Apple's LED Cinema Display: the review

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  • Reply 181 of 198
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    LED is said to be more efficient than compact fluorescent. In the end that probably means LED produces a brighter light that compact fluorescent while consuming pretty much the same amount of energy.



    I know what efficiency means, the problem is that a lot of the claimed efficiency gains of LED turned out to be hype and not necessarily reality.
  • Reply 182 of 198
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BenRoethig View Post


    The people I know do exactly the opposite. Its far more convenient for them to pop the little card out of the camera and into the media card reader than to find the cable that came with the camera. The import process is the same.



    I'm sure its a matter of personal taste. But it can be argued that taking the card out of the camera inserting it into a card reader, downloading pictures, then having to remember to insert it back it back into the camera isn't the most convenient solution either.







    Quote:

    I don't they pull the trigger on that too fast or Apple could put itself in a very precarious situation. It isn't like floppies where they were effectively already replaced, optical drives are still widely used. If you can't install software or burn a CD for the car (an iPod jack or aux input is not even standard on most new cars), they will not be buying a Mac.



    This is already the case with the MBA. The need for optical discs won't last, technology always moves on.
  • Reply 183 of 198
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    They are more efficient in that they produce a brighter light without consuming more energy. What were the claimed efficiency gains you are talking about?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    I know what efficiency means, the problem is that a lot of the claimed efficiency gains of LED turned out to be hype and not necessarily reality.



  • Reply 184 of 198
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    They are more efficient in that they produce a brighter light without consuming more energy. What were the claimed efficiency gains you are talking about?



    That assumes valid figures are given for the comparison. The effective lumens per watt didn't necessarily beat that of fluorescents. I think what the proponents of LED lighting were doing were comparing against less efficient fluorescent models and not one of average efficiency.
  • Reply 185 of 198
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    This is already the case with the MBA. The need for optical discs won't last, technology always moves on.



    Ultra-portables like the Macbook Air aren't meant to be a person's primary computer.
  • Reply 186 of 198
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    That assumes valid figures are given for the comparison. The effective lumens per watt didn't necessarily beat that of fluorescents. I think what the proponents of LED lighting were doing were comparing against less efficient fluorescent models and not one of average efficiency.



    Interesting. I was under the impression that it was a battery saver.
  • Reply 187 of 198
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Interesting. I was under the impression that it was a battery saver.



    It might be, but it turned out that the run time benefits weren't that significant over the previous version of the machine with CCFLs. Like the people that go on about how the solid state hard drives are going to extend battery life, it can but the run time benefits weren't that great either, at least not yet. LEDs do allow you to get the mercury out, that can be an environmental benefit in itself.
  • Reply 188 of 198
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Like the people that go on about how the solid state hard drives are going to extend battery life, it can but the run time benefits weren't that great either, at least not yet.



    Even the speed of SSDs wasn't that great with many of the options. At least now with Intel's SSDs we are seeing some real performance boosts and lowered prices, though the battery drain is still on par with other options.
  • Reply 189 of 198
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Is there a definitive test of the lumens per watt?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    That assumes valid figures are given for the comparison. The effective lumens per watt didn't necessarily beat that of fluorescents. I think what the proponents of LED lighting were doing were comparing against less efficient fluorescent models and not one of average efficiency.



  • Reply 190 of 198
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Not quite yet today. The Air is the MacBook of the near future.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BenRoethig View Post


    Ultra-portables like the Macbook Air aren't meant to be a person's primary computer.



  • Reply 191 of 198
    jitenjiten Posts: 11member
    I used to have an old white Macbook and I noticed that things start to lag when I do extended monitor mode on my 23 inch ACD screen - especially when using expose and spaces on a very busy desktop (tons of windows open etc).



    Now I'm planing on getting a 24 incher ACD to pair with my new Alu Macbook. I wonder how well does the Alu Macbook or 9400 GPU drive the ACD especially when you have lots of items open and active? Does it drop frames when performing expose or switching between spaces? TIA
  • Reply 192 of 198
    Sorry if this has already been addressed in here and I missed it, but has anyone noticed how there is no place to review the display on the Apple store like there is for the other displays and accessories? I figured by now there would be some reviews by people who have actually been using it for awhile but there isn't even the option to review it there. Strange. I'd be interested in reading them.
  • Reply 193 of 198
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Well I purchased a LED Cinema Display and matching MacBook Pro, on the understanding that I could return it within 14 days if it wasn't suitable. I wasn't convinced in the shop, but I was willing to give it a shot as I'd heard good things about the LED display.



    The image quality of the LED Cinema Display is by far the best that I've ever seen – but it's just too glossy to be practical. The assertion that the reflections can be overcome by simply ramping up the backlight falls flat on its arse when you try to retouch dark areas of images.



    I've got better things to do with my time than sit in a room with the curtains drawn, so both the LED Cinema Display and the MacBook Pro went back to the store for a refund. It's a pity, because from a product design/materials perspective they were absolutely stunning.



    Oh, and another thing, the quality of the speakers on the 24" LED Cinema Display are very poor indeed – nowhere near the quality of the current iMacs speakers (which aren't exactly fantastic either). I certainly would want to listen to music on the LED Cinema Display for any length of time.



    Anyways, it worked out for the best in the end. I decided to go with a 30" Cinema HD Display instead – going back to a matte panel was like a breath of fresh air. I can use the 30"er anywhere in the studio, at anytime of the day. And the size of the display is an absolute joy.
  • Reply 194 of 198
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Messiah View Post


    Well I purchased a LED Cinema Display and matching MacBook Pro, on the understanding that I could return it within 14 days if it wasn't suitable. I wasn't convinced in the shop, but I was willing to give it a shot as I'd heard good things about the LED display.



    The image quality of the LED Cinema Display is by far the best that I've ever seen ? but it's just too glossy to be practical. The assertion that the reflections can be overcome by simply ramping up the backlight falls flat on its arse when you try to retouch dark areas of images.



    I've got better things to do with my time than sit in a room with the curtains drawn, so both the LED Cinema Display and the MacBook Pro went back to the store for a refund. It's a pity, because from a product design/materials perspective they were absolutely stunning.



    Oh, and another thing, the quality of the speakers on the 24" LED Cinema Display are very poor indeed ? nowhere near the quality of the current iMacs speakers (which aren't exactly fantastic either). I certainly would want to listen to music on the LED Cinema Display for any length of time.



    Anyways, it worked out for the best in the end. I decided to go with a 30" Cinema HD Display instead ? going back to a matte panel was like a breath of fresh air. I can use the 30"er anywhere in the studio, at anytime of the day. And the size of the display is an absolute joy.



    Thank you for the review! The 30" is a little out of my price range. As for glossiness - I use a matte screen at work and a glossy at home and the gloss doesn't really bother me most of the time. But, since you said that besides the gloss it produced the best image quality you've ever seen, it may still be a good purchase for me. And if it doesn't work out I can always return it like you did.
  • Reply 195 of 198
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by oneaburns View Post


    Thank you for the review! The 30" is a little out of my price range. As for glossiness - I use a matte screen at work and a glossy at home and the gloss doesn't really bother me most of the time. But, since you said that besides the gloss it produced the best image quality you've ever seen, it may still be a good purchase for me. And if it doesn't work out I can always return it like you did.



    Absolutely ? you should try it for yourself!
  • Reply 196 of 198
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Messiah View Post


    Absolutely ? you should try it for yourself!



    Well, I decided to take the plunge and made the purchase this Friday. When this was first released I said that I felt it was a few hundred dollars overpriced. Now that I've had the opportunity to use it for a couple days I'm eating my words - well, part of them anyway. I still feel it's a little overpriced but maybe by only $100. And, when you consider how the aesthetics blend into the MacBook, that $100 seems worth it. So, on to my review:



    The display is simply gorgeous to view. Sharp, colorful and well calibrated out of the box, the only adjustments I have made have been to lower the brightness. As for the issue with glossiness, it is fairly apparent during the brightest part of the day if you happen to be looking a darker photo or video. I can easily adjust my eyes to not notice the reflection but if I were using it on a professional level and had to make sure all colors were as accurate as possible I could see this being a problem. But, for those times when you don't have a ton of sun shining in or bright lights on, the display is the best I've ever experienced. However, I am a little baffled at the decisions Apple made regarding the cables. Since the displays are only for the new MacBooks which have the proprietary output, why couldn't have Apple made said output supply the video, USB and power functions. As it is now, you have 3 cables going into the side of your MacBook (they form into one about 10" up the cable.) It would have been even better if they could have put said output in the back of the MB rather than sticking out the left side. I guess I'm nitpicking but it would be a little cleaner.



    All in all, a beautiful display that I'm very happy with.
  • Reply 197 of 198
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    WHY not buy an imac instead ?? if you dig the smaller screen ??
  • Reply 198 of 198
    My wife recently bought a new MacBook Pro 13" for the mobility and she doesn't want to spend the money on a whole new machine and then deal with syncing, etc... yesterday we saw the display at a shop and she got pretty interested in it. Thanks for the review. It certainly is a possible early Santa item this fall...
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