Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Says Improvements to Studio Display's Webcam Coming in Software Update After Several Poor Reviews

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,671
39,577


The first reviews have surfaced for Apple's new Studio Display, and one common point among reviewers was that the built-in webcam's image quality ranges anywhere from an "old BlackBerry" to downright "awful" in their hands-on testing.

studio-display-webcam.jpg

The Studio Display features a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera that can be used for the likes of FaceTime and Zoom calls. While the camera is a welcomed addition compared to the webcam-less Pro Display XDR, reviewers have criticized the image quality.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern:
You can understand why I anticipated that the Studio Display's webcam would be the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). With a 12-megapixel camera and the A13 Bionic chip, it should be on par with the front-facing camera of an iPhone 11 Pro.

Yet Apple's camera consistently produced grainy and washed-out images. There was so much missing detail in some of the shots that it reminded me of the camera on my old BlackBerry. On the plus side: No one could see my frizzy hair.
Click to expand...
The Verge's Nilay Patel:
The bad part is that I have no idea what's going on with this webcam. Apple has a long history of producing amazing images with 12 megapixel sensors and A-series chips, and for some reason this thing just looks awful.

Actually, it looks awful in good light, and downright miserable in low light. I've tried it connected to the Mac Studio and on my MacBook Pro running macOS 12.3, and on both machines it produces a grainy, noisy image with virtually no detail. I tried it in FaceTime, in Zoom, in Photo Booth, in QuickTime – you name it, it's the same sad image quality. Turning off the Center Stage feature that follows you around the room doesn't help. Turning portrait mode on and off doesn't help.
Click to expand...
In response to inquiries about the webcam's quality, an Apple spokesperson told both Stern and Patel that Apple "discovered an issue where the system is not behaving as expected" and will be "making improvements in a software update." Apple did not specify what the "improvements" will be made, and no timeframe was provided for the update.

We've rounded up reviews of both the Studio Display and the Mac Studio for those interested in a hands-on look at both new products.

Article Link: Apple Says Improvements to Studio Display's Webcam Coming in Software Update After Several Poor Reviews
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/17/studio-display-webcam-software-update/
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Sad
  • Wow
Reactions: samuellavoie, amartinez1660 and sorgo †
It became quite frequent that apple release hardware without optimizing the necessary software beforehand, like the 120 hz on Safari on the latest MBP. Really think they need to step up their game for software, because on the long run, this is hurting their image

This display unfortunately looks more and more like a half-baked, rushed product
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
  • Love
Reactions: freedomlinux, amartinez1660, sideshowuniqueuser and 26 others
Monterey is a beautiful name but a very poor macOS operating system. macOS 12 does not deserve the name 'Monterey.' Several bugs and security issues, and performance regressions. Now a webcam doesn't work properly? Or performance regressions with 12.3 and AMD Radeon 6000 series cards? My M1 Max laptop had bugs in 12.2.x with thunderbolt docks and kernel crashes during wake-from-sleep. Windows/Big Sur had no such bugs.

Monterey also had a bug where the laptop would stop accepting charge each 24 hours until the battery drained to 90%. Didn't matter if I turned off Battery Management or not. 12.3 seems to have resolved that though.

Apple needs to step its game up and squash these bugs. A rotten Apple.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amartinez1660, George Dawes, bwillwall and 1 other person
I'm feeling more confident than I was before in my decision to just keep my LG 5K instead of upgrading. It's a nice monitor, but for that kind of money, I think anyone would want something pretty polished. Still, hopefully it's just some odd software bug that's fixed with a quick post-launch patch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CoffeeMacBook, Galve2000, gank41 and 5 others
RedTheReader said:
I'm feeling more confident than I was before in my decision to just keep my LG 5K. It's a nice monitor, but for that kind of money, I think anyone would want something pretty polished. Still, hopefully it's just some odd software bug that's fixed with a quick post-launch patch.
Click to expand...
Shame really. If it was HDR and 120hz it would legit be the best monitor for the value. Apple got greedy and released it half baked.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
  • Sad
Reactions: sideshowuniqueuser, George Dawes, MrENGLISH and 6 others
The 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide camera's quality ranges anywhere from an "old BlackBerry" to downright "awful."

Ouch, this is embarrassing. How did this even pass the product testing and inspection in Cupertino, California? The software should have patched this before it gets out to the public. So now consumers have to wait for a software update after spending so much money? 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: svish, amartinez1660, sideshowuniqueuser and 12 others
Hope they fix the MacBook Pro 16 one the new ones the webcam is not sharp, also why can’t they fit the iPhone shark webcam in the mac studio display
 
WiiDSmoker said:
Shame really. If it was HDR and 120hz it would legit be the best monitor for the value. Apple got greedy and released it half baked.
Click to expand...
How much should a 5K HDR, 120Hz monitor cost? What other options for displays like that exist? How much do they cost? What is their color accuracy? What are the dimensions of the screen (ultrawide to get 5K or do they have good vertical resolution for productivity work)?
 
  • Like
Reactions: mschmalenbach and mburkhard
RedTheReader said:
I'm feeling more confident than I was before in my decision to just keep my LG 5K instead of upgrading. It's a nice monitor, but for that kind of money, I think anyone would want something pretty polished. Still, hopefully it's just some odd software bug that's fixed with a quick post-launch patch.
Click to expand...
Yeah same for me, was looking to upgrade from my Ultrafine 5K but I’m having second thoughts with all the bad press regarding these displays. At this price, these kind of compromise or quality control issues should not happen. I think I’ll wait to see if the rumored mini-LED 27 inch display in June will happen
 
  • Like
Reactions: sideshowuniqueuser, Marty_Macfly, BWhaler and 3 others
Apple "MAD LIBS"

Apple says improvements to ___________ coming in _________ update after several poor reviews.

"We discovered an issue where __________ isn't behaving as expected. We'll be making improvements in future _________ updates."


This is becoming absolutely expected for just about every product Apple pushes out anymore. It used to be you couldn't expect to buy the first year's production run of a re designed automobile without buying a quasi-lemon or at minimum rolling the dice.

Automobiles have vastly improved in quality in this respect. While I still avoid first year production runs when acquiring a new vehicle, the problems have become less prevalent. Just the opposite seems to be the case with Apple.


So one has to wonder. Why a company that is the world's largest by market capitalization (approx. $378.3 billion) and 6th largest by revenue ($274 million in revenue) can't get something as simple as a WEB CAM right before shipping product?

I once saw a sign hanging in a business that stated "Don't sweat the small stuff.. and it's all small stuff". It was my mechanic.

I changed mechanics.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: sracer, Pilot Jones, freedomlinux and 8 others
This display seemed 💩 from the moment it was announced. After wishing for an affordable Apple display with all the ports for so long, it was such a disappointment to see this half arsed, double priced rush job with just USB C ports. Hopefully by September they'll have released a higher specced one for not too unreasonable prices...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ruftzooi and TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
This is not surprising considering the entire development process of this monitor took place during the pandemic. Hardware people and software people communicated through Zoom calls, most probably.

I would wait till 2024 before buying any Apple products.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: samuellavoie, eifelbube, BobSc and 2 others
alexjholland said:
Apple is famous for two things.
  • Fantastic iPhone cameras
  • Horrible webcams
Why?
Click to expand...

Because the thickness of a laptop's screen / webcam module has not allowed better, you can very easily see how your iPhone is 2-3 times as thick as a laptop's screen where the webcam is housed. MB's webcams, though obviously worst than those of iPhones (whose quality people have got used to and come to expect) are best in the industry when you compare them to Dell's and HP's premium laptops.

Also, though a bit embarrassing, we all know Apple will fix the Studio's webcam promptly through that SW update, as it sports the optics of an iPhone 11. The first impression might be ruined for the reviewers, but there's a reason hardware can have firmware and software updates these days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: samuellavoie, alexjholland and Billrey
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back