Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display gets unboxed, sure is glossy

A fortnight after going on sale, Apple's shiny new 24-inch LED Cinema Display has been acquired, unboxed and photographed for your drooling pleasure. Not much to say here outside of what's told in terrific detail by the pixels above, but just like the new MacBook family, there's lots of gloss to go around. Check the read link for a few more looks.

[Jeff @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:21AM]

I Like.

[thef1re @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:39AM]

only an idiot would want to have a screen as a mirror..

[Troels C @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:11AM]

@thef1re: This is a feature. Apple allows the user to see how stupid he/she looks while gaming = priceless :)

[G. I. @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:43AM]

"only an idiot would want to have a screen as a mirror..."

Apple knows its target group well.

[Patriks7 @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:04AM]

"how stupid he/she looks while gaming"
Well, you do look pretty stupid playing on a Mac, as there aren't too many games for Mac you know.. :p

[Boards of Canada @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:29AM]

Dont buy if you are in motion/graphic design. Its the same as glossy laptops... colors are inaccurate.

[mj @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:22AM]

the most ugly acd ever

[Kris @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:08AM]

Apple Crystal Display? Acronym fail. They dont replace the liquid inside with apples..

[Taylor @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:10AM]

Kris, I do believe that he meant Apple Cinema Display.

[PederG @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:22AM]

So shiny! :)

[insane.uk @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:50AM]

Too shiny. Personally I don't want to have to shut out the sun to watch TV during the Day. Had enough of the Sony X-Black screen on a laptop, in the end I sold it on and bought a non-sony for that very reason.

[SoloSalsa @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:39AM]

"We have detected a problem with your monitor:

There is a reflection of your face in it.

EW! — YOUR FACE!!!"

[Lucas @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:53PM]

not as shiny as you think. all depends on where you put it in the room and how you angle it. I have a buddy that just got his and the mirror barely shows. but the colors, wow.

now I"m not sure if I'm going to get an Imac or a laptop and one of these. I like the 24" screen space to work in cause I use a lot of Photoshop, Final Cut etc and like to spread out the toolbars and such.

[Grinch @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:36PM]

Ooooo, Shinies!

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:23AM]

I think it looks fantastic. Anyone know the price because no doubt there is a cheaper better rival to there somewhere.

[Musouka @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:40AM]

I think it is around $900.

If the previous LCD screens from Apple are any indication, this one would also be an S-IPS/H-IPS (or the like) display. This technology gives the best colors rendition but are has a somewhat slow response time compared to TN panels (found in the cheaper displays). S-PVA panels (like the 2408WFP from Dell) might be viewed as a middle solution between the two.

[Musouka @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:43AM]

Yeah, also not many monitors out there comes with LED backlight.

[EdZ @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:49AM]

Didn't apple switch to TN panels for the last generation or two of Cinema Displays in order to keep costs down?

[Magickam @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:18AM]

You'd have to be a fanboy to buy this overated piece of material. Especially since it's a TN panel and glossy as my head.

[Jim @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:32AM]

Here's the information on the display as reported by a MacBook Pro (running on the GeForce 9600M GT) compared with the built in screen:

Built-in
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900 Depth: 32-bit Color Core Image: Hardware Accelerated Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off Online: Yes Quartz Extreme: Supported Built-In: Yes
LED Cinema Display:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 Depth: 32-bit Color Core Image: Hardware Accelerated Mirror: Off Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported Rotation: Supported Connection Type: DisplayPort

It's an excellent screen - I've been using it for 4 days but its ONLY compatible with unibody MacBooks and MacBookPros right now. No, Mirror doesn't mean the obvious ;) Rotation support is in 90 deg increments.

It's power supply is integrated - the AC cable is for the wall - no brick. You can power the laptop from it as it has a built-in MagSafe AC adaptor.

[Ryan @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:28AM]

Looks like an iMac but without the "chin"

[miko34 @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:37AM]

I wonder when we're all going to get LED poisoning.

I really don't wonder that at all. I am just typing.

[Adrian @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:38AM]

In a fortnight.

[ArcticFox @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:37AM]

Probably get low ranked from this but im getting sick and tired of everyone jumping on the piano black glossy bandwagon, they get smudged and dirty really quickly, they make the screen hard to see at the best of times let alone in daylight, it makes it even worse when the devices are designed to be handheld you spend more time wiping it with a microfibre cloth than using it.

[kadajawi @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:00AM]

Nope, I fully agree with you. When I want to clean my matte Dell, I just wipe over it with my bare hand and the dust is gone. No smearing, no nothing. Besides that no reflections. Great.

[Matias Korhonen @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:35AM]

I don't mind glossy displays on laptops and the like, but what I really hate is this (not so) new found penchant for gloss and chrome. Apple isn't the only offender, but it might be one of the worst (think chrome backs on iPods)...

Sure the products look great in the marketing photos, but in reality they end up with scratches and fingerprints all over them.

[Bad Beaver @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:40AM]

100% ACK. Glossy is only good for sales, as things look beaten up faster, urging you to replace them. Its nothing but hassle.

[Kennedy @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:39AM]

Are those speakers on the bottom?

[Samboini @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:45AM]

Or are you just pleased to see me?

[Wonderkid @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:53AM]

Having see one of these at the Apple store, Regent Street, I can confirm that it is a joke and an example of Apple doing what they don't normally do, and that is to dumb down their products for a market they are not even supposed to be catering for. The screen I saw was so shiny it was annoying - plus it was covered in finger prints. So now, one buys a high priced MacBook or MacBook Pro, with a glossy screen and has to connected it to a glossy external monitor. This makes showing others your work or working with any lighting behind you a joke. But I am sure a few gamers and DVD watchers (who will of course have the lights off) will appreciate it. But then, why not just buy a PC? As a die hard Mac user, I am at a lose as to what on Earth Apple were thinking with the new MacBooks and this monitor! I have no credible upgrade path from my MacBook Black (whose glossy screen was it's only let down.)

[kadajawi @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:04AM]

Get a ThinkPad or Dell, they offer non-glare screens. You should be able to install OSX on them anyway. Or don't buy a Apple screen, there are plenty of good screens out there, if you've got enough cash look at Eizo. They offer professional monitors.

Apple have changed their direction I think, now they are catering for the consumer market.

[crescentdavid @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:24AM]

Get a grip. There are a number of actual, professional models out there. It's ok to go to different companies for different products. Think differently.

[rita hainsworth @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:59AM]

oooohh...I like shiny..shiny shiny shiny..like me hin..oh you know.

[cyrixm @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:03AM]

Apple should start putting a sheet of antiglare film in the box to shut the gloss-o-phobes. You like glossy and colorful? Good. Not? Apply the film and be happy. It's not that expensive.

[Magallanes @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:27AM]

matte > glossy + antiglare.

So, if you want a matte screen, then the best option is to buy directly a matte screen, instead to convert one. Sadly Apple did remove this option, glass or bust.

[Lucas @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:53PM]

thank you. I was thinking the same thing.

[Richard Daystrom @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:10AM]

$900 is effin insane for a display, don't care how purtty it is!!

[216 @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:13AM]

$900 for a 24inch, is a RIP OFF people please tell me you all understand this lol. I dont care what the specs are, compare it to any other monitor in its category, you're getting ripped the hell off

And I considered HP charging $500 for their 24inch a rip off too but WOW apple

[Jeff @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:54AM]

You obviously don't know what you are talking about. I'm not defending Apple here, but if you think $500 for a 24" is a ripoff, then you don't know the first thing about monitors. The Dell 2408wfp and the Samsung 245T are both just under $600. These are top of the line displays. They use the better S-PVA panels. One thing the Apple display has going for it is the LED backlighting. Try and find another LED backlit display for this price. You can't. Whether this is a benefit on a desktop display is another story. But LED displays cost more. I still won't pay $900 for this. I can live without the LED backlight. I'm trying to decide whether to get the Dell 2408wfp or the Samsung 245T. And this is to connect to my Mac Pro.

[kb2zuz @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:09AM]

I would gladly pay $900 for an Eizo (usually pay a lot more) but I can at least calibrate and profile those... these, not so much. The glass seems to do funky things to colorimeters and spectrophotometers.

Love the idea of having the laptop power, USB Hub, video and webcam all through one set of connectors, but would be nicer if they had firewire in the mix.

[Hawkman @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:15AM]

Glossy is bad. Glass != glossy.

Clearly none of you have actually tried one of these. They're bright, clear, pretty, convenient, and the reflections aren't distracting – except under the myriad fluorescent tubes you get in stores, which make matte screens look bad too.

[Magallanes @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:25AM]

Glossy is acceptable, glass is bad, at least for outdoor and office with fluorescent lights (over 50% of the office around the globe).

[Hawkman @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:30AM]

Good luck using this outside! My aluminium MacBook is great in the open air – miles better than my old white one, with the glossy screen, largely because the screen is so much brighter. YMMV though I guess.

Second, if you have a job where they'd seriously consider dropping this much cash on a display for you, could you put in a good word for me? :)

[Mike @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:16AM]

Looks like somebody's very large finger print on it.

[Vianon @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:16AM]

No power brick, no on/off button, does this mean it can only work with a MacBook. Sorry it sounds stupid but with the picture I can't understand how this works... The screen gets its juice from your laptop? An why does it look like you can't power you macbook and have the screen working at the same time. I'm confused!

[Jim @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:45AM]

Yes, only compatible with unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro currently due to its reliance on the mini-display port. Who would use a 24" display outside? You plug your MacBook in via a three-headed cable that has a MagSafe adaptor, a USB plug and a mini-DisplayPort. It has no switches (it's controlled via the Display Preference Panel). Apple charges too much for its displays but you pay for the system-level integration.

[Vianon @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:51AM]

Ok but what I don't understand is when the screen is plugged to you macbook, if it is using the power plug (with the magsafe adaptor), how the hell do you power your laptop? (there is probably something I am missing here)

[Jim @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:12AM]

@ Vianon

Sorry - I wasn't very clear at all. The 24" LED Display has two cables coming out of it. One plugs into the wall and powers the Display. The other plugs into the laptop and ends in three plugs including a MagSafe AC plug (+ a USB and a miniDP). So you plug that MagSafe AC plug into your laptop to power it fromt he Display. You can use laptop open (in which case you have two screens, either spanning or mirrored) and use the laptops trackpad and keyboard, or you use it in clam-shell mode (laptop closed) in which case only the 24" display is available (and you need to plug in a keyboard/mouse).

[Vianon @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:24AM]

All right makes sense, thank you for that Jim, the no power brick part lost me there, but I get it now.

[Hotrod @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:29AM]

This is one of those products that is so sexy, it makes you forget about cons you'll experience with everyday use. Kind of like me, getting a rear wheel drive sports car in snowy Michigan. I curse myself everytime it snows, while praying to god I get from point A to point B alive.