New Model Apple Cinema Display 23" or Old?

Question

Level 1

9 points

New Model Apple Cinema Display 23" or Old?

I just purchased an Apple Cinema Display 23 inch display from an authorized Apple Reseller.

I asked before I bought the display if it was the updated model with the higher contrast and brightness introduced in August 2006. I was assured that it was. The serial number is 2A64026XXXX. If I enter that number on the Apple Support page it shows it as being a "Late 2005 DVI" build which would mean that it has the old screen. If I enter the serial number into chipmunk.nl it comes back with a "week 40 2006" assembly date meaning that it is the new model.

So, do I have the new model upgraded display or not?

G5, Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Posted on Mar 31, 2007 11:47 PM

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Answer 1

BSteely

Level 5

7,663 points

Apr 3, 2007 8:55 PM in response to Charles Barr

The date of manufacture is contained in the EDID inside the monitor. That is the most reliable way to know for sure when it was built.

SwitchRes X Control Panel has a built-in EDID reader. It's actually a button labled "Print DDC" which creates a text file from the EDID.

http://www.madrau.com/html/SRX/DL.shtml

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Answer 2

Apr 4, 2007 6:06 AM in response to BSteely

I had the EXACT same question when I bought my 23' Cinema. If you just did a search you would have found it. But to answer your question, the new serial numbers that you enter into apple still show the old specs. I have no idea why. I returned my first monitor thinking it was old, went to another Apple store and got the same results. I forget how I did it, but someone told me a way to figure out the manufacturing date and it was in fact a new monitor.

So don't go by what apple.com specs are. If you recently bought the monitor, no worries!

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Answer 3

Apr 5, 2007 11:02 AM in response to Travis Leclair

Old model...new model...bah...humbug! They are all the same model. The small spec bumps have no bearing on this. I think the difficulty in ascertaining whether or not a particular unit was made "before or after" is a clear illustration of the point. The forum catagory, Apple Cinema Displays (Mid 2004) is another.

User uploaded file

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Answer 4

Charles Barr Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 5, 2007 7:02 PM in response to BSteely

The date of manufacture is contained in the EDID
inside the monitor. That is the most reliable way to
know for sure when it was built.

SwitchRes X Control Panel has a built-in EDID reader.
It's actually a button labled "Print DDC" which
creates a text file from the EDID.

http://www.madrau.com/html/SRX/DL.shtml

Thanks, interesting program. It returned a serial number 2A54622XXXX with a build date of week 46 2005. The serial number on the monitor is 2A64026XXXX. Apple Technical Support told me that my monitor was made in October 2006 and was the new specification model.

I know Apple has used LG and Philips screens in their displays, could the EDID reported by SwitchRes X be the information on the vendor provided screen?

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Answer 5

Charles Barr Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 5, 2007 7:27 PM in response to David DeCristoforo

Old model...new model...bah...humbug! They are all
the same model. The small spec bumps have no
bearing on this. I think the difficulty in
ascertaining whether or not a particular unit was
made "before or after" is a clear illustration of the
point. The forum catagory, Apple Cinema Displays (Mid
2004) is another.

Thanks for the response. In this case, the pre-August 2006 ACD 23 displays were known for backlight leakage, a pinkish tinge and for not being as bright as their competitors.

The post-August 2006 displays went from a contrast ratio of 400:1 to 700:1 and from a brightness of 270 cd/m2 to 400 cd/m2. This is a significant improvement.

The horizontal and vertical viewing angle was increased by 8 degrees a well.

If Apple had not made these changes I would not have purchased an Apple display.

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Answer 6

BSteely

Level 5

7,663 points

Apr 5, 2007 8:53 PM in response to Charles Barr

Could your monitor be a refurb? That might explain the discrepancy in the two serial numbers. The EDID should be returning the manufacturing date and serial number of the whole monitor assembly, not the panel. It's unlikely a panel would be sitting around a year to be assembled into a monitor. A year is a lifetime from an aged inventory perspective in the LCD business.

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Answer 7

Charles Barr Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 5, 2007 10:42 PM in response to BSteely

I guess anything is possible, but the monitor was sold as new by CompUSA. Apple's records show a October build date and a December delivery to CompUSA.

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Answer 8

Apr 7, 2007 6:27 AM in response to Charles Barr

coconutIdentityCard 2.2 gives week and year based on the serial number. Use the "Custom" tab and enter the number.

User uploaded file

BB

MBP 2.0, week 13 Mac OS X (10.4.9) No chickenheads!

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Answer 9

lilljim

Level 1

25 points

Apr 7, 2007 6:58 AM in response to Bunsen Burner

mine was made in china
between 14.08.2006 and 20.08.2008
hmmmmm.

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Answer 10

lilljim

Level 1

25 points

Apr 7, 2007 7:23 AM in response to lilljim

/Users/jlamphier/Desktop/screen shot build.tiff

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Answer 11

lilljim

Level 1

25 points

Apr 7, 2007 8:10 AM in response to lilljim

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=13718612 0&albumID=0&imageID=4444522

i know im a geek lol

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Answer 12

Charles Barr Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 7, 2007 2:02 PM in response to Bunsen Burner

Thanks, Bunsen Burner. I use chipmunk which tends to pin down the date a bit more precisely.

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

The build date which I received from Apple Support and Chipmunk are the same - 40th week 2006. This date, however, is different than the one returned by the EDID reader in SwitchRes X Control Panel.

Go figure.

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