Apple Introduces 24" LED Cinema Display with Built-in iSight

[wizard]

I still think people are jumping the gun here, check it out at the very least.

Pretty much as the subject says, don't pass judgement until you see it in person. Also wait a bit for the technical info to filter out. Personally I think the concept is fantastic. Does that mean I'm committed to buying one, certainly not as I wouldn't buy anything without checking it out first.

As to Display Port you guys really need to chill. Display Port is a technology improvement just like DVI was in it's day. It is actually a major step forward. In any event this is really a signal to people that Apple is about to transition a bunch of it's products to Display Port. I wouldn't be surprised that by mid 2009 every Apple product will be setup with Display Port. There are just a bunch of technical advantages in the standard that makes it to difficult to ignore.

Dave

 

[marmiteturkey]

Apple does offer mini-DisplayPort to DVI adaptors-eg:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570

That's going the wrong way - it will let you connect the new laptops to an old screen, not the other way around...

 

[macgruder]

* For Pros there are still the ACD Matte displays:

These are S-IPS. These new displays are specifically stated as for Laptops. You will not find a 23"/24" S-IPS display for much cheaper. The ACD Matte panels may have been released originally 4 years ago but that doesn't mean the panel itself hasn't been updated by Philips in that time (only about 4 companies in the world make actual panels, so you do generally get what you pay for). I suspect that Apple will keep the two lines running simultaneously. I don't want Apple to update the form of the ACD because if I add one or two I want them looking the same. Because the ACD is 23" Apple might have less choice than they'd like here as only Philips makes the 23" S-IPS afaik. That said there are input improvements etc. that can be made to these monitors.

* Dells are cheaper because they are cheaper panels (especially compared with the above ACDs). The 'I can buy a Dell for half the price' is just ignorance of what makes a monitor expensive. Check the panel type. That said it needs to be confirmed what type of panels the latest displays use. But good luck finding a 23/24" S-IPS panel for much under a $1000. This company makes them.

* If you're thinking, "Dells are half the price, why would I buy an Apple one" there is a simple answer. Go buy the lower quality Dell (it is after the cheaper Dells that have this difference). In my years of buying things, I've found that there is a correlation between the expense of the components and the price of the object. This is not rocket science.

* Don't be blinded by specs. Given that only 4 companies make panels, you'll find that the specs will often depend on the way they are presented. And the most important 'spec', color fidelity isn't something that specs can tell you.

 

[sushi]

MagSafe connector that powers and charges your new MacBook... I like this feature..

That is a nice touch (feature).

Don't get me wrong... I want one... but $900 for a 24" monitor? You've GOT to be kidding me!.

In today's market, yes.

I remember paying around 4 grand for my 22 inch Apple Cinema Display a few years ago. Still works fine.

Can't believe the crap that Apple introduced today. Still shaking my fist...

Disappointed that there isn't a Matte screen option.

I encourage all those, like myself, who can't use glossy displays [as a photographer, one must realize that matte is the only way one can do accurate color calibration as you stated], to please e.mail Steve Jobs and/or leave feedback on Apple's website, asking politely for a matte option on the MacBook Pros. While consumers may be happy with glossy, those in the photography/print/graphics world rely on matte displays.

We can always buy 3rd party displays, but we can't replace the displays built into laptops. As a photographer, I carry my MBP around with me with my cameras and use it in the field or at the hotel, etc, etc. I do not want to lug around a 3rd party external monitor with me!

Agree. Already sent a polite message to Steve.

So long Pro Users...

Unfortunately, I think you might be right.

New slogan.

 

[Rybold]

maybe that their feedback does indicate that people prefer glossy displays. Whether those people are going to be the ones buying $900 displays is another question.

You know, I just love it when I'm trying to see something on my screen, and all I can see is the reflections of everything around me instead of what the LCD screen is displaying. You know I just love that!

 

[MacEmu]

Sorry if it has been addressed already way to many pages to go back and read....but can you use this with the laptop closed? would suck to have to use always with it open. to just come and plug it in...have an external keyboard plugged into the monitor and get after it.

rockos

I wonder if the power button on the 24" LED will switch on the connected MB/MBP - I'm guessing so. If not you'll have to open the lid to access the MB/MBP on button. Obviously if it sleeping then no problem but from shutdown....?

 

[sku]

Will this monitor be good for gaming?

 

[Rybold]

Will this monitor be good for gaming?

You will be able to see yourself on the screen in more than one way.

 

[thedragonden]

I've looked over today's products announcements and I've looked all over the web at various port specifications and adapters and I have several questions.

First Question: HAS APPLE LOST IT'S COLLECTIVE ***-DAMNED MIND?!?!?


New Macbooks - cool. Better graphics - cool. No firewire - huh?

So why did they include iMovie if they've removed the port to connect my video camera?
Not for professional movies, just home movies. Christmas, Graduation, First Birthday, School Plays and other amateur home movies that iMovie helped revolutionize. How do I get my DV video off of and back on to my camera now? (Anyone who says "just use USB" is an idiot.)
What if I already have a firewire audio interface for garageband?

I guess "Target Disk Mode" is gone as well. I seldom use it, but there's nothing as convenient when you do need it. (Also impossible or at least very unlikely over USB. First of all, what cable/port would you use? Hard drives have "B" connectors, not "A" connectors. A/A cables are BAD.)



New display - cool. Matches the iMac and the new Macbooks - cool. Mini DisplayPort connector - WHAT THE ...?!?

There is no such thing as a "Mini" DisplayPort connector. VESA specifies a PCB (printed circuit board) connector and a panel/cable connector, and that's all. I went to vesa.org and downloaded the specs to make sure.
"Mini DisplayPort" is an Apple concoction and is (profanity alert) PROPRIETARY!!! That's the dirtiest word I know of in computing and Apple has gone there. Why didn't they just bring back the old Apple Display Connector if they wanted to make displays no one else could use? Does anyone remember when Apple insisted on using DA-15 ports when the rest of the world was using DE-15 VGA connectors? Use a standard video port, Apple!

Apple trots out this same non-standard connector on their new laptops. They couldn't re-space the audio in & out jacks to get another 8.5mm for a regular DisplayPort connector? Are they afraid of people plugging in DELL monitors with real DisplayPort connectors into their shiny new laptops?

Apple could have just used a standard DisplayPort connector and the new monitor could be used anywhere, and the new laptops could use any display.
Can I get a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter so I can plug a new DELL monitor into my new MacBook?
Oh, and one of those stick-on filters that give a glossy screen a matte look.

Maybe, just maybe, the cord is removable and they will have another cord with DVI/USB/Audio to make these monitors more usable.

There are DisplayPort to DVI adapters. You might eventually find a DVI to Displayport adapter, but I doubt it. Converting the NEW back to the OLD is easy. Coverting the OLD up to the NEW is not. Plus, a DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapter is very unlikely. You'll probably only get that one from Apple if it ever exists. So you can't plug this new display into anything but the new laptops. And you have to use a separate MagSafe adapter with the MacBook Air (the new display cable won't reach to both sides of the Air). I suppose the next iMac revision will also have this new PROPRIETARY connector and it's pain-in-the-a** adapters instead of the old Mini DVI with it's pain-in-the-a** adapters. Apple, Please don't screw the iMac. Just put a standard DisplayPort connector back there, and an eSATA port while you're at it!

AMD/ATI, Intel, & Nvidia all support DisplayPort. That pretty much covers motherboards, chipsets and graphics cards. It will be the new standard.
Apple should get a grip and use the standard port.

Just for reference, here are the dimensions:
Female DisplayPort - 16.10mm X 4.76mm
Female Mini DisplayPort - 7.6mm X 5.2mm (female USB A is 12.5mm X 5.2 - can you say photogrammetry)


Engine Room, where the hell's my drink!!

--
Just because they're the best team in the league doesn't mean we can't go out there and cheat and beat them.
Coach McGuirk

 

[vohdoun]

You know, I just love it when I'm trying to see something on my screen, and all I can see is the reflections of everything around me instead of what the LCD screen is displaying. You know I just love that!

Thats actually really nice seeing it like that.
*gets out a can of black spray paint*

Will this monitor be good for gaming?

Would you buy a Ferrari road car and take it to a race track...

 

[sku]

Thats actually really nice seeing it like that.
*gets out a can of black spray paint*



Would you buy a Ferrari road car and take it to a race track...

Yes I would

 

[Sin]

My favourite thing about this announcement so far is on Apple's own product page. They have a lovely image of using Aperture on the new display, with a huge reflection right across the part of the image being worked on.

Very thoughtful of them to show that.

 

[Cayce.?]

Yes I would

I probably couldn't afford on


Personally i don't like the new macs, and wont be buying one, I'll wait and see what new ones come out next year


 

[Umbongo]

These are S-IPS. These new displays are specifically stated as for Laptops. You will not find a 23"/24" S-IPS display for much cheaper. The ACD Matte panels may have been released originally 4 years ago but that doesn't mean the panel itself hasn't been updated by Philips in that time (only about 4 companies in the world make actual panels, so you do generally get what you pay for). I suspect that Apple will keep the two lines running simultaneously. I don't want Apple to update the form of the ACD because if I add one or two I want them looking the same. Because the ACD is 23" Apple might have less choice than they'd like here as only Philips makes the 23" S-IPS afaik. That said there are input improvements etc. that can be made to these monitors.

* Dells are cheaper because they are cheaper panels (especially compared with the above ACDs). The 'I can buy a Dell for half the price' is just ignorance of what makes a monitor expensive. Check the panel type. That said it needs to be confirmed what type of panels the latest displays use. But good luck finding a 23/24" S-IPS panel for much under a $1000. This company makes them.

While you are certainly correct about Dell, other manufacturers are now picking up the slack on IPS displays.

HP have the LP2475w which uses a 24" H-IPS panel and can be found for under $600.

Hazro have the HZ24Wi which should be comming to the US this quarter and will likely be under $700 (and it has silver aluminium body!).

You can also get the 26" DS-263N from doublesight, which uses an H-IPS panel, for under $800.

 

[pooryou]

glossy = no sale

wake up, Apple

 

[brucebrendon]

Made precisely for macbook...

i'm guessing Made precisely for Pro will come... 30" etc

i still wanna know if the usb's support the MBA usb Superdrive? would the little cable even reach or would it swing in the breeze...?

 

[vohdoun]

Yes I would

Ah well, more money than sense I guess

 

[TheThirdMan]

What doesn't look good for the future, you mean Apple's future, yes I'm sure you know what's good for Apple's future.

Well i did work for them.

 

[theGentleman]

Just seen this...

....on the Uk Apple site. Probably doesnt mean anything, but it shows a 23" screen for the same price as the new 'notebook only' ACD

 

[sku]

Ah well, more money than sense I guess

Yes. I'm some CEO who just got his golden parachute.

 

[Kwill]

Looking at todays announcements, it seems that Apple is resting on its laurels and simply phoning it in.

Nothing exciting.
Nothing for pro users.
Going hog wild with glossy crap
The New MacBook pro is looking less and less like Apple quality and more and more like every other notebook out there.

I am extremely disenchanted with Apple these days.

-1 fanboy

PS. Thinking my next purchase is a Lenovo tablet.

I agree with glossy criticism. I have a 24" iMac which is very similar to the new display. There should be some matte static film available somewhere. But I have not been bothered enough to search. Instead I just adjust the monitor. I pity the workers who work in a cubicle with window behind them.

Having said that, why so critical? This was a good MacBook/Pro event as advertised. An external monitor for said MacBooks was also released. Keep in mind, this display includes a more expensive LED not LCD monitor. This is the largest size I've seen with those specs. Progress is being made. Perhaps this will make it into the iMacs by year end. Then the Mac Pros and larger Cinema Displays can take the stage at MacWorld in January.

Apple should not and cannot update everything at the same time. Remember the iPhone 3g/2.0 software upgrade/MobileMe fiasco?

 

[atsang]

we need to start bugging sean at monoprice to start producing the mini displayport dongles. hes already done it for the mini dvi at stupid low prices.

 

[momoe]

That's going the wrong way - it will let you connect the new laptops to an old screen, not the other way around...

marmiteturkey is absolutely correct... all of the adapters are solutions for the new MBs and MBPs, not for legacy laptops to use the new displays.

I have been a Mac user since 84 and yesterday's entire product release was wrought with major marketing mistakes...

My wife clings to her 12" PB because there is no natural replacement solution - the new Al MBs would be a sound compromise if they had FW. She has a number of external FW drives and a video camera that all work perfectly and she is not about to upgrade all of these peripherals to USB devices. I can't believe they are punishing their customer base by forcing users to carry larger laptops (READ: Not more expensive) to be able to use FW. As posted earlier, many digital DJs rely on FW digital instruments, etc. There are no USB solutions. They should have tagged the new Al MB as a 13" MPB and mirrored the ports of the 15" MBP!

They could have gone with "Same size as MB but more money for the professional seeking (and needing) a smaller footprint (but greater functionality than the toy MB Air)"

Does it really make sense to release a "dedicated" $900 display for a single family of portable computers, disregarding all current (prior to 10/14) hardware (desktop and laptop) offerings? It seems the new CD would have been better received after MacPros and Mac minis (if they stay around) are updated to be compatible with them - possibly in Jan 09?

Sorry for the rant - Yesterday really disappointed me, not because of a lack of exciting new features and manufacturing methods, but because Apple is shoving unnecessary compromises (in these new products) down our throats.

momoe

 

[Kwill]

IThere is no such thing as a "Mini" DisplayPort connector. VESA specifies a PCB (printed circuit board) connector and a panel/cable connector, and that's all. I went to vesa.org and downloaded the specs to make sure.
"Mini DisplayPort" is an Apple concoction and is (profanity alert) PROPRIETARY!!!

http://forums.macresource.com/read/1/582625

DisplayPort is a digital display interface standard (approved May 2006, current version 1.1 approved on April 2, 2007) put forth by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). It defines a new license-free, royalty-free, digital audio/video interconnect, intended to be used primarily between a computer and its display monitor, or a computer and a home-theater system.

Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adaptor
Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter

 

[Claytoniss]

*breathes* That took forever to read all those posts.

I am becoming to realize that i need to see these things in the store before bashing them. I used to hate the new redesigned keyboard, but it just looks to good.

I am a sucker for good design and I think thats one of the reasons I like apple. And I seem to be really on a short list on people who care about environmental responsibility.

Thanks