'A19 Pro' Chip Coming to Studio Display 2

[coolfactor]

How would "Hey Siri" work if you have your phone, laptop and this monitor all close together? Which device takes control to execute commands?

"Hey Siri, please turn up the brightness." ... what would happen?

 

[coolfactor]

I am most concerned about the existence of a Studio Display 2 eventually resulting in the Studio Display 1 being rendered obsolete by Apple. I bought a Studio Display on the operating theory that I would be able to use it until it failed - at least a decade into ownership, if not more. The entire idea of a monitor requiring a computer processor and operating system gives me pause.

Your current Studio Display already has a "computer processor", and runs an operating system. That didn't stop you from buying it. You bought a vehicle knowing that a brand new model would be coming out the very next year.

Enjoy what you have. You have something that many people want and can never afford.

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

It does seem a bit odd that this new Apple Studio Display would require the latest A-series SoC to run. The current Apple Studio Display uses the A13, which was three years old at the time of launch, so one would think this new Studio Display could use an A16 or A17.

Then again, years before the current Apple Studio Display launched there were rumors that Apple was developing a display that had an integrated GPU so maybe that is now becoming a reality and they want the best GPU cores they have (which will be in the A19 Pro).

It would be totally dope if the cores inside of the ASD could be used for parallelization tasks. I do still wonder what those cores are literally doing all day inside of my current ASD... it can't be much.

 

[Jdhommert]

If Apple is putting 2 year old chips in new iPads and Apple TVs (A17 Pro in Mini and rumored for ATV, base ipads using old chips)

Why in the actual F would a monitor and monitor alone that isn’t even processing touch response like a iPad need a Pro version of the chip that hasn’t even been released yet?!?!?

I absolutely HATE when people bitch about people wanting new features and tech saying “why do you want X in Y” but I can’t help it my god man my brain can’t make sense of a monitor needing a better chip than every other non M chip device they have…

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

lol that could just be an iMac 🤣 budget chip + premium screen.

In all seriousness, if they are about to release and A18 Pro powered MacBook, then please let an A19 Pro powered display leverage that chip for additional CPU and GPU power for the attached computer or iPad. Please.

 

[alphaswift]

Why does it need such a capable processor? How does it benefit me?

 

[nathansz]

(Hint: it is 'Marketing' that decides this stuff.

also supply chain, they need to repurpose as many previous generation chips as possible

 

[Jdhommert]

also supply chain, they need to repurpose as many previous generation chips as possible

Right

I thought they used up all the A17 Pro chips with the iPad Mini but apparently the new ATV will have that too

But going all the way to the unreleased a19 pro for a monitor is just making no sense to me…the current one has a non pro processor, an A13 that was almost 3 years old when the Studio Monitor came out

So this makes me think there has to be more than just a monitor in this next version. If an A13 can do the job an A16 or A17 Pro or whatever will be more than up to the task

If y’all can’t tell I struggle with things that make no logical sense lmao

 

[jdawgnoonan]

I just hope that it is not more expensive than the current one.

 

[UltimaKilo]

144hz refresh rate, please Apple!

 

[nathansz]

all the way to the unreleased a19 pro for a monitor is just making no sense to me…the current one has a non pro processor

"pro" is just a marketing word here

there was no A13 Pro chip, it was called "Bionic" and stayed that way till a17. which was only "pro"

 

[deconstruct60]

so they're allegedly releasing a MacBook with A18 Pro but at the same time they're allegedly releasing A MONITOR with faster SOC?

It isn't necessarily faster. The substantive presumption there is that this is a "fully functional" A19 Pro. A A19 Pro die that is missting 2 GPU cores and 1 Big P Core isn't necessarily faster than a fully function A18 Pro. Likewise, if the RAM on the 19 Pro is 8GB and the RAM on the 18 Pro is 16G there is a substantive range of general purpose MacOS tasks that the 19 Pro won't do as well as the A19 Pro.

Why would a monitor need that powerful SOC? Will it run TVOS? Even Apple TV is supposed to have older and slower chip lol

If Apple is pulling A19 Pro chips out of the 'throw away" pile than those could be cheaper than fully functional A18 Pro dies that are not in the 'throw away' pile. For a run rate of 45M chips and a 0.5% defect rate that's 225K chips going into the garbage can. If 50% of that isolating defects so that can get a limited embedded OS running on it then ~ 113K. If Apple is selling around 250K Studio display then even if have to backfill with could fully functional (not 'free') chips it could be worth it.

The Studio Display is not priced to maximize the millions of unit sold. If the flow of iPhones flow bouncing around 10K on a month then have a product to 'sop up' the excess when the predicted run rate runs short.

Pretty good chance this is similar like what drive the iPad Pro to get to market before any M4 Mac options. The display subsystem had the necessarily (give the other design choices) to lead out with M4 on iPad Pro. It wasn't like iPadOS was desperate for more P-cores and GPU cores. There are several other aspects to SoC than just 'tech porn' benchmark scores.

It may not be the display substantive , but perhaps Thunderbolt , NPU , AI imaging software requirements , etc. that are specific to the A19 Pro generation. ( there are fixed function processors in the SoC also. )

The A18 Pro is likely picked for the Mac because it is cheaper. In part, probably a sky high tariff hedge as much tool to grab more market share. Additionally, the Axx Pro chips just in iPhone Pro doesn't make much sense because Apple kills those after just one generation. 'plain' iPhones get sold for at least 2 years; if not 3 years. Take the whole Pro chip design and throw it in trash can after 12 months? That doesn't make much sense.

In another year the 'discount' Macbook would go to the A19 Pro also. The year after that the A20 Pro. So two years in the "drama" would be undone. The Studio won't get yearly updates. If gets updated in 2025, that is a 3 year cycle. Another reason to go with A19 Pro now because still want it in very limited production 3 maybe 4 years from now. So if the AI embedded firmware planned to roll out 2 years from now needs a A19 Pro NPU ... then that is the right call.

 

[deconstruct60]

This is also my gripe. This is so stupid. The Studio Display line and the iMac line should merge… and the Studio Display should use a modular logic board (based around Type C Thunderbolt) that can be swapped out. "Studio Display" would be equipped with a basic monitor driver board. Better yet, it would also feature Apple TV functionality. (If the iPad can run Safari and Excel, there's no reason why these things can't do that too with a BT keyboard and mouse added.) "iMac Studio" would be the same panel but with a M5 module in there, same performance as the Mac mini and MBA. Down the line, want to upgrade to a M7 iMac? OK, swap out the M5 module for a Display module and gain a 2nd monitor.

The thermal envelope of a Axx Pro or plain Axx Soc and a Mx SoC are not that close. If Apple using binned down A19 Pro ( e.g, 1-2 GPU cores off and/or 1 P Core off ) then even more so. Crank down the integrated RAM. Even more of a gap.

 

[gnomeisland]

Wasn't it determined that the A18 is essentially as fast as the M1? So this is literally an iMac stuck in target display mode.

 

[AppliedVisual]

My two ASDs are the best monitors I’ve owned. I’m excited to see what a V2 would bring. Ideally I’d like a 32-inch variant that costs less than the Pro Display XDR.

A19 seems overkill without having some serious functionality in there beyond Siri and camera functionality. Either way, the ASD has been a great monitor. I run one of them on my home office desk as well as office desk and a couple employee workstations. I will definitely upgrade mine to the new v2 if it can do higher refresh rates/ Pro-Motion.. When I upgrade my M1 Max MBP, which I may do with the release of the M5.

 

[philosopherdog]

My Dell has thunderbolt, but it doesn't sound worth it...plus my 4k Dell monitor is matte...I doubt they will offer a matte version.

Thanks!

4K monitors never scale right for Mac. Ok if you’re not picky or vision impaired.

 

[philosopherdog]

Would love 32 inch. Love the original one.

 

[spritle]

5K
32"
240Hz refresh
OLED
under $1,000

 

[nathansz]

4K monitors never scale right for Mac. Ok if you’re not picky or vision impaired.

32” 4K works great for me

Going to go 32” 5k soon with any luck

 

[turbineseaplane]

32” 4K works great for me

Going to go 32” 5k soon with any luck

65" 4K works great for me!

I'm many feet away - table in middle of room.

My eyes absolutely love it!
A big huge gorgeous OLED at a distance that is super comfortable and natural.

 

[AdamHarbour]

Will it run iPad os or Mac OS /s

 

[AdamHarbour]

How would "Hey Siri" work if you have your phone, laptop and this monitor all close together? Which device takes control to execute commands?

"Hey Siri, please turn up the brightness." ... what would happen?

Nothing would happen Siri is useless

 

[MacMeHappy]

I have to say that the current studio display may be overpriced but, gosh, it's rather nice to live with if you've got an MBP or a mini.

A chip update? Meh. A display update to OLED? Fair enough. To me they're just numbers and for some a bigger number is better and for others it's not.

But please Apple, updated the darned webcam. it's appalling.

 

[maflynn]

How would "Hey Siri" work if you have your phone, laptop and this monitor all close together? Which device takes control to execute commands?

"Hey Siri, please turn up the brightness." ... what would happen?

Probably the same way it works now when I have an iPad, iPhone, homepod in the vicinity. Each one will randomly take the command and not do what I ask.

 

[theluggage]

Why in the actual F would a monitor and monitor alone that isn’t even processing touch response like a iPad need a Pro version of the chip that hasn’t even been released yet?!?!?

Maybe it needs to be able to process 5k HDR, possibly ProMotion video?
Maybe it's going to provide the Thunderbolt/USB4v2 connectivity?

I suspect people grossly over-estimate how much these chips cost Apple. Maybe significant for an ATV, HomePod or lowest-end iPad, but for anything in the Mac price range it's likely more about creating artificial product distinctions.

If Apple is putting 2 year old chips in new iPads and Apple TVs (A17 Pro in Mini and rumored for ATV, base ipads using old chips)

Apple TVs cost $150 and are probably sold at a lower margin than other Apple products, to act as a "cash register" for ATV+ and Music, so at that end of the market the cost price of the A17 vs. the A19 might actually be significant. On a thick-end-of-$2000 display? Probably not so much need to cut corners.

As for the iPad Mini:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/next-ipad-mini-to-feature-a19-pro-chip.2463340/

...and the A18 MacBook is only a sketchy rumour - wouldn't be the shock of the century if it got A19 Pro (or didn't exist) - and that's for a "Walmart MacBook" which needs to be demonstrably slower than the M4 MBA.

The processor model won't even appear in the specs for the Studio Display.

The A19 Pro is most likely coming out next month since the one Apple product release you can set your watch by is the iPhone. By the time these displays, Apple TVs, iPads and MacBooks emerge we'll be talking about the upcoming A20 (or A19 Ninja double-plus) and by the time the new new Studio Display comes out in 2030 (on past performance) the A19 Pro will be the new A13.

Wasn't it determined that the A18 is essentially as fast as the M1?

Yeah, those >>$2000 5k HDR/ProMotion iMacs which are "essentially as fast as the M1" in 2026 are really gonna fly off the shelves /s.

A new "Big iMac" would need to start at least at M5, offer "Pro" and "Max" versions, possibly even Ultra, which would need a very different thermal design. Even in 2022 a regular M1 would have been disappointing for a "Big iMac". One look at a teardown of the current Studio Display shows that the fans are providing general cooling for the whole thing - including PSU and display backlight - with no specific cooling for the controlling SoC that would be needed to support anything hotter than a base, non-throttled M1.