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TwelveSouth defies gravity with HiRise for iMac and Cinema Display
Pop quiz: What's holding up your iMac? As handsome as the metal foot design may be, many deskbound Mac mavens eventually find that the fixed-height screen position isn't quite high enough for comfortable ergonomics. In my experience, the same goes for the Cinema Display -- up until yesterday, my office setup included a dusty box set of big band standards deployed as a screen lifter to give me a boost. I've retired the CD box, though, since the Apple-exclusive accessory studio Twelve South sent over the cleverly designed, sleek HiRise adjustable stand for iMac and Cinema Display. This self-assembled unit includes an adjustable internal shelf, which you place at the height you like for supporting your computer's stand. Underneath the shelf (indeed, if you slot it low enough in the enclosure, atop the shelf as well) there's hideaway room for sundry items like keys, cash, USB drives and the like. If you're lucky enough to have both an iMac and a Thunderbolt display, there's a shelf position that will align the two devices' screens exactly. The HiRise includes Mac Pro-style front and back grating covers, which attach via magnets or tiny hex screws (Allen wrench thoughtfully included). The suggested assembly is to permanently attach the back panel, but to leave the front panel removably affixed with the magnets so that you can pull it off, retrieve your stuff and put it back. The enclosure works equally well with a Cinema Display / Mac mini combo, with room at the bottom for the entire computer if you want to stash it there -- in that setup, you can screw the front panel closed as well. Here's the thing, though, and no disrespect to the Twelve South product team (their PlugBug adapter is one of my favorite gadgets). The HiRise is sturdy and well-built, with a true "works with Mac" look in a premium, attractive package. It is also retailing for $79.99. If you find that you're $80 worth of concerned about how well-balanced and clean your desk looks... well, you know who you are, and you're probably already ordering a HiRise at this moment. For the rest of us, if you're considering spending 80 bucks on a display stand that doubles as a storage drawer, how about throwing in a few dollars more to buy yourself some actual storage? OWC's Mercury Pro drives have the same cheesegrater aesthetics, but also have handy USB or Firewire ports to connect you to 500+ GB of external drive capacity. In fact, the Newer Tech MiniStack ships for $89.99 in a bare kit configuration; throw in a spare SATA drive and tuck it under the iMac, problem solved. The HiRise is available now direct from Twelve South, with free ground shipping in the continental US.
Twelve South HiRise takes iMacs and Apple displays to new heights, tidies up in the process
Many of those who buy iMacs and Apple-designed displays are eager to avoid clutter in the first place, which makes an organizer all the more logical for those who'd like Desk Zero almost as much as Inbox Zero. Accessory maker Twelve South's newly available HiRise aims to clean it all up -- and lift it up. The aluminum-and-steel frame elevates Apple's modern all-in-ones and screens to any one of six points while conveniently leaving storage space that goes with the local computing decor, whether it's to hold external hard drives or car keys. Although the HiRise is no trivial expense at $80, it's better for propping up an iMac than an old college textbook, and arguably more useful as a whole.
Ask Engadget: best cheap external Macbook Air monitor?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Neil, who wants a display for his Macbook Air that costs less than a cinema display. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Dear Engadget, I use my Macbook Air in clamshell mode 95% of the time. I use an Acer V223W 22-inch monitor, but connected over Mini Displayport to DVI, it looks dull and fuzzy. I know an Apple Cinema Display is fantastic, but I don't want to splurge over $1000 for one. Can you suggest something a little more reasonably priced please? Thank you!" The first thing that came to our mind was one of Dell's high-end offerings, the 27-inch U2711 is available for $815 (a little cheaper) and comes with the same 2560 x 1440 IPS panel. But we suspect there's an even better option out there, tucked away in the brains of our commenters. So why not share your knowledge with the group and add a note below?
High-res Mountain Lion art could point to Retina Macs in 2012
Apple developers test-driving the latest Mountain Lion (10.8) release may have noticed some higher-res graphics erroneously popping up in "unexpected places," such as the double-size phone icon that appears alongside an audio chat invitation in Messages. One such dev reported his findings to Ars Technica, as you can see evidenced in the graphic above. This mild slip-up could imply that Apple plans to release Macs with high-density displays later this year, or, at the very least, that Mountain Lion will be Retina-ready. High-res support dates back to OS X Lion, which is reportedly equipped to play nice with HiDPI displays, should they eventually become available. Compatible icons are but a second piece of the puzzle, which could be completed to the tune of deliciously dense 2880 x 1800 (or higher) resolution 15-inch LCDs. Wouldn't you love to see that.
iFixit busts Apple's Thunderbolt Display wide open, no creamy center inside
It's been more than two months since Apple unveiled its Thunderbolt Display, and the gadget sadists over at iFixit are just getting around to picking the thing apart -- quite literally. So what has this dive into the 27-incher revealed? Well, for starters, the iFixit crew found that the LG-made LCD display in this Thunderbolt monitor appears to be the same one found in Dell's UltraSharp U2711, though favoring a cursed glossy finish. That's also the same setup we saw in Cupertino's 2009 iMac. This teardown also features a slew of chips from the likes of Texas Instruments and Broadcom and a miniature subwoofer. For more under-the-hood discoveries and a healthy helping of disassembled Thunderbolt Display components take a stroll on over to the source link below.
Saks interactive storefront features 64 iPads
The Saks 5th Avenue store in New York and Styelist.com have teamed up to create an interactive storefront display made up of 64 iPad 2s and 18 27" Cinema Displays in order to celebrate Fashion's Night Out. The three-window display was conceived and built by Gin Lane Media and uses a custom built app and a local network to get all the iPads connected to one another. The Loop has some additional pictures of the display. But for those of you who want to do more than look, you can actually take part in what appears on the display. Besides Stylelist imagery, users can submit their own photos that will be shown on the iPads by Tweeting photos with the hashtag #StylelistatSaks.
SnapX lets your Macs share a single Cinema Display
Got a pair of Macs laying around, but don't want to shell out for two Apple Cinema Displays? We don't blame you, those things are expensive. A little company called Kanex has a solution for you though, the SnapX. SnapX is, at it's heart, simply a port switcher that lets you connect two DisplayPort-equipped Macs to a single Cinema Display. But, the glossy $70 adapter does have a few neat features, like USB pass through for firing up the iSight camera and a clip for securing it to the base of the monitor. The SnapX is available for pre-order now and starts shipping to Apple devotees in September. One more pic and some PR await after the break.
A roundup of hardware news, Wed 7/20: Thunderbolt, MacBook Air, Mac mini
In typical Apple epic poem fashion, the Apple Store went down early this AM and came back up shortly thereafter with new goodies -- and one valiant missing hero of days gone by. First we saw the Thunderbolt-equipped Cinema Displays which were inadvertently leaked earlier this week. Then we saw the expected MacBook Air spec bump, including a triumphant return to glowing keyboards. Thunderbolt is again a winner here, as the diminutive port will enable the Air to grow far beyond its tiny footprint. The Mac mini was revamped without an optical drive, but with faster processors and that ubiquitous Thunderbolt port. Finally, we bid adieu to the venerable (but sometimes maligned) MacBook. The plastic-clad "entry level" Mac portable traces its roots back to the iBook, one of the Macs which helped Apple regain its place in computing as an innovative and design-focused engineering company. The MacBook will still be available to schools, but it appears it was edged out between iPad and the 11" MacBook Air. Farewell, polycarbonate pal. For more on how the new Mac mini stacks up against the Mac Pro, which hasn't seen a design revamp in a few years, check out "Mini vs Pro: consumer Macs grow up."
Apple rolls out 27-inch Thunderbolt Display with FaceTime HD camera, built-in speakers
In search of "the ultimate docking station" for your Mac notebook? Look no further than the new Thunderbolt Display, a single 27-inch model packing a 2560 x 1440 res 16:9 IPS display, one of Apple's fancy new connectors, integrated 2.1 speaker system, and even a Firewire 800 slot. There's also a built-in FaceTime HD camera and Mic, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports and MagSafe charging for your laptop, but the big difference is that single speedy DisplayPort hookup. It can daisy chain up to six high speed devices and all those connectors mean when it's time to take your laptop on the go there's a minimum of cables mooring it to your desk. It'll cost $999 to bring home in just a few days, if resolving cable clutter to your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac (required) is a good enough reason to ditch your old Cinema Display. %Gallery-128764%
Apple leaks Cinema Display refresh, teases dual-monitor Thunderbolt setup?
The cat Apple is out of the bag, apparently. Thanks to a leak on its website, there's evidence that Cupertino's readying a formal introduction of Thunderbolt to more devices. Keen eyes from MacRumors have spotted products on the site now sporting OS X Lion backgrounds, notably, what appears to be T-bolt connected Cinema Displays. The images showing the hook-up no longer appear to be listed, but the dual-setup above sure looks nifty. Considering Lion's got about two weeks left to rear its head and meet that July release, we'd surmise it won't be long until you'll be able to opt for a similar rig. Now can we please just get an anti-glare option? [Thanks, Trey]
Apple Cinema Display page undergoing maintenance, suggests refresh imminent (Update: No)
After images of a new Apple Cinema Display leaked earlier, we're now seeing that the Apple Store page for the product is undergoing some kind of maintenance. Instead of the normal product shot on the Displays and Graphics page, there's a picture of a cardboard box with a shipping label attached, and navigating to the product page results in an error. This could mean Apple is simply doing some behind-the-scenes work to purge the leaked images, but it could also mean the page is being refreshed in advance of the launch of a new Cinema Display. The new Apple Cinema Display is expected to replace the old Mini DisplayPort connector with a Thunderbolt connection for use with the newest Macs. If the display does indeed get updated tonight, we'll update this page with the new specs. Update: The Cinema Display has returned to the Apple Store, but a glance at the specs shows it to be the same product as before, complete with Mini DisplayPort cables instead of Thunderbolt.
Apple images reveal new Thunderbolt Cinema Display coming soon
Images leaked on Apple's own servers have revealed that the company is set to unveil new Thunderbolt-equipped LED Cinema Displays. The images were first discovered by MacRumors and show a Cinema Display with the galaxy wallpaper from the upcoming OS X 10.7 Lion. The URL of one of the images also specifies a new part number of "MC194," suggesting that the image is not just updated to reflect the wallpaper background in Lion. The most telling sign of changes to the upcoming Cinema Display, however, is that one of the images found shows two Cinema Displays connected via Thunderbolt to the most recent MacBook Pro. This connection of two displays (or "daisy-chaining") to one MacBook Pro could only be accomplished using Thunderbolt technology. If you're in the market for a new Cinema Display, it's best to hold off until next week to see if Apple will release these new displays alongside Lion.
Some Thunderbolt MacBook Pros causing flicker on Cinema Displays, Apple investigates (updated)
In a world of sophisticated electronics these days, there are always risks to being an early adopter. Alas, it appears that our latest victims are owners of Apple's Thunderbolt-laden MacBook Pros. Since launch, a number of frustrated customers have been reporting that their new unibody laptops -- of all three sizes -- are causing random flicker on both 24-inch and 27-inch Cinema Displays when connected via their Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt combo port, and now we have video proof to share the pain. Some also confirmed that even replacement machines from Apple are exhibiting the same behavior, though a source of ours says this doesn't seem to be a widespread issue, and that the company's hardware engineers are already looking into this. Either way, we're likely to see a firmware fix for this bug soon -- it's no good having a large monitor constantly blinking at you. [Thanks, Armando] Update: sja3274, the creator of the original video above, informed us that his Cinema Display actually had a faulty connection anyway, but he still saw flicker on a new display -- much like the behavior shown in the second video. As such, we've replaced our first video embed with our second one. Additionally, sja3274 was originally told to expect a software update last Tuesday or Wednesday, but obviously that didn't happen, so perhaps this is a trickier fix than Apple expected.
Green House reveals its first 15.6-inch USB monitor, lives large on small charge
Just when MMT's 15.4-inch Monitor2Go was getting excited about its big USB display on campus title, Greenhouse Japan has strutted in and ruined the party with its 15.6-inch GH-USD16K USB secondary monitor. True, a resolution of 1366 x 768 won't give the screen bragging rights over Apple's 27-inch Cinema Display, but it should suffice for those on the move in desperate need of some quick dual-screen action. Especially since the accessory weighs less than 3 pounds, produces 18bit color depth and has a brightness of 220 nits while sipping just 5 watts of Serial Bus power. Speaking of dual-action, the monitor can also be set to clone or extend the connected computer's screen depending on user preference. Look for it to start shipping early next month to Japan for an estimated price of $214, glancing over its shoulder until an inevitable 15.8-inch newbie lopes onto the block.
Apple's 27-inch Cinema Display is now shipping
Your favorite fruit-flavored company couldn't stand idly by and let Dell take all the IPS glory this week. Apple's 27-inch Cinema Display, announced in late July, has at long last been set free to venture forth and mesmerize people with its glossy screen and 2560 x 1440 resolution. The entry fee is set at $999, though deliveries will take a pretty glacial one to two weeks to reach your porch. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Release of Apple's 27" LED Cinema Display appears to be imminent
If you're holding out for Apple's new 27" LED Cinema Display, the wait might not be all that much longer. Back in July, the 27" model was announced with a September release date. Being that it's mid September, folks have been getting a little anxious with no sign of the new model, until now. 9to5Mac is reporting that a few days ago, on the customization page for Mac Pro orders placed on Apple's online store, the 27" display was being advertised for purchase on an updated description, although the 24" and 30" models were only available for selection. As it stands now, that description has been removed, but with reports of 24" and 30" Cinema Display stock beginning to dwindle, it's clear that some preparation for the release of the 27" display is underway. Apple's official display page still lists the 27" Cinema Display as "Coming September." For all you 27" Cinema Display loving people, you'll have to hold on and place some faith in Apple's word. [Via MacRumors]
Philips' Cinema 21:9 Platinum HDTV finally takes the leap into 3D
It's kind of hard to outdo yourself with only two dimensions when they read 21 and 9, respectively, so Philips has decided to do the only thing left for a trendy display maker: go 3D. Though we saw (and loved) a 3D prototype of the 56-inch variant at last year's IFA, this new, 58-inch Cinema 21:9 Platinum HDTV looks set to bring the third dimension to actual retail. It's got the Ambilight wall illumination that some people will like, LED backlighting with local dimming that most should love, and a slimmer, brushed matte bezel that will be appreciated by all. The 400Hz panel is capable of pumping out Full HD 3D and is expected to cost around €4,000 ($5,112) in Europe or £3,500 in the UK with a launch set for later this month. And if you want one in the US, well... things aren't looking very Ambibright for you. %Gallery-101115%
Apple's 24-inch and 30-inch Cinema Displays on the outs
Now that Apple's unleashing a 27-inch Cinema Display in September, what's to become of its 24-inch and 30-inch bookend brethren? Straight from the mouths of Apple execs and disseminated by way of Macworld's Jason Snell -- a man who would most definitely be in the know -- the dynamic duo is being discontinued. End of the line is when supplies run out, so better place your orders now if you aren't hip to monitors with diagonal lengths divisible by 9.
Apple releases new 27-inch LED Cinema Display
At long last, Apple has updated the Cinema Display line with a new 27-inch LED model that will ship later this year. With its 2560 x 1440 resolution, your pixels will enjoy 60% more elbow room than on the 24-inch LED model. In addition to the extra real estate, this model offers an iSight camera, mic and speakers, plus a powered USB 2.0 hub (3 ports) and MagSafe connector to charge your laptop. The display includes ambient light sensor, which adjusts the display's brightness in response to the light in a room. Apple's also keen to describe the display's environmental friendliness, noting that it uses mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass and recyclable materials. Additionally, the display meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status. It sure sounds nice, and it will be available in September for US$999. Note that it requires a Mac with a Mini DisplayPort.
Apple Cinema Display goes to 27 inches, 16:9 aspect ratio
Having reached a grand old age in the rapidly cycling tech world, Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display is today getting itself a new sibling. The new 27-inch display clocks in at a 2560 x 1440 resolution, sports a 16:9 aspect ratio, and does it all for the (not so) low price of $999. That might not sound like a steal, but Dell's similar U2711 (both offer IPS at the same resolution) actually retails for a hundie more at $1,099. For the price Apple includes a built-in iSight camera, a three port powered USB hub, and a universal MagSafe connector for charging up your MacBook. Like the 24-inch before it, Apple has really built this display to be the ultimate MacBook or MacBook Pro companion, since a single cable breaks out into the USB, Mini DisplayPort (with audio support), and MagSafe plug that are just about all your laptop requires when sitting down at a desk. PR is after the break, and the screen will start shipping in September. %Gallery-98273%
