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

I purchased this display only to have the LED quit working just after it went out of warranty. I have purchased $200 monitors that lasted for years and years. I believe that a $1,000 monitor should last for more than three years. By the way, I really liked the monitor while it worked.

I've had about 10 monitors in my lifetime that I've used under the same conditions and none ever fogs up. I can replicate the fog issue with this monitor and upon checking the forums, it appears like the iMACs have the same problem too, probably using the same screen. Other than that it does every other thing well. So it gets a 4 star only.

I Purchased my 27" flat panel display in 2011. After 2 years it now makes a continuous buzzing sound, that drives me crazy. The only way to reduce the buzzy sound is to reduce the brightness of the display. I gutted because I love apple and I loved my 27" display.

Apply please fix the issues

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 use the display mostly throughout the day and I would like to have sunlight whilst I work, and the screen is just too glossy and reflective. I don't want to be boxed in a dark/dim room just to get worked done. ITS JUST TOO GLOSSY!

The display is beautiful - if your a troglodyte living in an underground cave with zero light.

This is not a professional display.

The glare renders it useless if you have any ambient or indirect light source in the room.

It's pretty much a $1000 mirror.

A huge investment for my start-ups, used with a Mac Pro quad for a digital photo lab, was well worth the money over an off brand cheap-o. While there is credence to some other posts about gloss, this only seems to be an issue when backlit (e.g. you have your display in front of a window).

What really makes this worth it is the size? it allows me to work on images in near real scale with room for my tool bars which keeps me from zooming in and out constantly.

What really makes it worth the money? It is a simple, elegant multifunctional interface that renders true colors right out of the box. What I get on the screen is what I get in a print.

The visual quality of the display is stunning. Deep, deep blacks and rich colors. Super accurate color profile. Brilliant super high contrast screen. I have found mine to be reliable and it just works. I have not found the reflection noted by others to be a problem if your workstation is set up properly.

The 3 foot cord is not an issue for me since my MacPro sits sideways next to the monitor, however, I do know lots of office set ups that the CPU sits under the desk/worktable, and this requires an extension to do. For a 1K USD display this a hassle no one needs and makes no logical sense. I do find it strange that there is no height adjustment for ergonomics. Since I am very tall, >2m, this is not good. I find that the old height boosters used for the old CRTs work fine, but again for a one grand machine, it is a hassle no one needs. I take note that the new iMac8s still don't have height adjustment... On the electronics side, I note that this thing still has USB2 ports, again for the price you would think it have USB3 ports,...but on the other hand my nearly new MacPro doesn't either... But for ordinary stuff connected to the monitor, like keyboards, drawing pads, etc it works OK. I hate to say this, but with Steve Jobs gone, Apple does need a real computer geek with attention to detail to make the final call on what goes in the machine, not the mad money men.

My monitor does what I need it to, and does it better than anything else out on the market, and its design limitations I can and do work around with no problem. I suspect most everyone else can as well. I do strongly recommend that everyone that gets this monitor or its Tbolt twin buy Apple Care, since it the reliability seems to be less than normal Apple standards.

The display is a perfect match for my iMac 27" and doubles the workspace!

Pros: Clear, crisp, beautiful, (MUCH better than a 43" 1080P TV that I tried to use before). Also comes with the video cord and USB (sound) in the box, so no extra cords to purchase.

Cons: Very minor sound configuration issues. Took a little effort to get sound working in concert with the iMac. Also the brightness bar didn't appear at first and I had to reset the USB plug. One last minor detail, the cinema display sits 3/4" lower than the iMac so I had to put a spacer block of wood under the display to get it to sit even with my iMac, ie. it would be nicer if Apple would make a height adjustable screen.

A word about glare: At first I noticed a terrible glare, but that was because the default brightness was very low at the first. Once I was able to reset the brightness bar, I brought the brightness up to match my iMac, then it looked exactly the same--no glare. If you drive brightness down low on the iMac or the display the glare starts to show, but if you bring the brightness up then no glare at all. Ie. the screen display is exactly the same as the iMac 27".


Very pleased, should have dished out the money sooner!