Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Are Apple Cinema displays overpriced?

M

MrVegas

macrumors regular
Original poster
I'm considering the Apple 20" cinema. It looks awesome. Are there better values out there? Do any manufacturers make the same quality for less money or should I just save up for the real deal?

p.s.
I'm brand new to Mac ... just bought a G5 and LOVE it.
 
enjoy your G5 and welcome to our side.

Dell has displays that look as good if not better and are a hell of a lot cheaper. I still love my sony, but I would get a Dell when this one dies.
 
The ACDs seems a bit overpriced, but they are gorgeous... 😉 But you can get a just as good and comparable (but not as stylish) LCD for half the price (e.g. from Dell).

And Uma888, not to make tis into a flame war, but how can you claim that all Apple products are overpriced? Especially the low-end lineup: Mac mini, eMac and iBook are very capable machines at very affordable prices (not including RAM updates 😛)... Of course, if you want the dual 2.7 G5 or the fully loaded 17" PowerBook you pay a premium for getting the absolute top of what Apple can offer... but you'll have to that for all companies top models... 🙄
 
Apple monitors are way overpriced!!!

I have the 20" display connected to my Powerbook. I am working with video and no too long ago I took my DVD demo to a client who had two Dell monitors and I saw a bunch of glitches in my animations that the Apple display does not show up unless you really messup with the colors and turn everything really really green, then is when you can see what the other monitors show.

I went actually last weekend to a compuer store and you could get a 21 LG or Panasonic flat screen for $600. With a G5 you could have 2 of them or you can get 2 17"for $300 each and the resolution would be 1000 times better and they look very very nice and pro.

I saw the Apple 30" and look really nice but is stupid to spend so much money in something that is not the best any way.
 
mymemory said:
I saw the Apple 30" and look really nice but is stupid to spend so much money in something that is not the best any way.
Click to expand...

There aren't many 30" displays with a usable resolution out there. If the Dell 24" isn't enough for you, and you need a single display rather than 2 smaller ones, the 30" is a great choice.
 
joetronic said:
enjoy your G5 and welcome to our side.

Dell has displays that look as good if not better and are a hell of a lot cheaper. I still love my sony, but I would get a Dell when this one dies.
Click to expand...

as good? better? what?????? dell has displays that are cheaper and as good in picture quality but the design is still unglier, although beauty is a subjective thing.
 
Absolutely not.

I paid £920UKP (edu) for my 20in display, spread over 10 months. 3 weeks after I'd paid the first installment, they drop in price from £999 to £699. Then they drop again to £549. Cheers Apple! That said, it's worth every penny of £999, no question.

andy.
 
They are very overpriced..... here is the thing too. With Apple, if you have dead pixels in your monitor unless you have like up to 10 or something crazy they can deny letting you return it without paying a restocking fee. For the price you pay that is a horrible policy. Now Dell on the other hand.... they will let you exchange your monitor for a new one even if you have JUST ONE dead pixel. Yet when it is on sale the dell costs almost half as much as the apple... and it has more features and (from what I can tell) the same image quality. Apple is overpriced and their policy sucks. Go with the Dell 2005FPW if you are interested in a 20" widescreen. I did and I love it!
 
I don't think they are overpriced. I bought two 20" ACDs when they were still $1299 and I don't regret it one bit. The Dell alternative has the same panel but a different backlight. If you check some forums discussing that monitor it seems like a LOT of people have backlight bleeding issues.

The display itself is gorgeous, it matches my PowerBook perfectly. Basically, if you can afford it and you want the best monitor out there not only in terms of image quality but also user experience, cable management, build quality and case design the Apple Cinema Display is the one to get.
 
Huezo said:
The display itself is gorgeous, it matches my PowerBook perfectly. Basically, if you can afford it and you want the best monitor out there not only in terms of image quality but also user experience, cable management, build quality and case design the Apple Cinema Display is the one to get.
Click to expand...

I must agree on this point that if you have the cash and you want a good match for any of the "power" line products from Apple you can't beat the beauty of the ACD. If apple could get their quality control beefed up a little or ease up on their pixel policy they could back that pricetag a with a little more confidence and bring many Dell users to the ACD side.
 
Huezo said:
I don't think they are overpriced. I bought two 20" ACDs when they were still $1299 and I don't regret it one bit. The Dell alternative has the same panel but a different backlight. If you check some forums discussing that monitor it seems like a LOT of people have backlight bleeding issues.
Click to expand...

To be fair, all of those posts were from a period of a few weeks or months just after the 2005fpw was first released. There were problems with the early batches but they have since been fixed, and everyone I know who bought this monitor loves it. Mine is perfectly even with no backlight problems and no dead pixels.

Note that, to Dell's credit, all those people who complained about uneven backlights were shipped second, third, even fourth units, until they finally got one they were happy with.

I agree with the other posters that the Apple display is much more aesthetically pleasing, and with the latest price drop, is even more appealing. However, when I bought this Dell display, it was HALF the price of the Apple display, AND it had more options (VGA/DVI/Svideo/RCA inputs). I just can't justify spending twice the amount I need to for something that's functionally inferior, though looks nicer.

(I don't drive a Mercedes or BMW, either.)
 
what are u talking about?
The 20 inch display from apple is now 699 , yeah it is overpriced compared to the dell, yeah it should be cheaper, but it does look a hell of a lot better, it has less cables and it has the same exact resolution as the dell as well as the competitors. Panasonic does not make its own panels but rather buys from competitors like samsung and Lg, the same as apple and dell does and the 30 Cinema HD is the best monitor/panel out there in terms of pixels/quality. Ibm offers a 30" for a grand more with the same resolution but has color problems, Resolution is the same across the board and nowadays all 20 inch panels will and should have a better resolution than a 17" though there ARE some exceptions, in fact i dont even think panasonic makes a LCD for computers, though i could be wrong. Please do your research before posting.


mymemory said:
Apple monitors are way overpriced!!!

I have the 20" display connected to my Powerbook. I am working with video and no too long ago I took my DVD demo to a client who had two Dell monitors and I saw a bunch of glitches in my animations that the Apple display does not show up unless you really messup with the colors and turn everything really really green, then is when you can see what the other monitors show.

I went actually last weekend to a compuer store and you could get a 21 LG or Panasonic flat screen for $600. With a G5 you could have 2 of them or you can get 2 17"for $300 each and the resolution would be 1000 times better and they look very very nice and pro.

I saw the Apple 30" and look really nice but is stupid to spend so much money in something that is not the best any way.
Click to expand...
 
The future is in HD though. If you plan to have the monitor for many years maybe you should consider getting a HD monitor.
 
notjustjay said:
it had more options (VGA/DVI/Svideo/RCA inputs)
Click to expand...

Not everyone wants all of those connections, but much of this debate is due to personal preferences. I personally don't want anything but DVI inputs, because i have a nice big 30" widescreen tv with Component, S-Vid and RCA (and HDMI, too so I could hook up a DVI connection). Personally, in a display I'd rather have the Firewire (and USB, but since it's a common feature, I can omit it). In the end, the Apple displays are more expensive than other brands, but it comes down to your own preferences (looks, features, etc.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back