The only reason to buy this is if you really care about the esthetics of your desk. Like, really.
It's a macbook accessory. It's not even viable as a second screen for an iMac, because of the display connector. Even if they rev the imac's display connector, why would you want a second set of speakers, another mic, another camera?
And why, for the love of Pete, isn't there a digital camera card reader?! I would trade five power buttons and three firewire jacks for a card reader.
Nice review and all, but once the boxing day sales come out, I'm buying a Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp.
I believe the review soft pedals the glossy screen factor.
I have a new 24" iMac on my desk at work and two 23" Cinema Displays in my home office.
The work office is interior; light sources are filtered sun and a mix of CFL and LED table, desk and floor lamps. At home there are giant windows on the north and west sides, unobstructed to the sky so the room is flooded with sunlight, especially in the afternoon.
Given these conditions, the work office should be ideal for computer use and the home space a disaster. The hardware design though makes it the opposite.
I despise the 24" iMac because of its glossy, really mirror-like display. Since it landed on my desk, I've had to rearrange the lighting in the office just to make the thing passable. Note that it replaced a previous generation 20" white iMac that sat in the same spot without issue. In contrast the 23" Cinema Displays I have at home never cause a problem because of environmental factors.
The fact that I've had to alter a workspace to accommodate hardware is the mark of bad industrial design. Apple has sacrificed usability for aesthetics in the current iMacs, MacBooks and now this LED Cinema Display. No different than the sin they committed with hockey puck mouse that came with the original iMac.
I just hope that my two 23" Cinema Displays manage to outlast this current, ill-conceived design language twitch.
It surprises me that Apple doesn't already offer adapters to get the Cinema Display to work with DVI to support at least the older Mac models without DP. It seems like an obvious thing to do and can only increase the market for the Cinema Display. I can't really see a disadvantage with offering adapters. Maybe some people are less likely to upgrade, but I don't see many people buy a new laptop just to use the new Cinema Display. Maybe Apple just doesn't care?
I'm starting to think that for every smart thing Apple does, there's a corporate policy that they have to do something incredibly dumb to balance it out.
I believe that this display will be slow selling, but not because its a bad display. On the contrary, this is an exceptional display. However, there are a lot of contradictions in its design. For professionals, with a high quality panel, this would be very competive...If it didn't have the glass panel and could work with the Mac Pro. On the other hand, for the consumer, you have glossy display for vibrant colors, integrated high quality 2.1 sound, and a eye catching design that would make it perfect for any Mac desktop... except there isn't a Mac desktop anymore and $900 is out of reach for all but the most affluent consumer. It seems to me that they tried to make a display for two widely different types of customers and ended with an exceptional product that is held back by the contradictions of that.
The only reason to buy this is if you really care about the esthetics of your desk. Like, really.
It's a macbook accessory. It's not even viable as a second screen for an iMac, because of the display connector. Even if they rev the imac's display connector, why would you want a second set of speakers, another mic, another camera?
And why, for the love of Pete, isn't there a digital camera card reader?! I would trade five power buttons and three firewire jacks for a card reader.
Nice review and all, but once the boxing day sales come out, I'm buying a Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp.
Your comment baffles me. You creating a heading that states that this a MB accessory which you then repeat in the body, but then you seem baffled that the iMacs that came in April don't have mDPs. You also say that the "only reason" to buy it is for aesthetic reasons despite knowing that this is designed to complement Apple's notebook line.
As for the Card Reader, why would expect this on an ACD when no Mac or ACD has ever included them. Personally, I have never needed one. I just plug my camera into my Mac via the included USB cable. If you are one of the few people that want/need them there ate plenty of onexpensive x-in-one Card Readers that cover all those funky Sony designed cards.
By designing the new Cinema Display specifically for MacBook owners, Apple is continuing to ignore the needs of high-end customers who use the Mac Pro. The only Cinema Displays available to them are camera-less and haven't been redesigned in several years. I understand that Apple sees an opportunity to sell Macs to the unwashed masses, but some of their design decisions are really leaving their professional customers out in the cold. The removal of firewire from the MacBook is unforgivable.
sun + glossy screen = reflective but visible image
Most people doing design or prepress work are not doing it outside so the matte screen with a more accurate (i.e., not oversaturated) color representation will always be preferable to that group.
I'm a big matte fan, but there's something even more important to me: I'll take the durability and cleanability of glass any day. Too bad I can't have my cake and eat it too!
(And I quickly got used to my glossy Air. I prefer matte, but it's not a deal-breaker like I feared.)
Although most blacks are neutral in color, the thick black border is not design neutral. Video editing environments and print environments all tend to use GREY for neutrality. Even Apple's own Apple Store theaters are grey.
The thick black frame "fights" with designs on the screen and will therefore, influence design decisions. The black border will not stay neutral in your everyday design decision, there are reasons to why grey was picked over black as the neutral color for professionals.
Now I am glad that I bought the aluminum 20 inchers for my work.
By designing the new Cinema Display specifically for MacBook owners, Apple is continuing to ignore the needs of high-end customers who use the Mac Pro. The only Cinema Displays available to them are camera-less and haven't been redesigned in several years. I understand that Apple sees an opportunity to sell Macs to the unwashed masses, but some of their design decisions are really leaving their professional customers out in the cold. The removal of firewire from the MacBook is unforgivable.
The last Apple event was focused entirely on Apple's portables. No desktop Macs were updated. I assume that will happen in January, when the rest of the line will get mDP and we'll probably see larger displays that are backlit, but they probably won't ship right away. But that won't prevent you using your new Mac Pro with mDP with an older ACD or 3rd-party display as you'll only need a cheap adapter which will most likely be available by then.
Even if Apple did release a "high-end" ACD for Mac Pro customers the Mac Pro wouldn't be able to utilize it at this point as the GPU still only has DL-DVI so your complaint is pretty much null as it's the Mac Pro that has to be updated prior or at the same time as the ACD, like they did with the new Mac notebooks.
PS: Are we to assume that 24" is the new small for ACDs? I think so.
PPS: I think the larger ACDs that will arrive will have FW800 ports on them.
PPPS: I hope the other ACDs have an IR receiver as the Mac Pro doesn't have an IR reciever and is usually out of the way which makes line-of-sight difficult.
PPPPS: I think we'll see the Mac Mini replaced with a new product, which will be able to use the new ACD's power so you can forego the power brick that ruins the Mac Mini's small form factor design.
The only reason to buy this is if you really care about the esthetics of your desk. Like, really.
It's a macbook accessory. It's not even viable as a second screen for an iMac, because of the display connector. Even if they rev the imac's display connector, why would you want a second set of speakers, another mic, another camera?
And why, for the love of Pete, isn't there a digital camera card reader?! I would trade five power buttons and three firewire jacks for a card reader.
Nice review and all, but once the boxing day sales come out, I'm buying a Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp.
I doubt Apple said, lets make a 2nd display for the iMac when they were thinking about making a display like this. How many people do you know connects a 2nd display to their iMac? Yeah, maybe professionals who don't want to purchase a MacPro do, but few general everyday consumers do so. I don't think any of the displays are meant as a second display for the iMac.
I can see this being a good display for the MacPro. It has speakers built in, iSight Webcam, USB 2.0 ports and matches the current design for the most part. The only thing that gets me is the new connector which may be this display (and probably future displays) downfall.
Also, as notebooks are getting more and more powerful, more professionals are using the MacBook and MacBook Pro for their work. Being able to connect a display to their MacBook, or MacBook Pro and not losing the abilities of the display on the notebook is a great thing. They can still use the webcam if necessary. They have decent speakers, it charges your notebook while you use it, etc.
Its kind of an expensive display for a MacMini, but if the new MacMini's (if there are any) have this new display port on it, this new display would make for a perfect display. It basically makes the MacMini into a non all-in-one iMac. Has the same design display with all of the features such as the webcam, speakers, and glossy display, but its connected externally. So you can still add RAM, take out the HD and install a new one, etc.
Why does Apple need a digital card reader when you can plug the camera into the back of the display, or on the Mac itself and let either iPhoto, Image Capture, or Aperture do the rest? This is PC thinking IMO. There's nothing like the ease of using of just getting photos off your camera on the Windows side, until recently. So instead, you had to take the card out of the camera, stick it into a card reader and then do whatever it is you wanted to do with the photos you took. Doing this on a Mac is 5 steps backwards IMO.
I despise the 24" iMac because of its glossy, really mirror-like display. Since it landed on my desk, I've had to rearrange the lighting in the office just to make the thing passable. Note that it replaced a previous generation 20" white iMac that sat in the same spot without issue. In contrast the 23" Cinema Displays I have at home never cause a problem because of environmental factors.
The fact that I've had to alter a workspace to accommodate hardware is the mark of bad industrial design. Apple has sacrificed usability for aesthetics in the current iMacs, MacBooks and now this LED Cinema Display. No different than the sin they committed with hockey puck mouse that came with the original iMac.
I have a friend and former colleague who does design work for a local business and he has a 24" iMac on his desk. Even without a direct source of light behind him (large windows are to his right) he has had to rearrange his workspace to alleviate some of the reflection and glare. He really hates the screen and seemed sort of glum about having the iMac. And this guy is a self-proclaimed Mac fanboy too.
I have pointed out several times now that one of the bragging rights about owning a Mac has been that it stays out of your way and is designed to fit the way people actually work. The fact that people have to adjust to accommodate the demands of the machine really sucks and is as far away from the Apple ideal as you can get.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nagromme
I'm a big matte fan, but there's something even more important to me: I'll take the durability and cleanability of glass any day. Too bad I can't have my cake and eat it too!
I've never had any problems keeping matte screens clean and I'm not sure how much more durable a sheet of glass is by comparison. I have to say the idea of a breakable glass surface over the screen makes me a little nervous and doesn't seem any more durable than matte.
People need to just get over this glossy is bad thing. I've used 3 Macs with glossy displays and they do NOT have any significant glare. Don't just ASSUME that just because its glossy/glassy that its going to glare. Use one in a real world environment and then draw your conclusions.
Please don't be patronizing. Don't just assume everybody complaining about glossies have never used them.
My girl-friend complains about the screen in her alu MacBook at every oportunity.
Quote:
Don't just say well its glossy and it sucks when you've never used one. The LED backlit displays are very bright and overcome most, if not all of any glare that may occur.
Yes, but once again, this only applies to the bright parts of the image. Blacks still look terrible, even with the brightest screens.
So looking at photos is great on those screens, watching Star Wars is no fun. Depending on what work you do, where, and even what time (it's much less of a problem in the evenings) the difference can be significant. It's silly to assume glossy screens are suitable for everyone.
Considering that Apple is selling more computers than it ever has in its history, and the fact that most of them are glossy displays, I doubt Apple really cares what you think. They're obviously making products people want or else they wouldn't be selling as many as they do.
Please don't be patronizing. Don't just assume everybody complaining about glossies have never used them.
My girl-friend complains about the screen in her alu MacBook at every oportunity.
Yes, but once again, this only applies to the bright parts of the image. Blacks still look terrible, even with the brightest screens.
So looking at photos is great on those screens, watching Star Wars is no fun. Depending on what work you do, where, and even what time (it's much less of a problem in the evenings) the difference can be significant. It's silly to assume glossy screens are suitable for everyone.
I don't remember saying that everyone who complains about glossy displays have never used one. That would be putting words into my mouth.
Glossy displays aren't for everyone yes, but they're here to stay. Again, putting words into my mouth saying everyone wants a glossy display.
This isn't pointed directly at foobar here...
EVERYONE is going with glossy displays. Stop bitching and live with it! We can't continue bitching and complaining every time we want something and can't have it. Its simply not the way it works in this world. We can all complain until were blue in the face and it won't change the fact that Apple is only going to offer a glossy display.
By designing the new Cinema Display specifically for MacBook owners, Apple is continuing to ignore the needs of high-end customers who use the Mac Pro. The only Cinema Displays available to them are camera-less and haven't been redesigned in several years. I understand that Apple sees an opportunity to sell Macs to the unwashed masses, but some of their design decisions are really leaving their professional customers out in the cold. The removal of firewire from the MacBook is unforgivable.
Why just accuse Apple? In your vernacular, is there anybody who has not ignored high-end users?
Not one LCD manufacturer has introduced a redesign in several years either.
Right now, the only large (24") LED backlit display on the market today is Apple's LED Cinema Display. Sure it only works on the new MacBooks, but come January or shortly thereafter, I would expect further iterations. And probably new Mac Pro's as well.
Perhaps a little background info will help you understand.
A Greener Apple
Arsenic and mercury are industry standard materials used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Arsenic is added during the manufacturing of the high performance glass used in LCDs to prevent the formation of defects, and the fluorescent lamps used to illuminate LCDs contain minute amounts of mercury. Apple is on track to introduce our first displays using arsenic-free glass in 2007. A small number of high performance integrated circuits (ICs) will continue to contain a minute amount of arsenic as an element of the semiconductor substrate.
To eliminate mercury in our displays, we need to transition from fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the displays. Fortunately, all iPod displays already use LEDs for illumination, and therefore contain no mercury. We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007. Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays.
Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008.
Apple plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.http://www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple/
And right now Apple is way ahead of the curve and everybody else is playing catchup.
The greenest Apple display ever.
The LED Cinema Display is the most environmentally friendly display Apple has ever created.
The LED Cinema Display is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact:
Love the monitors quality...dislike the price but I also dislike the price of many fine German autos but love the design as well.
I don't mind the mDP connectors. Every future Mac will have this connector and I think Apple has done the right think by moving to the small connector (it makes sense to me)
I can't help but like the extra "pop: you get from a glossy screen. I've always felt that matte screens were a step backwards from CRTs (once CRT had flatter faces that is). Matte screens always seemed to dull the picture.
I guess I'm just a fan of reflections...I even like the glassy thumbnails that Leopard appends to my video files.
Lust is having two LED 24 Cinema Display on an articlulating arm.
I don't mind the mDP connectors. Every future Mac will have this connector and I think Apple has done the right think by moving to the small connector (it makes sense to me)
What confounds me is the hate toward mDP. For the first time Apple has moved to a robust and versatile connector that it will use among its entire product line (if we are to believe Jobs). We no longer have dual-link and single-link, digital and integrated, & mini-, micro-, and standard port interfaces for Macs with DVI. It's also free, has the exact same capabilities as the standard sized interface, bests HDMI and DVI in bandwidth and is backwards compatible to DVI and HDMI monitors. And as previously mentioned it's new enough that we are likely to see others readily adopt it.
Not true -- that's what Control + Shift + Eject is for. This will turn off all displays, internal and external.
I did not know that.
Hey, can I settle this Glossy/Matte issue once and for all? Some people like Glossy; some people like Matte. Offer an option and everybody wins. Now, was that so hard? Apple once saw things this way, and then they forgot. They should remember again. Options.
Comments
It's a macbook accessory. It's not even viable as a second screen for an iMac, because of the display connector. Even if they rev the imac's display connector, why would you want a second set of speakers, another mic, another camera?
And why, for the love of Pete, isn't there a digital camera card reader?! I would trade five power buttons and three firewire jacks for a card reader.
Nice review and all, but once the boxing day sales come out, I'm buying a Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp.
I have a new 24" iMac on my desk at work and two 23" Cinema Displays in my home office.
The work office is interior; light sources are filtered sun and a mix of CFL and LED table, desk and floor lamps. At home there are giant windows on the north and west sides, unobstructed to the sky so the room is flooded with sunlight, especially in the afternoon.
Given these conditions, the work office should be ideal for computer use and the home space a disaster. The hardware design though makes it the opposite.
I despise the 24" iMac because of its glossy, really mirror-like display. Since it landed on my desk, I've had to rearrange the lighting in the office just to make the thing passable. Note that it replaced a previous generation 20" white iMac that sat in the same spot without issue. In contrast the 23" Cinema Displays I have at home never cause a problem because of environmental factors.
The fact that I've had to alter a workspace to accommodate hardware is the mark of bad industrial design. Apple has sacrificed usability for aesthetics in the current iMacs, MacBooks and now this LED Cinema Display. No different than the sin they committed with hockey puck mouse that came with the original iMac.
I just hope that my two 23" Cinema Displays manage to outlast this current, ill-conceived design language twitch.
It surprises me that Apple doesn't already offer adapters to get the Cinema Display to work with DVI to support at least the older Mac models without DP. It seems like an obvious thing to do and can only increase the market for the Cinema Display. I can't really see a disadvantage with offering adapters. Maybe some people are less likely to upgrade, but I don't see many people buy a new laptop just to use the new Cinema Display. Maybe Apple just doesn't care?
I'm starting to think that for every smart thing Apple does, there's a corporate policy that they have to do something incredibly dumb to balance it out.
I believe that this display will be slow selling, but not because its a bad display. On the contrary, this is an exceptional display. However, there are a lot of contradictions in its design. For professionals, with a high quality panel, this would be very competive...If it didn't have the glass panel and could work with the Mac Pro. On the other hand, for the consumer, you have glossy display for vibrant colors, integrated high quality 2.1 sound, and a eye catching design that would make it perfect for any Mac desktop... except there isn't a Mac desktop anymore and $900 is out of reach for all but the most affluent consumer. It seems to me that they tried to make a display for two widely different types of customers and ended with an exceptional product that is held back by the contradictions of that.
The only reason to buy this is if you really care about the esthetics of your desk. Like, really.
It's a macbook accessory. It's not even viable as a second screen for an iMac, because of the display connector. Even if they rev the imac's display connector, why would you want a second set of speakers, another mic, another camera?
And why, for the love of Pete, isn't there a digital camera card reader?! I would trade five power buttons and three firewire jacks for a card reader.
Nice review and all, but once the boxing day sales come out, I'm buying a Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp.
Your comment baffles me. You creating a heading that states that this a MB accessory which you then repeat in the body, but then you seem baffled that the iMacs that came in April don't have mDPs. You also say that the "only reason" to buy it is for aesthetic reasons despite knowing that this is designed to complement Apple's notebook line.
As for the Card Reader, why would expect this on an ACD when no Mac or ACD has ever included them. Personally, I have never needed one. I just plug my camera into my Mac via the included USB cable. If you are one of the few people that want/need them there ate plenty of onexpensive x-in-one Card Readers that cover all those funky Sony designed cards.
sun + matte screen = unvisible dusty image
sun + glossy screen = reflective but visible image
Most people doing design or prepress work are not doing it outside so the matte screen with a more accurate (i.e., not oversaturated) color representation will always be preferable to that group.
(And I quickly got used to my glossy Air. I prefer matte, but it's not a deal-breaker like I feared.)
The thick black frame "fights" with designs on the screen and will therefore, influence design decisions. The black border will not stay neutral in your everyday design decision, there are reasons to why grey was picked over black as the neutral color for professionals.
Now I am glad that I bought the aluminum 20 inchers for my work.
By designing the new Cinema Display specifically for MacBook owners, Apple is continuing to ignore the needs of high-end customers who use the Mac Pro. The only Cinema Displays available to them are camera-less and haven't been redesigned in several years. I understand that Apple sees an opportunity to sell Macs to the unwashed masses, but some of their design decisions are really leaving their professional customers out in the cold. The removal of firewire from the MacBook is unforgivable.
The last Apple event was focused entirely on Apple's portables. No desktop Macs were updated. I assume that will happen in January, when the rest of the line will get mDP and we'll probably see larger displays that are backlit, but they probably won't ship right away. But that won't prevent you using your new Mac Pro with mDP with an older ACD or 3rd-party display as you'll only need a cheap adapter which will most likely be available by then.
Even if Apple did release a "high-end" ACD for Mac Pro customers the Mac Pro wouldn't be able to utilize it at this point as the GPU still only has DL-DVI so your complaint is pretty much null as it's the Mac Pro that has to be updated prior or at the same time as the ACD, like they did with the new Mac notebooks.
PS: Are we to assume that 24" is the new small for ACDs? I think so.
PPS: I think the larger ACDs that will arrive will have FW800 ports on them.
PPPS: I hope the other ACDs have an IR receiver as the Mac Pro doesn't have an IR reciever and is usually out of the way which makes line-of-sight difficult.
PPPPS: I think we'll see the Mac Mini replaced with a new product, which will be able to use the new ACD's power so you can forego the power brick that ruins the Mac Mini's small form factor design.
The only reason to buy this is if you really care about the esthetics of your desk. Like, really.
It's a macbook accessory. It's not even viable as a second screen for an iMac, because of the display connector. Even if they rev the imac's display connector, why would you want a second set of speakers, another mic, another camera?
And why, for the love of Pete, isn't there a digital camera card reader?! I would trade five power buttons and three firewire jacks for a card reader.
Nice review and all, but once the boxing day sales come out, I'm buying a Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp.
I doubt Apple said, lets make a 2nd display for the iMac when they were thinking about making a display like this. How many people do you know connects a 2nd display to their iMac? Yeah, maybe professionals who don't want to purchase a MacPro do, but few general everyday consumers do so. I don't think any of the displays are meant as a second display for the iMac.
I can see this being a good display for the MacPro. It has speakers built in, iSight Webcam, USB 2.0 ports and matches the current design for the most part. The only thing that gets me is the new connector which may be this display (and probably future displays) downfall.
Also, as notebooks are getting more and more powerful, more professionals are using the MacBook and MacBook Pro for their work. Being able to connect a display to their MacBook, or MacBook Pro and not losing the abilities of the display on the notebook is a great thing. They can still use the webcam if necessary. They have decent speakers, it charges your notebook while you use it, etc.
Its kind of an expensive display for a MacMini, but if the new MacMini's (if there are any) have this new display port on it, this new display would make for a perfect display. It basically makes the MacMini into a non all-in-one iMac. Has the same design display with all of the features such as the webcam, speakers, and glossy display, but its connected externally. So you can still add RAM, take out the HD and install a new one, etc.
Why does Apple need a digital card reader when you can plug the camera into the back of the display, or on the Mac itself and let either iPhoto, Image Capture, or Aperture do the rest? This is PC thinking IMO. There's nothing like the ease of using of just getting photos off your camera on the Windows side, until recently. So instead, you had to take the card out of the camera, stick it into a card reader and then do whatever it is you wanted to do with the photos you took. Doing this on a Mac is 5 steps backwards IMO.
I despise the 24" iMac because of its glossy, really mirror-like display. Since it landed on my desk, I've had to rearrange the lighting in the office just to make the thing passable. Note that it replaced a previous generation 20" white iMac that sat in the same spot without issue. In contrast the 23" Cinema Displays I have at home never cause a problem because of environmental factors.
The fact that I've had to alter a workspace to accommodate hardware is the mark of bad industrial design. Apple has sacrificed usability for aesthetics in the current iMacs, MacBooks and now this LED Cinema Display. No different than the sin they committed with hockey puck mouse that came with the original iMac.
I have a friend and former colleague who does design work for a local business and he has a 24" iMac on his desk. Even without a direct source of light behind him (large windows are to his right) he has had to rearrange his workspace to alleviate some of the reflection and glare. He really hates the screen and seemed sort of glum about having the iMac. And this guy is a self-proclaimed Mac fanboy too.
I have pointed out several times now that one of the bragging rights about owning a Mac has been that it stays out of your way and is designed to fit the way people actually work. The fact that people have to adjust to accommodate the demands of the machine really sucks and is as far away from the Apple ideal as you can get.
I'm a big matte fan, but there's something even more important to me: I'll take the durability and cleanability of glass any day. Too bad I can't have my cake and eat it too!
I've never had any problems keeping matte screens clean and I'm not sure how much more durable a sheet of glass is by comparison. I have to say the idea of a breakable glass surface over the screen makes me a little nervous and doesn't seem any more durable than matte.
People need to just get over this glossy is bad thing. I've used 3 Macs with glossy displays and they do NOT have any significant glare. Don't just ASSUME that just because its glossy/glassy that its going to glare. Use one in a real world environment and then draw your conclusions.
Please don't be patronizing. Don't just assume everybody complaining about glossies have never used them.
My girl-friend complains about the screen in her alu MacBook at every oportunity.
Don't just say well its glossy and it sucks when you've never used one. The LED backlit displays are very bright and overcome most, if not all of any glare that may occur.
Yes, but once again, this only applies to the bright parts of the image. Blacks still look terrible, even with the brightest screens.
So looking at photos is great on those screens, watching Star Wars is no fun. Depending on what work you do, where, and even what time (it's much less of a problem in the evenings) the difference can be significant. It's silly to assume glossy screens are suitable for everyone.
Yes, but once again, this only applies to the bright parts of the image. Blacks still look terrible, even with the brightest screens.
The problem I have with the brightness argument is that adjusting the brightness up seems to wash out the image, especially at the highest setting.
My two year old ACD at minimum brightness is still at times too bright for me, it sometimes hurts a bit.
APPLE, GET THIS CLEAR:
- No Firewire ports, no purchase.
- Glossy display, no purchase.
That is!
Considering that Apple is selling more computers than it ever has in its history, and the fact that most of them are glossy displays, I doubt Apple really cares what you think. They're obviously making products people want or else they wouldn't be selling as many as they do.
Please don't be patronizing. Don't just assume everybody complaining about glossies have never used them.
My girl-friend complains about the screen in her alu MacBook at every oportunity.
Yes, but once again, this only applies to the bright parts of the image. Blacks still look terrible, even with the brightest screens.
So looking at photos is great on those screens, watching Star Wars is no fun. Depending on what work you do, where, and even what time (it's much less of a problem in the evenings) the difference can be significant. It's silly to assume glossy screens are suitable for everyone.
I don't remember saying that everyone who complains about glossy displays have never used one. That would be putting words into my mouth.
Glossy displays aren't for everyone yes, but they're here to stay. Again, putting words into my mouth saying everyone wants a glossy display.
This isn't pointed directly at foobar here...
EVERYONE is going with glossy displays. Stop bitching and live with it! We can't continue bitching and complaining every time we want something and can't have it. Its simply not the way it works in this world. We can all complain until were blue in the face and it won't change the fact that Apple is only going to offer a glossy display.
By designing the new Cinema Display specifically for MacBook owners, Apple is continuing to ignore the needs of high-end customers who use the Mac Pro. The only Cinema Displays available to them are camera-less and haven't been redesigned in several years. I understand that Apple sees an opportunity to sell Macs to the unwashed masses, but some of their design decisions are really leaving their professional customers out in the cold. The removal of firewire from the MacBook is unforgivable.
Why just accuse Apple? In your vernacular, is there anybody who has not ignored high-end users?
Not one LCD manufacturer has introduced a redesign in several years either.
Right now, the only large (24") LED backlit display on the market today is Apple's LED Cinema Display. Sure it only works on the new MacBooks, but come January or shortly thereafter, I would expect further iterations. And probably new Mac Pro's as well.
Perhaps a little background info will help you understand.
A Greener Apple
Arsenic and mercury are industry standard materials used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Arsenic is added during the manufacturing of the high performance glass used in LCDs to prevent the formation of defects, and the fluorescent lamps used to illuminate LCDs contain minute amounts of mercury. Apple is on track to introduce our first displays using arsenic-free glass in 2007. A small number of high performance integrated circuits (ICs) will continue to contain a minute amount of arsenic as an element of the semiconductor substrate.
To eliminate mercury in our displays, we need to transition from fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the displays. Fortunately, all iPod displays already use LEDs for illumination, and therefore contain no mercury. We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007. Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays.
Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008.
Apple plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple/
And right now Apple is way ahead of the curve and everybody else is playing catchup.
The greenest Apple display ever.
The LED Cinema Display is the most environmentally friendly display Apple has ever created.
The LED Cinema Display is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact:
Arsenic-free glass
Brominated flame retardant-free
Mercury-free
PVC-free internal cables
Highly recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure
http://www.apple.com/displays/features.html
You can't turn the display off with the computer still running
Not true -- that's what Control + Shift + Eject is for. This will turn off all displays, internal and external.
I don't mind the mDP connectors. Every future Mac will have this connector and I think Apple has done the right think by moving to the small connector (it makes sense to me)
I can't help but like the extra "pop: you get from a glossy screen. I've always felt that matte screens were a step backwards from CRTs (once CRT had flatter faces that is). Matte screens always seemed to dull the picture.
I guess I'm just a fan of reflections...I even like the glassy thumbnails that Leopard appends to my video files.
Lust is having two LED 24 Cinema Display on an articlulating arm.
I don't mind the mDP connectors. Every future Mac will have this connector and I think Apple has done the right think by moving to the small connector (it makes sense to me)
What confounds me is the hate toward mDP. For the first time Apple has moved to a robust and versatile connector that it will use among its entire product line (if we are to believe Jobs). We no longer have dual-link and single-link, digital and integrated, & mini-, micro-, and standard port interfaces for Macs with DVI. It's also free, has the exact same capabilities as the standard sized interface, bests HDMI and DVI in bandwidth and is backwards compatible to DVI and HDMI monitors. And as previously mentioned it's new enough that we are likely to see others readily adopt it.
Not true -- that's what Control + Shift + Eject is for. This will turn off all displays, internal and external.
I did not know that.
Hey, can I settle this Glossy/Matte issue once and for all? Some people like Glossy; some people like Matte. Offer an option and everybody wins. Now, was that so hard? Apple once saw things this way, and then they forgot. They should remember again. Options.