Gear

Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display

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Worth the price to see the big picture

We think horizontally. Most of us read from left to right. We spend our lives in rooms wider than they are tall. In stores, we look left or right to scan the aisles. Contrast this to the way we compute—vertically. When we view a website or work on a multi-page document, we scroll down. In order to see an entire spread at once, we must view it at less than 100%.

Apple’s 30″ Cinema Display’s native resolution of 2,560×1,600 pixels makes it possible to compute the same way you think–horizontally. For example, in InDesign you can view entire spreads at full size and still have room to keep all of the palettes you need open. With Photoshop CS’s browser, you can view more than 50 thumbnails at once and still have a preview nearly as big as a 15″ PowerBook screen. Open a Final Cut Pro or Motion project and you can view an entire Timeline at once.

What’s more, the image on the Cinema Display is unbelievably bright and crisp. The case and simple L-shaped desktop stand are beautiful and elegant. Two FireWire 400 ports and a two-port, self-powered USB 2.0 hub make it easy to connect iPods, keyboards, and digital cameras to your system. Apple’s use of a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connector instead of their proprietary Apple Display Connector (ADC) makes this display PC compatible.

The main drawback of this display is the horsepower needed to run it. Don’t plan on using the 30″ Cinema as an external display for your PowerBook, since it requires either the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT or Ultra DDL graphics card to operate. When you add this to the display’s $2,999 price tag, you’re making a major purchase. But if you earn your living sitting in front of a screen all day, it’s worth serious consideration.

PRICE: $2,999
FOR: X
FROM: Apple Computer, Inc.
PHONE: 800-692-7753
WEB: www.apple.com/displays
RATING: 5.0

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