[stronachab]

I'm holding off buying a new display on the possibly naive assumption that since Apple's line-up has been static for months, something is about to happen. Any clues? Any wish lists? Do you suppose there will be new casings, new sizes, built-in iSight, more connectors?

Or just another price cut?

[Fahrenheit]

And after the next ones come out, you can wait another couple of years for the newer ones. You have to buy at some point- dont keep holding off for ever.

+ Dont necessarily go for ACD's. Look at dell etc. - exactly the same except cheaper and slightly less awesome designs.

[stronachab]

Thanks all the same, but I haven't had a non-Apple computer or major peripheral in the house or office for 16 years and, costly though it might be, I'm not starting now. Nor do I intend to buy a current ACD only to find, as seems increasingly likely, an updated/cheaper/enhanced model announced two weeks later. I'm perfectly happy if they're updated two years later, but two weeks would be too much to swallow!

Now, back to the original questions ...

[Luca]

At this point I have no faith at all in Apple's ability to release a competitive display. They're just going to keep doing the same old stuff... no worthwhile features, nice industrial design, way overpriced, rarely updated. They will rely on sales to Mac users who are willing to pay hundreds of dollars extra for the case design, and to ones who are unaware that other options exist.

[neiltc13]

I think Apple really need to release a consumer display with the white plastic to go with the Mac Mini and possibly sell to people who like to pretend they have a Mac.

Would do quite well I'd imagine - there aren't too many pearly white monitors around these days.

[Rolo]

The only thing I've heard about the displays is that Apple will have a new one sized between the 23" and the 30", say around 26", and that the 20" will be discontinued. This is something I heard a couple months ago. The new display wasn't expected until January. I said to my source at the time that it didn't make sense. It seems like the time to introduce a new display lineup would be when the Mac Pros are introduced, perhaps in August.

At the same time I heard about the display change, there was also word that the 17" iMac would be phased out in January, making the 20" the low end, and that a new, larger iMac would be introduced.

I should add that this is all single-source, unconfirmed rumor. It isn't wise to base one's buying decisions on rumors.

[Luca]

What resolution would this rumored 26" display use? The 23" already maxes out the single-link DVI resolution at 1920x1200, so a 26" would have to use something slightly lower than the 30" @ 2560x1600. I don't see the need for another display in there. Just drop the price on the 30" slightly (it's not nearly as overpriced as the 20" and 23" displays).

[chucker]

Well, there's always spots like 2304x1440 (1152x720 times two) or 2048x1280 (1024x640 times two). Since the 30-inch resolution is downright humongous, which won't change until a good solution to resolution-independent UIs is found (at which point the new trend will be to simply keep increasing resolutions, with the only trade-off being higher performance and bandwidth needs), can it really hurt to have further steps below that?

[initialsBB]

Originally Posted by chucker Well, there's always spots like 2304x1440 (1152x720 times two) or 2048x1280 (1024x640 times two).

actually in terms of resolution 2304x1440 and 2048x1280 are 4 times 1152x720 and 1024x640 respectively...

i'm wodering what the real point of a 26" is. these are 'cinema' displays after all, and for the moment all we really need are 1920x1080 for the max HD, non ?. (an aside, why does the 20" only have 1050 in height?). the 30" even has enough space for the 2k rez of 2048x1556 !!!

in terms of 'cinema display' the only next 'better' step is 4096x3112 for 4K, but that's insane

[chucker]

Originally Posted by initialsBB actually in terms of resolution 2304x1440 and 2048x1280 are 4 times 1152x720 and 1024x640 respectively...

That depends on whether you're multiplying or using diagonals. I didn't use *; I used x.

i'm wodering what the real point of a 26" is. these are 'cinema' displays after all,

The "Cinema" in Apple's display naming has never had anything to do with watching movies. Their displays aren't tailored for that. The resolution/size ratio is far too high.

(an aside, why does the 20" only have 1050 in height?)

Because that's the typical resolution?

I assume you want 1080 in height. In that case, you'd have 1728 in width, so you wouldn't end up with full HD either. The smallest 16:10 resolution with full HD is 1920x1200, which is the 23-inch display's resolution.

in terms of 'cinema display' the only next 'better' step is 4096x3112 for 4K, but that's insane

Again, don't take "Cinema" too literally.

[initialsBB]

aw... you ruined all my fun

[chucker]

Originally Posted by initialsBB aw... you ruined all my fun

Such a spoilsport, I am.

[Ghost2]

What about apple giving us 2540p so we can edit the video coming out of the red camera with our shiny new mac pros. Realistically I think a 27 inch display is more likely than a 26 inch display, and it will probably only have 1920x1200 resolution, just like the dell 27 inch display that is coming out.

[chucker]

They're not gonna do a bigger display with the same resolution than a smaller one. As for 2540p, the page you link to doesn't actually seem to say much.

[Robo]

I certainly hope the next thing to happen to the Cinema Displays would be a price drop.

$499/$999/$1,999 would be a nice start.

A 26"/27" display? Interesting...while I guess there is a bit of a size gap in between the 23" and 30" displays, I'm not sure it really needs filling, nor can I see Apple filling it. I'm sure it'd fit quite nicely into the $1,499 slot in the example above, but how many people really want a display that's larger than 23" but smaller than 30"?

I can see why people are saying we'll see the new displays in January, because Leopard is supposed to hit around that time, and some hope that it will include resolution independence (thus allowing Apple to go beyond their self-imposed limit of 100 dpi). Still, Luca is right - the current 23" resolution already maxes out single-link DVI, so it would require dual-link DVI if it increased in resolution.

But I do hope that the displays increase in resolution...if for no other reason than so the 20" display (and thus, the 20" iMac) could be a true "HD" display.

Other upgrades in the new displays? Hopefully, they'll be HDCP-compliant, and a built-in iSight wouldn't surprise me, either.

And of course, as in any Apple display discussion, someone brought up the possibility of Apple making a cheaper display for Mac mini buyers. While I would love to see a glossy white 17" display (with the resolution of the current 20") for $299, I can't help but think that if Apple were planning such a display, we would have seen it by now.

[initialsBB]

Originally Posted by Ghost2 What about apple giving us 2540p so we can edit the video coming out of the red camera with our shiny new mac pros. Realistically I think a 27 inch display is more likely than a 26 inch display, and it will probably only have 1920x1200 resolution, just like the dell 27 inch display that is coming out.

don't get me wrong or anything, that Red One cam looks neat... on paper... wtf is up with calling it their CMOS the 'Mysterium' ? sounds ominously like vapourware to me. and 17 900 MSRP for the camera that holds 'in the plam of your hand' ? c'mon...

[JK47]

Thought I'd throw together a little table to illustrate some of the significant differences between the Apple 20 inch display and the Dell 20 inch display:



I am in the market for a monitor, and I would be willing to spend a little more for an Apple display with similar specifications to the Dell display. However, the Dell display is technologically superior or equal to the Apple Cinema Display in every category. Furthermore, the Dell comes with an extra 2 years of warranty. That alone has a HUGE influence on my decision. I won't even mention the price differential, just look above.

Dude, I'm gettin' a Dell.

[Brad]

Apple's at $390 and Dell's at $799? I think you need to double-check your numbers, JK47.

[JK47]

Originally Posted by Brad Apple's at $390 and Dell's at $799? I think you need to double-check your numbers, JK47.

Uggghhh...this will teach me to post past 1 in the morning. Table corrected....

[T2dak668]

Originally Posted by Brad Apple's at $390 and Dell's at $799? I think you need to double-check your numbers, JK47.

ya i was going to say for $390 i was going to scoff up two or three of them!

[mooty]

I am definately thinking iSight built into the next versions....

[rollercoaster375]

You can take $100 off that price by buying a refurb... Since there's no BTOing of displays, there's really no reason not to.

[LiquidSpace]

well i must say that i LOVE my 23" ACD and wouldn't mind having another right beside it for some dual monitoring in logic.

[Engine Joe]

Originally Posted by mooty I am definately thinking iSight built into the next versions....

Yah, I imagine that will happen, too, but it won't do me any good, since I use two monitors and both are off-centered. And I'd think a lot of pro users do, too, and thus the iSight would be useless to them, too. So that would be somewhat annoying.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by Roboman I certainly hope the next thing to happen to the Cinema Displays would be a price drop. $499/$999/$1,999 would be a nice start.

Tell me about it...I'd have that nice 20" in a heartbeat (I would have, at home, the same working space/resolution I enjoy at work on my 20" iMac G5). I can't swing (or justify) the $799, but $499 is something I would seriously consider! I'd pay that for the USB/FireWire hubs, and that size and resolution, all wrapped in sleek Apple style.

I do love that size/resolution...

And it would work with a MacBook, right?



And I agree with robo: if Apple wanted to offer a nice 17" Cinema Display (in white or aluminum, either one), surely they would've done it by now. The mini has existed for 18 months, so...



At one point I would've bet everything I had (plus the sour milk thing ) that a 17" standalone Apple display was "just around the corner". But as time marches on, I'm finding that a tough one to believe. Which, of course, means Apple will pull one out of their butt and announce it next Tuesday, completely out of left field and as a total surprise (kinda like how they did the eMac, iBook G4 and Mighty Mouse...you just woke up one morning and all this freaky new stuff was on their homepage, with no fanfare, excessive rumorification, etc.).

[doublem9876]

I expect the next gen displays to have a different material - one to match the Mac Pros - and a built-in iSight. No more than that.

[psmith2.0]

Hell, I'm not even sure about the "matching" part...remember how long the clear acrylic Cinema Displays stuck around, long after the towers went from the silver G4 glossy plastic to the current matte aluminum of the G5?



That always drove me nuts, how completely different the G5 was to the Cinema Displays for a while there. Much better now!

Hopefully, when/if the towers drastically change design (glossy black or bearskin or whatever), the displays will follow along.

[ZachPruckowski]

I don't think having two of the three monitors needing dual-link DVI is gonna be a huge problem. Apple could well be going from DVI to DL DVI in the iMac soon, and maybe also the MBP (although size is obviously an issue). The Mini and the MacBook aren't much of an issue, because if you are gonna buy a $600-1200 computer, you won't pay more than $500 for a display, I'd wager.

[BlueRabbit]

Zach: The MBP already has dual-link DVI support. I'm not sure if I'd expect the iMac to get it though - it's not the type of computer you'd normally hook a 30" display up to, whereas it wouldn't be too uncommon with a MBP.

[hobbit.2]

One of the more interesting questions (as it has repercussions) is which connector type the next Apple display will use. I doubt it will be DVI. Once Apple goes HD-DVD a new connector type with DRM must be used to view the HD content. HDMI would be one option. But my bet is on UDI which was recently introduced by Apple and Intel.

But if the new displays will use UDI ports, will they also sport DVI ports? As current Apple displays have only one port (no VGA or S-Video for example) it is likely the new displays will only support UDI. That of course means that we will need new Macs going with the new displays, Macs that have UDI ports instead of DVI.

In that respect it could make sense that the new displays will see the light of day next January. As that would be a good time to revamp all pro Macs, notebooks and desktops alike. Notebooks will likely get a speed bump in September, and a revamp in January with Merom chips. And desktops could see their first speed bump in January as well, together with a new graphics card supporting UDI.