It's no wonder Mac users are so smug

By ADAM GIFFORD

What people seem to hate about Mac users is how smug we are.

It's not just that we have machines that mostly work, don't need endless tweaking and patching and anti-virus updating and so on.

It's that every few months, Uncle Steve will come out with some new toy, tool or gadget, or a new twist on an old familiar, and we will say collectively, "That's really cool", and start doing the sums on whether we can afford one.

Which leads me to the Apple 23in Cinema Display.

The first generation of Apple flat-panel displays had a plastic surround with little legs, so it looked a bit like a school easel. This time round Apple has used anodised aluminium and given it a wide, solid foot.

It looks and feels secure, which is a comfort - it's not something you want falling over.

I got a bit distracted by the cinema tag. Good idea, I thought, and plugged in my 12in G4 Powerbook and put in a DVD.

There are cheaper ways to do this, but this is an excellent way to watch a movie at home. Good saturated colours and no problems with the refresh rates.

The 23in also has a wider viewing angle than previous screens, so the person at the far end of the sofa isn't penalised.

For the specs, it can display 16,777,216 colours on 2,304,000 pixels at a native resolution of 1920 by 1200. That's enough pixels for high-definition television (HDTV).

But enough of this frivolity. Back to work.

Working on a 12in screen has been tough after years of staring at a 20in monster, so it was good to get back to some serious real estate. Lots of space - enough to have multiple documents or browser windows side by side with no overlap.

After a few minutes I went into mirror mode, shut the lid on the laptop and used the bigger screen.

The day's work seemed to fly as I didn't have to keep digging under layers of files to find what I was looking for, or shift between word processor and browser.

As a comparison, I plugged in an old 20in VGA, and was reminded why I don't use that every day - it takes up too much room on the desk, text and images aren't as clear, and there is a constant flicker that causes eye strain and headaches after a few hours.

After the steadiness of the LCD screen, it's hard to go back.

The display has firewire and USB ports, so you can plug in peripherals such as still or digital video cameras directly.

The 23in display was released late last month and distributor Renaissance is working through back orders. The 30in display, which required machines with a special NVIDIA video card to drive it, should be available late next month for about $6000. A 20in display costs $2505, plus GST.

Apple displays can be used by PCs with DVI connections, meaning this latest toy from Uncle Steve is available for non-Mac users.

Mac users will need at least a G4 running OSX 10.2.8.

Cinema Display

The Apple 23-inch

Price: $3815 plus GST

Pros: Ample real estate, easy on the eyes

Cons: At that price, you really have to need it

Herald Rating: 8/10