Apple unveils 3 great screens with beautiful, sharp color

Just a few weeks ago, I told you about the 22-inch monitor attached to my computer and how I bask in its glow every day. I also described how throughout the years, my desire for bigger screens took me from a meager beginning of 13 inches to my current 22-inch Cinema Display from Apple Computer.
I felt that I had endured my rite of passage, that now I could be at peace with my inner child, rewarded at the end with the biggest, most beautiful screen I could ever possibly want. And then it all came crashing down as my eyes fell upon what Apple just unveiled at the World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
There they were. Not one, not two, but three of the most beautiful color screens I've ever seen. Gone was the older but yet still very cool transparent plastic frame in which the former Apple screens were framed. The new models are housed in a sleek all-aluminum frame. The bezel around the perimeter of each of the screens is much thinner than the 2-inch frame around the former models. The thinner frames also prove to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing in that two of these screens placed side by side will have less of a gap between them.
And while Apple has a 20-inch screen with 1680 by 1050 resolution, and a 23-inch 1920 by 1200 version, I am compelled to talk about the top-of-the-line screen that weighs in at a whopping 30 inches. That's 30 inches of pure digital, active-matrix, LCD screen with a resolution of 2560 by 1600 pixels.
High on resolution
And according to Apple, it is the largest high-resolution display ever created. The viewing area, again according to Apple, has a maximum color quality using the industry's best wide-viewing angle technology of up to 170 degrees even when viewing images off-axis. That means you would be able to see the screen with virtually no color distortion from an almost right-angle view, which is very impressive. Most LCD screens begin to fade or distort as your viewing angle begins to move away from a direct center observation point.
The 20- and 23-inch screens will operate by connecting directly to any DVI-equipped Macintosh and Windows-based computers. The 30-inch model will require a special NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card in order to operate. The card will add an additional $599 to the 30-inch's price tag, which is $3,299. Granted, the price is high for a computer screen but then again, quite frankly, I thought it was going to sell for a lot more.
And get this. The graphics card can support the simultaneous displaying of two 30-inch screens in case you want to double your pleasure. And if you're ready to watch some quality movies or DVDs, the 23- and 30-inch versions are capable of displaying HDTV images with some room to spare. The 20- and 23-inch models sell for $1,299 and $1,999 respectively.
Also included
An additional feature of these new screens include two FireWire 400 ports and two USB 2.0 ports for additional connectivity. Each screen comes with a stand that once again departs from the former displays in that the screens are now centrally mounted with just one small footprint on the desk rather than resting in a tripod fashion. A single cable provides both signal and power to the screens while it threads through an opening in its stand to connect to the computer. The screens tilt back and almost seem to float above the desk. They are a work of art that matches the style and design of Apple's newest G5 model computers. Apple has even designed a special magnetic mounting stand for its iSight Web cams so you won't have to worry about marring the monitor's surface.
So while I'm still very happy with my older 22-inch Cinema Display, just know that I'll be keeping an eye on that 30-inch baby for some time to come. And as for the rest of us, I'd say that Apple has hit a grand slam with these three Cinema Display models. For more information, visit www.apple.com.
Knight Ridder Tribune