How good are they? Early flat panels suffered from the angle problem, where the image faded if you weren't looking at the screen dead-center.
But you can swivel the iMac screen any way you like with almost no loss of clarity. Another problem was the display of motion. Because they use a moving electron beam to draw pictures on the screen, CRTs are naturally good at displaying motion. But on a flat panel, the computer has to set each dot on the screen to the right value. This can result in a display lag that makes motion look patchy. But this problem is going away. Just look at all the people viewing DVD movies on their flat-panel laptops. Some of us still prefer the high-contrast glow of the CRT, and experts admit that the flat panels still can't quite match it. Again, it's just a matter of time.
Considering that artists and other graphic professionals are one of Apple's core markets, the company's decision to go flat indicates that the screens are becoming good enough for the most demanding viewers.
Apple has one advantage in the flat-panel race -- its total control over hardware manufacturing. PC users who want flat screens have to choose from a variety of brands, with inevitable fluctuations in quality.
In addition, they've got to consider whether to use a "pure" digital display, and buy a digital video adapter for the computer. The alternative, using an analog-compatible flat-panel screen, allows the use of a standard video adapter, but can lead to a reduction in image quality.
Besides, doing things by half is so vulgar. For its part, Apple's iMac is going all the way with digital flat-panel technology. And viewed up close, the result is beautiful.
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