“Can we all agree that Apple makes nice monitors? I think we can. They come in three magnificent sizes: 20 inch, 23 inch and the big daddy of them all, the 30 inch. Surrounded by aluminum goodness they are the ying that completes the PowerMac’s yang. Sadly they also boast price tags of $800, $1,500 and $3,000 respectively, therein lies the problem,” James R. Stoup writes for Apple Matters.
“If you just dropped $600 for a Mac Mini how can you justify spending $800 on a monitor? I could understand if you planned on placing it beside a $3,000 PowerMac, what is a few more bucks at that point right? But for consumers on a budget Apple has severely priced itself out of the display game,” Stoup writes.
“If you are Joe Schmuck then a simple bit of arithmetic will show you that at CompUSA’s website you can get FIVE 15” LCD monitors for $750, THREE 17″LCD monitors for $775 or ONE 20” LCD monitor for $800! Hum, which one should you choose? If you go with option A then you could set up two computers with a dual monitor display and still have one left over for a laptop. If you go with plan B then you could have a very nice dual monitor setup for one station and still have a nice display for another computer. Option C leaves you with one monitor for one computer. You know Apple, your displays are nice, but they aren’t that nice,” Stoup writes.
Full article here.
I think the new Lexus I want is too expensive too. Is this news?
I don’t understand. According to this, Apple’s $800 20″ is the same size and price as the CompUSA model he references. He seems to just be griping that Apple doesn’t offer a 15″ or 17″ monitor. Am I reading it right?
Apple’s cinema displays are gorgeous. However the problem with these displays is that the screen brightness is totally blown away the competition.
I have a 20″ alu cin display and I love it. But when I go to my friend’s house and look at his 20″ dell widescreen, it almost makes me regret buying my alu.
Apple’s design kicks ass no doubt, but the brightness…
This isn’t exactly earth shattering news, I agree, but his point is well taken. I must confess that I am still using my Gateway 17″ display w/ my G5 and would love to get the 23″ Apple, but c’mon, I’m just po’ white trash!
Do you think SJ would subsidize my getting one? He’s only the lowest paid CEO in the country. Or has that changed?
No mention that option C is the only one you could even hope to work with HD video on. I do agree that apple needs a cheap mac mini-looking 15″ or 17″ widescreen.
Yes, because that’s an awful comparison. Inside, Apple’s monitors are really not that different from the other ones he’s quoting. Other than making them look pretty, Apple doesn’t bring something spectacularly better to that segment the way they do to others. Yet their price difference in that arena is even worse. It’s gonna be much harder to convince Joe Average to buy a Mac Mini when he sees how much it will cost to add the display he needs. Sure, he could buy from another manufacturer, but it won’t match and at the Apple stores they don’t even sell other brands. Apple could price their displays reasonably and still make nice profit on them. It would make convincing people to try a Mac much easier. At the very least they could offer significant benefits, like a better dead pixel fix/return policy than anyone else, instead of one of the worst like they currently have.
I lust after a 30 inch Apple monitor (or even a 23 inch or EVEN a 20!) but the pocket book is on a bit of a diet so it’s a cheap third party 17 incher for me for a while.
BTW, I wonder how much of the 1300 dollars for the 17″ iMac covers the monitor?
Very true. I don’t think I’ve ever even tried to convince someone to get one. They look snazzy, but they are outrageously expensive compared to the other ones you can get. They may be nicer components, but I’m not sure that they are nice enough to justify the price. Cheaper ones seem to be just fine.
What does this guy think he’s buying, a TV? All of the 19″ LCD monitors on the CompUSA page are 1280×1024, which is the same resolution as most 17″ LCD monitors. Apple’s 20″ is 1680×1050, and that’s why it costs more. I believe Dell sells a similar display… for a similar price.
I agree that it would be nice for Apple to sell a 17″ display, though.
i don’t think the apple cinema display is not bright enough. i have a 20″ apple at home and it is awesome for color correcting. on the other hand, i have a 17 sony (cheapo model, but new) that sucks. it’s slightly darker on top, and normal brightness on the bottom. i’ve seen the dells and other brands at comp USA, but they don’t seem any “brighter”
brightness is subjective, but you don’t want your highlights getting blown out
Yes, so right – and what is often forgotten is the rest of the world where wages are mostly lower, taxes higher and so are even the prices! If Apple fully realised this and was able to make more low-price products like the Mini (and saw to that these were not over-priced compared to the USA) I am sure they would make money on that.
Lower the prices, sales increases and so does profit.
Seems like that is difficult arithmetics, sometimes…
“Apple’s cinema displays are gorgeous. However the problem with these displays is that the screen brightness is totally blown away the competition.”
Uh, i don’t know what the hell you are talking about but my 23″ is frickin bright as hell. It’s so bright actually that I had to turn it down.
On another note, everyone here who thinks that joe sixpack that might consider a Mac mini needs a cinema display doesnt understand the idea behind the mini or the marketing. Joe Sixpack already has a monitor. I think it should be obvious to people (suppose it isn’t) that the market for mac minis is WAY different than the market for cinema displays.
Ironically, my MW is ‘market’, as in most of you don’t understand the market for the Mac Mini.
Also one question I’m wrestling with:
If you were to spend 3K on a monitor,
Instead of going for the 30″ (which then needs an extra card) Why not just get two 23″?
I paid $3000 over 10 years ago for a 20 inch professional Radius (remember them?) monitor that just recently kicked the bucket. So the fact that I was able to replace it with a 30 Cinema Display for the same amount (although it hurt to have to pay the extra $600 for the card to run it) seems to me a pretty good deal.
Anyone know how to hook up cable tv to this thing?
i just got 2 dells, a 20 and a 24″ widescreenfor home and work. the Dell at first glance is much much brighter than any cinima display, and my choice of the 20″ for home was the best choice. I got this monitor for under $400 shipped by wathing the coupon sites, and to be honest, i would not trade it for the Apple 20 even if the price was the same.
HOWEVER… The 24″ i purchased for work is equally bright and eye catching, but it is imposible to use this, or the 20″ for that matter for any type of image editing, even with the brightness set to Zero, everything is to bright for print work or color corection, even after extensive calibration. If there was only a way to tone down the brightness we’d have a winner, but alas, the cinima displays are much better for any color work.
I definitely think that alongside the next Mac Mini refresh, Apple should introduce a new line of matching displays – 15″ and 17″ at very competitive price-points. Heck, Dell practically gives away CRT monitors with their el’cheapo machines…couldn’t Apple get away with branding some CRT monitors and offering them in a package deal with mac mini? I understand Apple’s reasoning in that they intended the Mac Mini for folks to use as a replacement for their current CPU – reusing the monitor, keyboard and mouse. However, typically people rarely ever just buy a new CPU and reuse what they have. They want everything to be nice and shiny. Hopefully Apple will realize this and make some concessions this quarter.
What the fsck does Apple display prices have to do with a mini? You mean I can only plug an Apple display into my mini??!!!??? Oh SHIT!!!???? I better get home before the cheap-ass Chinese no-name display it is plugged in ASSPLODES, killing a few of my cats in the process.
Damn, Mr. Stoup, thanks for telling me.
I guess I also imagined the mini being plugged into the old Blue and White Apple display I had it plugged into last week. There’s no way that mini could have been working with a monitor I picked up for $20. (And yeah, I mean picked up–that bastard is heavy.) I must have been hallucinating….
Ever think maybe Apple doesn’t sell cheap ass 15″ monitors because it isn’t worth doing–and anyone wanting such a monitor can buy them pretty much anywhere. Hell, 15″ LCD’s show up for $75 on craigslist these days.
The only people with an honest beef about display prices is Apple dealers required to sell a certain number of displays to keep their dealer status–the fact that Apple doesnt’ have any lower cost displays really hurts those folks, not the consumer. The consumer can just go to CompUSA and pick up a cheap monitor–it is the dealer that finds themselves with fewer add-on sales than required.
I purchased a 20″ LCD from Formac. Really nice, everyone likes it, wants one. I was happy with it. But when the prepress guy from the printing press came and tried to calibrate it, he found that even with a Gretag-Macbeth EyeOne calibrator, he couldn’t get the colors right. He spent, I don’t know, maybe an hour working on it. Then he went over to the all-in-one screen iMac and got the color right in about 5 minutes. I think Apple does have a degree of quality, especially in the printing industry, that is lost to general users.
I don’t pay much attention to monitors so my post may come off a bit daft.
But, when I wander through the monitor section at BestBuy, I don’t recall seeing any widescreen PC monitors similar to Apple’s.
Could this be why Apple charges a premium?
Sometimes I think people dont realize that a 15 inch monitor or
a 17 inch monitor or a 19 inch monitor is not a 20 inch monitor and that
a 20 inch monitor might cost a little more. I dont agree that Applr has the best monitors or the best monitors for the buck but Apple does have nice monitors –that is for sure. When I go into CompUsa ( and there are 2 locally ) it always seems to me that almost all non-apple displays are cheaper–it takes me a second to realize that CompUsa is only showing the 15 inch or 17 inch monitors and isnt showing any 20 inch Samsungs. I have to say I dont like the new glossy screen displays that some manufacturers are using but that is just my preference for a mat finish display. It is also apparent to me that Apple displays do not have the resolution that other manufacturers offer. Im partial to the look of the Apple display. BUT HERE IS THE PROBLEMO WITH APPLE DISPLAYS–APPLE DOES NOT BACK THEM WITH A WARRANTY–APPLE DOES NOT BACK THEM DOWN TO THE LAST PIXEL–APPLE DOES NOT SELL INSURANCE ON THEM–APPLE HAD NOT ARRANGED TO HAVE A THIRD PARTY SELL INSURANCE–Go buy a zhonnguo Thinkpad and ask them for a warranty on the display–you got it for a few bucks. Ask them for insurance–you got it for less than a .mac subscription. IM NOT SPENDING 3000 ON A NOTE BOOK OR 3000 ON A DISPLAY UNTIL APPLE BACKS IT UP. Could it be that the Apple display is so flimsy that no one will underwrite the display??????? Beam me up Scottie–and Steve now that you are using INTEL–when do we get that transporter?
I’m using a 23″ connected to my PB at the office and LOVE it. Because it’s a business expense I did get a tax break making the display somewhat affordable. For a workhorse display it can only be topped by the 30″ in terms of working with multiple windows. I actually saw the 30″ in person for the first time the other day at CompUSA and had to rapidly walk away before I started drooling all over my shirt.
While Apple displays are expensive they do come down in price periodically. The 23″ started around $3500 and I was able to get mine under $2,000. While I would have preferred the current price the fact is that the display has more than paid for itself several times over in terms of increased productivity. That is where the value is and Apple delivered.
He makes good points, we would all love it if the price was lowere. If you buy a mini at the Apple store it makes no sense to buy a monitor from them. Once the costs are added up, a G5 imac is about the same price and a lot snappier.
Unfortunately the DVI connector sets the rules. We use an Apple monitor for the primary and a VGA for the secondary. Tried a VGA as a primary and was dissapointed, the truth be told it comes down to what you’re comfortable with.
Apple can’t win.
Apple keeps prices (and quality) higher for better profits and the analysts complain about high prices.
Now Apple lowers the prices to be more “competitive” and the analysts complain that Apple is losing profit.
Anyone who buys a Mac Mini more than likely had a PC or and older Mac with a monitor that still works and would use that. This guy obviously didn’t go to Mac World in S.F. Also you can buy a lot of yugos really cheap but don’t expect them to run like a ferrari or a Mercedes benz. You get what you pay for!
I’ve looked at these cheaper displays and they are garbage!
Bla bla, than you buy a Samsung or so !
1- Apple’s LCD monitors are way too expensive.
2- You CAN use any DVI or VGA family monitor if you choose.
3- Apple needs to re-introduce the Studio brand name for lower cost monitors. Keep the Cinema name for the high $ stuff.
4- The ADC was a great idea, but the bottom line cut-throat condition of the PC market kept it from being widely adopted.
We have a 23″ widescreen viewsonic LCD display and the 23″ Apple Cinema display, on display. Guess which one is more expensive?
Apple – $1899
Viewsonic – $2299 !!!!!
So much for the fallacy that Apple equipment is more expensive! $400 bucks more that two 15″ monitors, (whatever, who would want a miniscule 15″ monitor anyway!)
MW = now, as in “now who’s talkin’!
hammer-
Are you seriously going to argue that no one who ever buys a Mac mini will not already have a monitor? You can’t be serious. Of course the idea is for people who already have a PC setup to go buy a mini to try out. But there are plenty of people of who want a whole new setup or who don’t already own one at all. These people will go into an Apple store, look at the mini, see how much it costs to add the monitor they need, and think the setup is to expensive. I rarely go to the Apple store and even I have seen this happen multiple times. That ought to be addressed, in my book.
The Dell 20″ and the Apple 20″ use the exact same screen.
Apple= $799 free shipping; Dell $524 – free ground shipping.
Buy the dell and tape an apple sticker over the monitor´s dell label.
Consider this:
Sony makes a 19 inch LCD and sells it for $599. Originally it was $699. This monitor looks great, but does not have the best specifications. Yet people still bought it.
Now, Apple’s lowest end LCD is a 20 inch one. Prices for LCDs go up drastically for each additional inch on the monitor. I have seen 15 inch LCDs for $250, 17 inch LCDs for $330, 19 inch for anywhere from $400 to the previously stated $700. So $800 for a 20 inch LCD, especially one that is as great looking as Apple’s is, is not at all bad, especially considering they were about $2500 when they originally hit the market.
I would, however, like some technical specifications on the monitor. Apple doesn’t offer that on their website. For instance, what is the brightness, the contrast ratio, the response time? I’m willing to bet that they have some of the best in the industry specifications for those monitors.
“Too expensive” is relative. I have a 23″ display and feel that I didn’t pay one dime too much for it. Then again, I’m doing far more than web surfing and email with it.
It’s it’s too expensive, DON’T BUY IT!
What isnt addressed in this article is that the latest Allum- Silver monitors that Apple has put out seem cheaply constructed as well as over priced.
I have the earlier 23 in display and it is gorgous and its construction is sturdy as a tank. I think the quality is the same but Apple seemed to opt for a way to make more of a buck when they came out with the lighter version of my monitor.
The most common comparison I see, is between the Dell 24″ and the 23″ ACD. The 23″ ACD has long litany of color banding issues. For a monitor that was once (recently not) advertised and color-correct for digital image editing, it is absurdly over-priced (even now) compared to the competition.
Everybody except Apple offers a standard 3-year warranty. Why does Apple only offer a 1-year warranty.
Unless you are snob, the Apple aluminum case really doesn’t justify the added expense. The Dell 24″ is nice, but over-bright and not suited to color accuracy. The Apple ones were, but are no longer touted as such.
The 30″ ACD is just a class by itself, so you pay for it. The 20″ is nice, but more expensive and a wimpier warranty than the competition.
Personally, who cares about the case. Your customer doesn’t care how good your kit looks if you can’t accurately turn over your jobs and deliver the results.
Apple needs to add a widescreen 17 or 15 inch monitor for $499 to it’s line up. Matches the Mac mini in price and for the average user 15 or 17 inch widescreen monitor is plenty big.
As someone who uses Apple displays day-in and day-out, I can honestly say that when I go to work on other makes of good displays, it hurts my eyes.
Seriously, I’d love to see them drop prices (again) but when you compare them to the rest, they ARE that much better>
SB
AppleResellerCanada said:
“We have a 23″ widescreen viewsonic LCD display and the 23” Apple Cinema display, on display. Guess which one is more expensive?
Apple – $1899
Viewsonic – $2299 !!!!!
So much for the fallacy that Apple equipment is more expensive! $400 bucks more that two 15″ monitors, (whatever, who would want a miniscule 15″ monitor anyway!)”
Hmm,
of course you’re selling not buying… so it would make sense that you’d pick a more expansive monitor to compare to apple’s and that way facilitate the sale of apple monitors.
Kudos for your business savvy, but not really a valid example in this discussion, imo.
Having said that, if I was in the market for it i’d still support apple and buy one of their monitors!
For my Mac Mini I bought a Benq 19″ DVI Flatscreen for 350€ all inclusive. It’s not a Cinema Display and it’s not fully 20″ but compared with the apple 20″ Cinema Display, in Europe sold for 829€ , the Benq has a reaction time of 8 ms vs 16 ms for the Apple, contrast = 700:1 vs 400:1 for the Apple and a brightness of 300 cd/m2 vs 250/m2. This comparisson makes me think of my wife who bought a very expensive Philip Stark design garlic press which looks very nice but is unable to press garlic in a decent way. As a low end user and Apple addict I think it’s good to have nice design, but it would be even better to have affordable flatscreens in the Apple product line.
Granny Smith,
What’s the color depth on the Benq? Low response times are typical of TN technology, which only offers 18-bit color, while the Apple monitors use S-IPS technology which offers 24-bit color. TN monitors suck in general for color accuracy, and the uneven brightness (darker on top than bottom) and dramatically limited vertical viewing angle typical of a TN panel also sucks. However, the contrast ratio you report for the Benq suggests that it may be a PVA or MVA panel, which is better than TN in every way except for response time. Bottom line: there’s A LOT more to an LCD monitor than the specs you report. Check this out, read and learn:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/display/lcd-guide.html
Brightness is overrated.
The author of the original article and all of you that have the misguided perception that apple displays are “expensive” need to get a grip on reality.
When you are buying an apple 23″ display, you are buying a WUXGA 23″ High Definition 1900×1200 panel with integrated usb and firewire hub. Now I think it is reasonable to compare apple’s display with other 23″ WUXGA 1900×1200 displays don’t you?
Well here is some DISCOUNT pricing from buy.com:
HP F2304 HP 23″ High-Definition Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor
$1546
BenQ FP231W – flat panel display – TFT – 23″
$1363
Sony 23″ PremierPro Widescreen LCD Flat Panel Display
$1648
Apple 23″ Cinema Display HD
NON-DISCOUNT PRICE $1479 (INCLUDES FREE SHIPPING)
Apple 23″ Cinema Display HD
EDUCATIONAL-DISCOUNT PRICE $1479 (FREE SHIPPING)
$1299 (this is the least expensive price here)
Keep in mind, you will likely pay more at retail outlets, and buy.com service sucks big time, and I think you have to pay substatial shipping costs, and if it doesn’t work, I don’t know if you have to pay return shipping or not, but I bet you do. I like being able to take it down to the apple store and having it replaced on the spot, thank you very much! Also, you can get a 3 yr warranty on the apple displays as long as you buy them with a compatible computer (mini, powerbook, or G5 tower).
Not only that, but imagine you are a publishing company with offices in LA, NYC, and London. If you standardize on apple displays the image you see in one location will be the same image you see in another. Companies go to extaordinary expense to achieve this…and have a HUGE amount to risk if they get it wrong.
Tks for the info Mark,
But please notice I’m not a Pro.
Specs can be found here:
http://www.benq.nl/products/LCD/?product=506&page=specifications
i have been returning 3 consecutive Apple 23″ ( bad pixels,bad color etc…) display before going to the 24″ Dell …wich is blowin away Apple 23″ display in every specs with one exception… the look
common Apple you can beat them !!!
I have both the old plastic, and the new alunimum 20″ Cinema’s at home, and a Dell 2001FP, 20″ non-widescreen (1600×1200). I can definitely say that the brightness of the Apple displays is not only good (I use them at 50%), but that they have a lot mroe adjustment (from nothing to too bright), where the dell’s brightness adjustment is like +/- 15%.
Also, if you want to compare comparable displays, Dell’s 20″ widescreen with 1680×1050 is about $750, only $50 less than the 20″ Cinema. For that matter, the 2001FP lists for almost $700 (although my workplace has an agreement with Dell, and we only paid $560 for mine).
panoctopi,
Was that US$ or CDN$ for the ViewSonic….?
======================
waslamepcgrilnowhotmacchick,
I guess if nasty color banding and a 1-year warranty (not everybody buys and ACD with a new computer or buys AppleCare), then the 23″ ACD isn’t that expensive.
Also, many of the non-Apple displays you quoted have s-video and other ports to more readily use them as HDTVs.
The 24″ Dell can be had for under a $1K if you try hard enough. That’s $300 lower than Apple’s educational price and 3-times the standard warranty (whether you buy a Dell computer or not).
Apple hear my plea!
We want 15″, 17″, and 19″ Mac monitor clones, and a little better pricing please.
Thanks!
there’s no need for cheaper cinema displays
apple needs to bring back the studio displays.
15″ for $300
17″ for $500
19″ for $700
would that be so hard? i know for a fact that across the LCD industry the manufactering price is going down way faster than the consumers’ prices are, and i’m sure apple can manage these prices.
APPLECARE will not cover that EXPENSIVE display. To me the bottom line is that APPLE is walking away from its displays the minute is sells one because it knows the quality control is terrible. When I go into any real store the only broken or damaged displays I have seen–ever–are APPLE displays even though those stores are filled with displays made by other manufacuterers. COMPUSA will sell you INSURANCE for any display but an APPLE display–When I say INSURANCE, I mean a policy that will cover you even if your own negligence is what caused the problem to the display–they will replace the display. NOT WITH AN APPLE LAP TOP OR DISPLAY. What does it mean when APPLE wont back these products? I say it means that APPLE knows too many of them wont last. And dont get me wrong–Im not knocking APPLE–I want to buy an APPLE display–BUT IM NOT GOING TO TAKE THE RISK—Go look at the new zhongguo think pad price list–right on there is warranty for the screen and right on there is insurance for the screen–TRY TO GET APPLE TO REPLACE A DISPLAY–GO AHEAD.
Geez you guys complain about the prices in the US, you should try buying an Apple minitor in NZ- $1,459.00 for the 20″, $2,699 for the 20″ and $5,749 for the 30″ (All prices noted are exclusive of 12.5% GST)
I would agree they are too expensive to do what most “so-called” computer users use them for–looking at numbers, surfing the net and general screwing around. But, if you have real work to do, where color correction etc., is important, then get a Mac monitor. Especially if you have to earn money by being as perfect as possible.
So there!
If you aren’t doing color correction with your Mac, then by all means don’t spend more than $400 on a monitor. Pick one up on ebay or from your local want ads for $100 or less. These things multiply like rabbits.
I’m not really sure why people are talking about brightness. Let’s get a few things straight. Apple displays are intended for professional use. Comparing them and any other high perfermance display to a bargain store special of the week is like comparing a BMW 7 series to a Chevy (Geo) Storm. Both may get you from point A to point B, but a very different experience in each car. I do calibrate video displays for a living. Projectors, televisions, monitors, etc… I have calibrated a few Apple displays and found them to be VERY responsive, fairly accurate (for an LCD), and had way plenty of contrast (the difference between black and white) for what most professionals use them for. For the record the “brightness” control Apple gives you easy access to is actually a “contrast” control. “Contrast”, like on your TV, is actually “white level”. Try this; raise the lovely Apple supplied “brightness” with Safari open on this page which has a white background and pick a black desktop. If you watch the black desktop you’ll notice that it doesn’t change when you’re raising (F15) the “Apple brightness”. This means it’s actually a white level adjustment. Too much of this means you lose details on white images. Think of a white shirt and not being able to see the seams and buttons because the white level is set too high. The “brightness” control on your TV is actually “black level”. Too dark of a setting and you don’t see detail in darker images. Too light of a setting and the native black of the display is turned to grey and you miss details in dark images. With both white and black levels set properly the difference in light out between the displays black and white is called Contrast Ratio. This is the most attractive quality to the human eye. At any given point we can see no more than 800:1. Most LCD computer monitors have about a 200:1 contrast (marketing specs aside). Apple have slightly more than that at about 220:1. This is noticable. However, the human eye is horrible at seeing differences in brightness. An example woule be those bluish headlights on some cars. We think they are brighter because they hurt our eyes, but the only reason they hurt our eyes is because blue is the hardest color for us to see and our eyes and straining to see it compared to the yellowish headlights everybody else has. Anyway, I’ll get off my soap box. The bottom line is don’t knock something you don’t understand. Your ignorance will shine “brighter” than the monitors you’re knocking.
Stoup writes articles that are, for the most part, overblown and without a lot of fact. Go read his past articles, they are so Apple-skewed it’s fucking ridiculous. Time to stop printing this kind of “news”.
Our monitors are for pros, you bozo. Do you know anything? Or do you have crap for brains?
When you look at Sony’s 23″ monitor, and see that it costs more than Apple’s, do you say Sony’s too expensive? Even when you realize they use the exact same LCD inside? Even when you hear that Sony uses LCDs that Apple has rejected?
I didn’t think so, bozo.
I bought a Mac mini about three weeks ago. Plan to buy a standard 19″ LCD display from NewEgg soon. The Apple monitors are pretty and appear to be of high quality, but just too pricy for me (especially when 19″ DVI LCD’s start at around $200.) I really don’t care about HD dimensions and, in fact, don’t like it for anything but movie playback. For regular work, i don’t like the “short” HD format.
I had considered buying an iMac, but just don’t like the fact you basically have to toss your old display out when you upgrade to a newer CPU. In the old days, we used to buy monitors, keyboards and CPU’s separately. So the cost of upgrading to a newer, faster CPU was less (i.e. you weren’t constantly buying new displays and keyboards). The mini brings back this tradition. This is one reason i chose a G4 mini over a G5 iMac.
Would have prefered a G5 mini, but then i would prefer that an attractive young naked woman deliver and set it up for free too. Sometimes you just have to settle for less than you want.
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re:”APPLECARE will not cover that EXPENSIVE display. To me the bottom line is that APPLE is walking away from its displays the minute is sells one because it knows the quality control is terrible. When I go into any real store the only broken or damaged displays I have seen–ever–are APPLE displays even though those stores are filled with displays made by other manufacuterers. COMPUSA will sell you INSURANCE for any display but an APPLE display–When I say INSURANCE, I mean a policy that will cover you even if your own negligence is what caused the problem to the display–they will replace the display. NOT WITH AN APPLE LAP TOP OR DISPLAY. What does it mean when APPLE wont back these products? I say it means that APPLE knows too many of them wont last. And dont get me wrong–Im not knocking APPLE–I want to buy an APPLE display–BUT IM NOT GOING TO TAKE THE RISK—Go look at the new zhongguo think pad price list–right on there is warranty for the screen and right on there is insurance for the screen–TRY TO GET APPLE TO REPLACE A DISPLAY–GO AHEAD.”
I bought the original Apple Cinema Display 22 inch at $4000.00, ouch. It had Apple Care as it was bought with a Dual 500 G4. After two years the display developed 8 or 10 bad pixels. Apple exchanged the Cinema Display for a New One. ( I think it was a new one as the turn around was only 3 days or 4 at the most. ) I am still using it with a Mac Mini now. When I was awaiting the Apple DVI to ACD adapter ( $100.00 ) to use the Cinema Display I used a 17″ SONY monitor (CRT) which was a trip to the past. It made me appreciate the 22 inch Cinema Display even more.
John
what about dpi’s
most monitors are stuck at 72dpi, while apples are 100 dpi. (as far as i know)
Apple wants to have it both ways. They want to sell their monitors for high prices while providing bare bones functionality. They should either reduce the prices or start including the functionality found on many other high end monitors, such as:
Dual or triple DVI inputs for connecting more than 1 computer.
S-Video or Component video input.
Pivoting capability for using the monitor in portrait orientation.
And why is it that you can only buy AppleCare for an Apple monitor if you buy a new Mac at the same time?
baz: Most monitors have more than 72 ppi. To calculate the ppi of the monitor, divide the screen resolution (1024 pixels or whatever) by the number of inches (physical size of the viewable part of the screen). If the aspect ratio is correct, it should have the same ppi horizontally and vertically (but it is not uncommon to find the values are different since many people have their monitor settings messed up, having never adjusted them from the factory settings). Most monitors I would guess are 80-110 ppi these days. Changing your screen resolution changes the ppi of your monitor (virtual pixels, not the physical ones, of course).
About warranties, MacMall offers 1, 2, and 3 year warranties on Apple Cinema Displays. Not sure what their dead pixel policy is.
re:”APPLECARE will not cover that EXPENSIVE display. To me the bottom line is that APPLE is walking away from its displays the minute is sells one because it knows the quality control is terrible. When I go into any real store the only broken or damaged displays I have seen–ever–are APPLE displays even though those stores are filled with displays made by other manufacuterers. COMPUSA will sell you INSURANCE for any display but an APPLE display–When I say INSURANCE, I mean a policy that will cover you even if your own negligence is what caused the problem to the display–they will replace the display. NOT WITH AN APPLE LAP TOP OR DISPLAY. What does it mean when APPLE wont back these products? I say it means that APPLE knows too many of them wont last. And dont get me wrong–Im not knocking APPLE–I want to buy an APPLE display–BUT IM NOT GOING TO TAKE THE RISK—Go look at the new zhongguo think pad price list–right on there is warranty for the screen and right on there is insurance for the screen–TRY TO GET APPLE TO REPLACE A DISPLAY–GO AHEAD.”
You are VERY OBVIOUSLY knocking Apple.
Why the hell should Apple be willing to replace a piece of hardware that’s broken because of your own negligence or misuse? Apple backs thier products, they just don’t back people’s stupidity. No one should have to. (Try buying a $500 dress at a department store, spill red wine down the front and then try to return it. Do you think they’d take it back just because you spilled on it?)
IMO those sorts of insurance policies sold through stores is a scam. If you have decent homeowners/renters insurance or purchase it on a credit card that does insurance, it’ll cover broken hardware to some degree or another