This is all getting way to tempting for my already empty wallet... A Mac Pro and 30-inch would be the sweetest gift I could give myself...

Alas it will have to wait...

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Even with these changes, it still does not beat a Dell display.

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This smells like a product update is near....

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Concur with 3. Apple has dropped prices prior to introducing product upgrades.

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Interesting point #3. I would agree with you except they also bumped the specs. This feels like a refresh and price adjustment given market conditions.

But don't get me wrong. I hope you are correct.

The new displays while I appreciate the better resolution and lower price, do not have the built in iSights and IR for the Apple Remote.

I find it shocking that Apple didn't include these, for no other reason than it makes buying a cheaper tell less comparable. In fact, they are no longer substitute products and worth the Apple premium.

Ironically, the lack of those two features is making me hold off upgrading. (Of course, with my luck, it will be 18 months before the features appear. It always happens to me.)

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There are two reasons why I don't think iSight or Apple Remote functionality will be added to the Cinema Displays. First, Cinema Displays are often purchased for use on non-Mac setups, and these customers would not want to pay for features that they couldn't easily use. Second, how would the data from these devices be communicated to the computer? Not through DVI. I could be wrong, though.

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Apple also reduced the response time on the monitors from 20ms to 14ms.

Does anybody know if this is from an actual change in the panels, or from a more liberal way of measuring response time?

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Daniel, the ACD's also connect through USB and Firewire for the integrated hub. I would assume the isight and ir sensor would communicate through USB and/or Firewire.

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Ah yes, I forgot about the hubs. It's been a while since I've owned an external display. Thanks for the reminder!

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are most ACD's really purchased for non-mac setups? I'm surprised. I always assumed that PC setups would buy dells or even sonys since they were less expensive for what you get.

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What I want to know is that, will this be compatible with an XBOX 360, and how can I watch regular television on this? Is this possible currently?

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@ Ben: given the improved contrast and refresh rate, in what ways is a Dell panel better? I've seen reviews that alternately place the other in the lead. And, for what use cases?

Ok, I may be wrong: checking the specs on Dell's site gives the 24" 2407WFP at 1000:1 contrast ratio and 6ms response time. The latter figure I have seen interpreted various ways, though.

I would bet there are different preferences for users doing photo imaging, video editing, gaming, or coding, and that they could be somewhat subjective.

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Since Front Row will be a standard Leopard feature and the new Mac Pro does not include an IR sensor (and a remote) they either have to 1) introduce new displays with iSight and IR included, 2) introduce an external IR sensor or 3) a new external iSight with build-in IR.

I don't think Apple wants to exclude the Front Row experience for Mac Pro + Cinema Displays users.

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Very cool, I need one of these. ;-)

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What should I do? I was going to buy a 23'' display to use with my MacBook Pro. The 15'' is too small to work comfortably. Should I wait for new displays?

What is your opinion? New displays around the corner or not?

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ARG! I just bought a new 23" yesterday based on the price drop. I did not see that the specs were changed, and expect that I got an "old" model. Does anyone know how I can verify this? I can't find any spec sheet. And, I've got it connected to a PC.... Any help? The model number is the same... did they change the model number on the new ones?

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I own a Dell 2407 and I use a lot of ACD's in the studio, so I can tell you that the Cinema Displays definitely have a better viewable angle. It makes a huge difference with digital photography when you have to glance across the room to see what you're working on. When I bought the dell 1 month ago, it was $500 cheaper than the Apple 23". The price has now dropped to a $250 difference. very tempting. the only thing I was worried about regarding the 23" in particular is the common magenta cast on one side. Does anyone know if that is still occurring? If not, maybe this dell is going back to Costco...

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I was hoping boot camp 1.0 to be announced with ishight support. That would mean windows XP drivers for isight so windows users could use all the features of next generation Cinemadisplays too...

I still think boot camp 1.0 will provide us with isight drivers for windows XP/Vista and MAYBE if apple is smart enough an ichat version for vista will be released.. that way ichat users would really start finding useful that software..

I know that ichat for windows should meet apple quality standards and many XP machines would not meet hardware requirements therefore, an XP version of ichat might never come out..

I still think a product update is about to come out..

One More Thing: Would't it be great if SKYPE (which doesn't have much interest in developing mac versions of its sofware) and ichat connect their services including VoIP telephony??

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