Apple Monitors (Why do they look so good?)

[ibex333]

So I was wondering why is it that Apple monitors look so damn good in comparison to PC monitors...

I am not talking about design. don't care about that. I am talking about colors, resolution and clarity. The icons are so sharp, I feel like I can physically take them. Everything is so vividly eye popping it feels like it can be "tasted".


I know that Apple uses IPS, vs TN which is used on most PC displays. But is it just IPS? Is the resolution also generally much higher?

Basically I'd love to "emulate" that Apple experience on my PC as closely as possible. I don't want the Apple OS, I only want the overall "look".

Can I get there with just a good IPS display + good video card?

 

[Corporate Thug]

aren't the panels made by LG?

 

[Stuka87]

Apple has very high standards for their panels. They have to meet specific guidlines in order to be used. The ones that do not meet these, get handed off to be used in cheaper displays.

But their are plenty of non-Apple IPS displays that look great. Comparing TN to IPS for image quality isnt something you should do, because it will make you hate TN displays.

Go buy a nice IPS (I like Dells personally) and you should be very happy with it.

 

[Paul98]

All you need to do is get a good monitor.

 

[Silverforce11]

Because the bulk of PC monitors are budget. Apple charge a massive premium, they need to back it up with actual premium hardware (sometimes!).

 

[Pneumothorax]

The other thing is the utter lack of anti-glare, many of PC monitors have that crappy antiglare coating that gives a shimmer to images. The latest Apple monitors also have bonded glass to the lcd. Most PC AIO's have a nice big gap between the front glass and the lcd panel.

 

[alcoholbob]

Apple Cinema Display monitors are currently glossy which is pretty uncommon in PC monitors, the majority of which are matte. There's a huge difference in image quality and color depth under typically indoor lightning conditions between glossy and matte...

 

[garagisti]

Apart from differences already cited, there was once a time when the Apple displays were mainstream pc ones, merely in a better packaging. Heck, at one point in time they were falsely advertising their screens for supporting x number of colours, but hardware was found to be inadequate (not too long ago iirc). I think it is the Mac OS's general backdrops, images etc., small things, but it all adds to overall feeling. I actually thought the backgrounds made a significant difference in perception. As mentioned before, panels are made by various companies making displays for PC's. As has been advised, get a good screen, calibrate it and it can be beautiful. It may not be Apple, but possibly be much better.

Worst case scenario, you possibly have Apple fever.

 

[Grooveriding]

Apple uses the same grade of panels Dell uses for their Ultrasharp line. Apple screens have that 'pop' because they are glossy with that pane of glass they put over top of the panel.

They have a full pane of glass over the panel. Something you don't get on other standalone monitors. Gives the screen a different look.

 

[Black Octagon]

Take a batch of quality IPS panels, leave without anti-glare coating, and decently calibrate.

Pick out the ones with excessive IPS glow and pixel defects. Sell the remainder in a well-designed housing and packaging.

Congratulations. You've just made Apple pie (err, monitors)

 

[biostud]

I'm quite happy with my glass ips panel as well, although backlight bleeding is visible.

 

[imaheadcase]

Its that people don't pay a lot much for monitors, apple pretty much just uses higher quality displays. You can get the same thing if you want to pay higher cost for monitors like apple charges.

I never understood why people don't, i would not spend anything less than $500 for a display, its the one thing that actually matters because you look at it all day, or if job depends on it. My next budget monitor will prob be around $900 or so.

 

[2is]

Its that people don't pay a lot much for monitors, apple pretty much just uses higher quality displays. You can get the same thing if you want to pay higher cost for monitors like apple charges.

I never understood why people don't, i would not spend anything less than $500 for a display, its the one thing that actually matters because you look at it all day, or if job depends on it. My next budget monitor will prob be around $900 or so.

Probably because people don't know. You don't see high end 27 or 30" Dell or HP IPS monitors on display typically. You simply have to know about them and put an order in to get it. By contrast, you walk into an Apple store and you see them on display and you can use them to go to your favorite site, load up your own flash drive if you have it and pull up your favorite photo. You see them first had displaying stuff you want to look at. Something you can't do at most other places.

 

[Headfoot]

They use high quality panels in the Cinema displays, along with many other manufacturers. They are full glossy, which "pops" more. Finally, they are in specialized display sections where they take care to have certain backgrounds, lighting conditions, etc.

You can get an equally high quality display from Dell (U2415h) for like $200.

 

[fleshconsumed]

As some have said it's mainly about presentation. The 27" Korean monitors use exact same panels as apple, the only difference is that Apple puts them in a pretty package, puts them behind full pane glass, and does not apply any anti-glare treatment so the panels naturally pop.

 

[exar333]

Take a batch of quality IPS panels, leave without anti-glare coating, and decently calibrate.

Pick out the ones with excessive IPS glow and pixel defects. Sell the remainder in a well-designed housing and packaging.

Congratulations. You've just made Apple pie (err, monitors)

This.

Say what you want about Apple in general, but they do have high standard for most of their display tech they sell. Pick the best panel, wrap-it in aluminum and cover with a high-quality glass layer and calibrate it.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Apple has very high standards for their panels. They have to meet specific guidlines in order to be used. The ones that do not meet these, get handed off to be used in cheaper displays.

Yeah, and so other major brands like Dell and HP. They use the same high-graded panels as Apple, from the same manufacturers.

You don't see high end 27 or 30" Dell or HP IPS monitors on display typically. You simply have to know about them and put an order in to get it.

I think this is a major factor. Dell's monitor line-up has the ultrasharps (almost all of which are great) and a bunch of lower-end stuff as well. Apple sells only 1 (ok 2, but it's really the same thing) cinema display, and it is great, but also quite expensive.

Basically, OP, you can find high quality displays from a number of brands/distributors. In the same metaphorical weight class as apple's current cinema displays: the Asus PBQ27, the Dell u2713hm or 2715H, HP's zr2740w, and Samsung's S27 series.

Can I get there with just a good IPS display + good video card?

So to answer your actual question, yes. And you don't even really need a good video card.

 

[razel]

So I was wondering why is it that Apple monitors look so damn good in comparison to PC monitors...

They're calibrated. What's surprising... the entry level iMac and iPhone 5c were some of the most accurate out-of-the-box displays Anand has tested. There are probably others that have beaten it since, but both of those products are Apple's entry level.

I'm glad though that you think it looks great. Everything else sold to consumers (TVs and Samsung phones) are ridiculously over-saturated which the general public thinks looks great.

You can calibrate your own monitor. Windows has had 'calibrate display' since Vista. The worse screens I have encountered, low-end laptops used to always be blue saturated. I 1st try to change the color temperature to 6500 but it seems as if only AMD drivers have this setting otherwise, I always knock down the blue and displays look much better. Most of the time, dimmer, but better.

By the way, Nexus devices and iPads are also very well calibrated. I think the Nook HD+ is the cheapest device ($100) with a great 9" screen and changeable to Lollipop to boot!

 

[5150Joker]

Apple uses the same grade of panels Dell uses for their Ultrasharp line. Apple screens have that 'pop' because they are glossy with that pane of glass they put over top of the panel.

They have a full pane of glass over the panel. Something you don't get on other standalone monitors. Gives the screen a different look.

Yep, it's that gloss that really helps. If you ever used one of those cheap Korean IPS monitors that have glossy displays, they look eerily similar to the Apple ones in color pop. If there is one thing I absolutely HATE about my ROG it's the AG, I just don't get the obsession with these ugly coats that smear everything. Take a look at this for those of you that don't know:

You can have the best panel in the world and have it ruined by a crap AG coating.

 

[Grooveriding]

AG definitely takes some getting used to. I don't notice it anymore apart from on white if I'm using Firefox, Excel etc. It also varies from panel to panel. My 3007WFP had a horrible coat to it, the U3011 is nowhere near as bad.

Most screens that have AG on it are I assume are expected to be used for productivity of some sort, so an AG coating makes sense for an office environment.

 

[imaheadcase]

They're calibrated. What's surprising... the entry level iMac and iPhone 5c were some of the most accurate out-of-the-box displays Anand has tested. There are probably others that have beaten it since, but both of those products are Apple's entry level.

I'm glad though that you think it looks great. Everything else sold to consumers (TVs and Samsung phones) are ridiculously over-saturated which the general public thinks looks great.

You can calibrate your own monitor. Windows has had 'calibrate display' since Vista. The worse screens I have encountered, low-end laptops used to always be blue saturated. I 1st try to change the color temperature to 6500 but it seems as if only AMD drivers have this setting otherwise, I always knock down the blue and displays look much better. Most of the time, dimmer, but better.

By the way, Nexus devices and iPads are also very well calibrated. I think the Nook HD+ is the cheapest device ($100) with a great 9" screen and changeable to Lollipop to boot!

I don't know for sure, but that has nothing to do with calibration, its just simply they had better pixel density vs others first.

 

[5150Joker]

AG definitely takes some getting used to. I don't notice it anymore apart from on white if I'm using Firefox, Excel etc. It also varies from panel to panel. My 3007WFP had a horrible coat to it, the U3011 is nowhere near as bad.

Most screens that have AG on it are I assume are expected to be used for productivity of some sort, so an AG coating makes sense for an office environment.

For sure it makes sense in an office environment for displays catered towards general productivity. However, displays like the ROG Swift are marketed as gaming monitors and they still fail to make them glossy which puzzles me.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

i personally don't like the glossy/glass coated monitors, as in certain lighting conditions it produces too many reflections. But yeah in the right environment it does look clearer.

 

[amenx]

Apple only picks the cream of the crop (A grade) glossy panels from LG I believe. I think I have the same panel in my display that is used in the Apple Cinema Displays, only its an A- (on Catleap).

I will never turn down a good glossy display due to reflections, have always been able to control that in a home environment at least. The glossiness is what gives the 'wow factor' to the Apple displays imo.

 

[kasakka]

Rather than the glossyness (though it plays a part) I'd pin it more to the fact that their latest iMac and their Macbook Pro line comes with very high resolution displays. 5K for iMac and 2880x1800 for the 15" MBP.

To add to that they use 2X assets for icons etc in OSX so that makes them so sharp while keeping the overall size of everything the same as their non-retina displays.

By comparison on Windows side many programs simply don't have high res icons as the developers never bothered to make their software work properly with high DPI displays and Windows' scaling.