Apple Display vs. Dell - so, why the price difference?

[cmvsm]

Don't know where you're getting your info, but, the LCD panels do not come from the same place. Apple's come from LG, Dell's come from Samsung. Two different companies, two different panels.

Here's where I'm getting my info from:

http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2400

I think the quote was:

"As unique as Apple's Cinema display might be in the world of 19" to 21" flat panel displays, it shares the same LG.Philips panel as the Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW. There happens to be only a single panel manufacturer capable/willing to mass produce wide screen, high resolution flat panel displays for the PC market."

And your "variety" of sources are from where?? Sorry...didn't see it posted in your last response.

 

[MontyZ]

"As unique as Apple's Cinema display might be in the world of 19" to 21" flat panel displays, it shares the same LG.Philips panel as the Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW.

I'm not talking about the 20" Dell, I'm talking about the 24" Dell. It does not use the LG panel, if that article states that, it's wrong.

My sources are C-Net, NY Times, MacWorld, e-Week and from knowledgeable people on the Apple Forums.

 

[cmvsm]

I'm not talking about the 20" Dell, I'm talking about the 24" Dell. It does not use the LG panel, if that article states that, it's wrong.

My sources are C-Net, NY Times, MacWorld, e-Week and from knowledgeable people on the Apple Forums.

Glad you clarified. Yes, the 24" is a Samsung screen manufactured by BenQ. It is a great "display panel" for the money. Overall construction is still a mass produced Dell product, which is its downfall.

 

[MontyZ]

It is a great "display panel" for the money. Overall construction is still a mass produced Dell product, which is its downfall.

I know it's a mass-produced Dell product. That's why it's cheaper in price and doesn't look as gorgeous as the Apple displays. I'd much rather have the 23" Apple display, but, they have a lot of problems, the warranty is only 1 year, and you can't get AppleCare on it unless you buy it with a computer (which I already have). It's also more expensive. So, the Dell is the best tradeoff I can find right now. And this 17" CRT I'm using right now is horrible after having used the 23" displays for a few weeks, so, the Dell, while not as goolooking as the ACD, is still going to seem luxurious.

 

[Bigheadache]

Overall construction is still a mass produced Dell product, which is its downfall.

I have no idea why this is a bad point. What are you saying, Apple actually assemble their own monitors in the good ol US of A???? LOL
All the majors use the same OEMs like Hon Hai, Quanta, etc. You're dreaming if you actually think there is a build quality difference.

 

[cmvsm]

I have no idea why this is a bad point. What are you saying, Apple actually assemble their own monitors in the good ol US of A???? LOL
All the majors use the same OEMs like Hon Hai, Quanta, etc. You're dreaming if you actually think there is a build quality difference.

Quality control standards are different for every company, and are usually much easier to manipulate when you are smaller corporation, such as Apple. For example, if there is a flaw or problem within a production line of products, monitors or whatever, usually a smaller company can manipulate the line and make physical corrections much faster than a larger company. Smaller distribution channels also aid this as the "bad" product gets filtered out of the pipeline quicker than mass produced, mass merchandised products.

To use your example, Hon Hai also produces electronics for Sony as well as Dell and Apple. If you want to compare the quality of Sony electronics to Dell in terms of quality control, then knock yourself out. You seem to think there is none if the parts are the same to each manufacturer. Now that's funny...

 

[cmvsm]

I know it's a mass-produced Dell product. That's why it's cheaper in price and doesn't look as gorgeous as the Apple displays. I'd much rather have the 23" Apple display, but, they have a lot of problems, the warranty is only 1 year, and you can't get AppleCare on it unless you buy it with a computer (which I already have). It's also more expensive. So, the Dell is the best tradeoff I can find right now. And this 17" CRT I'm using right now is horrible after having used the 23" displays for a few weeks, so, the Dell, while not as goolooking as the ACD, is still going to seem luxurious.

I'll have to agree with your there. Not being able to get Applecare on the monitor unless you buy it with the CPU is crap. I fell into that issue myself.

 

[nihilisticmonk]

Guys,

Allow me to share my views of the Dell 2005 20" and the ADC 20".

I actually saw a great deal on the net for the dell 20", so me and a buddy both purchased one. I had 8 dead pixels on the screen and some minor backlight problems.
My buddy had no dead pixels, major backight bleed and a faulty DVI connector.

He got a re-fund, I was so in love with the display, I decieded to go for the 20" apple display.
I haveno problems at all. A search on the net for the dell 20" gives worries of bad batches, defects etc....

yes, the SCREEN is the same manufacturer for both displays. The encasement, the design and the manufacturing of the product are vastly different....

Apple = quality, no matter the price...

 

[MontyZ]

Allow me to share my views of the Dell 2005 20" and the ADC 20".

Most people have had no problems with the 20" and 30" Apple Displays. Quite the opposite with the 23" display, which is what my posts were discussing.

 

[Cooknn]

I'll have to agree with your there. Not being able to get Applecare on the monitor unless you buy it with the CPU is crap. I fell into that issue myself.

Why don't you just buy your Apple display at CompUSA and opt for the $159 extended warranty? It's better than AppleCare anyways. 1 dead or stuck pixel and they will replace the monitor. At least that's what they told me

 

[MontyZ]

Why don't you just buy your Apple display at CompUSA and opt for the $159 extended warranty? It's better than AppleCare anyways.

I actually did this from the place I bought my monitor (MacConnection). They offered an extended warranty/repair plan that covered it for three years for about $160 as well. Another good reason not to buy everything directly from Apple. MacConnection's return policy is also much better than Apple's. Pretty sad that a discount mail-order company has better warranty coverage and return policies than Apple Stores.

 

[Cooknn]

I actually did this from the place I bought my monitor (MacConnection). They offered an extended warranty/repair plan that covered it for three years for about $160 as well.

It's an interesting relationship I have with Apple. On the one hand I love the OS and hardware, but OTOH, I don't trust their QC at all It's totally necessary to cover your a$$ when buying Apple hardware IMHO.

 

[MontyZ]

It's an interesting relationship I have with Apple. On the one hand I love the OS and hardware, but OTOH, I don't trust their QC at all It's totally necessary to cover your a$$ when buying Apple hardware IMHO.

Same with me. I think Apple hardware is generally better than most of the PCs I've owned over the years, but, it's not perfect and Apple's standard warranties are WAY too short, especially considering you pay a premium for their products. But, I have lost all faith in their ability to make quality displays becuase I've never had so many problems with ANY kind of hardware before as I have with Apple displays in the past. I've had serious problems with every single Apple display I've ever owned. But I think their computers and OS are superior.

 

[cmvsm]

Same with me. I think Apple hardware is generally better than most of the PCs I've owned over the years, but, it's not perfect and Apple's standard warranties are WAY too short, especially considering you pay a premium for their products. But, I have lost all faith in their ability to make quality displays becuase I've never had so many problems with ANY kind of hardware before as I have with Apple displays in the past. I've had serious problems with every single Apple display I've ever owned. But I think their computers and OS are superior.

I like to cover my a$$ no matter what I'm buying. High end or not, there's always a possibility of an electronic device having issues. I've had two Apple displays and have never had any problems. Now that I've said that, I've probably jinxed myself.

Anyhow, the CompUSA suggestion is a good one. As long as THEY stand behind what they are selling.

 

[justinshiding]

I can't say much about the apple displays as I've never used one of the current generation cinema displays, but I just ordered the dell 2005fpw and I have a few comments on it. First, I got it for ~400 dollars, which I consider to be quite a steal. Second, it arrived quickly, no dead pixels, no discoloration, nothing wrong at all. Given the choice , I would go with dell again for the following reasons.

1) cost (I am a student after all...)
2) adjustable stand with 90 degree rotation (sure beats moving the whole display when I just want to change the angle a bit)
3) 4 inputs. very versatile. I have my pc hooked up into it , and (when I get it) my powerbook will take the dvi connector. leaving room for two more devices...(ps2 perhaps for the svideo). changing between the inputs is done at the push of a button. one button , right on the front of the display.
4) one button auto adjust for vga connections
5) display modes , picture in picture, side by side (from two different inputs)
6) display options, 1:1, aspect, and fill. if you want to run an older game, but dont want it stretched and blurry looking becuase it was only meant to handle 800x600 then you've got options that will let you have the picture centered but still only use that many pixels...

I'll agree , the apple display looks better, and if I had an extra 300 dollars to toss out the window...I still wouldn't becuase (to my knowledge) the apple display lacks some of these features.

I say to anyone thinking about getting this display, go for it it's lovely .

cheers,
justin

 

[cmvsm]

I can't say much about the apple displays as I've never used one of the current generation cinema displays, but I just ordered the dell 2005fpw and I have a few comments on it. First, I got it for ~400 dollars, which I consider to be quite a steal. Second, it arrived quickly, no dead pixels, no discoloration, nothing wrong at all. Given the choice , I would go with dell again for the following reasons.

1) cost (I am a student after all...)
2) adjustable stand with 90 degree rotation (sure beats moving the whole display when I just want to change the angle a bit)
3) 4 inputs. very versatile. I have my pc hooked up into it , and (when I get it) my powerbook will take the dvi connector. leaving room for two more devices...(ps2 perhaps for the svideo). changing between the inputs is done at the push of a button. one button , right on the front of the display.
4) one button auto adjust for vga connections
5) display modes , picture in picture, side by side (from two different inputs)
6) display options, 1:1, aspect, and fill. if you want to run an older game, but dont want it stretched and blurry looking becuase it was only meant to handle 800x600 then you've got options that will let you have the picture centered but still only use that many pixels...

I'll agree , the apple display looks better, and if I had an extra 300 dollars to toss out the window...I still wouldn't becuase (to my knowledge) the apple display lacks some of these features.

I say to anyone thinking about getting this display, go for it it's lovely .

cheers,
justin

$400 bucks? Looks like you paid about $100 too much. Take a look Here

Then of course, monitors are like new cars...once off the lot, you've lost your a$$. Tell ya what, I'll give ya $150 and we'll call it even...

 

[FFTT]

The whole point of these reviews is to show that there are several good
choices you can make depending on your budget and your priorities.

The more important issue is being a well informed pro-sumer.

Hopefully you'll read through this related thread

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/122554/

If you need a new monitor, you have some great options, but do your homework and don't pay too much.

 

[justinshiding]

$400 bucks? Looks like you paid about $100 too much. Take a look Here

Then of course, monitors are like new cars...once off the lot, you've lost your a$$. Tell ya what, I'll give ya $150 and we'll call it even...

Ha, seriously things are like that, but I just checked the site. The monitor that was going for 300 was the 1905fp. I win! I got a good deal, and I'm not going to look at coupon code related sites for a loooooooong time. Just so I don't see something at a better price.

cheers,
justin

That last 1.1 inches was quite costly , but I like the widescreenness