And there it is again: proof that complexity of tech design, in devices that ought to be simple, is bad. How many examples of “complexity leads to more problems” do Apple need before they stop making simple things stupidly complex?
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Apple Admits Studio Display Experiencing Speaker Issues, Offers Only Temporary Fix
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That's not the Cinema Display. That's the Studio Display. It seems Apple has continued its legacy of issues with the new Studio Display. And yes, plenty of people of complained about that plastic Studio Display. Many people hated ADC, and the rear stand had a habit of breaking.
The Cinema Display is the iconic aluminum model.
Similar experience here. I've got two Apple Silicon MBPs (one personal, one work). I alternate usage with the Studio Display depending on when I need those machines respectively. Overall, my experience has been great. I have had a few audio issues here and there, but its been pretty solid overall. Even the camera issues - with ample backlighting, its been mostly fine for my needs. I don't think I've had really any issues with it using the 15.5 firmware either.
That said, you can't find a 5K monitor with this quality elsewhere. The display panel is exactly what I wanted. And I had my expectations in line accordingly. The audio is fantastic. Whether music, movie trailers, YT vids, or video conferencing - its crisp, clear and really nice that its fully integrated into macOS.
SAME. The battery life is already less than other headphones. This product decision adds a level of anxiety that is completely unnecessary.
Here’s the attitude that keeps our civilization trapped in the grip of perpetually-broken technology.
Why does anyone accept, and even trust, any tech (let alone self-driving cars, FFS)? Because of all the conditioning to accept broken things as “normal”.
This is bad for everyone. Stop normalizing broken things!
I don't criticize the Studio display; it is perhaps a good product on its own. I just wish Apple have better quality control.
Would Center Stage have been possible on the intel-based machines without equipping the Studio Display with the tech it has? Maybe that's part of the reason that it has more tech in it than some believe is necessary?
I am so glad to see this article...this happened to me for the first time yesterday and I thought it was the Mac or Overcast issues....then I remembered John Gruber talking about unplugging the monitor to reboot it and did that which fixed it for now.
Literally tens of thousands of people are using desktop (and Macbook) Intel and M-series Macs with displays made by mfrs other than Apple. Pretty sure Center Stage will work absolutely fine on all of them, providing the Macs are young enough to run Ventura.
A couple seconds of audio followed by silence has happened to my studio display twice. A simple unplug for 5 seconds fixed it both times. Not the end of the world but I’m glad to see it wasn’t isolated to me.
Many peripherals these days (including competing computer displays) will have some sort of processor inside, replacing a lot of complex hard-wired circuitry, and possibly even handling image processing/scaling/compression which requires a relatively powerful processor (e.g. the processors in most 4k TVs). For Apple, it makes sense to use the same chips that they either make themselves or buy in huge quantities for iPhones & use iOS (probably heavily stripped down) rather than buy 3rd party processor chips and license some other embedded OS,
As to why not use the processor in the Mac, it's not like you can wire a set of multi-channel speakers & mics and a webcam directly into a Thunderbolt port - the display would need a bunch of extra interface circuitry which could end up more expensive than just using a surplus iPhone SoC. The webcam is almost certainly lifted from an iPhone, designed to connect to an A-series SoC and already supported in iOS, and, along with the spatial audio, probably requires the neural engine in the A series (so a "dumb" version of the display wouldn't work with Intel Macs or PCs). You end up with a display that should just work rather than needing drivers or the latest MacOS update...
I think Apple's mistake here is leaving out the power switch. "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" is only a cliche because nine out of ten times it solves the problem, and a power/reset button is a non-optional feature on any "smart" device.
Or, of course, an easily removable (without crawling under the desk) power cable. Remember when some of us were saying how unacceptable it was not to have a removable power cable?
I agree that the Studio Display has not been a $1,500 experience judging by the issues it’s already faced. I definitely do not think they should be having these problems for what you pay.
But ‘defending the indefensible’ is a bit dramatic. The monitors are having some annoying software-related complications, not committing war crimes.
Ugh...now I'm wondering if I should cancel my order. It's supposed to arrive in 1-2 weeks. First it was the quality of the webcam which Apple claimed could be fixed by software, which turned out to be false...and now the speakers. The fact that several of you are experiencing this issue also concerns me. The lead time for the Studio Display has greatly improved. Just checked that every Apple Store where I live has stock of all models except the vesa option which only takes 1-2 weeks. Perhaps I should cancel, then wait and see if the speaker issue can really be fixed by software.
Or you could get the monitor and see if you personally have an issue or not. You'll have 14 days to return it.
There's better monitors out there than this overpriced meme. The Sony Inzone M9 is one such option. 27 inch, 4k, 120hz, HDR with a higher brightness nit than the Studio Display, has more ports than the Studio Display, a removable stand and power cable unlike the Studio Display, and its only $900.
This bothers me more than the audio issue quite frankly. One of the dumbest things I've seen on any product in the last decade.
The amount of people defending the hardwired cable is even more concerning. Even on MacRumors Podcast they wrote that issue off, even having an article about it but then deleting said article.
With all these issues, the outdated specs, and at the price they're asking, in my personal opinion this monitor is completely unreleasable and should be pulled from sale.
Lol look whose being dramatic. My point is just that It costs too much to have these teething problems when cheaper hardware performs better. Perhaps the image quality is great but you simultaneously have to deal with other issues. Not good.
Fully agree. The power cable being attached makes no sense at all.
There is no reason for the display to stop working just because it stops getting iOS updates.
It doesn't run apps, so it doesn't matter if it won't run the latest apps.
It doesn't access Apple Services, so you're not going to be locked out of iCloud or Music.
It doesn't need internet connectivity (and without WiFi or an Internet socket can only connect via your Mac) so you don't have to worry about security updates.
Any bugs that are ever going to be fixed will likely be fixed in the next year, after which there's no reason to touch the firmware again.
If Apple wants to drop support for the Studio Display from a future version of MacOS (and take the resultant PR flak) then they can - that has nothing to do with the display running iOS.
This whole "Studio Display runs iOS!!!" thing is completely overblown: many modern peripherals, including displays, have a processor (or at least a microcontroller) and updatable firmware. It just makes sense for Apple to use their own embedded operating system.
Not that I don't have plenty of other beefs about the Studio Display, but that was all qv ad nauseum back in May...
Unfortunately not in Hong Kong. No returns allowed.
Anyway, I just cancelled. Not comfortable with these issues, especially with Apple having already made false claims about software fixes for the webcam.
Especially since you actually can remove it with enough force and plug it back in and the monitor works fine, so this decision makes absolutely zero sense why the cable is not using an IEC cable like the Intel iMacs were. Or even the magnetic cable the M1 iMac uses why aren't they using that?! There's no way a monitor draws more power than an entire computer!
Just unnecessary eWaste, especially from the company that gets on their soapbox every Apple Event talking about how they're gonna be carbon neutral by 2030, and making up excuses to the EU saying "no we can't have USB-C on the iPhone or else all those lightning cables become eWaste."