Apple Cinema HD Display 30" (2004)
Four million pixels in 2004: the 30-incher that needed a brand-new graphics card just to exist.
Model reconstruction, not a photograph.
Specs
| Panel | 30" LCD, 2560×1600, 16:10, 270 cd/m² |
| Connectivity | dual-link DVI, 2× FireWire 400 + 2× USB 2.0 |
| Key feature | required the GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL, per Apple's release |
Launch
Apple introduced it on June 28, 2004 at WWDC in San Francisco, per its official press release: a new aluminium Cinema Display family with a very thin bezel, crowned by the 30" at 2560×1600 pixels. The release called it "the largest high resolution display ever created" and Jobs described it as "the largest desktop canvas ever created". The release announced August availability at $3,299, while the new 20" and 23" arrived in July at $1,299 and $1,999.
Marketing
The release stressed that a Power Mac G5 with the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL card ($599) could drive two 30" units at once, eight million pixels of desktop, and that the family dropped the ADC connector for standard DVI, with PC compatibility for the 20- and 23-inch models, with two built-in FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports plus VESA mounting support. The aluminium stand's adjustable hinge made tilting "almost effortless", the official text said.
Flaws and fixes
Its resolution was such that no Mac in the catalogue could drive it as standard: it demanded dual-link DVI, and at launch only the new GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL supported it, per Apple's release. Wikipedia records a silent brightness and contrast upgrade in 2006 and its discontinuation on July 26, 2010; it was the last Cinema Display with a matte panel, prized by professionals.