Dell's been known to play "panel roulette" with their suppliers as well and not all the panels supplied by lg (previously lg.philips iirc) are created equal... Apple seems to get the better matrices rolled off the line where manufacturers like Dell get the mid-level ones or whatever is left over after the A level ones are supplied to companies willing to spend the extra bucks to ensure the panel is decent.
Absolutely. LG Display (formerly LG.Philips LCD), like all manufacturers, uses lot ratings, and Apple only buys what LG labels AA grade (each manufacturer uses a slightly different system), which costs more throughout the product cycle. Consumer monitors almost always use an economical blend of grades, which have various quirks and calibration issues that most customers will never notice or be bothered by. Sometimes it's obvious, though--Samsung, for example, is famous for using a mix of panel suppliers on their cheap monitors (supplied by themselves, AUO, and/or Chi Mei) that do noticeably affect quality, and it's completely luck of the draw.
You really do get what you pay for. There's a reason you can buy 24" monitors at $250, $400, $800, $1100, and $1500. You can get really lucky at the cheap end, but you can also be really unlucky. That's why it's always funny to see midrange products like Apple attacked from both sides--consumers think it's an expensive monitor that doesn't offer anything but looks and true professionals think it's a cheap monitor that gets the job done. Expectations from each change considerably.
I bought my 30" ACD in 2008 along my Mac Pro and I have no regrets... the panel arrived perfect. It was expensive and there was probably better monitors out there but it maintains great color.
And you should have no regrets. In 2008, if you could afford it, the Apple would be a no-brainer. Eizo didn't have a 30" until late 2008 or early 2009 (the 301W), and NEC still doesn't as far as I know.
Unless you want to spend more and get an Eizo or NEC, the Apple 30" is still pretty good middle ground there for an IPS display
The Apple would be a pretty good middle ground at $1299-1399, where its build quality would compensate for its slight underperformance compared to the WFP-HC. But as it stands, the good 30" Dell is almost 25% cheaper, has a better warranty, and I've heard no complaints from professional customers whatsoever (which can't be said for the rest of the WFP line). The U2711 is even better and even cheaper, because LG is being very careful right now about the panels it releases after all the issues. I expect the U2711's overall quality to decline, particularly if/when Apple announces a new display and Dell rushes to cut the price, but right now, it's the best-performing midrange large-format display out there. Unless you can get a good discount on the Apple, now is just not the time to buy one (unless you have absolutely no choice and can't afford an Eizo).
It's a perfectly respectable, mid-priced monitor, but it's reached the point of withering on the vine. I suspect Apple wants to save the price cut for wow factor with the new model, rather than squeeze a handful more sales out of the old one.
