[Leica] Big screen LCD monitor advice please !

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

I have a 30" Apple display and it's fabulous. Calibrated monthly of
course! <grin> Fortunately there's good, affordable, calibration
software/hardware out there.

But, that said, the wide-screen Dell displays are getting very
favorable comments from a variety of sources. They actually have a
better SPEC in the contrast ratio department than the Apple displays
do.

I think there are a very few suppliers of the good, big, LCD displays
so it's vendor issues that might make the choice for you - price being
the foremost.

My experience with Dell, indirect since I don't run any PC machines at
all, but through friends etc, is that their displays are either great
on arrival and work super or they have problems from the start and
then have to insist on replacement. This happens with Apple as well
although maybe with 1/4 the frequency. NEVER buy new generation from
Apple. Always wait one. So I wouldn't buy a new Intel based Mac now,
I'd wait until late summer when they've been through a production
design-cycle. Although, I have to say, with Intel deeply involved with
the design and using chip sets that are highly standard, this may
change.

I'd never buy a Dell laptop. Thinkpad for a laptop - it's almost a
no-brainer unless cost is everything. I have had two of the PowerBook
laptops, a 15" and a 17", both heavily used. The 15" is still in
service (it was one of the first TiBooks) and keeps my mother-in-law
very happily on-line with no problems. The 17" works wonderfully but
runs Aperture slooooooooowly.

Adam