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

I have seen the glare everybody is talking about, but it goes away when you're working under the right conditions. All I can say is it must not be for everybody. This is the best display monitor ever. no one else even comes close. Go Apple!!!

i can't work on your glossy screen anymore, and i can't put a third party film over it because it will cause loss of detail. so please offer this size monitor with a matte screen. please. please. please. please. please.

It is wonderful. It has really high resolution and has a handful of features and I love it but it is it realy pricey. It doesn't support HDMI and doesn't have anti-glare which stinks. It would be nice if there was a blu-ray , DVD and CD writer and reader if you own a Macbook air, a Mac Mini or if you need to multitask with disks.

After working with the Apple Cinema Display 23" for five years, I decided to upgrade to the new 27" LED display when I updated my desktop and laptop systems. I was a little concerned with the glossy surface of the 27" LED model, worrying that there would be too many reflection issues.

Half a year on and I have experienced no issues with reflections. The larger display is easier to get my work done with (I'm a technical writer and photographer). I've calibrated the display with an Xrite ColorMunki to my desired target values. Having done that, I have no issues whatever with a color managed printing process, etc ... what I see on screen closely matches what comes out of the printer.

Very happy with it.

I had this display for a year and was worried about the glare. No problem at all for me.
I like the gloss finish of the screen. Looks great when its off and the color is so bright and clear, I dont see the glare. I wish it had the hd camera built in but it works so well I dont know if it would make that much of a difference.I am completely satisfied with this. Best I have ever owned and is worth the money. 27" is a great size too.

Dell XPS 2009
Mac Pro 17" 2009
2011 Mac Pro 15.4"
21" IMac at office 2011
Iphone 4
I pad 2010

I went to the Apple store today to buy a completely fitted out Mac Pro. Loaded. This is not a cheap investment, but since my original G5 has lasted about 10 years I felt it was a good investment. When I get to the store, prepared to also buy two 27" monitors I find out they no longer offer a matte monitor, only glossy.

Between the Final Cut X fiasco and this, I can only assume that Apple no longer cares about their professional users. I am so disgusted right now I can't even sleep. I haven't been this upset with a company, ever. Surely, the folks at Apple must know that those of us doing color critical, detail oriented imaging work need a matte screen, so I can only assume that they really don't want our business.

So now i have to find another brand of monitor. I can't believe that Apple did this, I really can't...

When I switched to the Mac about 17 months ago, I first got a 2009 27" iMac. I later switched to the 2010 version of the physically unchanged 27" iMac and now, I'm rocking a Mac mini server with this gorgeous 27" LED Cinema Display.

They say that customers come back if they like what they "see", right? Well, this fantastic screen is the exact same in all three aforementioned products. Before getting the 27-incher, I briefly had the 30" Cinema HD Display, as it was called, with its matte screen. There are so many people here who are faulting this display for being too glossy, but I find it unfair to judge this particular display for what it is NOT. I actually missed my glossy screen and sold my 30" display and was only too glad to have it back.

I had previously also subscribed to the idea that matte was the way to go and felt sorry for my friends who "had to deal with this reflective nightmare", but like I said, that was before. I find its 27" size to be just about right for a display that you're sitting in front of and I fell in love with it (and the Mac platform) at first sight when I set up my very first 27" screen as part of my first iMac.

The price is also more than fair for what you're getting: A big 27" LED 2560x1440 high resolution display with IPS technology (i.e. great and highly accurate color reproduction and superb wide viewing angles without any distortion). It also has a pretty good response time (except maybe for hardcore gamers), which I am not, and the brightness can be set to extraordinarily high levels.

Please note that if you have any of the 2011 Mac's with the ThunderBolt port, you should get the renamed 27" ThunderBolt display. Again, it's the same display, and although ThunderBolt is backwards compatible to MiniDisplayport, you will get more out of the TB display, so make sure you take that into consideration.

I am very pleased with this display. For me, glare is not an issue, given the lighting in the rooms where I am using the display. Even when I moved the display to a room with outside windows, which were clearly reflected in the glass of the screen, they really were not much of a distraction. I also think the built-in speakers work very well, and I am glad to be able to remove the separate counter-top speakers that I had been using. I am using this display with my 15" MacBookPro, and in a home environment.

The quality of the display is top-notch. However, there are 2 issues I have with this display. 1.) I would prefer matte over glossy to avoid the reflection problem since most of us do not work in a completely dark room. 2.) The built-in microphone does not offer ambient noise reduction. This is a huge problem for me because I tend to close my Macbook Pro 17 and only use the 27" while working. The built-in microphone on the Macbook Pro has the ambient noise filter. I've tried both while on conference calls using Skype and everyone complains of too much background noise when I try to use the Cinema Display mic. They can even hear cars drive by outside of my house! Unfortunately, I do not see it mentioned as a feature on the new Thunderbolt 27" display either.

I've read all the reviews. Here the bottom line for me...

I edit video and create graphics from sunrise to sundown. I'm working at a dining room table that has a large cluster of windows directly behind me, and a bright chandelier hanging above the display in the evening. The first time I fired up the display I thought, WOW, great picture! Then, I noticed the glare from the windows behind me. After five minutes of thinking about it, I never thought about it again. In other words, it's there, but it's a non-factor. I've had the matte finish displays before, and they seem dull compared to the "pop" you get with this display. The detail and resolution is incredible!...

The negative? I just sold the display I bought in Feb 11, to get the new Thunderbolt display. Why? Extra FW 800 port, so now I don't have to run my external HD and MOTU daisy chained off one port....

Bottom line is you won't be disappointed with this display, but get the Thunderbolt version for the extra features...