I mean, the last prior Apple display (Apple Thunderbolt Display) was 999 USD but it was released 10 years ago. That would be ~1299 in 2022 USD.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Stops Selling 27-Inch LG UltraFine 5K Display
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
How exactly did it fail "miserably?" They sold likely as many of these as any Apple display ever and their margin was probably nearly as good. They just listened to all the whiners that always said Apple's displays were too expensive and offered the same display without an Apple case and logo for less cost. Still a premium, but about the same as a Dell or other 5K display, but still using the two channel implementation Apple uses to avoid two DisplayPort cables.
I got my Ultrafine last year when I switched from my iMac Pro to my M1 Mini. Love it. I swap the cable between the Mini, My MBP and my Thinkpad Nano. I think I will forgo the new Display as I want the flexibility to move back and forth from stand to VESA in the future. I've loved my Apple displays in the past (30" and 27" TB), but I think the LG works across the board much better for me.
It is too bad Apple doesn't feel this way about wifi routers so that they just work.
Not a fair assessment.
Macbook Air 1st gen with HDD was launched for $1799 and you had to pay $1000 extra for SSD.
And it was slow, even back then.
Now Macbook Air starts at $899.
Exactly. I’m not sure why people are trying to justify this.
It’s overpriced but it’s the only option if you want a proper Retina display
Late to the party, but you cannot be surprised, the LG competes directly with the new Studio Display and is $700 cheaper (it costs $400 extra for the Studio Display to allow it move up and down which is standard on the LG).
I have the LG display which I bought when I got my new 16" MBPro in 2019 (I think) and it has travelled with me all over the world without any issues whatsoever. It is not exactly a good looking unit but it is functional and has a 1080p camera (which none of the laptops and iMacs I used it with at the time had). The audio is awful but then I never use speakers and amplifiers in a display or computer on a desktop. For the $700 difference between the Studio and LG Ultrafine 5K you can buy the Audio Engine speakers (including sub) and you get a decent 5K display, superb sound, adequate microphone and 1080p web cam for the price of the Apple product. But this has always been the case. The Apple product looks better and has some nice but, to me, irrelevent features. The actual display quality is paramount, then comes the appearance of the unit.
I will probably pick up another LG display (there are a number of places that are still selling the LG) and then buy a Mac Studio so I have my usual dual display setup, unless Apple come up with a more compelling display product (mini LED backlight for example) which has a better display than either the LG or Studio Display (and 100 nits difference in brightness makes very little difference, I find the LG more than adequate).
In general then, I think the Studio Display appears to be an adequate display at a somewhat inflated price but makes no compelling case for me to discard my current LG 5K Ultrafine which appears (on paper, at least) to have exactly the same display specs (except the extra irrelevant 100 nits). Unusual for Apple as their Cinema Display was a solid product with excellent and superior color rendition to competitors at the time. If you need a good quality 5K display the Apple Studio Display appears to be a nice looking but expensive option, I would give the Dell range of monitors a look if you do not want to spend > $1.2k on a 27" monitor.
I have the LG display which I bought when I got my new 16" MBPro in 2019 (I think) and it has travelled with me all over the world without any issues whatsoever. It is not exactly a good looking unit but it is functional and has a 1080p camera (which none of the laptops and iMacs I used it with at the time had). The audio is awful but then I never use speakers and amplifiers in a display or computer on a desktop. For the $700 difference between the Studio and LG Ultrafine 5K you can buy the Audio Engine speakers (including sub) and you get a decent 5K display, superb sound, adequate microphone and 1080p web cam for the price of the Apple product. But this has always been the case. The Apple product looks better and has some nice but, to me, irrelevent features. The actual display quality is paramount, then comes the appearance of the unit.
I will probably pick up another LG display (there are a number of places that are still selling the LG) and then buy a Mac Studio so I have my usual dual display setup, unless Apple come up with a more compelling display product (mini LED backlight for example) which has a better display than either the LG or Studio Display (and 100 nits difference in brightness makes very little difference, I find the LG more than adequate).
In general then, I think the Studio Display appears to be an adequate display at a somewhat inflated price but makes no compelling case for me to discard my current LG 5K Ultrafine which appears (on paper, at least) to have exactly the same display specs (except the extra irrelevant 100 nits). Unusual for Apple as their Cinema Display was a solid product with excellent and superior color rendition to competitors at the time. If you need a good quality 5K display the Apple Studio Display appears to be a nice looking but expensive option, I would give the Dell range of monitors a look if you do not want to spend > $1.2k on a 27" monitor.
Last edited:
Oh the irony. Minimalistic design you just want to lick, machined aluminum, attention to details…
Oh you need height adjustment? Just put some random book under it. Perfect solution.
I admit that it’s a great sales strategy. Throw in stuff in a display that people is not asking for to justify a hefty price bump. And then charge 400 extra for something that should just be standard in any >1000$ display (and which was present in the cheaper previous version).
Not really apples to apples. When the MacBook Air was introduced, it was barely a viable consumer product and you had to pay a premium to get a taste of the future. The yields for low power consumption chips improved dramatically over time and the prices dropped considerably. Economies of scale allowed the MBA to move down the product line while still providing a better product over time.
If Apple released a 27in 2560x1440 native resolution display without 99% P3 coverage and only 375nt brightness in 2022, sure it could likely hit a well-under $999 price point. Apple doesn’t want to be in that market. All of their displays on phones, tablets, laptops, and displays are capable of 2x or 3x “retina” now. That’s not economies of scale allowing the display to get cheaper while improving over time. That is a product that gets cheaper as it gets worse comparative to technology of the day.
A 5K display with the general features of the Studio Display has never existed for less than $1299 MSRP. I don’t know why anyone would have a realistic hope for it to be under $999 given the market and knowing that Apple is going to use better materials to house the display than competitors. The only way they’re making that product is by repackaging the M1 iMac display…a display that is only 24 inches and 4.5K resolution. I hope they make that product though. It would be great for the growing number of people who can legitimately use M-series laptops as desktop-laptops. I’m thinking the parents of college students in particular would love being able to give their kid a place to study and write papers in the apartment/dorm but the luxury of taking that very computer with them to take notes.
wouldn't they still be able to buy them? or is apple.com the only online store left?
Just be thankful it has not white bezels.
hoping for real iPP compatibility. The A13 hopefully unlocks additional features.
While your point is not disagreeable, the analogy and assessment you are making are very wrong.
A 1440p display in 2011 was a really big deal. Apple barely had to compete with Dell or Sharp. All three of them used LG panels, if I remember correctly.
A 5k 27in 60hz LCD display in 2022 is not really an earth shattering product. Apple just decided to avoid the mass market.
Maybe they don't want to chase volumes, or maybe they expect to raise the bar. Either way, by WWDC we can hope to get some sweet deals to make it seem reasonably priced for a lot of upset people.
I personally don't think it's overpriced by Apple standards. But its price is very close to a Mac Studio or a Macbook Pro 14. So it's really made for a very specific user base who is willing to pay extra for some Mac specific feature goodies. As for other similar products, do check what prices they usually sell around on Amazon. MSRP is rarely a reliable figure outside the Apple world.
My friend just spent more on the Studio Display than he did on the Mac Studio.
Why? Cuz he got the textured display and height adjustable stand.
Why? Cuz he got the textured display and height adjustable stand.
Edit: I apparently have a reading comprehension problem.My friend just spent more on the Studio Display than he did on the Mac Studio.
Why? Cuz he got the textured display and height adjustable stand.
Last edited:
It always seemed like Apple had some sort of contractual relationship with LG over the specifications and marketing of these. Otherwise, LG would have added multiple input ports and better support for use with PCs, such as with DP 1.4 DSC. Hopefully they are now free to do so.
That is not correct.
US$1999 / CA$2499 - Mac Studio M1 Max 10/24, 32 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
US$2199 / CA$2749 - Mac Studio M1 Max 10/24, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD
US$2299 / CA$2899 - Studio Display, Nanotexture glass, Tilt- and height-adjustable stand
If that was really so compelling, they wouldn’t have to drop the LG. Instead they are removing the option of saving some money for people who can do without those features.
If it is not an earth shattering product then how come nobody else other than LG made one in the last half decade? ?
But seriously, the earth shattering product was the Pro Display XDR. This is just repackaging the defunct iMac 5K into a standalone display with some improvements to the speakers and camera. Even so, there is only one other show in town in the market the Studio Display competes in: LG UltraFine 5K. A product with a 1299 MSRP.
I fully expected the Apple 5K display to be 1500 dollars considering that LG’s plastic chassis model was 1300. I am not surprised it cost 2000 with the good stand. Apple product line these days seems to either be surprisingly dead-on with their price on the general consumer side or about 500-1000 dollars more than I expected on the pro side. At least they do sell it with a bad stand or VESA bracket for about the price I expected it to be.
Like most people, I criticise Apple when they unreasonably inflate the price of “extras” that should be included, but there are a lot of people across the forums criticising the absence of included height adjustment on the Studio Display which they say is ”necessary”, and, at the same time bemoaning the death of the iMac which never had height adjustment. Millions and millions of iMacs were sold around the globe for more than a decade and almost everyone seemed to do fine with tilt only.