Apple 24" LED Cinema Display?

Anyone here running the new(er) Apple 24" LED Cinema Display? Worth the $899? Pro's and con's? Looking at picking one up to pair with my MacBook Pro, but hesitant on spending that kinda of coin when there are other monitors out there for half the money. I do like the nifty integration with the MBP and the LED technology... but question is, is it worth it?

 

I was eyeing one for a long time to compliment my 17" mbp and finally took the plunge since a store had a coupon that let me get it for $700. I love it and have no regrets. The speakers on it suck so I use my own but the screen is beautiful and I love the quality of the whole thing.

It also contribues to having just a few less wires to have to remove when im on the go. I keep the laptops powercord in my travel bag now since I use the power adapter that is connected to the monitor. I keep my usb hub plugged into the monitor so I only have to unplug the one usb cord coming off the monitor onto the laptop. That leaves just the minidisplay adapter and speaker cable.

The only possible negative I have to say about it besides the speakers sucking is that since my laptop runs 1920x1200 and the ACD runs the same but 7" larger, the things on the ACD appear to be less 'crisp' for lack of a better word. (I have my mbp touching the ACD screen so its very apparent) but that can be said about any monitor set beside a laptop running the same resolution on larger screen.

If you need a 15 n 1 card reader and 8 usb ports and a monitor that has adjustable height and rotating screens, then Dell is for you. This monitor has 3 usb ports. If you can deal with the lack of ports but want something that looks very nice and compliments your mac laptop well, then the ACD is for you. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

 

24" for $899 is ridicules when you can get a descent 30" display for around $899.00

 

i have the 30' apple display and it's great, they can be had on ebay for way less than i paid.

 

I just got a 23" LED widescreen from Costco for... $179. 40,000:1 brightness, 1920x1080px (1080 video inputs), etc. I have my Mac tower running on it and it's wonderful, for 1/4 the price of an Apple display.

 

I was thinking of getting one for my MacBook this summer but after looking at the price it just isn't worth it, you could buy mac mini and monitor for the same price.

 

Hey stranger. I never knew you were a mac person.

Let's not talk about mac minis But its nice to see someone else from the Hampton Roads area.

 

There are quite a few of us, just mostly lurkers.

 

For sure! Since 1997. I remember when the new G3 was coming out and they were changing over from the Power Mac. I've accumulated four of them, all G4s of various types, since I haven't bought a new one since 05 (or 06?) when I got a dual tower and a 17" powerbook. Going to hold out on these another year or so and then maybe I'll get into the Intel chip/Snow Leopard generation.

 

Thanks guys for the info! I've got a new 22" Dell monitor at the office and when compared side-by-side to my MBP screen it's like comparing Marissa Miller to Roseanne Bar in terms of quality. LOL! I'll shop around, but so far, haven't really found any monitors with similar screen quality and case design as the Apple; but I suppose you get what you pay for.

 

The Apple 24" LED ACD uses a H-IPS panel which is far superior to many of the other panel technologies you find in the cheaper, more mainstream displays.

The main differences are the vertical and horizontal viewing angles, color rendition, color shifts, and color accuracy.

The only comparable monitor to the Apple 24" LED ACD is the HP LP2475W (~$550), which has an S-IPS panel (slightly inferior to H-IPS), but lacks the built-in mic, iSight camera, speakers (via USB), and built-in MagSafe charger (very helpful to macbook/pro users) that the Apple ACD has. Believe it or not, the Apple 24" LED ACD turns out to be pretty good value if you require a higher spec monitor.

The most common type of panel technologies:

TN
+Cheap (Everyone, except Apple(aside from laptops) make TN-based displays, usually < $300, 15"-24")
+Fast Response Times (2ms)
+Great for gamers, casual, and budget users

-Poor panel quality (inconsistent backlighting, uneven colors, banding, etc)
-Poor viewing angles (160 degrees)
-Inverted colors if you look from the wrong angle
-Only 6-bit color rendition, utilizes dithering to emulate 8-bit color (certain colors won't look correct or as rich)

PVA
+Good balance between price and quality (Dell 24" Ultrasharps are a good example of PVA monitors ~$500)
+Response Times between TN and IPS (6ms)
+True 8-bit color
+Nice contrasts (brighter whites, deeper blacks)
+Nice viewing angles (178 degrees)
+No color inversion from awkward viewing angles
+Great for those who need color accuracy with reasonable response times.

-Color shifting (red from dead on will look pink from awkward viewing angles)

IPS
+Best image quality
+True 8-bit color
+Nice viewing angles
+No color inversion or color shifting from awkward viewing angles.
+Not as high contrast as PVA, and therefore easier on the eyes in some cases.
+Important to designers and those in print and media who need the most color accurate monitors available.

-Price (From $500 HP 24" to $5000+ for Eizo's)
-Usually comes in either 24" or 30" (Apple, HP, Dell, NEC, Eizo are most common)
-Slowest response time (14ms)

I've heard great things about Apple's refurb products, you can get a 24" ACD for $699 I believe.

Hope this helps!

 

Great post - Thanks! As we know, you do pay a premium for Apple kit (the so called "Apple Tax!). OTOH, it really is top quality kit and the way it integrates with their laptops is a thing of beauty. Refurbed is great, just get the Applecare warranty and you're golden.

One thing not mentioned - If you need / want true color fidelity, you've got calibrate the sucker regularly. There are many options (IIRC in the $100-200 range) that handle it all for you.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Nice write up. Thanks for the useful info!

 

I was at the Apple store picking up one of the new macbook pros and was playing with the screen, it really is incredible, I want one so badly but I just can't justify a $700 screen.

 

You're right about the Apple Tax. You get what you pay for I guess. Nice image quality, great case design and convenient MBP integration. Will check out the refurbs too.

 

I was looking at external monitors for my MacBook Pro and, though I'm a big Mac guy, I decided to go with a 26" Samsung Touch of Color. Excellent picture quality, half the price.

 

It's been a yr now with Apple's 24" LED Cinema Display and wow, what an impressive monitor. Can't wait for Apple to incorporate the latest retina display technology into their desktop monitors. Woot woot!

 

the display on the imac is essentially the same as the cinema display. so go get the 27 inch imac, the larger screen is even more magnificent than the 24 inch; and you get a computer with it as well!

 

No thanks. Already have a new MacBook Pro which connects nicely to cinema display.

 

http://www.apple.com/displays/

Wait until September.