Apple Studio Display Runs Full Version of iOS 15.4

[bmustaf]

One other note: it’s not based on iOS it’s based on iPad OS. No iOS device has center stage.

Despite the (marketing) claims, iPadOS and iOS are not fundamentally different, at best, they are different build/packaging of the same core OS components (kernel, drivers, etc). The main differences lie in which exact drivers get packaged and user-land APIs. But that's like saying a Toyota and a Lexus are totally different. It's largely a plastics, cosmetic, marketing, and segment/use difference, no matter how much anyone insists to the contrary, things like center stage are largely appilcation-level feature differences (even if they have/access kernel or OS-level services, these services/APIs are actually extant on iOS devices, because it's all "Neural Engine", Metal, and other such APIs on top of nearly the *exact* same SoCs/silicon, too, just presented to the user differently and/or not at all at the application level and the marketing level).

 

[Icy1007]

excited for the jailbreak

That’s not likely to happen.

 

[Chastepe]

'The Apple Studio Display runs a full version of iOS 15.4"
Surveillance has now transcended into a whole new level - but no one talks about it. One way or another they want to know everything. Let's just say you don't connect that screen to an Apple Mac device but you prefer Linux. Even a "simple" screen will be the new backdoor.

 

[PsykX]

Reboot the host machine.

Took 5 minutes to update. Same as an iPad ?

Are you serious ?! Ouch... Really bad idea lol...

 

[kemal]

The same iOS that properly runs the same camera hardware in various devices, can't run it properly in the Studio Display?

 

[dlopan]

So this display is going to need iOS firmware updates following step in step with iOS for the iPhone. So every 3 weeks or so it’ll need to download several gigabytes of data and then install it.
That sounds just swell

Just like everything else these days. It passed QC by not having QC anymore. It's probably hackable too as a extra added bonus. IOT fun and games.

 

[thejdhull]

I wish it ran full-fledged tvOS so you could use it when a Mac isn't connected - or supported wireless Sidecar / Universal Control. There are a few really cool features that Apple's team was uniquely positioned to implement, with their software and the A13, yet passed up on.

Great points all. Feels half baked. A true miss. TvOS would have been the obvious choice in my opinion too. Shows their lack of heavy hitters and teamwork. It’s all iOS, just marketed differently. Lack of investment in the TvOS team shows something.

 

[Danfango]

Great points all. Feels half baked. A true miss. TvOS would have been the obvious choice in my opinion too. Shows their lack of heavy hitters and teamwork. It’s all iOS, just marketed differently. Lack of investment in the TvOS team shows something.

Wait until someone does a teardown. We don't know what capabilities are built into the SoC in this thing yet.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Good, maybe it'll have a zero-day iOS exploit that allows displayed content to be sent over the internet through an attached Mac so hackers can see our bank account info on an open webpage. ?

This was actually one of the first things that I thought of when I heard Apple had it running the full version of iOS. Given that all one needs to do is find an exploit and put it onto the monitor, that exploit could live on the monitor for decades, silently OCRing the screen. I'm just not certain how you could get the data from iOS on the monitor to the internet, but I'm sure that'd be doable.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Wow, all that to power a sub-par webcam. This truly is the future.

 

[KoolAid-Drink]

I'm confused. Why would Apple even have software for a display monitor? Simply have the firmware ready for a camera/connection and make it work, like any other monitor. Does that mean hooking up the Studio display to another non-Apple device is not possible?

Also, why iOS? Why couldn't they use some kind of variant of macOS or iOS, or even tvOS? A whole/full version of iOS for a monitor seems silly and overkill to me.

 

[guzhogi]

Seems a bit ridiculous to run the *full* iOS, as many, if not most, of the features will go unused. Like others have said, maybe a stripped-down version or tvOS/homepod style thing. Enough to run the display, webcam, and speakers without anything else. "Too many features spoil the broth" and so forth. Give more resources to the things it'll actually use, while eliminating any unused features, I assume, would increase quality/performance while also eliminate possible attack vectors for hacking.

Also, how will updating the software work?

 

[citysnaps]

The webcam quality will be fixed. It's clearly a software/firmware issue rather than a hardware issue.

That this runs a full iOS version means Apple could enable a lot of features, if there are enough uses for those features.

Reviewers are by and large impressed with the screen quality and just about everything else with the display (other than the stand situation -- if I was going to buy one of these monitors [I won't], I'd opt for the VESA mount and get my own stand, which is what I've done with other monitors). But controversy sells clicks and ad revenue, eh?

"That this runs a full iOS version means Apple could enable a lot of features, if there are enough uses for those features."

Yep. I can think of a handful of interesting features Apple could add in the future through downloads.


"But controversy sells clicks and ad revenue, eh?"

And get's people so riled up. Like when a big bucket of chum dumped in the water.

In the end, it's always a race to the bottom.

 

[MysticCow]

I wish it ran full-fledged tvOS so you could use it when a Mac isn't connected - or supported wireless Sidecar / Universal Control. There are a few really cool features that Apple's team was uniquely positioned to implement, with their software and the A13, yet passed up on.

Apple needs to hire you. This display running iOS is just garbage.

 

[MauiPa]

Shame it doesn't run tvOS. Would have put it in a whole other category if it could also function as a standalone AppleTV too.

if it allowed apps, you would have the same thing. I'm not sure we are done hearing about features for this. iOS is way overkill, so that has me speculating. There is no mention at all of network capability (which I can see not mentioning if the capabilities weren't running yet, or more likely they are not there). It just makes so much sense to use as an airplay display, or airplay speakers at minimum, but that requires wifi, which is not mentioned.

OK, I'm rambling, but I simply don't get having a full fledged iOS (essentially a 27 inch iPhone) if you don't use any of the many features you could have used.

 

[bmustaf]

"That this runs a full iOS version means Apple could enable a lot of features, if there are enough uses for those features."

Yep. I can think of a handful of interesting features Apple could add in the future.


"But controversy sells clicks and ad revenue, eh?"

And get's people so riled up. Like when a big bucket of chum dumped in the water.

In the end, it's always a race to the bottom.

Have expectations really been lowered THIS much? That people paying $1,500+ for a display marketed as "the best" and touted in marketing materials to be so amazing, from a company known to obsess over the tiniest details of packaging, keynotes, unveils, etc to the point of it being called a "reality distortion field" with possibly the biggest consumer technology supply chain & processes ever seen are "riled up" when their product fails to meet even basic expectations at unboxing? Because of a "bug"?

The bug is the fact we think this is somehow OK and that we've been programmed to think people are whiny or whatever rather than delivering product that matches/meets even basic expectations.

Software is complex, no doubt, but QC is not. Clearly, there was no test on an actual production build on production hardware before it was released to manufacturing. Or, more likely, there was, and they knew the issue existed, and went ahead with it all anyway because all the logistics had been lined up and launch date confirmed and they'd just have to "deal with it". Which is fine, but somehow normalizing that failure and blaming the people who aren't happy with that (or being told they're "holding it wrong", etc, etc) is a very interesting inversion of reason.

 

[MauiPa]

"That this runs a full iOS version means Apple could enable a lot of features, if there are enough uses for those features."

Yep. I can think of a handful of interesting features Apple could add in the future through downloads.


"But controversy sells clicks and ad revenue, eh?"

And get's people so riled up. Like when a big bucket of chum dumped in the water.

In the end, it's always a race to the bottom.

race to the bottom - you mean from forum posters? Hardware has been taking huge strides lately, from Apple Silicon, alder Lake, new Ryzens. That is definitely a race, but not the bottom (unless the bottom is the top)

 

[MauiPa]

Have expectations really been lowered THIS much? That people paying $1,500+ for a display marketed as "the best" and touted in marketing materials to be so amazing, from a company known to obsess over the tiniest details of packaging, keynotes, unveils, etc to the point of it being called a "reality distortion field" with possibly the biggest consumer technology supply chain & processes ever seen are "riled up" when their product fails to meet even basic expectations at unboxing? Because of a "bug"?

The bug is the fact we think this is somehow OK and that we've been programmed to think people are whiny or whatever rather than delivering product that matches/meets even basic expectations.

Software is complex, no doubt, but QC is not. Clearly, there was no test on an actual production build on production hardware before it was released to manufacturing. Or, more likely, there was, and they knew the issue existed, and went ahead with it all anyway because all the logistics had been lined up and launch date confirmed and they'd just have to "deal with it". Which is fine, but somehow normalizing that failure and blaming the people who aren't happy with that (or being told they're "holding it wrong", etc, etc) is a very interesting inversion of reason.

or these time are a bit strange with supply chain issues, chip shortages, labor shortages, work from home (say what you will, but actually meeting with people does help quality). There are not just a couple of bugs here and there in Apple software, but the W11 rollout was ridiculous with glitches too. Personally, I am impressed with how few glitches there actually are with Apple rolling out an entirely new hardware platform, continuing to support Intel Macs, Rosetta 2, etc. Everyone wishes it was perfect, but somehow that never happens for anyone

oh, and BTW, next time there is a pandemic, let's remind everyone to manage it better. Prevention and foresight are easier than cleanup

 

[cmaier]

Apple gave iOS to a display but they can't give a proper OS for the iPads to make it more like a computer.

iPads are computers.

 

[HiVolt]

How, just how did this pass QC? ?

Ship now, fix later mentality. The New Normal when buying new stuff nowadays.

 

[jz0309]

welcome to monthly updates to a monitor ... no wonder it does not have a HDMI port ...

 

[ThisBougieLife]

"That this runs a full iOS version means Apple could enable a lot of features, if there are enough uses for those features."

Yep. I can think of a handful of interesting features Apple could add in the future through downloads.

Like what?

Just out of curiosity...

 

[citysnaps]

race to the bottom - you mean from forum posters? Hardware has been taking huge strides lately, from Apple Silicon, alder Lake, new Ryzens. That is definitely a race, but not the bottom (unless the bottom is the top)

From forum poster with inane juvenile comments.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Wow, all that to power a sub-par webcam. This truly is the future.

Do you have evidence of Apple using lower quality webcam hardware? It looks like it uses the same front-facing camera as in the iPad Pros or other similar devices. Those are not sub-par cameras.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Do you have evidence of Apple using lower quality webcam hardware? It looks like it uses the same front-facing camera as in the iPad Pros or other similar devices. Those are not sub-par cameras.

I didn't say "hardware". The webcam is the sum of its hardware and software and per the reports, it is mediocre. Perhaps it is partly due to the size of the display. A 12MP webcam image scales better on a smaller resolution iPad or iPhone than it does on a 5K monitor.