For the past decade, I have relied exclusively on laptops for my writing and private life.  It wasn’t until I recently purchased my first unibody MacBook that I saw the need and felt the justification to splurge for the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display. 
As you can see in the image below, my office now has the delicious 24-inch Apple display in use as well as my MacBook’s display at the same time as both displays become the canvas for a single, virtual desktop as science and beauty become one!


The Cinema Display is amazingly bright, and if you’re used to bright LED laptops, you are not prepared for a Cinema Display cranked to its ultimate brightness.  Turn down the brightness or you’ll end up like me during my first few hours:  Nauseous and dizzy. 

The colors on the Cinema Display are sublime.  Colors appear deeper on the MacBook, but on the Cinema Display colors appear richer, but less vivid.

The Cinema Display has three USB ports on the back and the built-in speakers are located inside the bottom edge of the display.  Sound was okay.  Not great.  Zero bass.  I’m using my Logitech THX sound system.

The built-in microphone and camera work well.

The best part of the new Cinema Display from Apple is its native connectivity with the newer Macs. 

You have a single cord with three options:  USB, Mini DisplayPort and Charger.  That means you can charge your unibody MacBook without using the bundled charger; you can have a single USB port in use that will hook into the other three UBS ports on your monitor; and you have no fuss or muss setting up the “virtual canvas” of your MacBook and Cinema Display, because the Mini DisplayPort adapter natively handles all the setup and negotiation between monitor and computer.

You can’t go wrong if you want to go big with an Apple Cinema Display.  The thing is much bigger and heavier than I imagined.  Shipping weight was around 30 pounds.

If you want big, beautiful, bright colors — then get a 24-inch Apple Cinema Display.  You’ll thank me later in your dreams.

7 Comments

  2. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Yes, Gordon. It’s hard to judge how far away the screen should be from your eyes. A laptop doesn’t have that problem/freedom.
    I can, however, see this 24-inch screen better without my reading glasses. That helps quite a bit — except when the phone rings and I need to take handwritten notes and the hunt for my glasses begins anew. SMILE!

  3. ANNE – I live and teach on the upper West Coast of the United States. My interests are Philosophy, English, and Social Communication.
    ANNE says:

    Want want want want want. I thought about getting a big screen for my lappy. This looks so good with your recommendation. How much?

  4. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    The current price on the display, Anne, is around $900.00USD. Worth every single cent, too. You can’t go wrong with it and the fit with your new MacBook will please you.

  5. Yes, I am fortunate enough to own a 24-inch Apple Cinema Display! The color is overwhelming at first. It is actually bright enough to stimulate a serious headache. Sunglasses are optional. LOL! It is the GRANDEST thing that Apple/Mac has invented! Once you have one … there’s no going back!

  6. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Heartmelody69!
    Oh, wow! So glad you have the Cinema Display! I had no idea I wanted it or needed it so bad until I actually had it sitting before me. I have no clue how I lived so long without it! SMILE!

  7. Pingback: My 24″ LED Apple Cinema Display is DEAD! | Carceral Nation

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