Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals
LED Cinema Displays now available
Apple's LED Cinema Displays, announced at a special event in October, are finally available on the Apple Store online, and at Apple retail locations, which should make Cory happy.
The LED Cinema Display, which is more suitable as a laptop docking station more than another monitor for your desktop Mac, sells for $899. Shipping is free from the Apple Store online.
I went to the San Diego-area UTC Apple Store on Sunday, and saw a display model. The color was sharp, and looked identical to the display on my 24-inch iMac. Compared to the MacBook Pro next to it, the pixel density is looser (making objects of the same pixel size seem larger on the Cinema Display than on the laptop), typical for Apple's desktop displays. Unlike the iMac, the stand for the display had a tapered foot that was thinner at the front than in the back: Something I hadn't noticed before.
Additionally, adapters that connect the new Mini DisplayPort to DVI and VGA are also available, and will ship within 24 hours.
An update from the commenters: The Mini DisplayPort adapters are for MacBook Air, and won't help connecting a Mac Pro (for example) to this new display. Sorry, my mistake. Also, not all retail stores have the displays, so you might want to give them a call first before heading over there.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
eric f. said 11:09AM on 11-18-2008
"Additionally, adapters that connect the new Mini DisplayPort to DVI and VGA are also available, and will ship within 24 hours."
Those have been available since the first day. I got the DVI adapter for my new Macbook Pro.
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dan gibson said 12:14PM on 11-18-2008
Summary is ambiguous/misleading.
The adapters he refers to allow DVI/VGA displays to be used with the new macbook(pro/air)s (which have only mini-displayport). These have been available since around when the notebooks were released.
There still is no adapter to allow machines without displayport (mac pro?) to use this display. This is annoying to say the least, given the recent discontinuation of the 23" display. Now, the only 2 options for mac pro/mini owners are 20" or 30" cinema displays, both of which lack built-in isight/speakers/mic but do have FW400 hubs.
EdDeNtEr said 11:18AM on 11-18-2008
Those adapters are the wrong way they dont enable me to connect my computer or old macbook to the led display
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Aron T said 11:43AM on 11-18-2008
What I would give for an adapter that would turn my DVI into a Mini DisplayPort!
miles said 11:25AM on 11-18-2008
With the delays on these new displays and an eight biz day lead time on any upgrades to the mbp's... the question now turns to... buy now or wait for macworld in january? opinions?
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Big John said 11:33AM on 11-18-2008
Do you really thing, after just introducing these products, they're going to see even a bump in January?
I don't think so.
Christopher said 2:32PM on 11-25-2008
Big John,
Obviously you forgot about how Apple released two iMacs within months of each other when the Intel versions came out.
John Laur said 11:35AM on 11-18-2008
All this mini-displayport crap is useless without a mini-displayport to (regular size) displayport cable or adapter.
The consortium that licenses (or controls the use of) DisplayPort or at least the DisplayPort branding should NOT have allowed Apple to use the term without offering an appropriate adaptor to make their hardware interoperable with normal DisplayPort hardware.
It's pure insanity that I cannot connect my new laptop to my current monitor or purchase a new monitor and connect it to my current desktop -- Absolutely stupid. Has anyone gotten a SteveMail about this?
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mabhatter said 1:03PM on 11-18-2008
mini-displayport is supposed to support up to 30" screens at full resolution. I'd expect to see new iMacs and MacPros that support this standard in January. This will streamline the various dongles to just the one plug. It might make for interesting new form factors if they're going to have the monitor supply power and USB hookups.
John Laur said 2:29PM on 11-18-2008
The problem is that it's still "one plug" that is Apple proprietary.
I currently *HAVE* (ie I'm staring at it righit now) a DisplayPort equipped 30" Dell monitor that I cannot plug into my DisplayPort equipped MacBookPro. All currently shipping displayport displays (remember, apple's still isn't) have a full size connector. I don't have any particular problem with an adapter cable if it existed, but it doesn't. Apple always had adapter plugs to convert their mini and micro DVI ports to standard DVI, so why not the DisplayPort?
The question is when is a standard not a standard? Apple should not be able to advertise that they have a DisplayPort connector when you can't plug other DisplayPort devices into it.
It would be similar to apple putting an iphone dock plug on their computers -- sure, maybe it's just a USB port, but if the only thing you could plug into it was an iPod/iPhone it wouldn't be of much use, would it? At least not until there is a cable available that makes it into a regular USB port!
Big John said 11:35AM on 11-18-2008
I have to agree, Robert, those new displays are sharp. I was at an Apple Store getting my Air fixed (dead HDD) and while I was waiting for Leopard to finish installing, I had a chance to play with the MBP/LED display combo.
I didn't want one before, thinking that my new MacBook was all I needed. Just seeing that display made me realize I was wrong! At $800, though, it's an extremely difficult pill to swallow and I doubt I'll be getting one any time soon.
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Ryan Worrell said 11:50AM on 11-18-2008
How come there is no mini-DVI to mini-Display port adapter. I think it is stupid Apple isn't providing a way for users of existing macbooks to connect to the new monitor.
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contempt said 1:33PM on 11-18-2008
Agreed, those adapters are misleading in the article as they have nothing to do with the new displays. What we need is a female mini-displayport to a male DVI adapter so we can use these displays on our Mac Pro's. I'm dying to purchase a new display and I don't understand why Apple wouldn't release this adapter or a display with a DVI connector. Guess we'll see by MacWorld, hope none of my pixels burn out.
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AmpCoder said 12:12PM on 11-18-2008
Apple retail stores do not have these in stock yet. You might want to change that part of the article.
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Raphael M said 12:24PM on 11-18-2008
Three words about the new display: glare, glare and more glare.
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Rich said 1:54PM on 11-18-2008
Has Apple ever said anything about the future of the 30-inch model? Will that be revved or eventually phased out? I love mine and I'd hate to think they will only go up to 24-inch.
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George said 2:41PM on 11-18-2008
Where's the mini DisplayPort to HDMI?
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Some Dude said 2:49PM on 11-18-2008
Ok, I'll start off with what I like- the new bezel. I don't like gloss (yuck), no FW.
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Rich said 4:01PM on 11-18-2008
The MiniDisplayPort to Dual Link DVI still says 4-5 weeks for shipping. That is what it said when I bought my Macbook. I am waiting to get rid of a G5 and connect this to my 30" Cinema Display.
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Tariq said 5:10PM on 11-18-2008
I believe that the displays were announced on October 14 along with the new laptops, not in September. That was the iPod event.
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