Monitor Update
Category: Apple/Mac OS...
Posted Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 09:00 PM [GMT-6]

I've lived with my new NEC monitor (a MultiSync LCD1960NXi, to be specific) for about five days and I must say that I'm very impressed.

Since its maximum resolution is 1280x1024, it doesn't display any more data than the Apple 17" LCD it replaced, but it makes what's being displayed more legible. And for apps which allow adjustment of font size, I can use a smaller screen font to take better advantage of the additional pixelacreage, assuming I can talk my eyes into cooperating.

I think the screen is brighter than the Apple display, although my memory is tainted by the partially darkened screen that made me decide to chuck the Apple to begin with. Color fidelity seems good (and I spent four hours yesterday touching up 60 product photos for a client, so I would have noticed any problems).

Design-wise, the NEC is a separate but equal answer to the Apple. It's black and metal, vs. the white/clear acrylic of the other, but it is more adjustable (swivels and raises/lowers, neither of which the Apple display will do), and the tilt is more easily adjusted. Interestingly, the black color actually works better, cosmetically-speaking, with my desk (which was MLB's initial observation). It also works better with my computer (surprise!) in that the Apple display had that elegant-but-impractical proprietary ADC connector that was incompatible with my G4, requiring me to invest in a $100+ adapter, complete with three new cables, a HUGE power block and a slightly smaller "black box" to do the signal conversion. The NEC connects with a standard DVI cable (which, unfortunately, I had to purchase separately). I welcome anything that eliminates a cable or two while maintaining functionality.

The only thing I miss about the Apple display is the way it integrated with the computer, allowing me to boot up by touching the frame. Oh, and I also miss the two USB ports that it provided.

If you're in the market for an LCD display, I've seen nothing thus far that makes me hesitate to recommend this NEC. I hope that someday, Apple will wise up to the competition and lengthen its pitiful one-year warranty on its monitors.

[It's interesting to note that Apple now offers only 20", 23" and the monster 30" (for a mere $3,300, plus $600 for the required NVIDIA GeForce video card) displays. Would you spend up to $4,000 for a monitor with a one-year warranty?]