by , 3:00 PM EDT, May 21st, 2001
In an announcement that the Mac world has been anticipating for what seems like years, Apple has finally released a 17" flat panel display. The new display, running at a resolution of 1280x1024, will be available for less than US$1,000 and help move the entire Apple display line away from CRT displays and into LCD units. According to Apple:
Apple First to Offer All LCD Flat Panel Display Lineup
Unveils New 17-inch Model to Complete Display FamilyWWDC 2001, SAN JOSE, California—May 21, 2001—Apple® today announced that it will become the first in the industry to move to an all LCD flat panel display pro lineup. At the center of the new display line, Apple unveiled the new 17-inch Apple Studio Display™, a digital LCD display featuring 1280 by 1024 resolution at an aggressive price of $999 (US). The company also announced that it has lowered prices for the other two digital LCD displays in its line, with the award-winning 22-inch Apple Cinema Display now available for $2,499 (US) and the 15-inch Apple Studio Display now available for just $599 (US).
“Apple is the first company to move to an all LCD flat panel display lineup—the all-digital desktop has finally arrived,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Apple’s complete line of affordable digital LCD displays are far brighter and sharper than the CRTs of old.”
Apple’s line of flat panel displays are digitally-driven from the computer to provide crisper images than prior-generation analog-driven flat panel displays. An all-digital interface produces sharp, flicker-free images that never need to be adjusted by user controls such as CRTs require. The displays’ active matrix technology provides extraordinary brightness and contrast with no image degradation.
Ideal for creative professionals looking for a superior-quality, space-saving alternative to a traditional CRT monitor, the new 17-inch Studio Display flat panel offers an incredible screen resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels and a full 16.7 million colors. Its incredibly wide viewing angle of up to 160 degrees maintains color fidelity even when viewing off axis.
The 17-inch Studio Display continues the award-winning industrial design of its 15- and 22-inch siblings that is both beautiful and functional. In addition to its slim desktop footprint and low power consumption, the 17-inch Studio Display also features the Apple Display Connector, an innovative single-connection quick-latch mechanism that combines USB, power and video in one cable, for easy hookup and reduced desktop clutter. For easy plug-and-play connections to peripherals, the 17-inch flat panel also offers a 2-port powered USB hub.
Apple’s complete line of flat panel displays provide the perfect companion to Apple’s latest desktop computers. The award-winning Power Mac™ G4 professional desktop offers either 733 MHz, 533 MHz and 466 MHz single-processor configurations, or dual processor 533 MHz PowerPC G4 processors with Velocity Engine™. The Power Mac G4 comes with a choice of optical drives and easy-to-use applications for creating music CDs, interactive DVD videos and desktop movies.
Pricing & Availability
The 17-inch (diagonal) Apple Studio Display flat panel is expected to be available in early June from the online Apple Store®(www.apple.com), at Apple’s retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US); the 15-inch (diagonal) Apple Studio Display flat panel for a suggested retail price of $599 (US), and the 22-inch (diagonal) Apple Cinema Display for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US).
You can find more information about the new 17" Apple Studio Display flat panel, and the revamped display line-up, at the Apple Web site.
This announcement poses some interesting questions for the future of the iMac line. Apple has drawn a line in the sand with this announcement; CRTs are out, LCDs are in. While many have thought the next iMac might include a flat panel display, this announcement points toward that as being inevitable. MACWORLD NY should be very interesting this year.