Customer Reviews
Productivity and Fun 
2007-10-16
I've owned a 30" Cinema HD for a couple months now and while I regularly work on smaller monitors, I love the productivity and the immersion of a display this size. I regularly play World of Warcraft on it (which of course is a great experience) but a couple weekends ago I opened up Microsoft Word 2007 and was blown away by how productive it is to fit 3 pages side by side on screen at once. It's something you don't even think about until you try it; 3 full pages + 3 more partial pages = quick and easy access to whatever document you are working on.
I also own a couple of 19" NEC flatscreens (and I use one in addition to the 30" Cinema HD). The NECs are definitely brighter and crisper, although I think the Cinema is more "true" and gives a clear but soft and refined look to images.
PROS
- So big...so much room
- Elegant case
- USB/Firewire hub built in
- Works well with both Vista and OSX (haven't tried anything else) on my Mac Pro
CONS
- Ample video card power. While normal applications will run fine with a decent card, fullscreen games REALLY struggle. I'm running a tricked out Mac Pro but in lieu of dropping $1500 on a better (and Mac compatible) video card, I've been stuck running lower resolution and less detail.
- Getting used to it. The first couple hours I owned this display I seriously contemplated returning it.
- Price. Two 19"s are productive and will cost you $400-600. Even a good 24" display provides alot of bang for the buck. Apple is on the high end for 30" displays; you can probably get cheaper 30" displays elsewhere.
The unit I purchased has no bad pixels and is used heavily. I highly recommend.
It's really big 2007-09-25
Pros: If you want some rationalization for buying this, you can convincingly argue that it will improve your productivity to have room for multiple large windows. But let's be honest: you just want it because it's really big and beautiful and will make you happy. So go buy one and you'll wonder why you waited so long.
Cons: When I first bought it, my wife was afraid that it would come to life and eat us up and was afraid to enter my office for a week. Also it might give you some eyestrain until you get used to it; I recommend turning down the brightness.
Best monitor in the world! 2007-09-15
This monitor is STUNNING. There is no better monitor for computers anywhere, no exceptions. If you don't have it for Mac or Windows, run (don't walk) out and buy it immediately!
Old and expensive 
2007-09-10
If you need such high resolutions in a big display, this is one of the few 30 inch LCDs that will do it. However, the Apples (built by LG/Phillips) are mostly outdated compared to the newer higher contrast displays out now. Though most of these are lower resolution, the perceived detail, crispness, and sparkle will be vastly superior on a large 768p and 1080p digital flat panel with contrast ratios of 1600:1 all the way up to 15,000:1. If you're simply dealing with CAD lines, then it's probably not such a big deal. If you're working on graphics, photo, or video, this makes a much bigger difference. Dynamic range has as much to do with perceived resolution as actual resolution in those circumstances, which is why many still favor CRTs. The new Samsungs, in particular, give the highest contrasts yet for an LCD, while not matching, seemingly approaching that of CRTs that will not be truly achievable until the Toshiba FEDs come out with their 100,000:1 dynamic range some time in the next few years. Heck, you could get two 37 inch 1600:1 768p Olevia displays and still save a couple hundred compared to one 30 inch Apple. Or you could get one 22 inch 2000:1 1200p Samsung and another 15,000:1 42 inch 1080p Samsung for about the price of the Apple. Geez, is the Apple name worth that much to you?
Amazing 2007-08-10
I bought this monitor as I often need to have multiple windows open for a project. It provides the real estate for that and more. This display is awesome!
Stunning Picture on this Display, could use a refresh in some specs... 2008-06-28
Just got the 30" Apple Cinema Display, after agonizing for months on which brand/model to buy for a large desktop monitor. I've had this for 3 days now, hooked up to my 17" Mac Book Pro notebook, and my initial impression is that the picture is stunning, much better at home that when I've seen these on display at several other stores, including the Apple Store. The colors and brightness are amazing out of the box, and I still haven't had a chance to use a color calibration tool, waiting for a Huey Pro to arrive in the mail early next week.
After much agonizing, and A LOT of research on other brands/models, I recommend this monitor. A couple of items, this model could use a slight refresh in specs, no iSight camera, can't buy standalone anymore, there should be one integrated into the bezel, like the iMacs and notebook computers from Apple. Also, if there is going to be a hub for ports, add a couple of firewire 800 ports alongside the USB and FW 400 ones already on it. Other than that, I say go ahead a buy, you will not regret it!
Amazing view--but get the extended warranty 
2008-03-30
I love my Apple Cinematic Display. It's the best monitor I've ever had and I've had several. The color's crisp, the text is easy to read. Both computer and TV images are sharp and beautifully rendered. The tilt is a useful feature that prevents strain looking straight on.
Note: You do need to get the extended warranty. My display is currently in for service and I'm VERY glad I made the investment on the AppleCare service.
My service plan called for the monitor to be sent away for repairs. I believe there is an option to upgrade your AppleCare and get in-home repairs. If you are buying a monitor today, look carefully at your warranty plan options and make sure you get one that will get your monitor back to you ASAP. Once you have one of these wonderful displays, it's VERY hard doing without them.
Stunning 2008-03-30
This is the very best monitor available. High quality digital photos take on a 3d look and it allows for several pages of text with room for tv in the corner.
I am running it with a Gateway DX440X which has a strong video card and it runs perfectly smoothly.
My photos from the national gallery are stunning. I didn't have any bad pixels that I can find...some have complained of that.
pc
productivity booster, well worth the price 2008-03-05
I bought mine used, it is definitely the best choice of a monitor I ever made.
I have to sit in front of the computer for hours on end - and this one is a really productivity booster. Despite the size and weight it is very easy to move around. It is a perfect fit to the MacBook Pro. I use the small screen for my email and things, and together with the large one I finally have all the space available to run three applications at once, plus all the references I need on the side. I work as a translator, and I need to research terms, have the source and target document open side by side, and google things at the same time. The 30 inch monitor is the only way to do this without having to go back and forth between programs. And besides, it looks wonderful on the desk, I always like coming back to it.
Don't attempt to rationalize - Trust your instincts 2007-11-29
In all likelihood, you are reading this review with two separate goals in mind. First, you want to make sure that nothing is horribly wrong with the lyrically-beautiful, breathtakingly-enormous 30-inch Cinema Display. After all, it is only natural to worry that its intoxicating attractiveness is counterpoised by some hidden, yet devastating, flaw. Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief: it is flawless. Indeed, it represents the very essence of perfection in both function and form.
Second, you are reading this review in a desperate attempt to find some way to justify the purchase of a 30-inch Cinema Display. Perhaps you need to justify it to your thrifty spouse, and are trying to find a reasonable answer to that inevitable question, "but why do you NEED a 30-inch monitor?" Or perhaps you must justify the purchase to an emotionless manager, who is unable to appreciate the aesthetic beauty of this gargantuan monitor. Fortunately, previous reviewers have outlined a number of possible justifications that you might find helpful: a larger monitor improves work efficiency, reduces strain on your eyes, can double as a TV set, etc. Simply select the justification that will be most convincing to your target audience, and don't take no for an answer. I wish you luck.
However, never lose sight of this fact: you do not need to justify the purchase of a 30-inch Cinema Display to yourself. Even trying to do so is dangerous, since in all probability you will be unable to justify spending $1800 on an enormous monitor when you have a perfectly serviceable monitor already. Yes, I'm sure that some people have a genuine need for a 30-inch monitor, but (be honest with yourself) you are almost certainly not one of them.
And more to the point, any attempt at justification is irrelevant. This monitor is not about need, or utility, or functionality, or productivity, or other such tedious concepts. It is about sheer, unabashed, covetousness. You want it. You must possess it. You feel an inexplicable, unjustifiable compulsion to buy it. The vast expanse of the 29.7-inch viewable area haunts your waking thoughts, and appears in your dreams as a luminous vision of perfection that is always just out of reach.
Don't question it. Just buy it.
A year ago today, I did exactly that. Twice. Now, looking at both of my 30-inch monitors in front of me, I feel that I have come closer to true contentment than most people do in a lifetime. Is that shallow? Maybe. But I don't think so. And I'm willing to bet that you don't either. If you did, you would have stopped reading this review a long time ago.
