Lcd monitor apple thunderbolt display 27 reviews. Viewing Angles
The latest and current flagship monitor model Apple Thunderbolt MC914. Repeatedly recognized by experts as one of the best color displays in the world. It connects to any Apple computer with just one cable - Thunderbolt, which transfers both video and data.
CONDITION: B.U. 100% tested and technically sound. Housing and screen without defects.
A large, beautiful, bright display with amazing sound (there is a built-in subwoofer) is created to be the center of home media space. Equipped with built-in MagSafe cable for charging Apple MacBook laptops.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Model: MC914RS / A, MC914ZE / A, MC914ZE, MC914ZE / B, MC914LL / A
Diagonal: 27 ″ (69 cm)
Resolution: 2560 × 1440 (16: 9)
Matrix type: TFT IPS, WLED backlight
Brightness: 375 cd / m2
Contrast: 1000:1
Response time: 12 ms
View area: horizontal 178 °; vertical 178 °
Maximum number of colors: 16.7 million
Interfaces: 2xThunderbolt, Gigabit Ethernet, 3xUSB 2.0, Universal MagSafe, FireWire 800
Multimedia: 2.1 stereo speakers with subwoofer (total power 49 W), microphone, HD camera
Ambient light sensor: yes, automatic brightness control
Kensington Security Lock: there is
Power consumption:
Maximum: 250 watts (when charging MacBook Pro)
Minimum: 1 W or less (power saving mode)
Sizes and weight:
Height: 49.1 cm
Width: 65 cm
Depth (with stand): 20.7 cm
Weight: 10.8 kg
Advantages over the previous Apple LED Cinema Display 27 ″:
- Connect to a computer with just one cable - Thunderbolt, instead of two: miniDisplayPort and USB;
- an additional Thunderbolt connector on the monitor, allows you to connect several displays “one after another”;
- Ethernet port on the monitor.
Manufacturer: Apple Inc, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA, 95014, USA. Made in China.
Not so long ago, we tested the sleek and large Apple LED Cinema Display. But as they say, they did not have time to look back, as Apple released the Apple Thunderbolt Display - at first glance, a double of the previous one, but equipped with the latest ultra-fast Thunderbolt interface.
Passport specifications, scope of delivery and price
| Matrix type | IPS with LED backlight |
| Diagonal | 685.8 mm (27 inches) |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Resolution | 2560 × 1440 pixels |
| Brightness | 375 cd / m² |
| Contrast | 1000:1 |
| Viewing angles | 178 ° (horizontal) and 178 ° (vertical) |
| Response time | 12 ms |
| Number of colors displayed | 16.7 million |
| Interfaces | Entrance:
|
| Compatible video signals | Up to 2560 × 1440 pixels (MonInfo report) |
| Acoustic system | Built-in speakers 2.1, 49 watts maximum |
| Features |
|
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | 651.7 × 488.1 × 208.13 mm (with stand) |
| Weight | 10.7 kg |
| Power consumption | 250W maximum when charging your MacBook Pro, no more than 1 W in a waiting mode |
| Supply voltage | 100-240 V, 50-60 Hz |
| Contents of delivery |
|
| Link to the manufacturer’s website | |
| Average current price (number of offers) in Moscow retail (ruble equivalent - in the tooltip) | $1069() |
Appearance
The monitor is packaged in a large box with a plastic handle, on which, by analogy with the previous model, a typical use method is also demonstrated - together with a MacBook.
We were not able to reproduce the picture exactly, because in pair with the monitor we got a MacBook Air laptop, which, unlike the MacBook Pro shown on the box, has a Thunderbolt connector on the other side.
The monitor case and monolithic stand are made of aluminum alloy and have a matte anodized surface. The screen and the black frame around it are covered with a glass mirror-smooth panel that is resistant to scratches and does not attract dust very much. The matrix itself is also mirror-smooth, but the high-performance filter absorbs glare well. Bright light sources located behind the user's back, of course, are reflected, like his self-portrait in the monitor turned off, but in fact, the mirroring of the screen does not interfere at all with the work.
There are no control buttons, there is no power button, there is no status indicator, apples in front and behind do not light. But the monitor is equipped with an HD video camera (there is an indicator of its activity to the right of it),
a light sensor, a microphone (barely noticeable holes on the upper edge), stereo speakers, the sound from which comes from the grill at the bottom, a low-frequency loudspeaker, whose grill is on the rear panel and a Kensington lock slot.
Closer to the right (from the user) lower corner on the rear panel, six ports of four varieties lined up in a row. The power connector is a standard three-pin, which becomes clear after disconnecting the complete cable (1.8 m) with a decorative round plug. The interface cable coming out of the case is one-piece. A round hole in the rack will help to collect the outgoing cables into a neat bundle.
A U-shaped pad made of hard plastic is glued to the bottom of the rack, thanks to which the monitor moves effortlessly on smooth surfaces. The base of the stand is not very large in area and flat, which increases the efficiency of using the working area of \u200b\u200bthe table. The monitor on the stand is stable and does not sway from shocks. The slightly spring-loaded hinge of the stand allows you to slightly tilt the screen block forward and more backward. The screen tilts with minimal effort and is clearly fixed at the desired angle to the user. Judging by information from the manufacturer, this stand can be exchanged for a platform with four holes located at the corners of a square with a side of 100 mm, which will allow you to mount the monitor on an alternative VESA-compatible bracket.
Commutation
The short (1.25 m) interface cable at the end forks into two tails that end with a Thunderbolt plug connector and a MagSafe connector.
From the latter, you can charge your MacBook laptops (output up to 85 watts). The new high-speed Thunderbolt interface allows you to transfer data streams over DisplayPort and PCI Express.
That is, one Thunderbolt cable is capable of serving multiple DisplayPort monitors and peripherals with a PCI Express controller. You can read more about Thunderbolt on and on. In this monitor, Thunderbolt serves the display itself, three ports of a USB 2.0 hub, built-in speakers, a microphone and an HD video camera, FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet ports. Thunderbolt supports serial connection - the following Thunderbolt devices in the chain can be connected to the Thunderbolt port on the back of the monitor.
Also, monitors with DisplayPort interface can be connected to this port, but they will be the last in the chain of devices with Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, there is no full backward compatibility with DisplayPort - the Apple Thunderbolt Display monitor does not work when connected to the DisplayPort port.
The monitor automatically turns on when a video signal is input, and turns off when the signal disappears. All peripherals built into the monitor are ready for use when connected to new Apple computers with a Thunderbolt port and a modern Mac OS on board.
The sound for the speakers built into the monitor is very good. There are frequencies from high-frequency to medium-low-frequency range, a stereo effect is present, distortions are negligible. The volume is enough to sound a small room, and not just for individual viewing of a movie in the immediate vicinity of the screen. However, for long-term listening to music, the built-in acoustics is not very suitable, since it cannot withstand competition with an external and even not very expensive system.
The brightness of the monitor is controlled by the function buttons on the keyboard and from the property bar, where you can enable the mode with automatic brightness adjustment depending on the level of ambient light. To correct color reproduction, you need to activate a color profile, which you can create yourself and without any devices using the software "wizard", which consists of several stages.
Since our hardware and software complex was designed to work with the Windows family of OS, we had to install Windows 7 on the MacBook Air. The Boot Camp software, designed to facilitate this process, does not support installing Windows 7 from USB drives, and we don’t have an external DVD drive it turned out. I had to install Windows 7 instead of OS X. The Boot Camp driver package provided all the additional peripherals in the monitor, except for the light sensor - installing the corresponding checkmark in the Boot Camp control panel did not produce the expected results, only the manual brightness level worked. We did not thoroughly test the network interface, video camera and microphone (all this seemed to work at first glance), but we found minor problems with the sound and with the optical mouse connected to the USB port on the back of the monitor - the sound was periodically interrupted while using some programs, and the mouse cursor froze for a couple of seconds. Connecting the mouse to the port on the laptop fixed the second problem, but not the first. Perhaps this is due to insufficiently good driver optimization for an alien system.
When the monitor is operating at maximum brightness, its body is noticeably heated (the sensor from the weather station showed a temperature of 32 ° maximum), but not enough to cause any concern. During the tests, the MacBook Air worked for some time on battery power, then we connected it to the MagSafe connector on the cable from the monitor, and the laptop began to charge. Here something happened that we did not expect - after a while the monitor began to make a loud noise. It turned out that it included forced ventilation, which took air through the right side of the grill on the lower face, and blew warm air through the left side of the grill. After a few minutes, the ventilation intensity decreased and the noise level became acceptable, but even after the MacBook Air was fully charged, the forced ventilation did not turn off even after a few hours of operation. However, working at maximum brightness is unlikely to be a typical case of using a monitor, and at lower brightness, forced ventilation is most likely not required even when the MacBook Air is powered by a monitor.
LCD Matrix Testing
Color rendering quality assessment
To assess the nature of the increase in brightness on the gray scale, we measured the brightness of 256 shades of gray (from 0, 0, 0 to 255, 255, 255). The graph below shows the increase (not the absolute value!) Of brightness between adjacent halftones:
The increase in the increase in brightness is generally uniform, and each next shade is significantly brighter than the previous one, starting from black:
The approximation of the obtained gamma curve gave an indicator 2,30 , which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2, i.e. By default, the monitor shows a little bit darker. Moreover, the approximating exponential function practically coincides with the real gamma curve:
To assess the quality of color reproduction, we used a spectrophotometer and a set of programs.
Color gamut is very close to sRGB:
Below is the spectrum for the white field (white line) superimposed on the spectra of red, green and blue fields (lines of the corresponding colors).
The components of the primary colors have a unimodal appearance characteristic of devices with LED light sources. The graphs below show the color temperature in different parts of the gray scale and the deviation from the spectrum of a completely black body parameter ΔE) before and after calibration using Argyll CMS. The range close to black can not be taken into account, since color rendering is not so important in it, and the error in measuring color characteristics is high.
It is seen that the initial color temperature of the white point is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and ΔE on the greater part of the gray scale is higher than 4. Calibration brought the color rendition to a state very close to ideal. However, since the color adjustment was carried out by editing the correspondence table (LUT) in the video card, and only 8 bits per color were declared for the monitor, such calibration inevitably leads to one degree or another to reduce the number of displayed colors. We couldn’t check whether this was at least on the gray scale, because in DirectDraw mode, which displays test patterns in our program, the adjustment mechanism using LUT was disabled.
Measuring black and white field uniformity, brightness and power consumption
When measuring the uniformity of white and black fields, the brightness sensor was sequentially located at 25 points on the screen, located in increments of 1/6 of the width and height of the screen (screen borders are not included). Contrast was calculated as the ratio of the brightness of the fields at the measured points.
Hardware measurements showed excellent uniformity of the white field and very good uniformity of the black field and contrast. Visually, neither on black, much less on a white field there is no significant unevenness. To confirm this, we present a photo of the black field:
The brightness of the white field in the center of the screen was determined using the Argus-02 brightness meter.
In standby mode, the monitor consumes 0,8 W, when operating at maximum brightness and when powered (without charging) MacBook Air (also at maximum brightness) from the monitor, the consumption was 124 Tue
With a decrease in brightness, only the brightness of the backlight changes, i.e. without sacrificing image quality (the contrast and the number of distinguishable gradations are preserved), the brightness of the monitor can be changed over a very wide range, which allows you to comfortably work and watch movies in both an illuminated and dark room. At low brightness, the flickering of the backlight is not visible. Apparently, the brightness control of the LED backlight is implemented without the use of pulse width modulation (or it is smoothed). The graphs below demonstrate the dependence of brightness on time for various settings Brightness in the window 20 ms:
Distinguished on the graphs, high-frequency modulation with a small amplitude and periodic narrow brightness dips can in no way cause a visible flicker of the backlight.
Determining response time and output delay
The response time for the transition black-white-black is equal to 14,0 ms ( 8,1 ms on + 5,9 ms off). Transitions between midtones occur on average over 18,4 ms in total. There is no overclocking of the matrix.
We could not determine the delay in outputting the image relative to the CRT monitor, since we did not have an appropriate adapter for VGA connection (and it would not be clear with it what delay we would get). Instead, we determined the total output delay from switching the video buffer pages to displaying the page. This delay turned out to be 12 ms, which is practically not noticeable.
Viewing Angles
To find out how the brightness of the screen changes when deviating from the perpendicular to the screen, we performed a series of measurements of the brightness of black, white and shades of gray in the center of the screen in a wide range of angles, deflecting the axis of the sensor in vertical, horizontal and diagonal (from corner to corner) directions.
Note a smooth decrease in brightness when deviating from the perpendicular to the screen in the horizontal direction, while the graphs do not intersect in the entire range of measured angles. The brightness decreases a little faster with a deviation in the vertical direction. With a deviation in the diagonal direction, the behavior of the brightness of the shades is intermediate between the vertical and horizontal directions, with the exception of the brightness of the black field, which begins to increase sharply even at 20 ° deviation from the perpendicular to the screen. If you sit at a distance of 60-70 cm from the screen, then the black field in the corners will already be noticeably lighter than in the center. Lighter, but without a pronounced shade, rather neutral gray. Contrast in the range of angles of ± 82 ° for two directions significantly exceeds 10: 1 and only when diagonally deviates it approaches the 10: 1 mark and crosses it at 79 ° when deviating to the right and up.
To quantitatively characterize color changes, we performed colorimetric measurements for white, gray (127, 127, 127), red, green, and blue, as well as light red, light green, and light blue fields in full screen using a setting similar to that that was used in the previous test. The measurements were carried out in a range of angles from 0 ° (the sensor is directed perpendicular to the screen) to 80 ° in increments of 5 °. The obtained intensities were recalculated into the deviation ΔE relative to the measurement of each field at a perpendicular position of the sensor relative to the screen. The results are presented below:
As a reference point, you can choose a deviation of 45 °, which may be relevant in the case, for example, if the image on the screen is viewed by two people at the same time. The criterion for preserving the correctness of colors can be considered the value of delta ΔE.
From the graphs it follows that in all directions the color shift is minimal, except for light blue for vertical deviation and blue shades for diagonal deviation. In general, by the nature of the image change when deviating from the perpendicular to the screen, the matrix of this monitor can be attributed to a typical representative of modern IPS-type matrices.
conclusions
By its main functions, the Apple Thunderbolt Display differs little from the previously tested Apple LED Cinema Display, except that the original gamma curve has become closer to the standard. Therefore, the main conclusion is the same - the monitor is ideal for watching movies, communicating on the Web (built-in video camera and microphone), working in office programs (high resolution) with background listening to music (built-in acoustics), for games (not the slowest matrix and low latency output), etc. etc. The main innovation is the new Thunderbolt interface, greatly expanding the already rich monitor functionality. However, this interface is also a significant limitation: if the previous Apple LED Cinema Display could be used in conjunction with any computer equipped with DisplayPort (or DVI via an adapter), then the Apple Thunderbolt Display must be connected to the Thunderbolt port, which at the moment actually means Use only new Apple computer models.
Advantages:
- Great image quality
- Great design and good ergonomics
- Thunderbolt High Speed \u200b\u200bInterface
- Built-in speakers, microphone, HD camcorder, 3-port USB hub, FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet ports, as well as Thunderbolt output
- Good quality integrated speaker
- Wide brightness adjustment of the backlight, including the light sensor
- No flickering backlight at low brightness
- MagSafe MacBook Charger
Disadvantages:
- One video input
- Fixed and relatively short interface cable
2 years ago
Size color
2 years ago
Picture quality, size, sound
2 years ago
beautiful, large, thunderbolt port.
2 years ago
High-quality matrix, light sensor and auto-brightness, thunderbolt, which displays 3 usb inputs, firewire and ethernet, the ability to connect multiple thunderbolt monitors and a common workspace in series, ergonomics, gloss, frameless design, speakers work on thunderbolt without a separate cable, laptops apple can be immediately connected to the monitor for charging, leaving the main power supply in a bag or at the workplace.
2 years ago
super monitor BUT ..
2 years ago
Color rendering is good. Build quality is generally good.
2 years ago
Great monitor, everyone likes it, black is really black. Although I advise everyone to take a retina 5K all-in-one right away. There was a task to connect to a regular PC with Windows, if someone comes in handy, we used the asus z97 motherboard and percent i7-5775c (the percent doesn't matter) and bought the asus thunderbolt EX 2 controller separately, everything worked, the picture can be taken both from the built-in video card in percent, and from a separate video card.
2 years ago
The monitor is of high quality. There is nothing to add. It works only with the latest Apple technology with the Thunderbolt port.
2 years ago
workmanship an s-ips matrix with excellent colors and viewing angles is convenient as a docking station for a laptop, everything, video, a gigabit network, usb and fw are connected through a single thunderbolt
2 years ago
Image quality, ease of connection!
2 years ago
three months later, dust appeared under the glass in the lower right corner, a lot of dust ... the monitor costs more than a bucks piece and such garbage (((
They write that the glass on the magnets is removed, all this is nonsense, I, as a consumer, are not interested in how the glass is removed ...
2 years ago
Marriage is too expensive
2 years ago
Four examined specimens showed a defect:
gray bar at the bottom of the matrix
on the fifth copy there was uneven illumination at the bottom of the matrix by waves.
Be careful!
2 years ago
There are no additional inputs, you need to buy a vesa mounting plate, if you suddenly need to hang the monitor on the bracket
2 years ago
look what's under the glass. I had spots on the first side from the top. shine a flashlight when the light is off and swipe across the monitor.
2 years ago
1) on the foot from the bottom, the plastic is not installed properly and as a result, the monitor tilted about two degrees on a flat surface
2) yellow illumination of the bottom of the screen, presumably this is the backlight, a monitor of a similar class should not have this
It looks disgusting when working with color, I used it for a day and returned it, I could not work.
Check each instance, forums say very common trouble with them
2 years ago
Nevertheless, by today's standards, it is already large and fat, given that the retina 5k is several times thinner and more pleasant.
2 years ago
Apparently, he doesn’t work with any Apple technology released before him. He called the shops and even Apple support, everyone did not know how to connect it to my Mac Pro mid-2010, which is still officially sold and not replaced by another model.
2 years ago
slight unevenness of the backlight (noticeable only on a completely black screen)
not adjustable in height
can not be connected to ordinary wines-PCs (maybe for now, thunderbolt seems to be a new standard from Intel)
2 years ago
Possible dust under the glass, but this is nonsense ...
Introduction
The Cupertino company is known for its radical approach to innovation. If Apple came to any design decision or supported a certain technology, then their implementation will be uncompromising. And vice versa, if Apple considered that a certain technology had outlived its age, then it was always ready to become its voluntary grave digger.
Concrete examples from recent years are widely heard. If this is a touch-screen phone, then you no longer need the hardware buttons for navigating in the GUI (well, let’s leave one). If Adobe Flash is not suitable for mobile devices, then it will not be there either. And to synchronize the device with the computer - exclusively through iTunes.
Although it would be naive to think that Apple is not at all interested in the opinions of users. It’s just that the marketing calculation is such that when the next big or small revolution occurs under the “apple” banner, the audience is first indignant (“Everyone decided for us again!”), And then reluctantly accepts the innovations and in some cases no longer imagines how it was possible before do without them.
The Macintosh line is more conservative compared to mobile devices, but sharp turns occur here too. And now Apple has decided to upgrade the monitor. The concept is not new - to make it a laptop docking station with many expansion devices that did not fit in the compact case of the computer itself, but were not needed on the road. The innovation is to make the connection simple and convenient, and the key to solving the problem is Thunderbolt.
The Thunderbolt bus allows four PCI-E 2.0 lines and a DisplayPort signal to be transmitted over a single cable. Moreover, this is not just a thick cable: the input data is encoded by the controller into one digital stream, and on the other end the controller restores its original format, and most importantly, the channel is completely transparent for connected devices and the controllers look like PCI-E switches. So…
- We have the ability to transmit images and connect peripherals via a single cable
- Let's make a monitor with one signal cable and many built-in devices on the PCI-E bus. Yes, at least half of the computer can be embedded there!
- ???????
- PROFIT!
It is a pity that only owners of modern Macs with Thunderbolt ports will receive a “profit”. Despite the fact that Thunderbolt is physically compatible with DisplayPort, you cannot output a signal to this monitor using a simple DisplayPort cable - that's the point. Owners of Apple computers last year and PC users were out of work.
About the prices. Apple sells the Thunderbolt Display for $ 999 - the same cost as the LED Cinema Display, now discontinued. The average price of a monitor in Moscow online stores is also comparable to the price of ALCD at the time of its appearance - about 40 thousand rubles.
⇡ Specifications
As a basis for the Thunderbolt Display, we took the already familiar Apple LED Cinema Display model with a diagonal of 27 inches, and peripherals came from it: a sound card and speakers of standard 2.1, a microphone, a webcam and a USB hub. Only the camera now supports 1280x720 resolution. All this economy is connected to one USB-controller on the PCI-E bus. And thanks to Thunerbolt, the FireWire 800 controller and Gigabit Ethernet adapter were added to it.
The operating system automatically finds all the devices as soon as the Thunderbolt Display is connected to the Mac, regardless of whether there are the same in the computer itself, and up to five other external devices, including an additional monitor, can be connected to the Thunderbolt downstream port. An important point: not all Macs are capable of displaying a picture on two external displays through one Thunderbolt connector. MacBook Air has only one DisplayPort channel. And the 27-inch iMac has two Thunderbolt ports, but each bus controller also has only one DisplayPort, so it won't work to build a system with five screens. Enough with us and three. It’s important how many screens the GPU supports: two external displays are connected to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the built-in one turns off. Larger models lack this limitation.
And one more thing: you cannot connect the “old” Apple LED Cinema Display as a second monitor to the Thunderbolt Display, but if there is such a need, you can use as an intermediate link some device that decodes the DisplayPort signal and transfers it through the Thunderbolt downstream connector to "End-to-end" mode (the interface allows you to do such a thing, and this is used to connect the 2011 Macs to the Cinema Display).
Now - about the main function of new items. As a monitor, the Thunderbolt Display is practically no different from its predecessor. Here we used the same LM270WQ1 H-IPS matrix from LG Electronics - a close relative of the LM270WQ2 panel, which we met in professional monitors NEC PA271W and Dell UltraSharp U2711. The key difference is the backlighting based on white LEDs instead of fluorescent lamps. Thunderbolt Display does not support extended color gamut, but otherwise is consistent with competitors in TTX. Most importantly - a huge margin of brightness (375 cd / sq.m) and wide viewing angles, which can only provide IPS.
The screen is made in a specific form factor: 27 ″ with a resolution of 2560x1440, which gives a density of 109 pixels per square inch. The picture is very clear, but the size of the text and small details of the interface are sometimes merciless to the eyes. In this situation, glossy finish is a real blessing for Thunderbolt Display. In similar NEC and Dell models, the screen is coated with an anti-reflective film (and glued over the initially glossy matrix), and the so-called crystalline effect greatly complicates reading from the screen in small print. And here everything is perfectly smooth and no crystalline effect.
| Apple Thunderbolt Display | |
|---|---|
| Screen | |
| Diagonal Length, inches | 27 ″ |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Coating | Glossy |
| Standard resolution, pix. | 2560x1440 |
| PPI | 109 |
| Image Options | |
| Matrix type | H-IPS |
| Backlight type | LED |
| Max. brightness, cd / m 2 | 375 |
| Static contrast | 1000:1 |
| Dynamic contrast | Not |
| Number of colors displayed | 16.7 million |
| Horizontal Frequency, KHz | Nd |
| Vertical Frequency, Hz | 60 (2560x1440) |
| Response time, ms | 12 |
| Maximum horizontal / vertical viewing angles, ° | 178 / 178 |
| Connectors | |
| Video inputs | 1 x Thunderbolt |
| Additional ports | 1 x MagSafe, 3 x USB 2.0 1 x FireWire 800, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet |
| Built-in speakers: number x power, W | 2.1, 49 Watt |
| Physical parameters | |
| Screen Position Adjustment | Tilt angle |
| VESA mount: dimensions (mm) | Delivered separately |
| Kensington Lock Mount | there is |
| Power Supply | Built in |
| Max. power consumption: in work / in a waiting mode (W) | 250 (while charging MacBook Pro) /<1 |
| Overall dimensions (with stand): LxWxH, mm | 650x491x207 |
| Overall dimensions (without stand): DhVhG, mm | Nd |
| Weight (with stand), kg | 10,8 |
| Weight (without stand), kg | Nd |
| Warranty period, years | 1 |
| price, rub. | No data |
⇡ Packaging, delivery
Monitor packaging - a large cardboard box with a carrying handle. The contents of the box are laid conveniently and aesthetically. And this unique smell of brand new Apple technology ... Stop, what are you talking about the sect?
Today I want to tell you about a rather strange and, to put it mildly, niche device. This monitor is intended primarily for owners of laptops equipped with Thunderbolt. The second - for those who will use video cards with such a port in their computers, but this is a matter of the future, and it is not known when the future will come. Why did Apple decide to take such a bold move? Indeed, earlier monitors could be easily connected to almost any laptop. Apparently, this is a way to promote Thubderbolt to the masses, in the USA the display costs a little more than a thousand dollars, it is still expensive compared to similar models from other manufacturers, but not so expensive for Apple technology.
Design, construction
The monitor comes in a huge box, I barely got into the trunk. And the trunk is not so small, please note. The monitor itself, against the backdrop of colossal packaging, looks kind of thin, although the thin weighs 10.8 kg. At first glance at the device, you understand once again why Apple designers eat their bread. A very, very, very much metal, cold silver aluminum, a massive stand, a curved back, a black frame around the display makes the eye focus on what is happening inside and does not let it out. After turning on, you just stand and look like a child at this miracle. You start to run movies, all sorts of sites like Navigaya.com and try the monitor in a different way. The length is 65 centimeters, the height is 49.1 cm, while at the same time on the table it seems to take no place. The stand takes the place, but with this you can easily put up. In addition, it serves as a stand for the fifteen-inch MacBook Pro, thus, the workspace was organized with maximum effect.
Now about the cons. Everything is glossy on the front, and if you have large windows that look directly at the monitor, then glare will torment you. The prints still run wild, and they seem to appear on their own, magically. I like to keep the technique in frequency, and therefore the friendship of the monitor and the miraculous rag was constant. The second point, the monitor can be tilted forward or backward, but it won’t work left or right, the designers fought for beauty and a hole in the metal for cable passage. Given that the diagonal is rather big, the monitor could well replace the TV, for example, if you decided to lie on the sofa in your office and watch a tonic movie. Want to turn, not coming out. Well, at least, the stand glides over the varnish, as if on ice. The monitor does not, as I understand it, have an infrared port, if you use the Apple remote control, direct it to the laptop.
A webcam with a microphone is hidden in the upper frame of the monitor, on the official website it is politely called HD. I tried calling FaceTime to a friend, I can see it well, thanks.
The design is beautiful, the materials are beautiful, thank you very much for that.
Actually, the monitor
Diagonal of 27 inches, resolution 2560x1440 pixels, LED-backlight, IPS, excellent viewing angles. The image is bright, juicy, watching movies is a pleasure. True, it’s disgusting to watch ordinary “rips” the size of just over a gigabyte, everything is smeared. I have to download these same “rips” harder to make it beautiful. Eyes run from corner to corner, the whole picture cannot be captured, even with the correct landing at the desktop. That is, the image on the monitor is akin to a city panorama. Here in this corner hangs a minimized iTunes player, here is the browser, here is the Pages document, here is the Skype window. A lot of space, enough for everything. Not only that, I was already so used to working on a laptop that after a couple of days of using the display I found that the neck hurts less, because I do not have to bend it. And this led me to the idea that a monitor is still necessary, no matter if it is an Apple Thunderbolt Display or another solution. I did not notice dark areas in the corners, and indeed, I did not notice any crime. I also have nothing to compare with, probably, the owners of some Dell or NEC can say that Apple’s solution loses to their devices, I won’t argue, I haven’t seen it.
Connection
With this, everything is very simple, if you plan to use the display with a laptop, I would first recommend connecting a keyboard and mouse, in my case, these are Apple branded accessories, but no one bothers you using any others. No one bothers to use wired solutions, as you like. I like minimalism, and a shortened Bluetooth keyboard has been familiar for a long time, it doesn’t scare me, and I don’t see any reason to scold it. I use it constantly with the iPad, several times with the iPhone, and while I was messing with this monitor, I served for three weeks.
When the monitor is installed on the table, you just need to connect it to the network, and then use the “wired” tightly branched cable, there is a proprietary plug with a magnet for laptops and Thunderbolt. Thus, you connect the laptop in seconds, the computer’s battery starts charging, power is supplied, everything is in order. It should be understood that Apple primarily made an accessory for its laptop computers with a Thunderbolt connector and did not look at other things, there is no point in buying a monitor for use with Windows-based laptops (in my opinion). Well, for a person with a MacBook Pro or Air, use will turn into a fairy tale. He came home, took a laptop from his bag, connected two cables, began to work or rest. Or just set to charge the battery.
There are other connectors on the back of the monitor:
- 3 USB 2.0 powered ports
- Firewire 800 Port
- Gigabit Ethernet Port
- Thunderbolt Port
- Kensington Security Lock
Accordingly, you can connect any peripheral devices to the monitor, consider that you connect directly to the laptop. If you open the laptop cover, the image from the monitor disappears, or rather, the background remains there, and all the windows go to the laptop display. After closing the lid, several seconds pass, and now the windows appear on the monitor.
Do not forget that this is not just a monitor, but a kind of hub: “Thunderbolt technology enables you to transfer data between your computer and various devices at an unbeatable speed. Thanks to two channels of 10 Gb / s in each direction, data is transmitted up to 20 times faster than via USB 2.0, and up to 12 times faster than through FireWire 800. The monitor allows you to connect up to six devices through one compact port. Now this powerful and versatile port is built right into the monitor for the first time. ”. And you can connect two monitors to one laptop at once, someone will surely like it.
My display quickly overgrown with wires, like a porcupine. I constantly use two cables, miniUSB and microUSB to connect various devices, so they were just plugged into the connectors on the back of the monitor. So that nothing sticks out, you can hide the cable sections in a round hole in the stand and remove it as needed. Still there would be a slot for an SD memory card. Although, maybe this is superfluous.
Sound
If you do not have a computer audio system, then the speakers built into the monitor can successfully replace even very high-quality acoustics of this kind. The volume is great, the sound is juicy, bright, powerful, the official website indicates that there is a subwoofer - but in my opinion its work is not very noticeable. Otherwise, unexpectedly good monitor abilities, I can only praise.
conclusions
The average price of this device in Moscow is about 41,000 rubles. I understand that for this money you can buy two, or even three monitors with a similar diagonal of the display, because there are not only inches, but also IPS, and also backlight. Monitors with similar specifications are either about the same or more expensive. However, the device is not just niche, but very niche. In fact, the main consumers are owners of Apple laptops with a Thunderbolt connector, at least some use of the new technology. And what else.
This accessory is convenient to connect, it is equipped with a sufficient number of additional ports, the screen seemed beautiful, bright, everything is very clear, excellent viewing angles - for me, everything is fine, I didn’t see the highlights in the corners, or just didn’t want to watch. For a couple of weeks, I was imbued with this thing and do not quite understand why the old Apple LED Cinema Display 27 is in some places more expensive than the considered contraption. Not to say that much, but more expensive. But there is such a moment.
Good sound, good webcam, unique design, simplicity of settings, what else is needed, I do not know. I sincerely recommend the device for purchase if at work or in your home office you are tired of bending over the laptop screen. From myself I’ll say one thing, no matter how good the MacBook Pro 17 is, but more and more often I think about the display just for home. And something tells me that for the New Year holidays I will arrange a large metal gift for myself.
I want to note that in the USA the monitor costs about a thousand dollars.
Sergey Kuzmin ()
