After 6 Years, Apple Laying 30-Inch Display To Rest. New 27-Inch LED To Rule Supreme
Apple is discontinuing both the 24-inch LED Cinema Display as well as the older 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays they had been selling. When asked why, an Apple representative said this new 27-inch version was seen as “ideal for the uses we see most people having.” It was also noted that the 27-inch model features 60 percent more pixels than the 24-inch one, and because of its 16×9 ratio, it actually has the same number of pixels horizontally (2560) as the older 30-inch model (though slightly less vertically: 1600 versus 1440).
This latest display is also Apple’s first stand-alone display that uses the edge-to-edge glass now common in Apple’s iMac line (the previously 24-inch Cinema Display had a small silver bezel). The 27-inch also has a new, lower response time of 12ms.
And at $999, the 27-inch Cinema Display is also only $100 more than the 24-inch was previously. Apple says that it will continue to sell the 24-inch model at a slightly discounted $799 price until supplies run out. Previously, the 30-inch Cinema HD Display was selling for $1,799 and that will continue until it runs out of stock as well.
This move to one model is actually a move back to the way Apple originally sold its first Cinema Displays. When they first went on sale in 1999, there was one 22-inch model. It wasn’t until 2002 that a second, 23-inch model was introduced, and the following year brought a new 20-inch model (while the original 22-inch was discontinued). In June 2004, the 30-inch model was unveiled — basically the same one now being laid to rest. That monitor was always a bit tricky because it required a Dual Link DVI capable graphics card. These new LED Cinema Displays only need a Mini Display Port input.
I asked Apple if the discontinuation of all other monitors meant we might see new, larger displays down the line. Specifically, I was wondering about the possibility that Apple could enter the HD television market. Not surprisingly, Apple wouldn’t comment on future roadmaps. For now, all we have in the 27-inch model.