Apple 24-inch Cinema Display hands-on

Sure it may not look like much, but we're confident there's more than a few cats and kittens out there who want to get their hands on Apple's new 24-inch superstar. As usual, the screen looks painfully crisp. Check the gallery below for a number of views!

Gallery: Apple 24-inch Cinema Display hands-on

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[Cei @ Oct 14th 2008 2:27PM]

S-IPS or not?

[Technex @ Oct 14th 2008 4:03PM]

WTF's with all this Apple spam/crap?!?

...

[Josh Warner @ Oct 14th 2008 6:40PM]

While I agree completely with your question, I'd like to submit a small correction:

H-IPS or not should be your question. The last iteration had H-IPS panels, not the slightly older (based on the same tech) S-IPS.

If this is in fact a PVA-based monitor, Apple just lost all credibility with graphics professionals. They may already have with the LED backlighting as I am fairly certain that 'white' LEDs, even cutting-edge ones, are fakery and cannot output a proper full gamut. Nevermind the fact that no professional is going to want to be looking through a mirror into his screen.

Go ahead, vote me down if you are too ignorant to understand what I just said.

[Josh Warner @ Oct 14th 2008 6:48PM]

Engadget mistakenly announced this as the "24-inch Cinema Display," not the "24-inch LED Cinema Display." My above comment was assuming this was intending to replace the current 23-inch Cinema Display, which is apparently not the case.

True professionals will buy the 23" model which is based on H-IPS and has the features they need... most of which are lacking from this new display. IMO Apple should not have named this the way they did, as it increases the confusion considerably. This new display does not cater to the same market as all previous displays they released with the words "Cinema Display" in the name did; this is a consumer-oriented model.

It also should be priced at least $150 less than the current 23" Cinema Display, probably $200 under, instead of at parity which is the current case.

[RM @ Oct 14th 2008 7:39PM]

It could possibly be the same panel currently used in their 24" iMac's. Those are LG.Phillips H-IPS panels.

[Dopefish @ Oct 14th 2008 9:00PM]

Any graphics or photographic professionals I've spoken to (and thats a fair number) say that Apple have no credibility for their monitors anyway. Combination of inadequate colour representation, uneven backlighting and the number of faults they've had.

Eizo seems to be the only really trusted brand nowadays....

[max andrews @ Oct 15th 2008 10:04AM]

Josh,
The glossy finish makes this unusable for critical graphics/color work anyways, so it really doesn't matter what kind of display is within. It could be a 16-bit nano-OLED display with 150% color gamut and I still wouldn't touch it because it's glossy - how am I supposed to tell my image from the reflections? After using high end Eizo monitors for a few years (before that I was using an apple 20" cinema s-ips LCD), I don't even trust apple's "classic" h-ips matte displays. Apple used to be somewhat of a leader in the display field, but the cinema line has been ignored for what seems like more than a year and they've yet to release a monitor with leading edge technologies that's usable for critical graphics work. Not that I can blame them, that market is pretty small and already dominated by established players like eizo - I just wish those other players had half the design sense that apple does in so far as creating a product that is not only useful but something I don't mind looking at when it's switched off.

[Skyride @ Oct 15th 2008 7:49PM]

Dopefish, i totally understand you. Call me a stone ager or not but i still love my 17", pro grade iiyama CRT's. They are fantastic display of colour gamut. Highly accurate.

I wish i could get 2x Eizo 24"ers but just don't have the money. **sigh** Im not a graphics professional, just obcessive with quality (although i use photoshop on a daily basis, just not professionally).

[randomgyan @ Oct 14th 2008 2:27PM]

Nice! but a bit pricey for a 24" no?

Also, rather impressed that the rumors had everything pretty much spot on!

[Anonymous @ Oct 14th 2008 6:28PM]

I thought that the rumor was that it'd be a $900 laptop, driving Apple into the economic mainstream, not just a monitor.

[jcgeary4 @ Oct 14th 2008 8:00PM]

in response to your comment anonymous, the rumors said that there was going to be a 900 dollar ITEM released. people speculated and debated whether it wouldve been an ultraportable and cheap touch screen netbook, or a display. as we got closer to the apple event people realized that it was more likely to be a display.

coincidentally, if you go to http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook then you can see that there IS in fact a 999 dollar laptop, although it is the old squeaky white plastic crap laptop with no changes, except for the price drop.

I wasn't very disappointed about this though, because I have needed a display for very long and a netbook to be released now would only get criticized.

[terry @ Oct 16th 2008 11:49AM]

jcgeary wrote " there IS in fact a 999 dollar laptop, although it is the old squeaky white plastic crap laptop with no changes, except for the price drop."

I think you'll find the 999 model now comes with a super drive, and there may be other changes as well. That's not an easily-dismissed change.

[Falcom @ Oct 14th 2008 2:28PM]

sexy.

[AdamRedwoods @ Oct 14th 2008 2:32PM]

Are you referring to the person's reflection in the uber-glossy screen?

[MastaAce @ Oct 14th 2008 2:29PM]

probably same quality that they have in the 24" imacs, which is horrible...

[JaceFace @ Oct 14th 2008 2:49PM]

Its the 20" that looks terrible. It has a TN panel in it. The 24" has a PVA panel and it looks much much better.

[Tiptup300 @ Oct 14th 2008 2:30PM]

Can't you just like make an Apple spinoff of Engadget!?

[soul7963 @ Oct 14th 2008 2:38PM]

Does the name TUAW mean anything to you?

[Tiptup300 @ Oct 14th 2008 2:39PM]

80% of engadget is already Apple.

[oZ @ Oct 14th 2008 2:46PM]

You could scroll.

[Jeremy K. @ Oct 14th 2008 2:48PM]

If you think Engadget has Apple bias, you haven't seen anything yet. Go to Gizmodo.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 14th 2008 3:37PM]

"Tiptup300 @ Oct 14th 2008 2:39PM

80% of engadget is already Apple."

90% of the comments in Apple posts are people bitching about Apple. No matter. Engadget makes money on the ads either way. :)

[Charles @ Oct 14th 2008 6:08PM]

The simple solution would be to add a filter option to Engadget accounts so users could filter out news tagged Apple, Microsoft etc. That would be great for everyone since the Microsoft fanatics wouldn't have to see the Apple news (which for some reason causes them to burst into fits of rage) and I wouldn't have to see the Microsoft fanatics whine about the Apple news.

And before anyone accuses me of being an Apple fanboy, I've never owned a single Apple product in my life. I just find this new breed of Apple hating Microsoft fanatics to be extremely irritating.

[thedesolate1 @ Oct 14th 2008 6:54PM]

Agreed. Me thinks Gizmodo has a stake in apple stock.

[John @ Oct 14th 2008 7:51PM]

You are right.. Giz left white sticky mess all over their articles today.

[John @ Oct 14th 2008 7:51PM]

You are right.. Giz left white sticky mess all over their articles today.

[Tiptup300 @ Oct 15th 2008 12:26AM]

I'm just tired of seeing so many posts about the engadget people creaming themselves over a picture of a case. Whooo! Cases! When they ignore more important news.

[xcise @ Oct 14th 2008 2:30PM]

and no matt selections ?
i don't like to see my facial expressions while working.

[justus87 @ Oct 14th 2008 5:23PM]

Yeah... but if it's glossy then your boss won't sneak up on you while you're "working".

[grimm2420 @ Oct 14th 2008 2:30PM]

I was hoping for a 30" :(

[Alan @ Oct 14th 2008 3:50PM]

That's what she said?

[Patrick @ Oct 16th 2008 5:49PM]

Like most Apple fanboys, she surely had unrealistic expectations then.

[Decoy @ Oct 14th 2008 7:47PM]

So what is it baby, S-IPS or H-IPS?

[Fanfoot @ Oct 14th 2008 2:31PM]

Looks like the 30" didn't get updated today, is that correct?

[Cei @ Oct 14th 2008 2:40PM]

Correct, nor the 20". In fact, all the old displays are still available (you know, for those of us still rocking DVI on anything but a new laptop).

[Squid7085 @ Oct 14th 2008 6:29PM]

I would imagine we will see the 30 and possibly the 20 updated silently in the new few months. Thats the way Apple has done it in the past, they make a huge deal out of releasing the redesigned look, typically the best selling of the product line, then they update the rest of the line quietly. that how they did it when they moved to the Aluminum PowerBooks, moved to Intel MacBook Pros, ect.

[Jelle Marechal @ Oct 14th 2008 2:40PM]

what the hell is going on... does mac want to get rid of all it's professional graphic-users? Glossy MacBook Pro AND Glossy Cinema Display?? wtf?

[Hackettman @ Oct 14th 2008 2:52PM]

Yeah they can pretty much suck it on behalf of one post company.......

[Boards of Canada @ Oct 14th 2008 4:46PM]

Apple is becoming more and more for the fanboys only. Professional will go with pc equivalent.
wow, new shinny stuff from the Ipod company!!!

[Carlos @ Oct 14th 2008 2:32PM]

I don't see a Mini Display port to DVI adapter. This thing isn't backwards compatible with with older Macs?

[Eric @ Oct 14th 2008 2:35PM]

They announced DisplayPort-DVI, DisplayPort-Dual DVI, and DisplayPort-VGA adapters... during the MacBook accessories bit.

[Zunavio @ Oct 14th 2008 2:39PM]

Works only with the new books at the moment (of truth)

[Steve @ Oct 14th 2008 3:27PM]

It's not backwards compatible, the adaptors are mini displayport TO dvi/vga, so you can use the new laptops with current screen technologies not the other way around. We would need adaptors that are dvi/mini dvi - mini displayport to use this screen any computer not announced today. Sucks cause it would be nice to have a display with isight for the mac pro or mac mini, who needs it with a laptop that already has it built in?

[Eric @ Oct 14th 2008 3:43PM]

Didn't think about that...

The iSight would be useful for those who put their notebook underneath a stand with the monitor on top, and use a separate mouse and keyboard.

[Squid7085 @ Oct 14th 2008 6:32PM]

I can't imagine that Apple would not make an adapter for DisplayPort to DVI, they haven't even updated the two macs that NEED a Display with a DisplayPort... Port. Unless they just include the adapter with said Macs.

[Max @ Oct 15th 2008 12:49AM]

Does the Mini DisplayPort carry audio too (I thought at first this was the mini DVI port they've always had)? The new display has speakers built in as well, and Apple's spec page does not show an audio-in port. I suppose if I was making an educated guess, it would use the USB connection and be detected as external hardware (just like the iSight). Seems strange they wouldn't just use an 1/8th inch connector, but we all know how much Apple hates wires.

[rod @ Oct 14th 2008 2:32PM]

It had better be S-IPS or PVA.
Gloss is okay I suppose since this will always be used with same lighting and indoors.

[KungFuMas @ Oct 14th 2008 2:33PM]

comes with :

-backlight bleeding
-gradient issues

[nsfw @ Oct 14th 2008 2:35PM]

$800 = fail

[CraigJ @ Oct 14th 2008 2:43PM]

it's $111 more than the comparable Dell monitor, the DELL ULTRASHARP 2408WFP
$101 more than the Samsung SyncMaster 245T 24" Widescreen Black LCD Display
and $29 less that the NEC MultiSync LCD2470WNX-BK 24" Widescreen Black LCD Monitor

Personally I don't think $100 is too much to pay for good industrial design, but if it was $300 more, than no.

BTW, neither the Dell nor the Samsung is LED backlit...