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Author Topic: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display  (Read 14244 times)

Paul2660

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Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« on: June 03, 2012, 06:24:35 pm »

I am considering one of these, as I like the built in hub features.  However in the past apple displays don't seem to get
very good reviews in regards to being good color managed monitors.  I would be using the i1 publish software for color
management.  The monitor seems to only come in a glossy finish, I would prefer matte. 

What are the opinions of others on this monitor?  It's a bit on the costly side at 1K, so just wanted to check here.

Thanks
Paul
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Paul Caldwell
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2012, 07:35:11 pm »

I'm interested in this question as well, because we need another display for another Apple computer in the house. A comparator may be the Dell UltraSharp 27" model U2711, also a high-res display. It seems to be highly rated and it does have an anti-glare screen, but there have been several complaints in the various customer reviews that the anti-glare material itself causes visibility of tiny coloured bead-like artifacts.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2012, 07:45:44 pm »

FWIW I have two Cinema Displays of varying vintages and the new LED backlit Thunderbolt Display. The Tb display is superior to those other Apple monitors in colour accuracy and 'evenness' of backlight (poor on the Cinema displays - esp. the 30").

However, for colour accuracy, I  don't believe there is much around to beat NEC's offerings which are superior to Apple's in most respects.

Mark D Segal

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2012, 07:57:01 pm »

Yes NEC is excellent - my primary display is an NEC PA271 for colour critical work and that is what I would recommend too. And far easier on the eyes than a gloss display.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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Paul2660

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2012, 08:51:21 pm »

Thanks to all.

I agree the PA271 is a great one, but was hoping to avoid that cost point for now.  The added hub capabilities
really appeal to me on the apple, however the glossy screen is hard on the eyes over time.

Paul
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Paul Caldwell
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Scott Martin

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2012, 10:28:57 pm »

I agree the PA271 is a great one, but was hoping to avoid that cost point for now.  The added hub capabilities
really appeal to me on the apple, however the glossy screen is hard on the eyes over time.

I agree that this is a really hard call. The downside to the NEC is the cost and lack of Thunberbolt technology which presents the need for an expensive hub. The downside of the Apple display is the glossy front. Surely one party will make a correction before the end of the year. One would hope at least...
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PhilipCummins

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2012, 05:45:01 am »

The downside of the Apple display is the glossy front. Surely one party will make a correction before the end of the year. One would hope at least...

They already have them from Photodon or RadTech.
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2012, 07:57:00 am »

I would be very hesitant to apply any of this stuff to a 900 dollar display before seeing a number of reliable reviews attesting to the ease of the process, the application risks and its longevity. I haven't done a search for reviews yet, but should do so.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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Scott Martin

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2012, 08:40:18 am »

They already have them from Photodon or RadTech.

IMO, these solutions are terrible and further block a clear, unobstructed view of the LCD itself. I recommend removing the glass on Cinema Displays before applying film. The glass comes off daily easy leaving a remarkable matte surface LCD and, unfortunately, an ugly bevel around it.

Neither solution is very desirable to the typical Apple buyer. If Apple would just sell an antiglare version of the Cinema Display as they do with the MacBookPro, they would have a really compelling solution.
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2012, 09:10:29 am »

How does one remove the glass safely and what is the risk of not having it in place - if it is only the appearance of the bevel, perhaps not a bad idea?
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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Scott Martin

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2012, 09:15:48 am »

How does one remove the glass safely and what is the risk of not having it in place - if it is only the appearance of the bevel, perhaps not a bad idea?

Either with suction cups or with strong tape. It's only held in position by magnets and comes off pretty easily. It's scary if you've never done it before but super easy if you have. The glass is tempered so it would be really hard to break it. Try it, you'll be popping off the glass on all your friends Cinema Displays and iMacs before you know it - great party trick. I've got several clients that use their iMacs and Cinema Displays in this fashion.

Years ago I thought about selling an attractive aluminum bevel to install after removing the glass. Would be a big seller I think! If someone steals my idea just be sure to send me one!
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Scott Martin
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2012, 09:17:24 am »

OK, good to know, but once you take it off, what's underneath and is there any risk of having whatever it is exposed like that?
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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Scott Martin

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2012, 09:21:25 am »

OK, good to know, but once you take it off, what's underneath and is there any risk of having whatever it is exposed like that?

Just a really nice matte surface LCD like the previous Cinema Displays had (but nicer) and a some magnets. The glass protects the LCD which I'm sure Apple likes, so without it, it's as fragile as any other matte surface LCD, and perhaps a little more-so in the bevel area. 

Apple could easily offer an glassless anti-glare version with a bevel.
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Scott Martin
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2012, 09:31:19 am »

Thanks Scott. I suppose if folks are doing it with no reports of pain and anguish it's OK to do.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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digitaldog

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #14 on: June 04, 2012, 09:50:45 am »

I am considering one of these, as I like the built in hub features.  However in the past apple displays don't seem to get
very good reviews in regards to being good color managed monitors.  I would be using the i1 publish software for color
management.  The monitor seems to only come in a glossy finish, I would prefer matte. 

Well considering there really is nothing special in terms of the display quality (compared to a SpectraView) and the glossy screens kind of suck, I’d suggest passing and not letting Thunderbolt bolted on <g> sway you towards this product. The display is so important to the quality of your editing, concentrate on a display that provides a strong color managed feature set. The ability to build a suite of calibration targets and switch on the fly is so darn useful, and SpectraView will do this.
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Scott Martin

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2012, 12:29:50 pm »

Well considering there really is nothing special in terms of the display quality (compared to a SpectraView)

I've had these monitors side-by-side along with a Quato and some other displays, and let me tell you, when calibrated well with i1Profiler, the quality of the cinema display is impressive. Makes me rethink the pro-Eizo and NEC mindset I've had for years. I think Apple is packing a lot in for the price and the thunderbolt hub idea is particularly useful for laptop road warriors like myself. I'm looking at replacing displays both for home and the studio and I'm caught in the middle of this delima as well. If NEC adds a thunderbolt hub I'm going there. If Apple drops the glossy glass I'd go there and be just as happy. We'll see which happens first. And I'm damn picky, but smart about how I spent money.
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digitaldog

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2012, 12:34:24 pm »

I've had these monitors side-by-side along with a Quato and some other displays, and let me tell you, when calibrated well with i1Profiler, the quality of the cinema display is impressive.

It might appear impressive. But there is much you can’t do without a true smart display system like building suites of calibrations and profiles, swapping on the fly. And then there’s the hassel of having to deal with i1P and other products screwing around with OSD which isn’t anywhere as precise as what the SpectraView’s can conduct electronically. I’m all for a nice fast hub but when I look at display spec’s, that isn’t something I’m willing to put in the plus category in lieu of other features that impact display quality (calibrating, purity, ability to tweak WP etc). I wouldn’t pick a Nikon over a Canon or vise versa because one had a heavier strap if you get my drift.
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Scott Martin

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2012, 12:42:25 pm »

But there is much you can’t do without a true smart display system like building suites of calibrations and profiles, swapping on the fly.

I get that, but you've got to admit, a healthy percentage of users only want one calibration to work from. Different feature sets for different people. I never make one recommendation to all my clients - I look at their needs and recommend what's the best fit for them. That said, I think an anti-glare Cinema Display could be an excellent, exciting choice for a lot of users. The glossy screen just kills if for me as it is now.

I’m all for a nice fast hub but when I look at display spec’s, that isn’t something I’m willing to put in the plus category in lieu of other features that impact display quality (calibrating, purity, ability to tweak WP etc). I wouldn’t pick a Nikon over a Canon or vise versa because one had a heavier strap if you get my drift.

At the end of the day the real world results speak louder than anything. Having compared these closely I'm shocked at how great the Cinema is, glossyness aside. And I'm the kind of person that wants to prefer the NEC/Eizo/Quato.
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Sheldon N

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2012, 01:10:38 pm »

A comment re the Dell Ultrasharp U2711. I believe it uses the same high resolution IPS panel that the 27" Apple display uses, and with a matte finish as well. One other difference is that it uses a traditional backlight instead of the LED backlight, so it has a wider color gamut.

I've got one and have been very pleased with it.
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Sheldon Nalos
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smilem

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Re: Opinions of Apple 27" Thunderbolt display
« Reply #19 on: June 04, 2012, 05:50:35 pm »

A comment re the Dell Ultrasharp U2711. I believe it uses the same high resolution IPS panel that the 27" Apple display uses, and with a matte finish as well. One other difference is that it uses a traditional backlight instead of the LED backlight, so it has a wider color gamut.

I've got one and have been very pleased with it.

Traditional coating doesn't mean better, as LED doesn't mean better either.

Light source can be cheap it doesn't matter if it is CCFL or LED. Since nobody cares to state what they put inside the only true white light source is RGB LED, like HP DreamColor display. Yes it is expensive but I havent seen anything better.
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