Apple LED Cinema Display 24-Inch MB382LL/A Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've owned this display a few months (just got the wife one this week, too!), and it's a FANTASTIC display. I moved from my original Apple 23" Cinema Display to this 24" LED Cinema Display, and don't regret it for a second. The screen is incredibly vivid, and if you don't have any obvious windows behind you, the glare from the glass is a non-issue. This holds true for Apple's current notebook lineup.

What I'm really tired of is people complaining that it only works with the Mini-displayport-equipped notebooks. While this is TRUE, it's not like Apple is hiding it from anyone. It says so right on the box! Apple is switching all its equipment, as they have said, to mini displayport. End of story. If you don't have a new Apple notebook, you can't use the display! Go get a different display! Nobody is forcing you to buy this one!

Now, getting back to the review, some might complain that the better part of nine-hundred dollars is a lot of money for a 24" display. But there is a reason for the price-tag. Several reasons, in fact. First, it uses an IPS panel, which provides wonderful color, and fantastic viewing angles. Every four-hundred dollar screen of this size at Best Buy will be a TN panel, which while having the fastest refresh rate, provides terrible color accuracy and viewing angles that fall off drastically when viewed from any angle other than DEAD center. IPS panels are considerably more expensive for this reason. Second, this is an LED backlit display, not a traditional CCFL backlit display. This means the screen reaches full brightness almost instantaneously after turning it on, whereas CCFL LCD screens take some minutes to achieve the same goal. And, of course, LED lit screens are wonderfully bright compared to CCFL. There is currently, as of typing, no screen out there this size which is LED lit and IPS for this price.

Next, let's add the fact that it will power your new MacBook/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air because it provided a power plug for your laptop! So now you can leave your laptop charger in your bag! Now, let's add that this screen has two fairly decent speakers and a rear-facing subwoofer built in. Sure the quality of the speakers isn't going to be so much that you replace a high-end desktop speaker system with it, but for me, for quiet music and YouTube etc, it's perfect. And it also has three USB ports in the back for plugging in your other devices. Oh, and it has a webcam/microphone built in!

The ONLY reason I don't give the display 5 stars is because Apple has a bit of work to do in their "dust-free environments." I've used four of these displays, and each one has had between one and five dust flecks or debris of some sort under the glass. Many people won't notice, but they're there, and others have reported such things on the Apple Discussion Boards.

In any case, this should not put you off buying what is perhaps not even arguably the most stunning display on the market (provided you have a new Apple notebook of course!). I, for one, could not be happier. It takes my breath away every time I turn it on.

To sum up, for the cost of this display, you get a stunning LED lit, IPS panel, which serves as a docking station of sorts to your Apple notebook by providing USB ports, microphone, webcam, speakers AND power to it. Great stuff. I think it was worth the money.

4.5/5

*EDIT 5/20/10*

There are now third-party adapters to let you use your own older MacBook/other laptops with the Cinema Display. Use at your own risk. They're definitely not a guaranteed!

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Product Description:
Designed for the new MacBook family of laptops, the Apple LED Cinema Display features a stunning 24-inch LED-backlit widescreen display with built-in iSight video camera, mic and speakers in an elegant, thin aluminum and glass enclosure. It also includes an integrated MagSafe charger, three USB 2.0 ports and the new Mini DisplayPort, making it easy for MacBook users to quickly connect and power their notebooks as well as use their favorite peripherals.


Expand the screen of your new MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air (notebook not included); see larger version. The 24-inch glossy, widescreen display with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution uses LED-backlit technology to provide instant full-screen brightness and great power efficiency. LEDs are solid-state light sources that light up very quickly, so there's no waiting for your display when you connect your new MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air. With the built-in iSight camera, microphone, and speakers, you can connect your new MacBook--leaving it open or closed--and engage in video chats or listen to music just as you would with a desktop computer.
The LED Cinema Display includes a MagSafe connector that powers and charges your new MacBook. The connector sits on your desk, ready and waiting--no need to unravel the cord to the power adapter that came with your notebook. On the back of the display, you'll find three self-powered USB ports that are enabled the moment you plug the USB connector into your new MacBook. Connect a printer, camera, iPod, iPhone, USB hard drive... and they can stay connected so you can just grab your MacBook and go.
Tilt the LED Cinema Display to get the viewing angle that's best for your work environment. With its smooth-motion hinge, adjustment is effortless. Choose an angle anywhere from -5 to 25 degrees.
Part of the next-generation DisplayPort industry standard, the new Mini DisplayPort delivers a pure digital signal that can drive up to a 30-inch widescreen display. The Mini DisplayPort is ultra-compact at just 10 percent the size of a full DVI connector, perfect for the sleek design of the new MacBook family. Adapters are available for using the MacBook's Mini DisplayPort with older generation VGA, DVI/HDMI and Dual-Link DVI displays.
The new LED Cinema Display is the greenest Apple display ever, made with mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass and highly recyclable materials. The LED Cinema Display meets stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status. The new display contains no brominated flame retardants, all internal cables and components are PVC-free and its foam packaging has been reduced by 44 percent.

Specifications

Compatibility: MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro systems with Mini DisplayPort
Display: 24-inch (viewable) LED-backlit thin film transistor (TFT) active-matrix liquid crystal display
Supported resolutions: 1920 by 1200, 1280 by 800, 1024 by 640 pixels
Display colors (maximum): 16.7 million
Viewing angle: 178