Apple Is Reportedly Working on a Mac Monitor That Becomes a Smart Home Display When Idle

[MacRumors]

Apple is working on a new external monitor for Macs that also functions as a kind of smart home display while not in use, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

Writing in the subscriber version of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple is developing multiple new monitor offerings, some of which are likely to be successors to its Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, and one that could have smart standby features powered by an onboard iOS chip.

If Gurman's claim is accurate, it would not be the first time Apple silicon has been used in an external display. Apple already includes a dedicated A13 chip in its existing 27-inch Studio Display, but its functionality is limited to handling camera and speaker features like Center Stage and spatial audio when the display is in use.

Using an iOS device chip to power independent smart features when a monitor is idle would be an evolutionary next step, and could possibly rely on an expanded version the new Standby feature in iOS 17, which turns a charging iPhone in horizontal orientation into a home hub with full-screen widgets. As for when we could see the smart monitor, Gurman says not to expect a release until 2024 "at the earliest."

Article Link: Apple Is Reportedly Working on a Mac Monitor That Becomes a Smart Home Display When Idle

 

[klasma]

That will be of rather limited use unless they add multi-touch (which they won’t because macOS).

 

[MayaUser]

we heard this for ios17 or ipados i think
here is kind of useless

 

[fwmireault]

I don’t get why such feature can’t be implemented through a macOS software update, except if Apple wants this monitor to have a touch display

 

[3Gmatt]

Just give me that sweet, sweet ProMotion HDR.

 

[MakeAppleAwesomeAgain]

This can be just a software update for the current 27", right? It's got a A13 chip.

 

[AppleTO]

They should consider adding this to the current Studio display. It already has a full computer in it anyways.

 

[mystery hill]

They should consider adding this to the current Studio display. It already has a full computer in it anyways.

Then how would they sell you a new monitor?

 

[azentropy]

This can be just a software update for the current 27", right? It's got a A13 chip.

They should consider adding this to the current Studio display. It already has a full computer in it anyways.

It doesn't have Bluetooth or Wifi apparently.

 

[loby]

Rumors...this is probably the next iMac. I seriously doubt more monitors are coming in the near future.

Maybe a 30", but again (my guess) it is a iMac (or Pro).

 

[mystery hill]

That will be of rather limited use unless they add multi-touch (which they won’t because macOS).

Most apps on the Mac App Store were designed for multi-touch, and Sonoma brings widgets from iPhone to the desktop. That’s a lot of touch-first UI on macOS…

 

[joecomo]

strange feature - few people have a Mac Display standing around in their living room.
Some however have wall mounted iPads ...

 

[Will Co]

Limited use, though, perhaps? OK - so some people have a setup where their work area and display might be reasonably central in their home and therefore can glance at the screen regularly, as they move about. But I suspect there are a lot more who have a home office setup, perhaps in a room, where the monitor isn't going to be visible as a casual display....

 

[senttoschool]

This product makes no sense to me.

A computer monitor sits on a desk, probably in someone's home office. Not attached to the wall in the living room. And why would you waste electricity leaving it on for some smart home function?

 

[sherwinzadeh]

Would have to be OLED to have this kind of "always-on" feature, no?

 

[Picklefoot]

Can't this just be a screensaver? Screen burn-in is a thing of the past... even OLED doesn't burn-in like people thought it would. And even if people think this is a problem, the screen saver could be designed to have static elements that move slightly and slowly change color so that burn-in could never be a problem.

 

[Picklefoot]

Would have to be OLED to have this kind of "always-on" feature, no?

What? Monitors *are* always on (even when they're 'off'). They're plugged in.

 

[boak]

Can't wait to buy the Apple Polishing Cloth Pro Max for £99 to wipe away fingerprints if it's a touchscreen

 

[Krypton Deer]

1. Minimal time + weather widgets
2. Add Siri voice interaction, so like an Apple Watch / HomePod
3. Some sort of tvOS with apps
4. Add Multi-touch display and run iPadOS

I think 4 is least likely, and will be interested if 2/3 is released. But my expectation/bet stays with 1

 

[n-evo]

That will be of rather limited use unless they add multi-touch (which they won’t because macOS).

Or it’ll simply switch to an iOS-based firmware layer when idle…

 

[kiranmk2]

More likely to be adding Apple TV capabilities (similar to the Samsung M8 range) rather than the Standby feature surely?

 

[platinumaqua]

I don’t get why such feature can’t be implemented through a macOS software update, except if Apple wants this monitor to have a touch display

I feel like sometimes apple forgets that macOS exists or wants to deprecate it ASAP in favor of iOS.

 

[Bobby Smallwood]

Why do people want to touch a desktop display, whenever a person touches my display with their dirty fingers, I slap their hands. As for the usefulness of this, I use my 34" monitor to watch movies all the time in my office, I wish my monitor had a built in smart TV

 

[sherwinzadeh]

What? Monitors *are* always on (even when they're 'off'). They're plugged in.

OLED has the ability to power only the pixels that are on while LCDs need a power hungry backlight to always be on. While, yes, it's always plugged in, I would think that having he display on all the time would (1) be power costly and (2) could cause the screen to burn out more quickly.

 

[HiVolt]

They should consider adding this to the current Studio display. It already has a full computer in it anyways.

How would you interact with it since it has no touch input or otherwise?