4 ms·

I love OSX but never understood why people pay so much for those apple displays. we use them at work and they suuuuuck. super heavy, can't adjust height, can't

I love OSX but never understood why people pay so much for those apple displays. we use them at work and they suuuuuck. super heavy, can't adjust height, can't put it in portrait mode which is .. I don't know useful 40% of the time, glares like a mofo, and cost 2x-3x similar quality displays from not Apple. Is the look of them that desirable? i finally switched for same reso Dell units on my desk and really happy about that.

bradleyankrom 10y ago
also, they run really warm... I don't use my cinema display nearly as often as I would like because I can't tolerate the heat coming off of it for extended periods of time.
- SonicSoul 10y ago
  oh yeah, our whole floor heats up so much they gave every person a futuristic Dyson fan to go with the display :) this can't be good for energy consumption either
csomar 10y ago
I don't use Apple displays although I use Apple hardware. I can justify putting a 4 digits if it makes my life easier. I don't see how an Apple display can do that. I found Dell/HP IPS to do the job for my charting needs.
tinbad 10y ago
They look good on the outside... and that's about it. Btw, Apple has discontinued them and hasn't announced any replacement yet.
- SonicSoul 10y ago
  oh yes this is another issue. if they break they can't be re-ordered so now IT is stocking them for replacements. add another X to the price per person :)
- coldtea 10y ago
  >They look good on the outside... and that's about it. They also perform incredibly as monitors (or did, when they were newly updated). There's that too.
dr_ick 10y ago
People buy those Apple monitors because they are guaranteed to work to with Apple computers. At least that is the reasoning. They can complain to their local Apple Store to make it work. Most end users have no clue, and they don't enjoy researching, so they don't know they could get something better for less money.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >At least that is the reasoning. No, as a pro, my reasoning is they are great for photo/video work, and even affordable compared to competitive solutions (I mean at the time, they don't make them anymore, but the 5K iMac screens are excellent).
- valuearb 10y ago
  Most users don't realize how good Apple monitors are, and how much better they make your work day. I just don't understand scrimping on something you will spend all day staring at. Getting something "almost as good" for half the price is a terrible deal.
  - komali2 10y ago
    Er, are they good? I have a gorgeous Dell IPS 4k monitor at work and (I know, it's very silly) I actually get a tiny thrill whenever I pop my IDE open in it. It's just so darn pretty.
    - sqeaky 10y ago
      Sitting in front of a Dell 4k monitor and having used a good 4k monitor I am would not call Dell's offering good. I have never used an Apple monitor, but I have used several other 4k monitors and they are great. My Dell monitor is just fraught with compatibility issues and needs special software to work with win 7. I use Ubuntu and it barely works there, my coworkers have to treat theirs like special snowflakes.
      - komali2 10y ago
kitsunesoba 10y ago
For a long time, Apple displays were the only displays that also provided a proper laptop dock. Not just a cheap USB-to-XYZ-multiport-adapter with the limits those bring, but a real dock connected via PCI-in-a-wire Thunderbolt, making the ports on the back of the monitor just as good as ports on the machine itself. Combined with the monitor's MagSafe adapter and a MacBook of some sort, you had a beautiful setup: the only wires you needed to switch from laptop mode to desktop mode were the monitor's MagSafe and thunderbolt cords. Just keep all your desk hardware plugged into your monitor, and save the macbook's power adapter for when you actually needed to charge on the go. There's also something to be said about the consistency of the old Apple displays. I've seen dozens at this point and none had noticeable backlight issues, and they look good right out of the box instead of requiring the user to switch off 15 gimmick settings to get a proper picture. They had their issues but they did several things right.
pwthornton 10y ago
The glossiness of them is highly desirable for anyone doing visual work: Photography, video editing, UX design, graphic design, etc. Colors and contrast pop a lot more. It's a personal preference, however, so we let people at work make their own choices. Apple displays have long been very high quality with accurate colors. They also usually come with a built in hub and ability to power a laptop, which is very handy. It allows the monitor to essentially be a dock.
coldtea 10y ago
>I love OSX but never understood why people pay so much for those apple displays. we use them at work and they suuuuuck. super heavy, can't adjust height, can't put it in portrait mode which is .. I don't know useful 40% of the time, glares like a mofo, and cost 2x-3x similar quality displays from not Apple. Is the look of them that desirable? No, it's more than the glare means no bloody anti-glare coating (and hence more sharpness), the colors (saturation etc) were often reviewed and measured best-in-class, and same for angles of view, brightness, etc. Oh, and portrait mode, while nice, it's at best a niche use.
legulere 10y ago
I don't have one but what seems like a killer feature to me is automatic screen brightness and adjustable screen brightness via keyboard. This would probably also work with other monitors via MCCS/DDC [1] but it seems to me that all operating systems just ignore it. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_Control_Command_Set https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_Control_Command_Set
chipotle_coyote 10y ago
To be fair, when I bought my Apple Thunderbolt Display in 2012, I compared it to other monitors available at the time, and when you compared not just the display quality but the fact that it had an integrated Thunderbolt dock, it really wasn't too overpriced. (IIRC, Dell's closest equivalent was $949.) The problem is that Apple almost never lowers their prices unless they come out with a "new improved" model of something. So, as a given product continues to be sold without an update or a price drop, the more steadily outrageous its price point seems. To the point of the original linked article, this is a serious problem for the Mac Pro. It was expensive at introduction, but it's been downright absurd for the last two years. This is an issue across most of the Mac product line currently, though.

bradleyankrom 10y ago

also, they run really warm... I don't use my cinema display nearly as often as I would like because I can't tolerate the heat coming off of it for extended periods of time.

SonicSoul 10y ago
oh yeah, our whole floor heats up so much they gave every person a futuristic Dyson fan to go with the display :) this can't be good for energy consumption either

csomar 10y ago

I don't use Apple displays although I use Apple hardware. I can justify putting a 4 digits if it makes my life easier. I don't see how an Apple display can do that. I found Dell/HP IPS to do the job for my charting needs.

tinbad 10y ago

They look good on the outside... and that's about it. Btw, Apple has discontinued them and hasn't announced any replacement yet.

SonicSoul 10y ago
oh yes this is another issue. if they break they can't be re-ordered so now IT is stocking them for replacements. add another X to the price per person :)
coldtea 10y ago
>They look good on the outside... and that's about it. They also perform incredibly as monitors (or did, when they were newly updated). There's that too.

dr_ick 10y ago

People buy those Apple monitors because they are guaranteed to work to with Apple computers. At least that is the reasoning. They can complain to their local Apple Store to make it work. Most end users have no clue, and they don't enjoy researching, so they don't know they could get something better for less money.

coldtea 10y ago
>At least that is the reasoning. No, as a pro, my reasoning is they are great for photo/video work, and even affordable compared to competitive solutions (I mean at the time, they don't make them anymore, but the 5K iMac screens are excellent).
valuearb 10y ago
Most users don't realize how good Apple monitors are, and how much better they make your work day. I just don't understand scrimping on something you will spend all day staring at. Getting something "almost as good" for half the price is a terrible deal.
- komali2 10y ago
  Er, are they good? I have a gorgeous Dell IPS 4k monitor at work and (I know, it's very silly) I actually get a tiny thrill whenever I pop my IDE open in it. It's just so darn pretty.
  - sqeaky 10y ago
    Sitting in front of a Dell 4k monitor and having used a good 4k monitor I am would not call Dell's offering good. I have never used an Apple monitor, but I have used several other 4k monitors and they are great. My Dell monitor is just fraught with compatibility issues and needs special software to work with win 7. I use Ubuntu and it barely works there, my coworkers have to treat theirs like special snowflakes.
    - komali2 10y ago

kitsunesoba 10y ago

For a long time, Apple displays were the only displays that also provided a proper laptop dock. Not just a cheap USB-to-XYZ-multiport-adapter with the limits those bring, but a real dock connected via PCI-in-a-wire Thunderbolt, making the ports on the back of the monitor just as good as ports on the machine itself. Combined with the monitor's MagSafe adapter and a MacBook of some sort, you had a beautiful setup: the only wires you needed to switch from laptop mode to desktop mode were the monitor's MagSafe and thunderbolt cords. Just keep all your desk hardware plugged into your monitor, and save the macbook's power adapter for when you actually needed to charge on the go. There's also something to be said about the consistency of the old Apple displays. I've seen dozens at this point and none had noticeable backlight issues, and they look good right out of the box instead of requiring the user to switch off 15 gimmick settings to get a proper picture. They had their issues but they did several things right.

pwthornton 10y ago

The glossiness of them is highly desirable for anyone doing visual work: Photography, video editing, UX design, graphic design, etc. Colors and contrast pop a lot more. It's a personal preference, however, so we let people at work make their own choices. Apple displays have long been very high quality with accurate colors. They also usually come with a built in hub and ability to power a laptop, which is very handy. It allows the monitor to essentially be a dock.

coldtea 10y ago

>I love OSX but never understood why people pay so much for those apple displays. we use them at work and they suuuuuck. super heavy, can't adjust height, can't put it in portrait mode which is .. I don't know useful 40% of the time, glares like a mofo, and cost 2x-3x similar quality displays from not Apple. Is the look of them that desirable? No, it's more than the glare means no bloody anti-glare coating (and hence more sharpness), the colors (saturation etc) were often reviewed and measured best-in-class, and same for angles of view, brightness, etc. Oh, and portrait mode, while nice, it's at best a niche use.

legulere 10y ago

I don't have one but what seems like a killer feature to me is automatic screen brightness and adjustable screen brightness via keyboard. This would probably also work with other monitors via MCCS/DDC [1] but it seems to me that all operating systems just ignore it. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_Control_Command_Set https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_Control_Command_Set

chipotle_coyote 10y ago

To be fair, when I bought my Apple Thunderbolt Display in 2012, I compared it to other monitors available at the time, and when you compared not just the display quality but the fact that it had an integrated Thunderbolt dock, it really wasn't too overpriced. (IIRC, Dell's closest equivalent was $949.) The problem is that Apple almost never lowers their prices unless they come out with a "new improved" model of something. So, as a given product continues to be sold without an update or a price drop, the more steadily outrageous its price point seems. To the point of the original linked article, this is a serious problem for the Mac Pro. It was expensive at introduction, but it's been downright absurd for the last two years. This is an issue across most of the Mac product line currently, though.