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

This is a great monitor that works well with my Mini and laptop alike. Good looking, the speakers/mic/camera are pretty good too and the discrete and powered USB slots really help tidy up a desk. I've no reflection issues, if the screen was set to dark setting and I had a window behind me then maybe.
The people writing negative reviews based on this not being good for pro-graphic works: what's this display called dummies!! It does what it says on the tin and does it well... expensive yes, but ultimately it will last and look good for a long time and the picture is excellent for the home computing 99.5% of buyers will be using it for.

This is a beautiful product. I have it hooked up to my 27" iMac as a second monitor and I am absolutely amazed by the results. The quality and design is superb. I can image the glossy screen might put some people off, but I sit facing the window and there are no light sources behind me, so I don't have a problem. My only gripe is that it's shorter than the 27" iMac that it sits along site, would be nice if it was adjustable (mine sits on a book). But apart from that LOVE IT!! Well done Apple!

Talk about a ROTTEN APPLE!
You need to be in near complete darkness, in order to avoid seeing a glare or background reflection in monitor. The monitor is nice and heavy it seems more stable than the 27" IMac, but there still are no height adjustments. The worst feature seems to be the lack of USB ports and short cables; it would also help if they would position the USB ports at different places on the monitor. I would like to see HDMI ports and media card readers on the next series of Apple monitors. This monitor has only the apple logo and aluminum casing going for it, other than that: it is lesser in value to similar monitors on the market.
Apple should give up on making monitors and just sell monitor casings with the apple logo on it; it would be cheaper for them and the consumer.
No real bargain with this monitor!
(Unless you like charging up you Apple laptop using your monitor?!)

Beautiful monitor but its going back for refund tomorrow. Cannot deal with all the reflections from glossy finish. What in the world was Apple thinking selling this to professional graphics/photo guys? Beautiful, but unusable. Only item I've ever bought from Apple that was bad enough to return.

I upgraded from a 20-inch cinema display and all I can say is wow. This thing puts any other display I have seen to shame. For one, the gloss enhances the clarity and hasn't proven to be an issue because it can get so bright that it can overpower any reflection you throw on it. The design is great and the crispness and color is unparalleled by any other comparably priced display I've seen. I will say that you can get this to work with computers that do not support Thunderbolt or Mini Display Port with a converter. I used a dual-link DVI converter and no resolution has been lost. It is important that you use a DUAL link and not single link DVI converter because it won't carry the full 2560x1440 resolution. I don't recommend this for the casual web surfer, it is a luxury for those of us who use computers extensively in design and video. The added resolution provides digital elbow room that allows you to keep many applications running simultaneously without needing to constantly minimize and hide other windows. Despite the price (and I don't make a whole lot of money) I have absolutely no regrets. Period.

I had read most of these reviews before purchasing this. It was between this and the Dell U2711. Here's what tipped me over to choose the Apple display. It's an LED monitor and therefore no warmup time (the Dell isn't LED), it uses less power, it hooks up beautifully to my Macbook and frees up the bulky power cord to be stored away and lastly it has a glossy glass screen! Who in their right mind would want anti-glare? Maybe if you use a PC or laptop and work in an office with overhead fluorescents and big sunlit windows. This is by far the best monitor I have ever had. It's bright when it is supposed to be and dim when in less light. I have had zero eye strain issues. Priced relatively the same as the Dell. No brainer, choose this!

I waited to buy this monitor due to a lot of the negative reviews. Finally decided that I needed it and purchased it over the holidays. I have had no issues with the speakers, they worked the first time I used them. The glare is not an issue, I have the monitor in my office that has a large picture window and plenty of light. Glare is not an issue at night either. Great picture clarity and definition. The cord length is not an issue I have my macbook pro on the corner of my desk (out of the way) and my monitor in the middle of the desk. Installation and setup took about 5 minutes and I did not have to buy any new cords or converters. In my opinion, this is another great product from Apple and I am glad to finally own one.

Extremely vibrant, sharp, and easy on the eyes (reading text is relatively comfortable as far as high contrast LCDs go). As noted in other reviews, make sure you are comfortable with the glossy finish - I find it accentuates the colors and makes for a 'crisp' image which I prefer. Backlight bleed through is minimal, evenly distributed, and white, so it's easily ignored.

Built-in speaker sound quality is solid for a monitor, and gives the option of ditching external speakers to reduce workspace clutter. The minimal bezel and overall thinness likewise make the display surprisingly unobtrusive, despite the large diagonal and high resolution (in terms of bulk, my previous 24" gateway monitor is about the same as this monitor).

One factor to be wary of is that it does produce an unexpectedly audible power supply 'buzz' noise at full brightness (projected from the back of the monitor), so I don't recommend using it in very quiet settings if you're sensitive to ambient noise. Given how silent Apple's more recent products have been (MacMini, MacBook Pros [when not heavily loaded], iMacs), the noise stands out.

I purchased mine on 9/25/10...

Coming from the 24" model I felt that the widescreen aspect ratio was a little hard to get used to. It made the display look a little less tall and it almost looked the same as the 24" display.

I do agree with peers and I too wish there was an HDMI port on it. Real bummer that there isn't one. It would make the display more multi-use.

I’m a power user/designer/video pro/photographer/blogger and the glossy screen does not bother me one bit, so I don't see how others really dislike that. I have an old 30" Cinema Display at work and either work for me, however I prefer working on the 27" display.

Question to upgrade from the 24" to the 27"... If you have the money and you can sell your old one go for it, I don't know if it's a big upgrade in technology to make that jump for some.

The new auto dimming feature is a real nice plus, but I feel like its always setting the brightness a little to bright for my tastes.

The 178 degree viewing seems very similar if not any different from the 24" model.

I do like that Apple made the glass go to all the way to the edge similar to the iMac. This makes wiping the glass a little easier so dirt/dust don't collect there.

One other thing that could have been updated with this monitor would be the length of the cable that supplies usb, mini display and power. I think it’s a little too short and I needed an extension cable so I can have my MacBook Pro off to the side and further away.

Overall great display!

Have had this monitor for over a year and been using it with my MacBook Pro. Every part of this monitor just screams "class" and love the design element that matches my MacBook.

The largest surprise was how amazing the audio from this monitor really is. All streamed over the MDP or USB (your choice) and just for general listening to music in iTunes, this is the absolute best sound you can find aside from buying a external set of quality speakers. I myself prefer less cable clutter.

All hasn't been perfect though as I've gotten low voltage warnings just from a standard Apple Keyboard with numerical pad and a corded Apple mouse attached to the keyboard. Simply swapped USB ports on the back of the ACD and never seen the error again.

It amazes me how bright this display is with uniform lighting. Considering that, I haven't had any dark spots or other quality control issues.

Overall, if you own an older Core 2 Duo MacBook or Mac Mini or even a full on Mac Pro. This display is the perfect companion for all of them.

If it's any indication on how well this display is built and still being sold to this day, this is one purchase I've never regretted making.

Bravo Apple on a great monitor for us shutterbugs!