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First Impressions of the 24-inch Cinema Displays Seem Bright

ArsTechnica has provided excellent first impression coverage of their newly acquired 24-inch Apple Cinema Display and thus far are pleased with its performance.

While the 24-inch Cinema Displays were announced this past October at the special MacBook event, units have only recently begun shipping. Ars reiterates that the new Cinema Displays only support machines which utilize Apple’s mini DisplayPort Connector, a feature that is said to come equipped on all future products. So, if you are in possession of an older Mac or PC that lacks this connector, you best start thinking about buying a new notebook or wait for Apple to release a proper adapter.

First impressions of the screen show similar characteristics to the current iMac facade, minus the Leno-esque chin. The display weighs in at 21lbs (9.5kg) a mere 4.4 lbs lighter than the iMac, showing that it is a bit on the hefty side.

The display comes equipped with a power cord that reaches from the back of the display to an outlet and has an additional cable that splits into 3, including the USB 2.0 and DisplayPort, and MagSafe adapters. The DisplayPort sends video into the display and integrated iSight, while the USB provides Audio for the built-in speakers and integrated USB hub. The MagSafe adapter is assumed to dispense up to 85W of power, enough power to charge a MacBook Pro. Similar to the iMac, the three USB ports connecting to the internal hub are situated on the back of the display.

Utilizing only these three plugs a user can operate the attached notebook in either a closed clamshell position or open to have an even larger screen area. Clint Ecker from Ars notes, “I’ve been using it in clamshell mode and sliding the MacBook Pro underneath the display, while typing on a Bluetooth Apple keyboard and using an RF Logitech Mouse (which is working fabulously so far). The main feature that appealed to me over owning both an iMac and a MacBook Pro is that I can share the screen when I’m at home, and effectively pull out a few cables and take my machine on the road with me.”

One intuitive feature is that OS X can instantly recognize when the monitor is hooked up, for example using the display’s iSight or USB audio while disabling it from the attached notebook. One last observation that was made shows the display to be just a bit brighter than the iMac screen. I must say that I am indeed envious of the folks over at ArsTechnica. Aside from being able to hold their own fingerprint counting competitions, they can now look in the mirror all day while they work!