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*** Ignoring all comments until someone says they have actually done the update so we can talk about the actual results of the update. ***
I have a Mac Studio and the Studio Display. I have installed the new 15.5 firmware update. I can tell no difference. The camera is horrible and this display is not worth the money, at all! My camera on my iPad Pro is at least 10 times better than the camera on the Studio Display. Huge waste of money!
 
No, it's an overpriced display, given the specs/outdated technology. Which I would've been ok with, but I was not impressed with its quality.
So 99% of the display on market are trash, since this is quite good especially PPI for true retina 2X.
 
Reviewers already reported disappointing results from Beta 1.

Apple isn't going to magically fix a hardware limitation one week later with Beta 2.
It was much better and if you compare the actual image it is better than many other devices which are not getting bashed. It looks better than MacBook Pro 14/16”. It is used for videocalling not for filming a movie.
 
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I have a Mac Studio and the Studio Display. I have installed the new 15.5 firmware update. I can tell no difference. The camera is horrible and this display is not worth the money, at all! My camera on my iPad Pro is at least 10 times better than the camera on the Studio Display. Huge waste of money!
Well I'd say return or sell it, buy something else and move on. Obviously you either are unhappy with your purchase, have buyers remorse, or trolling. Annnnd you just joined this morning to post this so I would expect trolling.

I just can't believe someone would pay $1,600 for a display and because the camera isn't fantastic the whole display is a "huge" waste of money.

Granted I'm not thrilled with the camera either but I didn't buy the display for the camera. I knew what I was buying and am happy for the most part. If I hated it like you it would be gone by now! These are hard to find and there are plenty of folks wanting them. You may even be able to make some extra $$.

For the record back in 2004 I paid $1,299 for a 20" Apple Cinema Display with no camera and no speakers. It was also a bit overpriced but people who buy Apple products know that going in.
 
Well I'd say return or sell it, buy something else and move on. Obviously you either are unhappy with your purchase, have buyers remorse, or trolling. Annnnd you just joined this morning to post this so I would expect trolling.

I just can't believe someone would pay $1,600 for a display and because the camera isn't fantastic the whole display is a "huge" waste of money.

Granted I'm not thrilled with the camera either but I didn't buy the display for the camera. I knew what I was buying and am happy for the most part. If I hated it like you it would be gone by now! These are hard to find and there are plenty of folks wanting them. You may even be able to make some extra $$.

For the record back in 2004 I paid $1,299 for a 20" Apple Cinema Display with no camera and no speakers. It was also a bit overpriced but people who buy Apple products know that going in.
I kind of agree with this one. I had many monitors over the years. An Asus monitor from 2000 and late, an LG Ultrafine 5K, a Dell U2720Q, and now the ASD, the ASD is by far the best monitor I've had, in terms functionality and build.

Yes, the camera is odd, but in terms webcam, I work at a remote first consultancy, and compare to most people's website, I think mine is better than theirs, and many comments about centre stage. I think on a conference call, no one expect a full frame 4k mirrorless quality, it's definitely a nice to have rather than must.
 
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Personally, I really don't care about monitor/front-facing cameras. Mine are all covered, at all times.

I actually would prefer it if they were optional.
What are you using to mask the camera (especially since it's ultra wide)? Any elegant patch, instead of an ugly tape pasted on the camera? And if we need to use the camera at some times, it would be useful to have a kind of "door" that could be closed for most of the times we don't use the ultra-wide camera...

About internet and computers today, I'm a bit paranoid. I don't want my screen to be spying on me when I'm sleeping, or when I'm not in front of the computer. Even the three micros in that screen are a bit annoying to me. I know that some (many?) apps are listening to what we're saying, even if they're not supposed to be. I hate Siri, so I prefer to turn it off completely like in Kubrick's 2001 HAL computer.

I would much prefer to have a screen that is dumb def and blind...
 
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Same thing happen to me. Was not impressed when considering the price for what it offers, especially if you consider the additional options. It looks to me like Apple at the last minute decided to take out the iMac parts and sell for the SAME price as an iMac so the Mac Studio has a monitor to go along with it at launch.

When discussing the monitor with an Apple employee who was assisting me, he in so many words said the same thing but still maintained his good employee manners about the product. Nice looking monitor, but price wise…come on…how much is the profit margin on this? 40 to 50% or more. Standards that are acceptable in business is 20-30% max as reasonabe and fair…please Apple…come on…Tim..
Yeah this whole thing has thrown me into an odd state of limbo. I've enjoyed my 2015 27" iMac Retina, though I came from a 30" Apple Cinema Display, so the 27" size, though crisp and beautiful, was a little smaller than I wanted. The price for a 32" XDR was just not gonna happen. Then this new Studio Display … hmm … had it been a 30"-32" (a dumbed down XDR) for say $2-2.5K I probably would have taken the plunge. But I just couldn't make myself spend $1600 for the same thing I have, plus the M1 Mac mini I also ordered. So, I've gone the opposite route and purchased a 32" LG 4K Ultrafine for $750 w/ tax. It's probably a carry-me-over until I can afford something better … assuming the XDR's come down in price on the lightly-used market. The LG's build quality is meh. The brightness is OK. The UI/font crispness is a step back. But I really love the larger size, and with its very small bezels, it's perfect on my desk. Plus it came with a VESA swivel stand that is super handy. I'll probably never go back to a fixed stand. Resolution wise, it kills the 30" ACD that I loved for many years. If I don't lean in close, I really don't see the pixels … it looks "retina" … kind of. Admittedly my heart sinks a little when I look over at my aging 27" iMac in all its bright 5K glory and crisp UI. But when I get to work, the LG is doing the job, and knowing I didn't pay very much has its own satisfaction. I guess value is in the eye of the spender? ;)
 
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I installed the update this morning and there seems to be some improvement, but I have no way to judge objectively. Whatever the flaws, it's clearly better than most of the cameras other people on my calls are using, and it's better than the one on my work-provided laptop. The whole thing doesn't matter too much since, like a couple others here, I rarely use the camera and keep it covered most of the time.
 
It was much better and if you compare the actual image it is better than many other devices which are not getting bashed. It looks better than MacBook Pro 14/16”. It is used for videocalling not for filming a movie.

You can find plenty of comparisons to the MacBook Pro and it's certainly not better.

Untitled-1.png
 
I only know what I look like in the window that allows me to view myself, but that's taken with the camera in question. And I now look as sharp or sharper than the others on the call.

That was my point -- it's not a great way to compare cameras as yours is a local direct feed and all the others are coming over the web and subject to many forms of quality degradation.
 
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What are you using to mask the camera (especially since it's ultra wide)? Any elegant patch, instead of an ugly tape pasted on the camera?

On a previous iMac, I used a hammer and the circle punch from a grommet kit (like this one) to punch out a circular piece of black electrical tape. Not sure how you'd get more subtle than that without actually painting over the camera and polishing it down to seamlessly blend with the rest of the bezel.
 
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You said your camera "is clearly better than the others".
You're not seeing what yours looks like on the other end.

Do you see what I'm getting at?
Frankly, I don't - and I'm not trying to be an ass.

I am able to see the quality of the image taken by the camera without interference. That's what we're concerned about, or at least what I'm concerned about. If it is degraded on the way to someone else's screen, that has nothing to do with my camera, no matter how good it is.
 
I get that sentiment but I don't recall people complaining about iPad's Center Stage camera this much. Looking at several comparisons between Studio Display and iPad Pro/Air with the same camera, both are almost equally subpar, significant downgrade from iPhone 12/13's front camera.
Ultra-wide works for the iPad because of the different focal length involved. On the iPad, the image will be less cropped (because of the shorter focal length) and smaller (because of the relative difference in screen size). The iPad’s camera was simply a poor choice for a display webcam.
 
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Excellent, but I've expected better from Apple. Based on experience, nonetheless.
I understand but this is part of the problem: sometimes users expect miracles from Apple, if this display was made by another brand I would expect much less whine about the camera. is the webcam incredibly good? No. Is it ok and better than most? Yes.
 
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I understand but this is part of the problem: sometimes users expect miracles from Apple, if this display was made by another brand I would expect much less whine about the camera. is the webcam incredibly good? No. Is it ok and better than most? Yes.
No one expected a miracle, just for the camera’s performance to be on par with Apple’s marketing material. I own the Studio Display, and this is not shot using the same camera:

PNG image.png
 
I understand but this is part of the problem: sometimes users expect miracles from Apple, if this display was made by another brand I would expect much less whine about the camera. is the webcam incredibly good? No. Is it ok and better than most? Yes.
I couldn't give 2 s—ts about the camera. Also I don't think anyone was expecting a miracle. 27" isn't a great size(subjective opinion), the panel is dated. The stand it comes with is useless and limiting. If you upgrade the stand and the matte coating it becomes too expensive for what it is — imho. I'm now seriously considering the BenQ PD3220U. It's 32" with a fully functioning stand — matte coating etc. It's 4k, but nonetheless. And I'm pissed, as I would much more prefer to keep my home setup Apple-only.
 
After the update? I’ve seen Max Tech video and the result after the first update is ok.

Where’s the comparison to other devices like MacBook Pro?

As expected, the quality remains crap compared to other 1080P webcams. Let’s not diminish the facts by pretending “oh it’s good enough, no one cares about high quality video anyway.”
 
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