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Apple Releases Studio Display Firmware 17 With Improvements to Built-In Camera

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Alongside macOS Sonoma, Apple today released a Studio Display 17 firmware update after several months of beta testing. The update includes improvements to the camera, and it is available after updating to macOS Sonoma.

apple-studio-display-blue.jpg

The Studio Display firmware can be updated by connecting the display to a Mac. Studio Display owners can go to System Preferences > Software Update to install the firmware.

According to Apple's release notes, the update adds support for zoom, recenter, and manual framing for the built-in camera in the Studio Display, plus it includes minor stability improvements.

Apple has been improving the Studio Display camera since the device first launched and it was criticized for poor camera quality. Back in April of 2022, Apple released firmware to improve the functionality of the built-in camera, improving the contrast, colors, and overall look.

Article Link: Apple Releases Studio Display Firmware 17 With Improvements to Built-In Camera
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/09/26/apple-studio-display-firmware-17/
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With the newer beta firmwares I have noticed the display starts up faster from power off, too, which is a good thing.

I have my ASD and a few other things on my desk on a power strip that I flip off when I'm not there to save energy and the ASD comes up nice and quick now when I plug it into my MBP and flip the switch.

Frankly I wish the ASD did better at powering down completely when no computer is connected. It leaves the USB bus and everything hanging off it fully powered even when you unplug it from the computer.
 
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Jhonjhon236 said:
Honestly curious what will happen whenever Apple stops updating the software. My 12 year old Thunderbolt Display is going strong but will these? Apple isn’t going to update the A13 forever.
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The firmware in the ASD doesn't do much, really. As long as it keeps doing its job of taking whatever comes into the input and putting it on the screen, it won't really matter if it stops getting updates.
 
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Jdizzle188 said:
May I ask if you know this through actually owning the display or though comments on the web? Because I'm getting the feeling it's the latter
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We have a bunch in the office and the cameras on them are surprisingly mediocre for how expensive they are... which is wild as the component cost breakdowns of the iPhone makes it seem like actually putting an outstanding camera in one would increase the price a truly irrelevant amount. It blows my mind that Apple's solution for this is "Oh just stick a mount on top of it for your phone and use the iPhone camera instead if you want good video quality."
 
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Love my Studio Display. I'm a freelance writer and speaker, and working in Ulysses/Keynote/etc. is a total joy. Looks lovely on my desk, too, which ultimately makes my workspace nicer to be in.

(PS: For those saying how bad the camera is – I don't want a super-resolution camera for my FaceTime/Zoom/etc., thanks. I don't want people seeing every detail of my face!)
 
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Jhonjhon236 said:
Honestly curious what will happen whenever Apple stops updating the software. My 12 year old Thunderbolt Display is going strong but will these? Apple isn’t going to update the A13 forever.
Click to expand...

Both your Thunderbolt Display and the Studio Display have firmware—one just never got updated after it was bought, and the other is. I think they will basically behave exactly the same way.
 
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nvmls said:
You're right, got confused with A13's release date. Karma? Maybe I should trash Apple less.
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No big deal. It does have an older A-series chip in it but even that is not the problem. The A13 is probably more chip than they need but they just have a bunch of them in the parts bin. The problem with the ASD is solely the camera being mediocre. I think it is a legitimate complaint that it only has a 1080p sensor rather than 4K considering the center stage feature.
 
MasterHowl said:
Love my Studio Display. I'm a freelance writer and speaker, and working in Ulysses/Keynote/etc. is a total joy. Looks lovely on my desk, too, which ultimately makes my workspace nicer to be in.

(PS: For those saying how bad the camera is – I don't want a super-resolution camera for my FaceTime/Zoom/etc., thanks. I don't want people seeing every detail of my face!)
Click to expand...
I'm happy with mine as well. Sure, the camera isn't super crisp compared to 4K webcam or iPhone, but still better than 9/10 web cameras my colleagues use.
 
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Jdizzle188 said:
May I ask if you know this through actually owning the display or though comments on the web? Because I'm getting the feeling it's the latter
Click to expand...

To be fair it's pretty absurd a monitor needs firmware updates at all, especially since a lot of the firmware updates the Studio Display has had have been pretty scuffed. One of them even essentially bricked the monitor for many people


And this isn't even factoring in the other issues, namely the giant elephants in the room being the price tag and the non-removable power cord

 
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