Reviews for Apple LED Cinema Display (27" flat panel)

I couldn't.

I've had my iMac for about 2 years and, after an initial brief adjustment period, grew to like – LOVE – the shiny display. So finally adding a 27" LED Cinema Display was a no-brainer (once I got over the sticker shock).

My single issue occurred when I tried to adjust the brightness on my new display. The instruction manual said to adjust the brightness with the slider in the Display preferences, same as on the iMac. The problem was, there was no brightness slider. I learned later that I had to plug the USB from the display into the iMac in order for the brightness slider to appear (and after Quitting out of ColorSync).

I have two problems with this. First, the instructions didn't say this; I had to go online to find out. Seems like a pretty flagrant omission. And second, I don't recall reading anywhere about having to use up a valuable USB port in order to adjust the brightness. Another pretty flagrant omission, in my opinion.

So, 5 stars for this absolutely gorgeous display. Truly a grand well spent. But a 4-star rating because of the non-disclosure about the USB plug/brightness slider issue, either in the instructions or in the promotional materials.

I am a pro wedding photographer and don't really see anything wrong with the glossy screen. I work in ambient light with the windows of the room facing the back of the screen and at night I work with lights off so I don't see any reflections. Great display however where the heck is the power button?! I render and or run actions with Photoshop and Lightroom and would like to walk away with the screen off while they are running.

I agree with PA from London in as much as that the loss of the resolution of the new monitors and gentleness to the eyes is a big disappointment.
For a software developer vertical pixel count and the fantastic anti-glare surface of the old 30" Cinema display is of far greater importance than the wide-screen glossy or latest anti=glare appearance of the latest monitors.
The old 30" inch monitor has a vertical resolution of 1600 allowing you to see that extra vital amount of source code and the image it produces is much more gentle on my eyes.
Unfortunately, software developers are not in the majority so I do not think this is going to change. I am not sure what I will do if my 30" monitor should ever break. I think Apple should do more for their software developers as they are vitally important to the future of any OS. There is a direct relationship between screen-size and a programmers productivity.
The new Monitors a great for watching movies, better than any TV out there!

You can buy a display labeled as 1080p for 400-900 bucks from besst buy but none for this money will be able to give you a 2560 x 1440 display .

the 1080p on a 27 inch non apple display( samsung syncmaster 27 inch 550 series for example , that i returned on the day i got this) is so subpar that your eyes will screaam with pain after working on something bright like microsoft word. i almost made an appt with an optometrist to check to see if i had issues with my eyes!

now for the CONs:
there are none for this one but i have a beeef with the TB display that the TB display is not backwards compatible with mini display ports!!! what a game by apple and thats why i have taken 1 star out. its not that apple cant figure it out that they can make TB displays compatible with older mdp port macs, its just that they dont want to.

I deliberated over these and Dell 2711 which I almost bought, but was put off by the talk of the grainy anti-glare coating. The ACD LED were replacements for a pair of 23" ACD ive been using almost every day for 5 years, which were excellent but starting to look dimmer than Id like!

The clarity, brightness and overall 'pop' of these screens is superb, as well as the substantial screen real estate compared to my previous 1920x1080 ACD. For me the glossiness is a non issue since I work in a room with no rear illumination or items that would reflect - when these are on, all I can see is what's on screen. However, with less optimal lighting conditions, I assume you would struggle a little - seems daft that Apple dont offer both gloss and matte versions. I am however enjoying the lack of grain/sparkle you get with coated glass.

Only reason i'm giving 4 stars is overall expense - I think they could be a tad cheaper! :]

I also installed a Radeon HD5770 in my early 2008 Mac pro to run them via Mini Display Port, and can also confirm that despite what it says on the kit for them, they do work with Macs prior to 2010!

I just got mine a couple days ago, and it's wonderful! the sharpness, the brilliance, the pixel resolution, the vividness of the colour -- it looks like the image on the screen was printed on, not composed of pixels.

I now have this as my primary, and a 24" acer 1200x1920 (it's rotated 90º) as my secondary. I was happy with the acer before i got the Apple, but beside the Apple it looks terrible by comparison.

A couple complaints: (1) the cable is a bit too short, maybe 4' long? If using a Mac Pro, the tower has the be near to the monitor to work. (2) There is no provision to replace its base with an arm and there is no pivot -- so the monitor cannot be rotated and must sit on the desk. I want my secondary monitor to be tall, not wide, so, while this monitor is a terrific primary, it is unacceptable as a secondary.

Many people complained about the glossy display. If you have control over the room lighting, the glossy display is actually very nice as a matte display interferes slightly with the picture. Glossy is annoying in a brightly lit cube farm though.

After much research and consideration i settled on the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 because my macbook pro c2d didn't have the necessary mini display connection required for the ACD. The Dell was almost right, it had nice colour definition and a range of connection options but it was absolutely ruined by the disgusting anti glare coating on it, text was very hard to read and trying to add subtle textures (all the rage these days you know) when doing design work was actually impossible because of the very visible noise. Anyway, i got the ACD on special and bought the altona dp400 to connect it to my older macbook and the difference is night and day, it's like putting on a pair of prescription glasses, everything is so much clearer and more defined. I personally love glossy screens and in my studio reflected light is no problem. Only cons are that using the altona takes up 1 of the 2 valuable usb ports and a hdd won't run off the monitors inbuilt hub. Also there is no off button!!! i want to turn the monitor off when i leave the room, Minor gripes however. It would have been lovely to dispense with the need for an expensive converter all together, how hard is it to add a multi connector to the back of one of these? overall very happy with this display.

This display is excelent for working, It makes things more organized. I have it connected with my Macbook, and it makes easier things, as I can have email opened in one screen and browsing opened in the other. It is just perfect for productivity when working in several things at a time.

However. I wish I could change from 2560x1440 (which is default resolution) to 2058x1152 without affecting the sharpness of the images. It just won't look as perfect as you want so you won't use it. In my case I wanted to see things bigger without having the Display so close, but by now I will have to continue like this.

I recommended to every mac user.

My main point of comparison is an old 23" Cinema Display and the 27" LED is better in most regards: higher rez, brighter, instant warm up, wider viewing angle and runs cool as a cucumber. It's plugged into my "ancient" 2009 MacPro and has proved to be the perfect monitor for working in Aperture and Photoshop. I wish it had both Firewire and USB ports like the older display but that's a minor nitpick. The older display had a matt finish and, yes, I would have preferred the same for the 27" LED. However, the matt finish does help reduce glare but only in a minor way. You need to use a monitor hood or dark corner for glare free viewing with either monitor.

The main gotcha with the 27" LED is the silly short cable. I had to drill a hole through the middle of my desk to reach the MacPro beneath (nobody keeps a MacPro on their desk!). The 2 prior Cinema Displays I owned had ample cable length, so I was surprised Apple cut corners here in an otherwise great product. The speakers are terrible so you'll want a set of decent monitors if you listen to music or watch movies. So A- or B+ on this puppy but well worth the money.

Comments left by reviewers indicate that its a great display but why the huge difference in price between essentially the same unit in the US for $999 and that sold in Australia $1,299 particularly at a time when the Australian dollar has been at par or better for some time now. Come on Apple you can do better than that.