Apple Admits Studio Display Experiencing Speaker Issues, Offers Only Temporary Fix

[MacRumors]

Apple has admitted that customers using the Studio Display may experience audio-related issues, including sound unexpectedly and abruptly cutting out, audio playing at a high speed, distorted audio quality, and choppy playback.

In a memo to authorized service providers, obtained by MacRumors, Apple acknowledges that customers may find themselves facing speaker issues with the company's $1599 display. Apple says that customers facing issues should unplug the Studio Display from power, unplug any accessories or devices connected to the display, wait ten seconds, then reconnect the Studio Display to power. Apple explicitly notes this is not a hardware problem and implies that a future iOS update may address the issues.

Apple has heavily boasted about the audio, mic, and camera built into the Studio Display. Apple says the speaker system is the "highest‑fidelity speaker system ever created for Mac" and has touted the controversial 12MP built-in camera with Center Stage and the six-speaker array system.

Customers have been reporting both microphone and speaker-related issues with their Studio Display over the last several months, but reports have become more frequent in recent weeks. Michael Tsai this week chronicled some testimonies from customers facing issues, with one customer writing:

The audio on my Studio Display fails intermittently. The only way I can get it to work again is to unplug the display overnight. That resets the display and resolves the problem temporarily. Until the next time. This is simply unacceptable for a $1600 monitor, and Apple should be ashamed of the poor quality control.

Based on the number of customer reports, audio-related issues with the Studio Display do appear to be relatively widespread. Hundreds of customers have taken to Twitter, the Apple Support (1,2,3,4,5) and MacRumors forums (1,2,3) looking for a permanent solution.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1552704311813017602

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1552007241988980739

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1549046158617559045

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1553191468965191682

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1553020177087873026

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1552557891294580736

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1552043422222913536

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1552017530381668352

The Studio Display runs iOS and can receive software updates that address problems like this. Apple has attempted to address poor webcam quality with the Studio Display through a software update with mixed results. It seems the company will follow a similar route with audio-related issues. Today's memo offers no timeframe on when a permanent solution may arrive, but in the meantime customers are advised to ensure their display is updated to the latest firmware.

Article Link: Apple Admits Studio Display Experiencing Speaker Issues, Offers Only Temporary Fix

 

[akbarali.ch]

I feel it's an unnecessarily over-engineered product. I really was waiting for the next version of the thunderbolt display, slimmer, lighter, brighter, cooler.

 

[SwiftArtery]

 

[BootsWalking]

Next up: iToaster - It runs a full iOS installation and requires you to unplug it for 10 seconds before it can make toast.

 

[contacos]

I feel it's an unnecessarily over-engineered product. I really was waiting for the next version of the thunderbolt display, slimmer, lighter, brighter, cooler.

Right? What happened to "plug and play" and all you need to worry about was having the correct cable

 

[d5aqoëp]

Guys the display studio is perfectly fine as such. It is the powercord which needs rebooting. How dare you accuse my Apple of any wrong doing?

 

[kingjames1970]

Mine has been crackling (some sort of interference) when I use my Logitech mouse and I know it’s that because it changes tone when I use the scroll wheel. Don’t know if it’s connected but I was already irritated by over-paying but had to get really as it’s the only retina external display apart from the LG5K (which now has pink edges).

 

[1278701]

Ah feck! I've just ordered one of these. Do I cancel? Are they really that problematic?

 

[AndiG]

This was my first thought when I heard about a monitor with OS. Famous monitorOS, bugs, hackable, version madness. Apple drives me crazy with its constant updates of phone, laptop and watch. You have to update the WATCH, you need to update your phone in order to update the WATCH. And now - you have to update your MONITOR. OMG.

The old days: Apple, just works
Today: Apple, just update

 

[Shirasaki]

I feel it's an unnecessarily over-engineered product. I really was waiting for the next version of the thunderbolt display, slimmer, lighter, brighter, cooler.

Yeah. Just build a display that is decent, without any extra stuff. Instead, Apple bakes an iOS into it with chips, speakers, cameras… i don’t know what they are trying to accomplish. It’s not even supposed to work like AIO iMac with M2 processor.

Let’s see if those issues can be fixed through software alone. I believe the display part of this “display” can’t be repurposed at all, which is going to hurt should software fix impossible to solve those issues.

 

[DMG35]

I guess the silver lining here is that it can be fixed (supposedly) with a software update. I'd much rather have that be the fix than it being a hardware issue where I had to send it in for repair. Obviously it shouldn't be an issue in the first place, but at least it appears to be fixable.

I remember when the MacBook Pro's had the speaker popping issue and a software update fixed it. Hopefully this is the same thing.

 

[MayaUser]

Apple products failed on the audio software/kernel side since 2018

 

[OS X Dude]

I hope this doesn't lead them to abandon the consumer external display market again.

 

[MajorFubar]

Can't avoid sounding like someone's dad but the rot set in when monitors suddenly were no longer just a CRT or flat panel dumbly displaying an image sent to them over an analog cable from the computer's graphics card, and instead became little computers running firmware.

 

[Loismustdie1]

Ah feck! I've just ordered one of these. Do I cancel? Are they really that problematic?

I have two nanotexture Studio Displays. I have zero regrets, and debating on buying a third as they're pretty much the only 5K monitor worth getting. That being said I would be nothing but a fanboy if I said these monitors were perfect. The camera situation in my opinion was *slightly* overblown, though for the price you are paying for them it should have been better than what it is. It's decent, but not $1599 decent. The audio issues are very annoying however. I have issues about once a week where sound will stop coming out of my main studio monitor. The solution has been to either restart my Studio Display, restart my Studio, or in some cases both. I'm glad this is a software issue, but I agree with another comment above that this could have been avoided if it weren't so over engineered.

 

[Danfango]

Slightly worrying. Haven't had an issue myself though. Yet!

Most of the time I'm using my AirPods though...

 

[unrigestered]

i'd be somewhat interested if it came with ProMotion XDR panels. Have no use for the camera, the A13, and integrated speakers as i would be using 3rd party solutions for that anyway, so to me, that display is pretty expensive for what it actually is

In fact, considering it's current specs, at least to me, an iMac actually would be a more compelling solution, if the current ones could be used as an external display for something else, which, at least from what i gather, is currently not possible?

 

[Vaccaria]

This was my first thought when I heard about a monitor with OS. Famous monitorOS, bugs, hackable, version madness. Apple drives me crazy with its constant updates of phone, laptop and watch. You have to update the WATCH, you need to update your phone in order to update the WATCH. And now - you have to update your MONITOR. OMG.

The old days: Apple, just works
Today: Apple, just update

What happenes if Apple decides to stop releasing new Updates for the Monitor? Will it become incompatible with future Mac releases and therefore useless?

 

[1278701]

I have two nanotexture Studio Displays. I have zero regrets, and debating on buying a third as they're pretty much the only 5K monitor worth getting. That being said I would be nothing but a fanboy if I said these monitors were perfect. The camera situation in my opinion was *slightly* overblown, though for the price you are paying for them it should have been better than what it is. It's decent, but not $1599 decent. The audio issues are very annoying however. I have issues about once a week where sound will stop coming out of my main studio monitor. The solution has been to either restart my Studio Display, restart my Studio, or in some cases both. I'm glad this is a software issue, but I agree with another comment above that this could have been avoided if it weren't so over engineered.

Thanks, I've gone with the Nano Texture. I guess I'll wait for it to arrive and see what happens in the flesh, but I appreciate the response! Like you say, something that is in that price bracket shouldn't be suffering simple 'defects' or 'bugs' or whatever you want to call them.

 

[senttoschool]

This is what happens when you have lazy WFH engineers. Can't do hardware engineering at home.

Get everyone back to the office. Tim Cook has all the data that shows WFH significantly decreases productivity and creativity.

Edit: Yes, this is an unpopular opinion here. But clearly WFH does not work for Apple. Product delays after delays, obvious and annoying bugs, etc. show that productivity has most certainly decreased. No wonder Tim Cook wants everyone back in the office ASAP. Stop babying these office workers. Factory and retail workers don't work from home. Trust in Tim Cook.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Such a pity that this product clearly wasn’t tested properly - or worryingly, that compromises were allowed to be made. It’s a beautiful panel, the speakers are great and the enclosure is in its own class, but I find it bizarre Apple would skimp on simple things like an appropriate camera and software quality.

 

[killhippie]

Never buy version 1 of a new design from Apple or any tech company, always wait for version 2 when the bugs have been ironed out by the the public beta testers. Also never buy a monitor that will need replacing totally because it cant have any new versions of iOS in it after so many years! Seriously Apple should just build a plain old monitor without an OS in it which means it has a given life cycle, who wants to upgrade their monitor when its its not supported for OS upgrades anymore at this price point for crying out loud, over engineered and money grabbing too. New tech at the moment seems a compromise across many comanies with parts shortages, makes me wonder if the iPhone 14 should be avoided too.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I wonder if having a power button would have at least made it somewhat convenient to resolve until a fix came out.

 

[MacGizmo]

I am sooooo glad I didn't buy one of these when they were released. I really wanted more screen real estate, and at the time I was choosing between the Studio Display and the LG 34" 5k/2k. I miss having a retina screen, but that only took a few days to get used to... I'm glad I'm not dealing with all the issues the Studio Display appears to have.

 

[ashdelacroix]

Ah feck! I've just ordered one of these. Do I cancel? Are they really that problematic?

Don't cancel. I had a run of many weeks of faultless usage, I then experienced this problem where the audio would cut out after a few seconds, so I unplugged the Display from the mains electricity, waited a minute, plugged back in, and I've had no issues with audio in the weeks since.

I guess we must consider that the Studio Display is a giant iPad that is switched on for many hours a day (and perhaps never entirely switched off) and might need a restart every couple months. No big deal. I suspect Apple will release a fix soon.