Quick question: Why are ACDs so fat?

[TheMonarch]

OK, this has been bugging my for a while now...
Why are the Apple Cinema Displays™ so damn fat? They're like 1.5"-2+" depending on screen size. But why?

-Brightness can't be the reason, MBPs now match current ACDs' brightness and the display is ultra thin along with an iSight.
-USB and Firewire ports can't be it, they already manage to cram them in a 1" thin laptop [Along with a logic board, battery, HDD etc.]...
-Power can't be the reason either, since current ACDs use a power brick...

I just don't see why Apple won't [Or can't] make them sleeker and ultra-thin [.75"-.25" thick]. 😕

Anyone care to take a guess [Or explain]?

 

[truz]

Current ACD's are old. Apple will be releasing new models soon and I'm sure they will be thin as well and include isight/mic. Maybe not as thin as a laptop screen on the macbook pro, but they will be a little thinner and I'm sure brighter and better then the laptops as well.

 

[Johnny.MacLeod]

You have to remember that laptops connect their screen upto the main power of the laptop. A display has its own power source which has a "transformer" of sorts, that has to go somewhere. I took apart my 20" ACD to see what it was like inside and although it is larger than most I think it is more of a design princaple than a function princaple.

Take Dell monitors

They have a bump in the back, I think apple avoided this by making the back flush with the center of the monitor.

The screen itself is very thin but I suppose if you had it any thinner it might bend or buckle.

Just my two pennies🙂

 

[octoberdeath]

you pose a great question and i would love to see a good answer. someone should help us out with understanding why there hasn't been a thinner screen out yet. i mean the iMac has a whole computer stuffed inside it and look how thin it is! i want a 1/4 inch apple cinema display this fall!

 

[EricNau]

you pose a great question and i would love to see a good answer. someone should help us out with understanding why there hasn't been a thinner screen out yet. i mean the iMac has a whole computer stuffed inside it and look how thin it is! i want a 1/4 inch apple cinema display this fall!

I think Johnny.MacLeod covered it pretty well.

While the iMac may be a whole computer in practically the same size as an ACD, keep in mind, one of the largest components in the iMac is the power supply, which is also found inside any ACD. Apple could get around this by removing the power supply and having an external power brick, but most people would rather everything be built in.

...Or Apple could add a large (and peculiar) hump to the back of the display similar to the Dells.