Computers - Written by Felix on Saturday, January 26, 2008 14:11 - 1 Comment
Which Apple Display Should You Buy?
Ben wants to know which Apple monitor he should buy. (He asked the question in a comment over here.) Great question.
FYI: Apple uses the term display instead of monitor as you can see on the left navigation of the Apple Store. I could care less what they call it, but this is AppleSlut.com so we’ll kiss Saint Steve’s feet and step back in line. Moving on…
To find the answer to this question Ben, we have to know which Mac you’re buying.
The fact is, the Mac Pro and the Mac mini are the only Macs that don’t come with a
monitor (sorry) display. Think about it - iMacs and the MacBooks are all-in-one computers. All the hardworking innards, plus the gorgeous display wrapped in an exquisite outer case.
All you’ve got to do in this scenario is follow my “Rule of Three.”
Figure out what you can afford… then tripple it.
It’s a Mac - it’s worth it.
However, my guess is that you’re looking for a display to plug into your 8 Core Mac Pro - you lucky dog Ben! If so, you’ll be getting a Cinema Display!
Apple Cinema Display
These wide-screen displays only come in 20 inch, 23 inch or the whopping 30 inch models. According to the Apple Store, there isn’t much difference between them.
Both the 20 and 23 inch models have a Pixel Pitch of 0.258 mm and the 30 inch is slightly better at 0.250 mm.
What’s Pixel Pitch?
Just a number to represent the sharpness or clarity of the display. A LOWER number is clearer. Some displays are in the .26-28 range while others fall to .30. It doesn’t seem like much because the measurements are in hundredths of millimeters, but the difference between .26 and .30 is drastic.
Personally, I find the sharper displays (.26 and below) are much easier on my eyes. The lower Pixel Pitch provides sharper edges on text and everything else so I don’t have to squint while reading online.
The good news is that I’ve never had a problem with any of the Apple Displays I’ve used.
MacBook & MacBook Air Display
The standard MacBook and the MacBook Air displays seem to be identical in a couple of ways. Both are 13 inches and only available in the glossy finish. What’s interesting about the MacBook Air is it’s been touted by Saint Steve as the “greener” choice with its mercury- and arsenic-free display.
If you’re buying the greenest Mac available to date, it’s the MacBook Air.
MacBook Pro Display
With MacBook Pro, you’ve got to make the decision to get the 15 inch or 17 inch first. Then you’ll have to decide between the glossy or antiglare finish.
iMac Display
The new, smokin’ hot iMac comes in two sizes; 20 inch and 24 inch displays. Again, there’s not much to sway your decision other than the price of the entire system.
What about Pixel Pitch for the MacBook and iMac displays?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any information on the Pixel Pitch for any of the MacBook or iMac computers. In fact, the only display in the Apple Store with this information is the Cinema Display.
Which Apple Display Should You Buy?
The most obvious factors will be price and size because all of the Apple displays are exceptionally high-quality.
Thanks, that helps a lot.