size I hope to buy, which again is hopefully either Apple's 30" one or some other brand, but the physical screen size is important too & since I'm going to get a new one, I want to make sure not to skimp on it......I use my Mac all day & night!
I also really do love like microscopic icons :D & luckily have very good vision). Since I haven't bought a monitor in such a long time I don't know if some brands/types try to pull any shady like 'false resolutions' by just up/down scaling the screen itself & doing so without having the needed extra data to make it a 'true' resolution; or if any specific brands stand out as bad apples :rolleyes: & are known to use inferior parts, marketing tricks, or just plain suck?

* Color:
While I don't use all of ColorSync's potential usefulness, my current 23" Apple display has been pretty accurate and nice to look at. I've used lower end displays and notice that sometimes the 'harshness' factor is just too much to stare at for very long. Or that they have ghosting problems with even simple things.
.....which is what I don't want of course :)

Instead of rambling on forever, I think everyone gets the idea here. My big main question I guess is this:

Although the MR Buyer's Guide lists the 30" Apple Cinema Display as a WAIT-DON'T-BUY product, I don't know what to do. I am definitely buying a new larger monitor but don't know if I should just get that Apple one or if any one out there could suggest some other specific manuf/model that they have had great luck with?

Because honestly, since Apple didn't even mention.....anything at all in regard to any display updates, and I know nothing is 'for-sure' ;) with them.....but does any one really think that they have a 30" display update anywhere NEAR the point of shipping it? In the past, Apple has many times announced updates to products, especially 'minor' ones like a display during a major keynote/event, & just said that it would be shipping in say, 2 months or whatever....

Since they didn't even do that at WWDC, does any one honestly think they have any new 30" display update in the near-term pipeline (less than 2 months to be useful for me)?
I mean hey, somehow I don't think they'll hold a special media event just to announce a display update?! :(

Sorry this is so long but if any bored members get this far down & have ANY ideas or suggestions, please please post them :D
Thank you so much!
 
The only reason to get a 30" ACD is to have your Mac setup match. If that is not a MAJOR concern nearly every 30" out there right now is better than the ACD.
 
And buying two 24" screens costs pretty much the same as one 30". Plus the 24" LED Displays are brand new, and will probably have more accurate colours etc, plus it's LED!

However... the 24" only comes with the glass screen, unlike the 30" which is matte.
 
ShaunPriest said:
And buying two 24" screens costs pretty much the same as one 30". Plus the 24" LED Displays are brand new, and will probably have more accurate colours etc, plus it's LED!

However... the 24" only comes with the glass screen, unlike the 30" which is matte.
Click to expand...

Speakers, two microphones, dual iSight, and six more USB ports come into play, too.
 
ShaunPriest said:
And buying two 24" screens costs pretty much the same as one 30". Plus the 24" LED Displays are brand new, and will probably have more accurate colours etc, plus it's LED!
Click to expand...

yep i would do double the 24inchers. especially because if u r looking to buy now and if for some chance apple does release new displays..recently they usually tell us about them but we dont actually see them in store for a month or so.
 
ShaunPriest said:
And buying two 24" screens costs pretty much the same as one 30". Plus the 24" LED Displays are brand new, and will probably have more accurate colours etc, plus it's LED!

However... the 24" only comes with the glass screen, unlike the 30" which is matte.
Click to expand...

Glossy screen=inaccurate colors, no matter what a calibrator tells you. Glossy screens trick our eyes into to seeing oversaturated colors. Also, LCD hasn't come very far when it comes to IPS in the past 4-5 years. However PVA has come a long way, especially in reducing color shift to the point where you have to look for it to find it. I'd go with another manufacturers 30 inch instead of the ACD and the 24 inch is a NO-NO. THe 3007/3008wfp are good choices along with the 305t+.
 
just my opinion, but i wouldn't want the new 24" displays even if i was given them (except perhaps to sell!), those glassy screens are terrible. Again, this is my opinion.
 
blackhand1001 said:
Glossy screen=inaccurate colors, no matter what a calibrator tells you. Glossy screens trick our eyes into to seeing oversaturated colors. Also, LCD hasn't come very far when it comes to IPS in the past 4-5 years. However PVA has come a long way, especially in reducing color shift to the point where you have to look for it to find it. I'd go with another manufacturers 30 inch instead of the ACD and the 24 inch is a NO-NO. THe 3007/3008wfp are good choices along with the 305t+.
Click to expand...

HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to every one that replied!! :D

Sorry to be unclear in my original question, but I am definitely planning to keep my current 23" one (I'll probably put it to the right of the bigger, main screen).

Which brings me to ask, if I do buy a larger main 30" or so sized display from Apple or anyone, I have never used 2 displays that were differently sized like this would be.
Does anyone use this type of setup? One where you have a MAIN giant (eg 30" one in the middle/center), and use a smaller (eg would be my 23" on the side, used for a variety of things, like extra palette space, extended working although this may be weird with them sized so different?)
....?
If so, does that type of display layout work ok & not feel, work or look awkward when using them together?

Thanks again. I'll go look at the 3007/3008wfp & the 305t+. :)

As for overall looks, of course 2 perfectly matching monitors would be ideal and look the nicest. BUT if there is a much cheaper 30" display out there from some other GOOD quality company & is 1/2 the price, I could easily live with say my 23" apple chrome on the side, and like a big main one with say a black border around it or whatever. Point is that unless there's something I'm missing (like if it will be too distracting or something weird like that?) I am fine with whatever's the "best" for the "best" price at this point.
Thanks yet again!!
 
I use an Apple 30" and a 23" on my Mac Pro currently, with the 30" being the main display and the 23" on the left.

The good thing about buying Apple is that the bottoms of the screens line up perfectly, so the display panels are at the same height from the desk. In essence, all you lose is a bit of the vertical resolution off the 30" when you hop over to the 23".

I use my 23" for Adium, iTunes, Mail and all my other "background" apps when working on the 30" - allowing me to fullscreen on the 30", and still see what is going on. Photoshop palettes also get dumped on the left hand screen, giving me more space.
 
peskaa said:
I use an Apple 30" and a 23" on my Mac Pro currently, with the 30" being the main display and the 23" on the left.

The good thing about buying Apple is that the bottoms of the screens line up perfectly, so the display panels are at the same height from the desk. In essence, all you lose is a bit of the vertical resolution off the 30" when you hop over to the 23".

I use my 23" for Adium, iTunes, Mail and all my other "background" apps when working on the 30" - allowing me to fullscreen on the 30", and still see what is going on. Photoshop palettes also get dumped on the left hand screen, giving me more space.
Click to expand...
Thats actually more of a con as the Apple 30 inch is the only 30 inch monitor without height adjustment.
 
peskaa said:
Not a con when you have two Apple screens and they line up perfectly already and hence don't need adjusting. Otherwise yes, bit of a pain.
Click to expand...

The perfect example of this being a pain is using an iMac in a dual monitor configuration.
 
Wasn't Steve returning at the end of this month in the form of a media event.

Why not have updates then

And also, if the 24" LED monitor came out last October, who is to say that the 30" ACD won't be updated at least by this October.

It will be 5+ years old, (design wise)

A refresh will happen.
 
Pumapayam said:
Wasn't Steve returning at the end of this month in the form of a media event.

Why not have updates then

And also, if the 24" LED monitor came out last October, who is to say that the 30" ACD won't be updated at least by this October.

It will be 5+ years old, (design wise)

A refresh will happen.
Click to expand...

I remember he was coming back but are you sure, other than speculating, that they have a media event planned? If I were him, I would've sure gone for reappearing at WWDC at least, a giant event. If he comes back with one of those little Apple media events in which they announce just little things (and I think monitors are really just 'little things' ---- uninteresting for consumers I mean for the most part. Not like a new iPhone or new iMac and the like)
but obviously he's smarter than me :)
and has his reasons for whatever he does, which he doesn't take lightly as we all know


Wow. Is the 30" ACD really 5 YEARS OLD ?! :eek:
Has it really been THAT long?

I still didn't order any thing & don't know what to do :(

and keep going back & forth with 1 day thinking I am just going to do it & buy the 30" Apple display so everything matches & since I know that at least my 23" Apple display has been good for years.
BUT then I go back to thinking about how long its been since Apple updated the 30" one & wondering if they really even still have much of an interest in displays in general for pro users going forward.....

because if they did, it seems like they would have made more of an effort to offer a competitive display for Mac Pro users that obviously require a separate display & many I'm sure would like an iSight integrated into it like every other Mac, except the Mini. It is annoying that we've all had iChat with video for years now (and other clients with video chat before that), which make use of an 'out of the way' type desktop camera....example = for Apple this is the iSight obviously, which they integrated inside their other monitors & iMac displays very well.
JUST NOT FOR US :(

I still did not look at many other options specifically yet. So I haven't compared the specs on comparable other displays of that size. I will for sure look at the suggested ones above today. But would any one else care to comment on other similar displays & how their specs like the resolutions (big one obviously!), refresh/ghosting issues, viewing angles, brightness, response time, and anything else ----- COMPARE to the current 30" Apple display?
TKS again!!!! :D
 
I forgot to also ask/mention that when looking through Apple's site, when you go to look for a product & use that side-scrolling thing that shows all of their products.....
It shows everything else, even the newer (smaller) LCD display, as individual 'main' items to click on. But unless I missed it, I do not see the 30" version listed in that main side-scroller thing. which again just makes me wonder about just HOW long until they plan on updating it or if they plan on just tossing that line (I have no idea if displays are profitable for them? If not, maybe now that they have the iPhone & all that, they plan on dropping monitors. I have no idea LOL :rolleyes:)

I mean yes, they only list the 'main' item in that side-scroller navigation box. Like the iMac or Mac Pro, with multiple versions, they just list it once in there. But with the 30" monitor, it seems like it would be different enough to gain a spot there..
And even more importantly, that they would have a separate & full product page for it?! I couldn't really find one any more. I only see the 30" display mentioned at the bottom of the NEWER LCD display's product page.

almost like they are intentionally NOT promoting it much or something? Or am I just looking way too much into this LOL?! :p
 
The 30" ACD design is old, but Apple do quietly update it over time with higher brightness etc. So if you bought one today, it won't be the same as one from five years ago.

I personally bought a 30" a few months back simply because any new screen they launch is going to be more expensive, probably glossy/glass and won't match my 23" ACDs.


Oh, and as for built in iSights, a lot of companies don't allow cameras. Having them built into every screen would be a bit of a no-no.
 
peskaa said:
Oh, and as for built in iSights, a lot of companies don't allow cameras. Having them built into every screen would be a bit of a no-no.
Click to expand...
True, but there are many, like myself, that would like a 30" display and a webcam with a good driver. The only webcams that aren't crippled by poor drivers are Apple's built-in ones. Unfortunately, buying an Apple display is about the display and webcam driver. Ugh. :(
 
peskaa said:
What they need to do is re-release the external iSight. I'm lucky enough to have one of the old ones!
Click to expand...

Yea I agree with you 2. Like there are other web cams out there but the isight's quality & compatibility (which sucks when you think about it really, and is partly Apples fault driver wise for not, at least in the past, sticking with standards. Unless I'm thinking of some thing else here, isn't there a very-standard driver or protocol or what ever its called in computer lingo that almost every webcam uses these days? I think even on the Mac finally as well?)

I've heard that the Logitech cam is pretty nice & I think it follows you around to keep your head centered or something like that? But it & anything else --- is just another thing sitting on my desk taking up space. The integrated iMac type iSight is so nice I think because it's just there, in the correct spot where you look for the most part so its not too awkward looking to the other person, and it takes zero space on a desk or even as a stick-on like attachment on top of a monitor like the old isight 'can' was & as some other products are used.

Grrr
I JUST WANT TO FIND A GOOD 30" MONITOR LOL :confused::confused::confused:
 
Apple's live search results using the term 'displays' or even '30' yield both types of displays. Strangely the dedicated page for the older models has disappeared entirely and clicking on the search result redirects to the single (newer) 24" LED Cinema Display page.

There is a small mention of the old giant at the bottom of this page, however this is a direct link to the Apple Online Store.

Like many of you I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the embarrassment of the industrial design alone of the 30" ACD compared with the 24" LED will give birth to a display worth selling your soul for.

Note: I cannot think of a panel that Apple could utilise for such a display unless of course they changed the increment to 28".
 
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