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

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!

Well, at first i was mad that it's glossy, but couldn't pass up the features. Now that I've been using it for a week, you know what? I'm starting to become a fan of glossy. It's actually very clear, good colors and my eyes don't feel like they are blurring out. All, in all, i'm going to have to say I'm becoming a glossy fan. No headaches, and I've been a hardcore matte for a while. Color calibration went fine, and the thing is a beauty. The auto brightness is great for coding, text is crisp and clear and this things just beats the u2711 (seems much clearer). No dead pixels, no issues, a+

Pros
Huge.
Color temperature and grayscale tracking are excellent.
No inverter noise.
Does not generate significant heat.
Brightness range is incredible - more than comfortably usable in pitch dark rooms.
Amazingly easy connection to macbook pro. the magsafe charger is a godsend.
Built-in speakers surprisingly good quality. can easily surpress need to connect to a real audio system.
Uniformity is surprisingly good to the naked eye. Only some edge bleeding near the bottom, visible only on test patterns. No yellow tinging.
Sleek and sexy design, second to none, apple elegance all the way.

Cons
No height or left-right swivel adjustment
Only one display port input, no HDMI, no HDCP, cannot display video game material without some serious conversions.
Extremely glossy coating makes it unsuitable for watching dark material (eg movies) in harsh lighting.
More usb ports would've been nice.

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.

Why is it that some people chose to review a product based on spec, when they have never owned or used that product?

To actually use this display is dreamy. I would rather pay extra money to block ambient light than choose another display. For the most part tilt the display and your glare will go away. If you are a PRO, then work in a light appropriate environment. You do not see/hear an audio specialist working in a noisy environment. (they have sound proof specially designed rooms to record in.) Don't cut yourself short by working in a light filled environment, have drawn curtains, no overhead lighting, and control your light source... master it. A mat finish is horrible.

The Apple LED Cinema Display 27" is beautiful.

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.

I had problems with the 24" Cinema Display and replaced it with this one. I am SO glad I did. This is the most beautiful display I've ever seen. It blows the 24" out of the water. The colors are so vibrant. The resolution is fantastic. And having all this real estate to work in is a dream. I love love LOVE this monitor! It is just stunning. Worth every red cent.

The glass is beautiful. I would not want it any other way. My office is perfectly lighted for computer work so glare is absolutely not a problem. If you don't like or have concerns about the glossy display then I would recommend that you don't buy it. It's not for you. However, if you can look past that and/or adjust your lighting environment then I don't think you'll have a single regret.

I read now and again all the pros and cons as well as to see if other who bought it are 'thunder bolted" as i am . I think the display is one of the best money can buy. With mini server and windows in parallel it works great for me. I only had to add extra Ram to increase the speed of my mini. I would say a very good product for your moneys worth.

As a graphics professional in imaging and video processing I'd rather have a slightly dim office and control placement of the lighting in my office to eliminate any glare issues. The "flat" finishes that are non-glare are at the expense of fine detail. Any surface that scatters light to reduce the glare, well, scatters light. If you _must_ have a "non-glare" surface because of your particular environment and you must compromise, then there are antiglare films you can apply to the monitors glass. Or buy a spare glass from Apple parts and get it treated. But if you want the utmost in fidelity then move the lights in your office or put up drapes.

When I read some of the negative reviews of this monitor I find it hard to believe we're talking about the same product. I have been a professional photographer and videographer for more than 30 years and I have found this monitor to be one of the best I have ever used, including some that cost considerably more.

The main complaint seems to focus on the glossy monitor face. It's interesting that some of the so-called "pros" here admitted that they do their critical editing at their kitchen table or in a brightly lit office. This is nutsI. Everyone I know whose livelihood depends on critically accurate, repeatable color has a work room with subdued lighting. In fact, that's a requirement for most monitor calibrators. The glossy surface presents a saturated, sharp image that is beautiful to behold with no reflection problem whatsoever in a room with subdued lighting.

I employ a total color-managed workflow from camera to printing press, and this was one of the easiest monitors to professionally calibrate. It was not overly saturated or too bright (as many other monitors are) and the difference between before and after calibration was slight

What about more casual users in brighter rooms? Here I think the room configuration and personal taste will be most important. When I'm not doing critical work and open the windows shades that are to the immediate right of the monitor, the reflections don't bother me even though I'm now fairly brightly lit. When I open the shades behind me I can see the window reflection, but, it's no worse that my beloved iPad. Usually tilting the monitor (practical because of the great viewing angle) solves the problem. But, obviously, some can tune out reflections better than others.

My only complaint: the short 4' cords. I understand why Apple made the cords short (to eliminate desktop clutter for MacBook users) but they should have included an extension for the many MacPro users like me who find it about 2 feet too short.

This monitor isn't for everybody, but, for me it's been the perfect balance of quality, usability, and price.