[ctishue21]

The specs for the ACDs now list higher brightness and 700:1 contrast ratios. Did I miss Apple announcing they upgraded the panels in them?

[mduell]

Minor price drop and spec upgrade yesterday.

Still higher priced with lower specs than the competition.

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by mduell

Minor price drop and spec upgrade yesterday.

Still higher priced with lower specs than the competition.

And yet still the same higher build quality and design...

ctishue21's question wasn't about pricing but about specifications.

Apple is a top tier hardware manufacturer. Top tier anything commands a premium. Why point it out?

[stwain2003]

I don't get the whole deal with the ACD's! they suck and they cost 200 bucks more than the SAME EXACT dell monitor!

[Lateralus]

How on Earth do they suck? Apple's ACDs and Dell's 2x07 series monitors rank as the two highest quality monitor lines on the market.

You have no clue what you're talking about.

[stwain2003]

400:1 contrast ratio? sure not what I'd expect from a 700 dollar monitor! Dell's is 800:1 and it only costs 450!! YOU don't know what you're talking about. Some moderator you are...

[Velocity211]

Although I hate dell very much, I recently got a 20" widescreen dell monitor. It's a lot cheaper than the 20" ACD and basically the same thing. It's just a whole lot uglier but it was only $350 compared to $700. I could've gotten two for the price of one ACD!

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by stwain2003

400:1 contrast ratio? sure not what I'd expect from a 700 dollar monitor! Dell's is 800:1 and it only costs 450!! YOU don't know what you're talking about. Some moderator you are...

Apple's ACDs are 700:1, buddy.

Originally Posted by Velocity211

Although I hate dell very much, I recently got a 20" widescreen dell monitor. It's a lot cheaper than the 20" ACD and basically the same thing. It's just a whole lot uglier but it was only $350 compared to $700. I could've gotten two for the price of one ACD!

I've got a Dell 20" 2007FP as well. It is a great monitor. But its aesthetics leave a lot to be desired. And having come from Apple monitors, I'm not super impressed with its build quality either.

Also, it's not particularly fair to claim that Dell's 20" costs $350 in comparison to Apple's $700 since the only way to get Dell's 20" for that price is through the use of coupon codes and/or sales.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by stwain2003

I don't get the whole deal with the ACD's! they suck and they cost 200 bucks more than the SAME EXACT dell monitor!

No, the Apple edges out in some fields. A big one being design. I would never have dell next to my sexy Tower.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by stwain2003

I don't get the whole deal with the ACD's! they suck and they cost 200 bucks more than the SAME EXACT dell monitor!

Actually, it's reversed at the moment for the 30". ACD is $2000 while the Dell is $2200.

I won't comment on the value of the media card reader, style, extended warranty, FW hub, or stand flexibility.

[mycatsnameis]

I have heard so many complaints about the colour hue problems on the ACDs (the greys look pink and the blacks look grey according to many online reviews, even from Mac centric sites like Barefeats) that I had never considered paying the premium for an ACD although I agree, aesthetically, they look great.

Not sure if it's worth it to buy a monitor that only looks great when it's off .

[cag17]

I think they are a work of art...
Except for being overpriced for the quality of display (actual viewing area)...
I'd own a 23"...don't know if i'd shell out for a 30"

[cyrana]

Has anyone actually received one with new specs? I got a 23" one at the Woodfield store in Chicago this Tuesday, and it was week 22, but old specs. I'm assuming you would need one manfactured or at least shipped post the keynote? They checked the whole stockroom and didn't have any new ones.

It also had weird image persistence problems where if you look at Safari or something similar, and them move it you can actually see an image on the screen where it used to be and even read the text in emails.

So, should I try again at the online store? I'll have my Spyder back tomorrow so I think I can use that to double check that the brightness is 400 cd/2 on a new one.

[dudesteve]

Originally Posted by cyrana

Has anyone actually received one with new specs? I got a 23" one at the Woodfield store in Chicago this Tuesday, and it was week 22, but old specs. I'm assuming you would need one manfactured or at least shipped post the keynote?

<snip>

How do you know it's the old specs vs new specs?

[cyrana]

Originally Posted by dudesteve

How do you know it's the old specs vs new specs?

I guess I couldn't verify it on my own. But the guy I spoke with at Applecare said it was, and they also said it was in the store itself.

I read elsewhere that the box the display comes in says the specs, but I honestly don't remember seeing them on it (but amazingly never looked). From tomorrow I can do independent verification, but the image persistence thing was horrible and the genius at the Apple store said they'd had a number of them like that lately.

[dudesteve]

Originally Posted by cyrana

I guess I couldn't verify it on my own. But the guy I spoke with at Applecare said it was, and they also said it was in the store itself.

I read elsewhere that the box the display comes in says the specs, but I honestly don't remember seeing them on it (but amazingly never looked). From tomorrow I can do independent verification, but the image persistence thing was horrible and the genius at the Apple store said they'd had a number of them like that lately.

Ah, I see. Well, the box doesn't have the specs listed, nor are they listed anywhere inside the box. I just got one a couple of days ago. No idea whether it's updated or not.

[cyrana]

Originally Posted by dudesteve

Ah, I see. Well, the box doesn't have the specs listed, nor are they listed anywhere inside the box. I just got one a couple of days ago. No idea whether it's updated or not.

How is your display? What week is it?

I have a Spyder (finally back) that can tell the brightness of a display. We need someone to use one or something similar to verify 400cd/2, which would tell if you had a new one or not.

[dudesteve]

The display is fantastic. It's week 29.

[cyrana]

Originally Posted by dudesteve

The display is fantastic. It's week 29.

So if you set your background to black, open safari, leave it there for 2 minutes, and then move it, you don't have a ghost image left behind?

Week 29 would make it the 3rd week in July...hmm. When did you order yours from the store? (online I presume)
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html says week for you, for anyone else curious.

I wish someone could use something and verify the brightness on some of these weeks so it could be noted for sure if the specs were updated anywhere.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by mycatsnameis

I have heard so many complaints about the colour hue problems on the ACDs (the greys look pink and the blacks look grey according to many online reviews, even from Mac centric sites like Barefeats) that I had never considered paying the premium for an ACD although I agree, aesthetically, they look great.

Not sure if it's worth it to buy a monitor that only looks great when it's off .

The pink tinge is a technical defect covered by warranty, not a design issue, nor something anybody would/should tolerate.

[dudesteve]

This is not an authoritative answer, but:

Quick Takes on Real World Macintosh Performance

"August 18th, 2006 -- New Apple 23" Cinema impresses. We ordered a new 23" Cinema display for our Mac Pro 3GHz. This new model (numbers starting with 2A6281 or higher) is brighter with better contrast than the previous model. Best of all, the pink hue on grey screens is gone."

[cyrana]

Originally Posted by dudesteve

This is not an authoritative answer, but:

Quick Takes on Real World Macintosh Performance

"August 18th, 2006 -- New Apple 23" Cinema impresses. We ordered a new 23" Cinema display for our Mac Pro 3GHz. This new model (numbers starting with 2A6281 or higher) is brighter with better contrast than the previous model. Best of all, the pink hue on grey screens is gone."

So you don't have that weird persistence thing I mentioned above?

They did update the displays, I got some people to check the luminance
Apple - Support - Discussions - Have CD 23" specs been updated? ...

Guess I'll try again from the online store...no other S-IPS option that I can tell. I just don't want to risk that horrible image persistence problem I had on my week 21 model. It was really really horrible.