Both the 24-inch and 30-inch Apple Cinema displays will disappear in favor of a new 27-inch with LED backlighting and a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Amid all the hubbub over Apple’s new iMacs, Mac Pros and Magic TrackPad, it would be easy enough to miss a major rearrangement of its longstanding line of Cinema displays. In a move that will eliminate some choice for new buyers, Apple has discontinued the existing 24- and 30-inch Cinema displays in favor of a single model: a new 27-inch LED display.
The 27-inch model shuns the typical 1080p resolution found at its size in favor of 2560 x 1440 – a boost of 60 percent more pixels than the outgoing 24 incher, but slightly less than the mammoth 30-inch model, which stacked 1600 pixels vertically, rather than 1440. Conveniently, that will leave it with 16:9 aspect ratio ideal for widescreen movie watching. The 27-inch display will also use LED backlighting, just as the old 24-inch model did.
Extras include three rear USB ports, built-in stereo speakers, and of course, an iSight camera up top. It connects via Apple’s standard Mini DisplayPort connector.
How much for Apple latest wünderdisplay? About the price of a 46-inch plasma for your living room. It will sell for $999 when it launches in September.
