Apple's 21" Monitor is Worth it's Price in 2003
Written: May 03 '03
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Pros: Stylish body, Large Size, 4-Port USB Hub on Side of Monitor
Cons: Heavy, Mine is Slightly Hazy
The Bottom Line: For the money, this is more than worth it. You get a very functional monitor with great size for a bargain.
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| azzgunther's Full Review: Apple Studio Monitor |
Apple is a company known for putting out high-quality products for high prices. I purchased this monitor from a computer swap shop in my town for a mere $250. It would be fair to suppose that it was previously used at a local college for a graphic arts program, and with good reason.
This monitor is wonderful - so far. I deliberated and went through many hours searching for a way to maximize my money on a new monitor. I wanted maximum screen space for minimum money. After reading reviews of many different models from many different companies, Apple's 21" display seemed best.
PROS
Apple's 21" CRT display has a set of resolutions to satisfy almost any user. It can go up to a 1600 x 1200 comfortably and still run at 85 hertz. This means that I have space for nearly two entire web pages or two entire text documents side by side. The ability to have so much on the screen at once will help anybody who currently spends a great deal of time hiding windows behind other windows. Now, just leave them all on the desktop side by side.
Another plus for this monitor is color depth. It does an adequate job of displaying colors in pictures and videos, despite a flaw which I'll review below. I would not say that I've ever seen a CRT display colors better than an LCD screen (despite popular opinion that LCD screens are inferior to CRT screens), but this screen comes close.
You'll find another nice feature if you use this on an Apple computer (that's right, PC users could use this display too since it uses a VGA interface). With an Apple computer this display is auto-detected and thus is supported specifically by your monitor preferences panel. I simply plugged it in and there was a screen with options for moving and adjusting the screen's position, color-calibrating, resolutions, and more. There is even a button on the front of the display to press if you ever want to have this window pop up! All of the adjustments to the display are done via mouse in the preferences menu except for brightness and contrast. These are located on the underbelly of the monitor and easily accessible.
Lastly, there is a 4-port USB hub on the side of the monitor. This is great for plug-in in keyboards, cameras, or whatever else tickles your fancy. A great design.
Cons
Picture quality. The display is getting old, and I understand this, so it would be harsh to criticize its display quality too much. There is, however, an issue that should be brought up. I find that the picture is fuzzy and a bit less crisp than other monitors. This is not enough of a factor to annoy me, but it does leave me eager for the time when I can afford a new LCD monitor. To describe the picture I will say this: color is right but the picture sharpness is a slight bit blurry. It's almost as if there's an imperceptable blur to the whole screen overlayed with some whiteness. Again, not a huge issue but it lags behind many newer monitors.
The monitor is HEAVY. At 77 lbs. many people will need help carrying it. It's not a huge deal, but worth knowing.
Read this thread at Apple's forums to see some of the user problems experienced as the monitor has aged: http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?14@159.kBw9a8q4khI.4@.3bbaf4a7
In conclusion, I've found this monitor to be a steal. It has pretty good picture quality, USB ports on the side, great size, and great features. It does, however have the curse of age at this point. Nothing lasts forever, but if you can get one of these with the hope of having it last for a year or so you'd do well for the money.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250.00
Operating System: Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
azzgunther
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Member: Chris
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
22/tech geek/Mac freak/Student. Music, Computers, Games, and Movies are my thing.
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