Apple now taking orders for 24-inch LED Cinema Display

[AppleInsider]

Following a month-long wait, Apple on Tuesday finally began taking orders for its new 24-inch LED-backlit Cinema Display through its online store, saying shipments will begin sometime later this month.

Announced last month, the new offering is designed especially for the new Unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro families, and includes an integrated MagSafe charger, three USB 2.0 ports and the new Mini DisplayPort, making it easy for users to quickly connect and power their notebooks as well as use their favorite peripherals.

The 24-inch glossy, widescreen display features a 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and uses LED-backlit technology to provide instant full-screen brightness and great power efficiency. It's suspended by an aluminum stand with an adjustable hinge that makes tilting the display easy, and includes a built-in iSight video camera, mic and speakers for video conferencing with iChat, listening to music or watching movies.

The three self-powered USB 2.0 ports allow you to leave your printer, camera, iPhone 3G or iPod dock connected when you take your MacBook with you. The thin display also includes a built-in universal MagSafe charger so you can leave your notebook's MagSafe power adapter in your travel bag.

Apple says the new LED Cinema Display is the greenest display it's ever developed, made with mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass and highly recyclable materials. It meets stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status, the company said.



The new display contains no brominated flame retardants, and all internal cables and components are PVC-free. Its foam packaging has also been reduced by 44 percent.

It sells for a suggested retail price of $899 and requires a MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with the new Mini DisplayPort. However, our sponsor MacMall is also taking pre-orders at the reduced cost of $879.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[jawadde]

A 20" flat panel from Dell : $180 for the cheap one, $260 for the ultrasharp
A 20" cinema display from Apple : $600 for the cheap one, 900$ for the LED one

comon apple, you can charge some premium for being a cute, but the DOUBLE price ?

and please : don't come telling me that Dell monitors are inferior, because they are not. I'm writing this on my MacPro, attached to dual monitor 24" ultrasharp and a 20" ultrasharp.... total price : 800$, which is cheaper than the LED from apple, for more than the double screen estate. And the image quality on both is simply stunning. My boss (a true mac fanatic) has the Apple cinema 30", and the display quality is in no way better than my Dell monitor.

when it comes to the computer itself, I gladly pay the premium. Even more : I'm PROUD on paying 20%-50% more for a desktop machine that looks good and works better. But for the displays, I can't bring myself to it. I'd look like a moron behind a $1600 dual 20" monitor.

I don't know what they are smoking, but apple should get its act together on the monitor price front. It is just ridiculous.

Strangely enough, the price difference is percentually LESS on the 30" screens : $1800 for the apple one, $1400 for the cheapest 30" Dell...

PS : yea, I registered an appleinsider account to vent my frustrations

[IrishMac]

You might be lucky with your Dell monitor. Not all ship with a Super IPS Panel. Dell use whatever panels they can get their hands on from the parts bin so its the luck of the draw with what you get. I've seen many many Dell screens side by side outputting different colours, even after calibration. Shocking really.

I do agree though, Apple's displays are too much. Despite the quality, I shudder when I look at the price tag.

[jawadde]

Originally Posted by IrishMac

You might be lucky with your Dell monitor. Not all ship with a Super IPS Panel. Dell use whatever panels they can get their hands on from the parts bin so its the luck of the draw with what you get. I've seen many many Dell screens side by side outputting different colours, even after calibration. Shocking really.

I do agree though, Apple's displays are too much. Despite the quality, I shudder when I look at the price tag.

well, we have probably more than 100 of the 19" flat panels (4:3 ones, not widescreen) here, and although their max brightness is quite a bit less than my ultrasharp, they are all very good. Never had failures or dead pixels. Honestly, i'm very impressed so far with the Dell monitors.

of course, this is seriously balanced by the awfulness of their computers... the recent generation is slightly better, but the previous desktops (1 year old) are failing by the dozens overhere... could be VISTA too though...

so glad to be on my little mac island :-)

[nevrozel]

Their prices are close to insane! They have the looks, the performance and the build quality but come on... it simply does not justify the price.

[aerocowboy]

Are you really comparing 24" LED, S-IPS panels to Dell 20" (lesser-panel) displays? geeze. Compare among these monitors with IPS panels:

<http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php>

Add to the fact that the $900 24" Apple display has an LED backlight, which most of the other 24" monitors on that list don't have. One that does is the $2200 Samsung XL24, but that's also a more versatile, pro-oriented monitor.

Anyway, compare apples to apples, and Apple's monitor is priced pretty competitively.

If you want to complain about something, complain about the fact that the monitor seems to be exclusively tied to Mini DisplayPort. If they had reverse adaptors or interchangeable display cable assemblies (even sold separately) for DVI, HDMI, etc., I'd be thrilled. Oh well.

[Zandros]

Originally Posted by jawadde

PS : yea, I registered an appleinsider account to vent my frustrations

I'm sorry to say, the LED Apple Cinema Display is 24".

[codachrome]

Does anyone know of an adaptor that will allow this screen to work with my Mac Pro? I don't mind paying $900 for a great display. But it seems counter-intuitive to charge pro-level prices without a way to make it work with their high-end systems.

(I'm the king of hyphens this morning!)

[i386]

I don't know what they are smoking, but apple should get its act together on the monitor price front. It is just ridiculous.

I'm still using my 24" DELL probably only thing left from my PC days. The new apple 24" is gorgeous but way overpriced. Also has no external speaker jack that's just dumb.

[sandau]

How would you use two of these with one Macbook? Two of these with any Apple product for that matter?

[jawadde]

Originally Posted by Zandros

I'm sorry to say, the LED Apple Cinema Display is 24".

my bad... Still leaves a $900 vs $400 price difference, although you can't compare the LED to the ultrasharp technology wise. But if you take the NON-LED 20" cinema display, and compare that to the $260 ultrasharp...

[jawadde]

Originally Posted by aerocowboy

Are you really comparing 24" LED, S-IPS panels to Dell 20" (lesser-panel) displays? geeze.

I had misread the LED dimensions

but lets forget about the LED 24" for a second, and look at the ordinary 20" mac, which goes for $599. Can you claim this price just, compared to the $260 20" dell ultrasharp, which is (i repeat myself) a really really good monitor, quality-wise ?

Even the 24" ultrasharp dell is cheaper, and of stunning image quality too. Honestly : me and my boss did a comparision by putting the 30" cinema next to my 24" dell, and they were equally vibrant, bright & crisp.

to top it off : if you buy a man $599 mini, you can NOT buy an apple monitor cheaper than your brand new computer. How ridiculous is that ?

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by sandau

How would you use two of these with one Macbook?

Nothing's changed here. Before the new laptops and display, you couldn't use two external displays either. (First people complain [naively] about the price, then they complain that they can't use two).

Two of these with any Apple product for that matter?

Wait for the Mac Pro announcements at January's MWSF.

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by jawadde

I had misread the LED dimensions

but lets forget about the LED 24" for a second

No, let's not. LED backlighting adds substantially to the price and the performance.

Even the 24" ultrasharp dell is cheaper, and of stunning image quality too. Honestly : me and my boss did a comparision by putting the 30" cinema next to my 24" dell, and they were equally vibrant, bright & crisp.

Compare while watching HD video.

[Gmac]

Originally Posted by nevrozel

Their prices are close to insane! They have the looks, the performance and the build quality but come on... it simply does not justify the price.

Remember the display also has built in speakers, a power supply for the MacBook, a USB hub and an iSight camera. You have to compare apples to apples (no pun) when looking at the price of this display.

FWIW, I saw one at an Apple store and damn, it is one sexy looking display. Would make a nice companion to my new MBP.

[Zauner]

Originally Posted by Gmac

Remember the display also has built in speakers, a power supply for the MacBook, a USB hub and an iSight camera. You have to compare apples to apples (no pun) when looking at the price of this display.

FWIW, I saw one at an Apple store and damn, it is one sexy looking display. Would make a nice companion to my new MBP.

Ok, let's compare apple to apples: for just about the same money you could by a high-end Eizo dislplay featuring a colour-proof PVA panel, an USB hub and - very important - an ambient light sensor. Uh, nearly forgot: no glossy bezel and display surface (which in my country is even forbidden by law for the use in work places!).

Resumee: expensive, nice design, good for Macbook usage, but lacking all features neccessary for serious work.

[sequitur]

PR says that the 24" ACD is geared for the MacBooks; however, it seems neither the monitor nor the MacBooks come with a connecting cable which is an additional $29. Isn't that adding insult to injury?

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by Zauner

Ok, let's compare apple to apples: for just about the same money you could by a high-end Eizo dislplay

Eizo 19 inch maybe

[sandau]

Originally Posted by sequitur

PR says that the 24" ACD is geared for the MacBooks; however, it seems neither the monitor nor the MacBooks come with a connecting cable which is an additional $29. Isn't that adding insult to injury?

How long until Apple charges for the power cord from the Monitor to the wall...

Its their new business model, nickel and dime. It just works!

[mcarling]

I would pay twice that if the resolution were 2560x1600 and the monitor were still 24".

[TenoBell]

Originally Posted by sequitur

PR says that the 24" ACD is geared for the MacBooks; however, it seems neither the monitor nor the MacBooks come with a connecting cable which is an additional $29. Isn't that adding insult to injury?

I just looked. As far as I can see the connecting cable comes with the monitor. Where do you see it for $29.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by sandau

How long until Apple charges for the power cord from the Monitor to the wall...

Its their new business model, nickel and dime. It just works!

That doesn't make sense. Everyone needs a power cord, but including adapters for every display connection type is not very Green and is a waste of money for the consumer. Why should I be charged more for adapters that ill never use?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by mcarling

I would pay twice that if the resolution were 2560x1600 and the monitor were still 24".

for a higher-end consumer display, I would think that we need RI before that becomes feasible.

[TenoBell]

Interseting how people continuously compare Apple product to others that are either not the same or does accomplish the same task. To say it's better or cheaper but completely miss the point of the Apple product.

[sequitur]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

I just looked. As far as I can see the connecting cable comes with the monitor. Where do you see it for $29.

Apple store re: 24" ACD -

What's in the Box:
LED Cinema Display
AC power cord
Cleaning cloth
Printed documentation

No mention of DisplayPort cables

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by sequitur

Apple store re: 24" ACD -

What's in the Box:
LED Cinema Display
AC power cord
Cleaning cloth
Printed documentation

No mention of DisplayPort cables

They only list the seperate items. The DP, USB, MagSafe power cable combo is attached to the monitor.

[Zauner]

Originally Posted by Foo2

Eizo 19 inch maybe

Eizo S2431WH-BK: 865€ (incl. ambient light sensor, speakers etc.)

Apple Cinema Display: 849€

Welcome to Germany.

[johnqh]

Originally Posted by jawadde

I had misread the LED dimensions

but lets forget about the LED 24" for a second, and look at the ordinary 20" mac, which goes for $599. Can you claim this price just, compared to the $260 20" dell ultrasharp, which is (i repeat myself) a really really good monitor, quality-wise ?

Even the 24" ultrasharp dell is cheaper, and of stunning image quality too. Honestly : me and my boss did a comparision by putting the 30" cinema next to my 24" dell, and they were equally vibrant, bright & crisp.

to top it off : if you buy a man $599 mini, you can NOT buy an apple monitor cheaper than your brand new computer. How ridiculous is that ?

Dell's Ultrasharp was great monitors - until the latest models now using TN panels.

Some people (including me) are actually looking for older models Ultrasharp. The current line is no better than their E-series. The only difference is the additional ports.

The only exception is the 30" Ultrasharp, which still uses S-IPS panel. That's the one I want to get (before they change to TN, like the rest of the line).

By the way, I have three Ultrasharp's - a 18", 20" 4x3, and a 20" wide. All were bought at $400 to $500 range. All well worth the price. I have changed many computers, but the monitors stay. A good quality monitor is well worth the price. And no, I don't mind the monitor costing more than the computer itself.

I would rather pay $500 for the 20" S-IPS Ultrasharp (older model) than $200 for the TN (current model) ones.

By the way, the difference between panels is well discussed among PC users. I am a little surprised that it seems PC users know more/care more about quality than some Mac users.

[sequitur]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

I just looked. As far as I can see the connecting cable comes with the monitor. Where do you see it for $29.

This is where I saw the $29 cable. My error. It evidently refers to using a third party monitor: http://bitguru.wordpress.com/2008/10...i-displayport/

The downside? Mini-DisplayPort is presumably signal-compatible with standard DisplayPort, which “is the future” but hasn’t really caught on yet. This will likely be a win in the long term, but it’s not signal-compatible with DVI or HMDI (nor VGA, for that matter). DisplayPort implementations are permitted to pass DVI-compatible signals through the connector, and presumably this is what Apple has done, at least for single-link DVI.

Apple’s $29 Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter supports single-link DVI. To exceed 1920×1200 requires the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter, priced at a whopping $99. Presumably the dual-link adapter has circuitry that actually converts the DisplayPort signals, which is why it requires USB power. (There is also a $29 Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter.)

[robb01]

Already got my order in for 2

_______________

[passat2.1]

All these comparisons are not relevant. None of the suggested alternatives quoted in this thread have mini displayport connections (unique to Apple?) and that for oh so many Apple owners (i.e. those without Mac Book Pros) is important. I have a Mac Pro I cannot use the 24" LED monitor because of this. If anyone says that there will be new Mac Pros with revised Video output or there will a new graphics card has totally missed the point. Why should I have to buy a new Mac Pro or a new graphics card (I have the x1900XT card) what does all that add to the cost of the monitor? Also if an adaptor was possible surely Apple would have offered one from the launch date.

[TenoBell]

Originally Posted by sequitur

Apple store re: 24" ACD -

What's in the Box:
LED Cinema Display
AC power cord
Cleaning cloth
Printed documentation

No mention of DisplayPort cables

So you assume the connector does not come with the monitor and make up a price.

[Fotomat]

And if your going to connect it to a Macbook pro what does it matter if it has a isight camera ? that would mean you have two ..

And aren't the rest of the apple monitor lineup really just Samsung inside?

I can get a 24 inch Samsung @ Costco that is also a T.V. for 399.oo THAT's HALF PRICE

Samsung
24" LCD HDTV Monitor
Touch of Color Series
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Contrast: 1000:1
Brightness: 300 cd/m2

AND it has

Inputs/Outputs:
HDMI x 2
Component x 1
DVI x 1
D-sub (15)
RGB x 1
Optical Digital Sound Out (SPDIF)

so I can watch Blue Ray ...later if I want.. WITHOUT having to buy an adaptor ..

what are the downsides of this... half-price .. ?

[sequitur]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

So you assume the connector does not come with the monitor and make up a price.

Don't be so quick to pounce. You didn't read post #29.

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by Fotomat

And if your going to connect it to a Macbook pro what does it matter if it has a isight camera ? that would mean you have two ..

I'm viewing your message on an external 20" monitor connected to my MBP which is closed. I'd love it if it had an iSight built-in. I feel lucky just to have built-in speakers on this particular monitor.

And aren't the rest of the apple monitor lineup really just Samsung inside?

If it's Sony, it's Samsung. Don't know about Apple, but Samsung surely makes panels using different technologies and to different quality standards. Even if it was Samsung, that doesn't mean the image is competitive with what Apple is selling.

I can get a 24 inch Samsung @ Costco that is also a T.V. for 399.oo THAT's HALF PRICE

I can tell you from first-hand experience that the image on a Costco cheapie Samsung monitor looks somewhat less appealing than on an Apple Cinema display, particularly at off-angles, but when viewing video the Samsung looks simply awful. I had to return it.

[TheMadMilkman]

Originally Posted by Fotomat

what are the downsides of this... half-price .. ?

Oh, I don't know... important things like the quality of the panel? Apple's monitors are reasonably priced compared to other monitors using the S-IPS panels. Whether that's worth the price difference is for you to decide. For me it is.

[Fotomat]

Originally Posted by Foo2

I'm viewing your message on an external 20" monitor connected to my MBP which is closed. I'd love it if it had an iSight built-in. I feel lucky just to have built-in speakers on this particular monitor.

we are talking about 24 inch monitors here not 20 inch and the speakers are a non-issue.. really who relies on the speakers in a flat panel anyway?


If it's Sony, it's Samsung. Don't know about Apple, but Samsung surely makes panels using different technologies and to different quality standards. Even if it was Samsung, that doesn't mean the image is competitive with what Apple is selling.

maybe so but others here are comparing it to dell so I would think coming from Samsung it would be closer in quality than something from dell..


I can tell you from first-hand experience that the image on a Costco cheapie Samsung monitor looks somewhat less appealing than on an Apple Cinema display, particularly at off-angles, but when viewing video the Samsung looks simply awful. I had to return it.

...so if it's half price it's considered a 'cheapie' ??
....not a good argument

give me some real facts that make this Apple monitor TWICE as better than a Samsung 'cheapie'

[KamiNoYadoru]

Originally Posted by Fotomat

...so if it's half price it's considered a 'cheapie' ??
....not a good argument

give me some real facts that make this Apple monitor TWICE as better than a Samsung 'cheapie'

learn about display technologies, fool.

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by Zauner

Eizo S2431WH-BK: 865€ (incl. ambient light sensor, speakers etc.)

Apple Cinema Display: 849€

Welcome to Germany.

More precisely than "in Germany," where does one find that kind of price for that Eizo? For a similar model, I see almost $1400 in the U.S. at a discount house. The Apple price is retail and, since it's new on the market, the Apple will be difficult to find discounted.

[emulator]

the blindness of the fanboys will always haunt these boards... it's just plain impossible to reason with them logically.