New 20" iMac Screens Show 98% Fewer Colors

Trintech points us to an AppleInsider article about another class-action lawsuit directed against Apple Inc. This one claims that the displays on new 20" iMacs are only capable of 6-bit-per-pixel color, 98% fewer colors than Apple advertises. Rather than the 8-bit, in-plane switching (IPS) screens used in 24" iMacs and earlier 20" models, "[t]he new 20-inch iMac features a 6-bit twisted nematic film (TN) LCD screen," according to the article, "which the [law] firm claims is the 'least expensive of its type,' sporting a narrower viewing angle than the display of the 24-inch model, less color depth, less color accuracy, and greater susceptibility to washout." Apple recently settled a very similar class-action suit about the displays on MacBook and MacBook Pro models.

Comments

No April Fools articles this year.

[suso]

Good job slashdot, I think you successfully managed to show that reality is stranger than fiction by holding back on the fake articles this year. And you've thoroughly confused everyone.

Re:No April Fools articles this year.

[tftp]

Most people aren't going to really notice.

Yes, I am sure that's what they said at Apple. "Those suckers will never figure out what we sold them!" This is just another proof of "corporate honesty" being an oxymoron.

Re:No April Fools articles this year.

[poliopteragriseoapte]

Yes, this is a disaster for graphic artists. One of the BIG advantages of having an Apple machine has always been that the notion of color profiles are built-in, and uniformly applied; even Safari knows how to interpret them in photos. This is ridiculous. Thank goodness one can still get a Mac Mini plus an external LCD... but if the Mac Mini goes, so does Apple's superiority in graphics, and this is a big deal -- and ought to be a big deal to Apple.

Re:No April Fools articles this year.

[Capsaicin]

The reason why apple got caught with their pants down in their lawsuit is because for decades professional graphic artists and photographers have used and relied on apple.

Despite being marked down as Troll, this is actually quite insightful. It also shows the depth of the mistake Apple has made. The real cost to Apple is not in settling the litigation, but in the trust that will be lost in the professional graphics market. Up till now you could buy a Mac and be confident that you were getting a machine that was suited for graphics work. While most professionals wouldn't settle for the 20", nor an iMac for that matter, this is the most negative publicity, in one of it's core markets, that Apple could have (not) hoped for.

If only...

[v(*_*)vvvv]

the Windows Guy could retaliate in one of those commercials.

But cutting costs is part of innovation, so Apple is still the best, OBVIOUSLY.

Re:If only...

[Haeleth]

the Windows Guy could retaliate in one of those commercials.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Windows PCs (including pretty much every laptop ever made) also use these "inferior" screens, and nobody's tried to sue Dell yet.

The fact is that most people can't tell the difference, and aren't interested in paying four times as much to get a product that isn't noticably better unless you make your living working with colour.

This is a storm in a teacup.

Re:If only...

[kesuki]

Dell lets you pay extra to configure your laptop with a real screen. you pay through the nose, but still they let the person decide at checkout.

Re:Can't say I'm surprised.

[boristdog]

I am not a big Apple fan, but in the past I always knew they at least put out a quality product. I never had problems recommending Apple products to my clients if their needs fit the product.

But in the past few years Apple quality has been slipping. They need to nip this in the bud or they'll be known as just an OS company with crappy hardware.

And for a company that pushes such a visual image - DON'T go cheap on the displays!

Re:No, because quality was obvious

[dreamchaser]

In this instance (not the previous one), the issue is did Apple advertise them as supporting 8 bit per plane or did they not? If they tried selling them as 8 bit and they were really 6, then there is a problem. It's called false advertising.

6 Bit per pixel.

[jellomizer]

Just a reminder this is 6 Bits per pixel not the Bit depth that you set on your OS. Having 64 Colors per Pixel and combination of hardware dithering makes a decent screen for most people. However for true videophobes that would get in the way 8 bit would be prefered. But for most people they wouldn't know the difference betwen 8 bit and 6 bit displays.

cheap vs. mislabeled

[davidwr]

If it was advertised as an 18-bit screen we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

18 bits is plenty for many people, but it's not plenty for graphic artists - the very people who buy Macs.

The same as 90%+ of LCDs sold.

[guidryp]

90%+ LCD monitors are TN screens like the low end iMacs. They all claim 16+Million colors. The Panel itself is a LG.Philips LM201WE3(teardowns online). The manufacture web says it is 16.7million colors with FRC.

This would only affect the clueless. It was widely complained about that apple switched to TN panel on the 20" as soon as the Aluminum iMacs came out. It is not a hidden fact, you can tell by the viewing angle specs.

Apple will probably fight this one, because there is a chance the laptops did not have FRC dithering (many laptop screens don't) and thus did not have millions of colors, OTOH the FRC dithering panels are classed as having millions of colors industry wide, and the viewing angles were quoted to industry standards in the spec that would make it clear to anyone who knew or cared about display or even asked anyone for advice that these were TN panels.

In fact you would have to be living under a rock to not know, but that won't stop some people for trying for a small cash grab and lawyers from trying for a big one.

Re: Amiga video modes.

[fbjon]

Ah those were the days. Trying to paint in HAM mode, but changing a pixel changed some number of pixels to the right of it, so you had to start painting from the left.

Also, regarding the article, why the heck is Apple of all manufacturers using TN panels, everyone knows they suck! A supply issue perhaps? I know there was a panel factory that went up in flames a while ago, which caused the Lenovo L220X to be severely short in supply.