Dr Bott brings Apple LCDs to Windows PCs

x86 PC users who fancy Apple's sleek, sharp LCD monitor series but have in the past been disappointed by the company's Mac-only policy can at last be assured that the screens will at last work with Windows.

Oddly named Mac peripheral company Dr. Bott has released a Windows version of its DVIator product, which allows Apple's LCD screens - including the 1600x1024 widescreen Cinema display - to be connected to a graphics card with a standard digital video port.

Apple's 15in and 17in Studio and 22in Cinema displays use a proprietary connector that adds power and USB lines to the standard DVI interface. That renders them useless to anyone without an Apple Display Connector-equipped video card, which is pretty much everyone without Apple's own OEM Nvidia and ATI cards.

The DVIator splits the ADC port into separate power, DVI and USB cables, making it handy for folks with older Macs such as the Blue'n'white G3 and, now, Windows machines.

Dr Bott is now offering the part with a 32MB ELSA Gladiac 511 card - it's based on Nvidia's GeForce 2 MX 400 - for $289. You can buy the card on its own for $139. The company certifies the bundle to working with Windows 95/98/NT/Me, though not, we note, XP or Windows 2000.

Cheap at twice the price, we say, which is more than you can say for Apple's expensive LCDs, which start at $599 (15in) and rise to $2499 for the 22in model. ®

Related Links

Dr Bott: Get more DVIator info here
Apple: Pricey-but-nicey LCDs