I noticed that they've removed the firewire ports on the display. Bummer!!

Why on earth would you build a new monitor with a non-standard connector? Is this new port a new industry standard, or just an Apple standard?

A bit underwhelmed with this whole event. sigh...

So this is crippled so no to work with a desktop?

I really love the new design..
I have to say I cannot understand why they dropped the firewire-ports Oo
and what about a 20" and 30" version? ô.o

So even if I had one of the new MacBooks, I couldn't use this monitor to connect anything else I own, or anything else any of my friends own. $900 is a pretty hefty chunk of change for a MacBook ONLY monitor. Plus they didn't update the other Cinema Displays. I must say, I am VERY underwhelmed by what was released today.

Displayport is a new standard that's been in the making for quite some time. Dell/HP started shipping monitors using this since the beginning of this year and there has been a slow trickle of graphics cardss that support. The advantage is Displayport can be converted to VGA/DVI/DVI-DL/HDMI with non powered converters.

To make it simple, yes you can use this with DVI ports; there'll just be a simple converter cable/adapter

Yet I bet if you look at those Dell monitors, they have a real DVI and VGA ports on them too. (Of course, that's dell, they make monitors that can take many different inputs for weird people who want a monitor to hook up to multiple sources).

If you want to be really scared, bear in mind that Dell is the big proponent and pusher of DisplayPort.

Do we really want Apple going all agog over a Dell concept?

And DisplayPort is basically an HDMI competitor. Does this mean we're now off to a new "Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD" type of battle, with consumers screwed in the middle?

BTW, if you read the blurb on Apple's site about DisplayPort, they go on about how it keeps you from needing to 'line up pins' or 'turn screws'. When the h*** was the last time anyone worried about either?

According to MacNN's coverage, Steve said this:

HDMI isn't there because it can't drive a 30-inch Cinema Display like DisplayPort can. Waiting on Blu-ray for it to take off in the marketplace.

How come Blu-ray needs to wait for it to 'take off', but Apple can throw in DisplayPort, which hasn't taken off yet? And since DisplayPort is actually an HDMI competitor, is more like picking a side vs. waiting until the dust settles.

BTW, Apple isn't using a standard display port. It's a mini display port.