Back in July, Apple announced that the availability of their 27-inch LED Cinema Display would be September. It is now Mid-September and Apple is ready to get the 27-inch Cinema Display in the hands of customers.
In case you missed it, Apple has discontinued the 24-inch and 30-inch Cinema Displays.
The 27-inch Cinema Display is an LED display, which allows for brighter screens and less power draw. However there is a potential maximum power draw of up to 250 Watts while charging a MacBook Pro.
The 27-inch screen uses IPS technology, which is very crisp and clear. The IPS technology is also used within the iPad, iPhone4 and iPod Touch (4th Generation) screens.
The new Cinema Display supports three different screen resolutions: 2560×1440, 1920×1080 and 1280×720. This means that it has a 16×9 aspect ratio, which is slightly different than their portable devices which all 16×10 aspect ratios. So th16x9 aspect ratio does seem like a bit of an odd choice.
The biggest plus for the display is that you can use it to charge your MacBook. Why is this a good thing? Well, it means fewer cables that need to be around. It also means that you do not have to take your MacBook’s power supply out of its travel case just to charge it up and use it.
The last feature, which I would expect from any display released these days, is the VESA mount. The VESA mount allows you to put your display on a monitor arm or any other VESA compliant stand. This can be great for clearing space off your desk to create a larger work surface.
Apple Care is, as usual, available for purchase. It costs $99 and extends your coverage for a full three years.
The 27-inch Apple Cinema Display is not inexpensive. It will run you $999. The current lead time is 1 – 2 weeks, but it is available now in the Apple Store. If it weren’t so expensive, I would probably buy one right now, but alas, maybe next year.
Photo Credit: Apple
