Apple Studio Display

15-inch flat panel (1998–2003)

The first Apple display using LCD technology was known as the Apple Studio Display (15-inch flat panel). It was introduced at the 1998 Seybold Seminars Expo alongside the Power Macintosh G3/300 DT and had an initial retail price of $1,999 USD.^[1] MacWorld Magazine's Seybold conference coverage said the pricing "would have been considered aggressive a few months ago, but given recently plummeting prices for LCD monitors, Apple's display should be in the middle of the pack."^[1]

It has DA-15 as its connector, with 2 ADB ports, an S-Video and Composite video port, as well as RCA audio connectors and a headphone jack.^[2] Although it was intended to be paired with the Power Macintosh G3, its blue and translucent plastic design didn't match as the G3s at this time were still beige. This was the first translucent Apple product since the eMate, predating the iMac G3 by a few months. The Studio Display required System 7.5 or later, and has a brightness of 180 cd/m2.

The Studio Display received its first major revision at MacWorld January 1999 with "ice white" and "blueberry" styling to match the new Power Macintosh G3 Blue and White, a brighter display (200 cd/m2), and a lower retail price of $1,099 USD.^[3]

In August 1999 it was replaced with model featuring DVI and USB ports with white and "graphite" exterior styling.

In July 2000 it was replaced with a model featuring an ADC port and a clear plastic three-legged stand based on the 22" (55 cm) Apple Cinema Display. It was discontinued in January 2003.

All 15" (35 cm) Studio Displays had native resolutions of 1024x768 pixels.

CRT models (1999–2002)

CRT Apple Studio Displays in 17" (43 cm) and 21" (53 cm) sizes were introduced in January 1999 with VGA DE-15 connectors and "blueberry" and white exterior styling. In August 1999 the exterior styling was changed to "graphite" and white. In July 2000 the 21" model was dropped and the 17" changed to a striking "crystal clear" enclosure with ADC connector. Apple stopped selling CRT displays in May 2001.

17-inch flat panel (2001–2004)

In May 2001 Apple released a 17" Studio Display (Model No: M7649) similar to the three-legged, clear plastic, ADC 15" model but with a 1280x1024 native resolution. In January 2003, a similar 20" model was introduced, but it was designated a Cinema Display, not a Studio Display. Apple discontinued both of these in June 2004 in favor of new models with aluminum frames.