Introduction:
When we look at LCD displays, we no longer look only at the screen's clarity. We also look at the back.
Many of us has ventured out to our local Best Buy, Feature Store, and saw many displays. Sure they were great looking from the front, but from the back, it was like a bubble-buldge from implants.
Apple has been known for its renowned products' form-factors ever since the recent CEO shift to Steve Jobs. From the introduction of the worlds' first 17 inch laptop, to the world's most compact laptop, Apple Products are beautiful.
When Apple competes, it does not compete on a single ground. It goes for Simplicity, Innovativeness, Sleekness.
Although this look may not be for everybody, it sure fits the industrial design, the modern age, and contemporary age.
Apple Cinema Displays
Apple has recently introduced a new display, made of sleek aluminum, the Apple Cinema Display.
It is dubbed a "Cinema Display" because of its Widescreen aspect.
Apple takes advantage of the moderately-new widescreen era, and revolutionised it. It introduced other models such as the world's first 30 inch LCD computer display to the step-up of 23 inch LCD computer display.
While all of these displays are gorgeous, the 20 inch Apple Cinema Display is the only mainstream affordable unit.
Noteworthy Features/Line-up of the Cinema Display Series
While they are priced at bizarre increments: 799 U$D (20in), 1499 U$D (23in), and 2999 U$D (30in), the 20 inch sacrifices some noteworthy features that its sibblings have.
Needless to say the 23 inch and 30 inch Cinema Displays has more viewing room. However, a grand sacrifice you make when you declare the 20 inch over the 23 inch is that you just handed away High-Definition.
The 23 inch and the 30 inch are deemed to be High-Definition or HD by Apple Computers, while the 20 inch does not have enough lines of resolution to be.
To be more percise, the 30 inch Cinema Display has 4,096,000 pixels; the 23 inch Cinema Display has 2,304,000; the 20 inch Cinema Display has 1,764,000.
While these numbers may just be numbers, they mean a lot.
If you have ever watched a DVD, and it looked grainy, or in other words you can see the little "dots" that made up the picture, then it means your TV or Monitor does not have enough "dots" per square inch to make it unnoticeable.
The Apple Cinema Display Series line-up does-away with the grainy picture, and brings crisp clear images, with offering millions of pixels for just a tiny 20 inch screen.
Another great feature of the Apple Cinema Display is its Native Resolution. To understand Native Resolution more, you have to understand the concept.
Have you ever watched a DVD on your TV screen, and noticed those back Horizontal or Vertical Bars? Well to get rid of them, most people zooms the movie in, so that the picture covers the whole TV screen.
Well if you look closely, the actors may appear to be bloated, fat, or simply stretched out.
This is because you zoomed it in, and it is not playing at its native resolution.
This is the same things with pixels, or screen size. We have all heard of the many screen size: 800x600, 1024x768, etc.
But each monitor has a "native" resolution, meaning the size it is built to play at, before the actors on the screen becomes stretched out, bloated, or fat.
If you took your 800x600 monitor, and zoomed it out to play at 1024x968, the actors will look bloated. That is exactly why it is important to keep a High Native Resolution in mind when buying an LCD display.
Most LCD Display's native resolution is 1024x768. Apple has managed to squeeze more "dots" per inch into them, making their native resolution at an amazing high.
The 20 inch Cinema Display at 1680 x 1050 pixels; 23 inch Cinema Display at 1920 x 1200; and the 30 inch Cinema Display at 2560 x 1600.
Exterior
The Apple Cinema Display is encased in a beautiful metal case, that fits in with any Maple, Tempered Glass, Metal, or Light Desk.
It has a very percised Length, Width, and Height.
When you look at the Apple Cinema Display, you will not see a bulge in the back, as most LCD displays have.
It is a simple elongated retangle, with no bulge. It also has rounded edges that symbolises its sleekness factor. On the side, it has a white plastic covering, and three buttons on the side.
One for the power. One for inceasing the display's brightness, and one for decreasing it.
These buttoms are touch-sensitive, meaning there is not any physical button that you have to press all the way in. It is a touch sensitive, like the Third Generation iPod. It is a flat surface, that detects your impact.
Other than that, those are the only controls you will get. For adjusting screen resolution, Calaberating Colors, you will need to use your computer, and a mouse for.
Apple also has built in two fire-wire ports, and two USB ports, which is a major feature.
This is a simple and great way to add more ports to your computer, and even make your screen the headquarters of your desk.
Imagine not having to reach behind your computer to plug in a simple USB Flash Drive. It is just the simple things that Apple add that revolutionises the LCD Display Market.
Drawbacks
One draw-back is its extremely abrasive aluminum display. It uses the same casing as the Powerbook, that scratches very easily. Although the scratches does not peel the paint off the display, it does leave you uneasy at the mark on your expensive new investment.
Another thing to note before buying the LCD is it is proprietary. Although Apple may deny this, and direct you to the fact that it is compatiable with any PC, it is really not.
Sure it may work with a PC, but it requires intensive tweaking on your part, and downloading drivers, and changing preferences before you can actually use it.
However if you own a Macintosh, it will be as easy as plugging it in.
Another setback was the single wire that ran from the Display. This wire splits later into four different connectors. One goes to the Power Outlet for Power. One goes to the USB Port for the USB's on the Display itself. One goes to the Firewire Port for the Firewire's on the Display itself. And one goes to the DVI-Slot of your computer. All of these is from a single wire -- protruding from the Display, and splits into four different anemity at the other end.
This may be part of the simplicity equation, but there was something about it that made the users uneasy. You could not switch the display from one computer to the next instantaneously without disconnecting all of the other connectors.
Other than that, the Apple Cinema Display is a gorgeous display that deserves two-thumbs up.
Internal
The Apple Cinema Display employs a 250cd/m2 to 270cd/m2 in its display. Although this may seem very bright, you have to keep in mind that lightbulbs do wear-down in the future.
It can be compared to a new 100watt lightbulb to a used 100watt lightbulb.
Over time the display loses it brightness, and if it was 250cd/m2 to start with, it can go as low as 125cd/m2 -- which is unbearable. Of course this is over the course of two to five years, but and then again Apple's Products are built to last. The phase is called a "Half-Life," meaning "The product has dimmed down because it has reached its 'Half-Life'."
That is why more and more manufacturers, are employing a brighter-standard backlight. Dell claims to have a 370cd/m2 on its 20 inch display. However, Dell is eliminated from this competition because of its bulgely back, and ugly look.
Another thing that is worth mentioning is its heat-expation philosophy. Apple has no holes anywhere on the case for the heat to cool. Instead, it uses a special method that I can not figure out. Some have claimed that the aluminum properites of the case cools it naturally, others says their are "gaps" (instead of holes), that make it roomy, and hence it doesn't overheat.
A great thing with this philosophy is that... if there is not any trapped dust within, the product will last longer. Great job on Apple's part.
The screen is a crisp, nice, very smooth LCD, that tells you quality is not only from without, but within.
One complaint was that the screen was not as glossy as glass. It has an anti-glare coating, but it was not as glossy as I wanted it to be.
Conclusion
This Apple Cinema Display is very cheap, and is recommended for the mainstream buyers. It has a great widescreen aspect, and is encased in a beautiful aluminum casing. It has touch-sensitive controlling, and has a no-protruding back. It also has many state of the art features such as a built in Firewire/USB port right on the Display itself, and the 'wire' that splits into four different connectors at the other end.
Nevertheless, the Apple Cinema Display is not a perfect one. It employs a weak, but bearable Backlight, meaning in the course of 2-5 years later, it will lose its original brightness, and making it unbearable.
Although its weakness may seem to be a bit hard on the left side, the upside is that it is a great product, and if it situation becomes so bad, you can always call Apple... :D
