Apple 27" LED Cinema Display

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rezonat0r

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I really didn't think Apple would introduce this (better off making people buy the iMac) but AppleInsider seems pretty certain it's going to happen in the next few months.

I played with the 27" iMac in a store, and it is quite beautiful. Very nice uniformity, almost spot-on gamma out of the box (went through all the lagom tests). Of course, that's to be expected with their display models. I could never get a 24" LED display from them that was as uniform as what was on display (damn you, LG).

It'd be nice if this came in at less than a grand and they dropped the price on the 24", but who knows. Anyway, figured it'd be worth posting here as it might affect some purchasing plans.

I'll go ahead and get the ball rolling here too:

Glossy displays SUCK, I'd rather dip my eyes in a vat of ACID!!
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It's true, this is a pure glass display (I think the term "glossy" is a bit of a misnomer) but the alternative seems to be heavy anti-glare coating, so pick your poison.

GAH!! 16:9!! Why don't they just ship you a 16:10 with a saw and let you do it yourself!
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Yep, 16:10 would be better.

DisplayPort ONLY! Somebody KILL ME!
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Yep, this will definitely be DP only. However, I'm hoping that this iteration will be more desktop friendly, especially if they want to start pairing it with Mac Pros. That means losing the laptop-specific all-in-one cable, or at least including a regular DisplayPort on the back in addition to the all-in-one.
 
Yea I am definitely intrigued by this one. My office/den is easily light controlled so glass glare is non-existant and all I would get is the gorgeous picture.

Lets see the price and whether the make the only connector mini display port again (boneheads).
 
Surly said:
Lets see the price and whether the make the only connector mini display port again (boneheads).
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Yeah, it made sense for pairing with their laptops. But then they didn't bring anything else out that would work with desktops. You can bet that was a calculated move, though.

There is also some speculation that the 27" might completely replace the 24"... either way it'd be plain dumb to not sell a display made in the last three years that works with your shiny new Mac Pros.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's still mini-DisplayPort only. At least it's a VESA spec and there are adapters now, though.
 
Man I would totally be all over this if I didn't already buy a U2410 , I've seen and spent some decent time with that display (my bro's mac laptop just died and he bought of these babies in Imac form) and its so pretty .. its just about perfect , IPS+LED = Win.
 
Ooooh this news couldn't have come at a better time :)

Lets just hope they aren't plagued by the same yellow tint and backlight bleed issues that the 27" iMac has been experiencing.
 
i cannot wait for this monitor. and since the 27" imac starts at $1699, I've got to believe there's no way that Apple can price this much more than the Dell 27".
 
What's the problem with the 24" Cinema Display when used with PCs? you can't adjust colour & brightness or something similarly daft? A lot of caveats with these Apple monitors, still if a new 27" isn't quite as reflective as the 24", and the input lag is lower than the Dell, and all the image controls work from a PC, and there are no tint issues, and the price is suitably lower than the 27" iMac and U2711, then maybe it will be worth serious consideration
 
IanM said:
and the price is suitably lower than the 27" iMac and U2711, then maybe it will be worth serious consideration
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not sure you're going to see it at a lower price than the U2711. While it may not have the connectivity, it will use LED rather than CCFL, which is inherently more expensive.
 
VistaVick said:
"which is inherently more expensive."

And its an apple product:mad:
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Is there another 24" LED-backlit IPS out there for $899? :p Not to mention a built-in camera, above average speakers (for built-ins, anyway), etc...

If you're referring to their computers, then yes, Apple doesn't really make a low-end system. And right now pretty much all of their machines are not a good deal since they haven't been updated in a while. When they are, they'll be a good deal though. That's usually the case with their product cycles.
 
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I was referring to pretty much everything, their phones, their laptops, their desktops, their peripherals, their accessories....and I think you would get a lot of arguments that they are high end compared to lesser priced brands. But this isn't the place for this debate. Personally I'm happy for any new non TN panel that comes out.
 
VistaVick said:
I was referring to pretty much everything, their phones, their laptops, their desktops, their peripherals, their accessories....and I think you would get a lot of arguments that they are high end compared to lesser priced brands. But this isn't the place for this debate. Personally I'm happy for any new non TN panel that comes out.
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maybe, but the question is around monitors, and where you can get a LED backed IPS 24" monitor for less? You may be happy with a TN CCFL (I use one currently), but you're not the only buyer out there.
 
You can't, combined with the fact that its apple, thats's why I expect the pricetag to be a shocker.

I can't stand the viewing angles of TN panels, which is why I won't buy them.
 
VistaVick said:
You can't, combined with the fact that its apple, thats's why I expect the pricetag to be a shocker.
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Huh? The current 24" LED display is already unique and quite reasonably priced. There's no reason to think the 27" will be different.

The base 27" iMac starts at $1699 (also reasonable). I'd speculate that Apple wants the 27" iMac to continue to look like a good deal, which means it needs to be close to the price of the 27" display and the base Mac Mini ($599). So that when you weigh the cost of a Mini + 27" Display vs. iMac, you go with the iMac (more power for say $100 more).

Putting the display at $999 would nail that, but we'll have to wait and see.
 
If it wasn't for the lack of inputs and the funky connector I would have already dived into the 24 inch version. Keep in mind that Apple has a pretty great replacement warranty , you can bring that monitor in to the store and likely have it replaced on the spot. Not many places offer a standard warranty that you can use just by walking into the store and not alot extra.
 
Godmachine said:
If it wasn't for the lack of inputs and the funky connector I would have already dived into the 24 inch version. Keep in mind that Apple has a pretty great replacement warranty , you can bring that monitor in to the store and likely have it replaced on the spot. Not many places offer a standard warranty that you can use just by walking into the store and not alot extra.
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I agree. You have many positive points but the lack of inputs and input switching (my current 24" NEC does double duty as my PC's primary and 27" iMac's secondary) will likely have me buying an NEC PA series 27" if I decide to upgrade from my 24".

And that is going to be painful because I know that the NEC will cost a good deal more than the Apple monitor. :(
 
You won't see non-DP inputs since that requires a lot more circuitry to handle LVDS, etc. Going DP-only keeps the cost (and thickness ;)) down.

What is interesting is how many people seem to own the 27" iMac around here. So it seems like this display will be for people that want a dual-screen setup with their iMac. Hopefully that means the thing will be taller; the 24" sits too low for me. I know you can slap a VESA stand on it but would it really kill them to make the thing somewhat height adjustable...
 
rezonat0r said:
You won't see non-DP inputs since that requires a lot more circuitry to handle LVDS, etc. Going DP-only keeps the cost (and thickness ;)) down.

What is interesting is how many people seem to own the 27" iMac around here. So it seems like this display will be for people that want a dual-screen setup with their iMac. Hopefully that means the thing will be taller; the 24" sits too low for me. I know you can slap a VESA stand on it but would it really kill them to make the thing somewhat height adjustable...
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Its interesting to me too. I actually stopped using the 24" as a secondary for the iMac a few weeks ago. Even in Final Cut Pro, the 27" at 2560x1440 actually has enough real estate for me to comfortably work in. Its the first time I've had that, really nice.

That said, if I was to get a 27" I would at least want the option to switch between both computers off of a second display, just in case and because I like options. ;)
 
Well, it's only Mini-DP so it won't fit into most graphics cards without an adapter. But it will fit straight into a Radeon 5870 Eyefinity edition, no?
 
Is it really only mini-dp? Why would apple do this? Do the new mac pros even have mini-dp?
 
I call price of $1499

24" model is about 40-45% more expensive than comparable non LED 24" monitors.
30" is 1799
Imac is 1699

Bet the list price is $1499. One mini displayport input, maybe two, but probably one. Otherwise all features as per the 24" model.
 
Anemone said:
I call price of $1499

24" model is about 40-45% more expensive than comparable non LED 24" monitors.
30" is 1799
Imac is 1699

Bet the list price is $1499. One mini displayport input, maybe two, but probably one. Otherwise all features as per the 24" model.
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The difference between a 27" monitor and 27" monitor with built in imac would be only $200 then, doesn't sound like that would be the case...
 
steal said:
Is it really only mini-dp? Why would apple do this? Do the new mac pros even have mini-dp?
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We don't know, since neither are out yet ;)

Apple's not inherently opposed to multiple inputs, since previous ACDs had them.
 
Yeah that's what I'm worried about as I'm building a new PC and fancy 5850's in XF but wonder whether I should just bite the bullet and go 5970 in case they don't work with the new screen.
 
iaTa said:
Yeah that's what I'm worried about as I'm building a new PC and fancy 5850's in XF but wonder whether I should just bite the bullet and go 5970 in case they don't work with the new screen.
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They are both DP, so either should work, no? The 5970 is mini-DP, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them on the Mac Pros. As far as controlling the backlight, apparently if you install the Boot Camp drivers you can do that from Control Panel. That's done over USB though, at least in the 24", so it'll be interesting to see what kind of connectivity the 27's have.
 
There are issues with the current 27" iMac and 58xx cards. I haven't been able to find one person that has successfully connected them together. The 57xx series and 5970 card however seem to be Ok. This points to a hardware problem with the cards as ATi have yet to release a firmware or driver fix.

More info here:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1462524
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2246912&start=0&tstart=30

Now do I take the risk with 5850 XF and hope that it is fixed with the 27" Cinema Display. I don't know.
 
iaTa said:
There are issues with the current 27" iMac and 58xx cards. I haven't been able to find one person that has successfully connected them together. The 57xx series and 5970 card however seem to be Ok. This points to a hardware problem with the cards as ATi have yet to release a firmware or driver fix.

More info here:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1462524
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2246912&start=0&tstart=30

Now do I take the risk with 5850 XF and hope that it is fixed with the 27" Cinema Display. I don't know.
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As a stand alone monitor it shouldn't have any compatibility problems. But its apple and they don't care if it works on non apple hardware. Hopefully this is not the case. Just my thoughts.
 
$1,099 for this bad boy is my guess. Maybe $1,199. Apple has been more price conscious as of late, and they will want to tempt people out of the U2711. MiniDP only for sure, and maybe two of them, but I'll guess one. I wouldn't be surprised to see a matte option either. They added it to the 15" MPB, so they know pro's like the matte. Or they'll say no one buys the matte MBP, so they didn't bother.
 
ryken said:
$1,099 for this bad boy is my guess. Maybe $1,199
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Even so it would be a good deal, but I just realized Apple doesn't make a 24" iMac anymore (yeah, I'm slow :p) That makes me think even more that they will discontinue the 24" display altogether, and keep the 27" around the same price.

Offering both a 24" and a 27" display is just too similar, based on what I've seen of Apple's product positioning in the past. Of course, I could be wrong. They need to get the freaking iPad out so they can focus on this whole "computer" thing again.
 
rezonat0r said:
Even so it would be a good deal, but I just realized Apple doesn't make a 24" iMac anymore (yeah, I'm slow :p) That makes me think even more that they will discontinue the 24" display altogether, and keep the 27" around the same price.

Offering both a 24" and a 27" display is just too similar, based on what I've seen of Apple's product positioning in the past. Of course, I could be wrong. They need to get the freaking iPad out so they can focus on this whole "computer" thing again.
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They won't discontinue the 24" monitor. It is too new to be discontinued. I'd like to see a 21.5, 24, and 27 from Apple, but I doubt that will happen.
 
ryken said:
They won't discontinue the 24" monitor. It is too new to be discontinued. I'd like to see a 21.5, 24, and 27 from Apple, but I doubt that will happen.
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Say the 27" comes out in June... then the 24" will be over 20 months old. Not really that new. Since they don't make anything else that uses a 24" panel now, it would make sense if they switched to 27" entirely to get a better deal per panel from LG.
 
20 months old isn't that old compared to how long the other cinema displays were out. In addition, the 24" is a LED IPS panel, so it is "new" as far as monitor technology is concerned.
 
20 months is about average as far as how often the ACDs were spec bumped in the past. But 20 months later and still no one else is using those 24" LED panels. So they may not be a good deal (for Apple) anymore.
 
So, this baby was finally announced at $999, coming in September.

I was also right that they are, in fact, discontinuing the 24" display. :p

Pretty sure I'll be getting one. Only slightly disappointing thing is that the USB hub isn't USB3 - guess it's a bit early for that.

EDIT: Also forgot to mention this has the ambient light sensor. It'll be interesting to see if this can be disabled.
 
Do you think you can use a display port to dvi adapter an use this with gtx 480?
 
Oneboy said:
Do you think you can use a display port to dvi adapter an use this with gtx 480?
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I just did a bit of research; I'll do my best to summarize. Others please chime in if I'm missing something.

A DisplayPort output coming from the GPU (such as any Mac or recent ATI card) can send a native HDMI/DVI signal to an HDMI/DVI display using a cheap passive adapter.

You're wanting the reverse - to go from an HDMI/DVI signal to a DisplayPort-only display like the ACD. The ACD does not do LVDS, it is instead a native DisplayPort panel that's driven chip-to-chip from the GPU, and as such won't take an HDMI/DVI signal.

The 27" ACD is 2560x1440, which HDMI can't do (it should be possible, but the reality is it doesn't seem to be). You'll need a Dual-link DVI to mini-DisplayPort adapter. Here's one by Atlona that works with the 27" iMac's mini-DP input, and thus should work with the 27" ACD. Listed at $199 (expensive because it must do active conversion) so at the end of the day you're about halfway to a new card that will output DisplayPort natively, methinks.

Hope that helps.
 
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