Size isn’t everything
As a very happy owner of 23” of high definition goodness, I’ve been
very curious and eager to see the release of a new product line of cinema displays from the kids at Cupertino. And
today my wish was granted, with the arrival of a new line of flat panel displays sized at 20”,
23” and a gargatuan 30”. So demanding is the 2560x1600 resolution of the largest display, it requires a newly announced
$599 NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card. Now that’s uh spicy meatball!
Colour me a designasaurus rex, but I find these new displays lacking in the industrial design department. In fact, they quite frankly come off as cold and bland. Yes, I understand they’re meant to be complimentary to the current Tony Starks Industries styled G5 (which I think are sophisticated minimalist chic), and with that goal in mind they succeed. But from the vantage point of these displays as individual design solutions, they seem underwhelming. I think the base reminds me too much of something IBM would have designed in the mid to late 1990’s. Don’t get me wrong, I’m wowed by the technical achievement of their sizes, and I’m sure the build quality is superior to most other flat panel displays. But although the anodized aluminum may be cool to the touch, this discriminating Apple fan doesn’t deem them as cool to the eyes.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Fazal Majid said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
I bought my G5 with an old-style Cinema HD two weeks ago, even though I saw the rumors, because:
1. The stand looks less stable than the older monitor's tripod design
2. No ADC means more cable clutter
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Phillip said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
i completly agree with you. apple needs to start innovating agian. everything at the wwdc keynote is just a copy of what everyone else was doing. steve was just dressing it up
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xero said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
I'm pissed at the new designs because PowerBook users will no longer be able to slip their PowerBooks under the display between the left and right feet. I'll have to find a new place to put my PB if I want to run it in lid closed mode.
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fishpatrol said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
And as usual, pricing comes in well above all rumors. Other companies may be cutting prices as time goes by, but not our Apple. Way to buck the trend!
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granar said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
"Tony Starks Industries styled G5 "
that actually brought a smile to my face. hmmm, may have to bookmark this site. :)
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Jam Jam said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
They do look sweet. Not decided if I will buy one yet though (probably not)
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David Stutler said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
Has anyone actually seen one. I remember people moaning about the look of the iPod mini until they actually saw one. This is Apple folks. The thing is going to look great. And price-wise, Sony just released their 23" widescreen at $2599 - how could you complain. Give me a break. Take your spoiled attitudes and walk through the PC section at Best Buy to remind yourself what you have. Thanks Apple .... again!
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Dave said 4:15PM on 6-16-2005
Well I'm sure they are very high quality and I like the look but I was really hoping for an iMac style arm. Really looks again like the last monitors that have no height adjustment, only tilt. At least it looks like you can add a third party arm. I just love how easy it is to move iMac screens. Sigh.
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Mike said 10:21AM on 6-28-2005
Nice Iron Man reference.
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calbear81 said 7:07PM on 8-24-2005
I think right now the most innovative LCD maker on the planet is Samsung in both design and function. They've got the technology and the design sense that I think will propel them to become the next Apple. Forget all the rumors of a Sony/Apple duo, think Samsung.
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Daniel Burns said 3:58PM on 10-26-2005
Has someone designed a monitor you do find well-designed? Just curious.
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