Apple cinema display or other branded display

[Sketch]

I have to buy an external display and wondering which one should i go for. I need a 20" display... here are my options:

Either apple cinema 20" which cost 770 Euro link (http://shop.gravis.de/Application/ArticleDetails.asp?Tmpl=01LAYONV001&SID=0BBBF2D2A83F45D7B9F674E707EC1015&refID=8872127&N01%5FSelID=122481&N01%5FID=122481&N15%5FArticleID=2002910)

or

other branded displays such as this philips display (http://computing.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/ps_14187993/114401.html) cost about 490 Euro link (http://shop.gravis.de/Application/ArticleDetails.asp?Tmpl=01LAYONV001&SID=0BBBF2D2A83F45D7B9F674E707EC1015&refID=8872127&N01%5FSelID=122481&N01%5FID=122481&N15%5FArticleID=2004241)

so tell me one should I buy and worth for the money I pay?

thanks

[Dorian Gray]

The Cinema Display is SWOP-certified. If you've never heard of SWOP you'll not care about that, in which case I would recommend you get the Philips which has a slightly higher contrast ratio (and of course costs less) unless you have a particular crush on an Apple Cinema Display. You can't really put a price on aesthetics: it's up to the individual.

[WrestleEwe]

Plus, the Philips comes with 3 years warranty. Whereas the Apple display is only guaranteed to work for 1 year.

[DMBand0026]

Take a look at Dell displays. They're pretty widely regarded as some of the better displays out there for the money you pay for them. A 20" Wide screen display can be had for $396.75 USD (311.08 euros), you can even get a 24" wide screen display for $799.20 USD (672.39 euros). Like I said, Dell makes some great displays, and you can often find them even cheaper than that with coupons or sales from Dell.


www.dell.com

[chucker]

Plus, the Philips comes with 3 years warranty. Whereas the Apple display is only guaranteed to work for 1 year.

Unless, that is, you buy an AppleCare package with it, which is another 99 Euros or something. That in turn, however, is probably a much better warranty/service/support contract than Philips's offering is, but it doesn't come cheap.

The Apple Cinema Displays, truth be told, are not competitively priced. You can get various alternatives with the exact same panel (which is manufactured by LG-Philips) for much cheaper; especially a Dell offering with 'okay' design. If you want features such as pivot mode, multiple inputs, etc., Apple is also not an option for you. Finally, Apple's displays are strictly digital; they don't come with an analog-to-digital converter, but to tell you the truth, at that resolution (1680x1050), you don't want to use analog unless you absolutely have to.

So where do the Apple displays shine? Well, they are, by far, the best design, very good to look at, not distracting when working (the Dell 2005FPW, for example, has at least two green LEDs on all the time, which can get annoying if you're sensitive to that stuff), clever about cable management (only one cable actually comes out of the monitor, bundling USB, FireWire, power and DVI all together) and very good at automatic adjustment (the only relevant controls are brightness up/down). They 'just work'. They also come with a FireWire hub in addition to the USB one, but they only have two ports each. (The Dell, on the other hand, comes with four USB ports, but no FireWire.)

The significantly higher price for the Apple is only worth it if you care a lot about having a clean desk. If you look at the display as a piece of furniture, it makes a lot more sense; you could get the cheapest available sofa and you'll sit on it just fine, but if you want to sit comfortably on it, if you want to invite others over and make a good impression, and if you generally don't want the thing to feel out of place, you're easily going to pay twice the price, if not five or more times. That is precisely the point: the Apple option costs more, but your wife is going to complain less, and you're going to enjoy working with it more.

Do not forget that a display is usually something you work with several hours a day, every day, and even the smallest improvements in ergonomics can matter a lot.

[Sketch]

damn... good explanation... hope you are not trying to take out the other thread heat on this one. but thanks for the explanation. well one thing for sure is apple the design is nice. and i don't have a wife :D. Well from your explanation philips is worth for the money. i mean after all it is 20".

[Kraetos]

I have a Dell 3007FPW and I LOVE it. I believe (I have no source... sorry :o ) that both Dell and Apple displays are OEM'd from Viewsonic. So, basically, you are buying the same display from Dell that you would be from Apple for a lower price. I wholeheartedly recommend the Dell. As for looks? Well, if you ask me, they both look great. The Dell is black with silver trim, a very high-tech look, whereas the Apple is shiny and aluminum, a very sleek, and, well, Apple look.

When it comes down to it though, you get the same screen and the same warrantee for less when you go Dell. And, if you can live with owning a Dell, somthing I had to get used to, it's the smarter choice.

[Robo]

Personally, I'm expecting the displays to get a price drop sometime this spring - to $499/$999/$1,999 or so. But that might just be me.

[Sketch]

why would they? is there a new design?

[Robo]

Just because the prices have been dropping gradually ever since their introduction. Last fall there was a price drop, but the price of the 20-inch model was untouched.

As for any new design, I think we might see one to compliment the "Mac Pro" late this year, but that's a whole 'nother story.

[torifile]

It all depends on what you need them for. If you're just a computer user and not a graphics pro, than go for what costs less. Seriously, you're not going to get any significant issues on any quality LCDs (that is, not bargain-basement-priced LCDs) and since you're not dependent upon them for 100% color accuracy, get what's cheaper.

[Sketch]

thanks... then i will go for philips or sth similar.

[Robo]

I agree that you'd be fine with a Philips/etc. display.

I'd be able to justify getting a Cinema Display if the Apple Tax was just a little bit smaller - like, not double the price.

But with the current prices, they're hard to recommend.

I would second the suggestion for Dell's displays, though. If you can stand having the "Dell" name on your desk, you should be able to get a great screen for a great price. They just came out with the **07 series or displays - they're worth a look. Alternatively, you should be able to find a **05 series display with a nice discount.