It’s difficult to argue with the fact that Apple makes some of the best looking technology in the industry. And, while I love my MacBook Pro, I cringe every time I think about the price in comparison to some of the sub $1000 WinTel machines that are on the market. What I didn’t think about until recently is how much that cost differential extended to the entire product line or when “looking good” wouldn’t be nearly enough.

As my work-at-home life continues to expand, I figured it was time to get a keyboard/mouse/monitor that I could use in my home office without feeling cramped to the traditional notebook keyboard. The keyboard and mouse were easy – I already had a spare Apple keyboard and I’ve really liked my Magic Mouse, so I will get another of those. The monitor, though, because it was for home, was a more difficult decision. At work I use 25.5″ Samsung Monitor, and while big enough it’s not super aesthetically attractive. On the plus side, they’re pretty darn good and regularly priced at less than $400. But, before making a decision – I had to check out the Apple Store to see what they had to offer.

At first blush, the Apple 30″ monitor is perfect, but on further inspection the price rules it out for consideration. It would be difficult to accept paying almost as much for a monitor as I paid for my MacBook – and yes, I know, I look at the monitor all day long. So I kept walking until I got to Apple’s LED Cinema Display, which is actually beautiful to look at – regardless of whether it’s on or off. At retail $900, it’s still more than double the Samsung, although it looks better and seems to be a better display.

Whether the quality is 100% better is debatable, but beauty aside there are some fatal flaws with Apples newest display offering – things that just can’t be overlooked. First and foremost – if you’re using an Apple MacBook Pro – the flaws are irrelevant. They’re features. The integration is beautiful and exactly what you would expect from Apple. Plug the monitor into power and a single whip includes a MacBook Pro power adapter, a DisplayPort plug, and a USB 2.0 connection. It’s perfect and exudes the neatness that most expect from Apple. Unfortunately, the excitement fades quickly.

I like my MacBook Pro – no doubt, but I live in a Windows world and frequently boot into Windows directly. Imagine my surprise – the Apple Display doesn’t work in Windows. Oh, and if you want to plug it into some other computer, other than a MacBook Pro, you’re pretty much out of luck. It has a DisplayPort adapter and that’s it. No DVI, no VGA… nothing. Beautiful if you buy a MacBook Pro, not so grand for anything else. What’s wrong with this picture on a $900 monitor?

So in the end, the LED display doesn’t make sense for me and there was little I could do to justify the cost/value of moving forward with another Apple product. Too bad; for half the price, maybe.

~geek