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Apples displays are ridiculous. Small and expensive.
Ten years ago I had a 34" curved monitor. In 2019 I got a 43".

Even today Apple still doesn't sell a monitor the size I had 10 years ago.
If I was to get a new one today I'd probably aim around 50".

FWIW I work for a large public broadcaster. We produce everything from news to drama. We have thousands of Macs, yet we have zero Apple displays.
A 34” and 43” would require much higher resolutions than the Pro Display XDR to be high PPI for monitor usage aligning with what Apple accommodates (218PPI, 2 DPR)

You’re sacrificing a lot of PPI with such sizes which is within your right.
 
Apple's Pro Display XDR is NOT targeted to the typical Apple user.
Well I may be a "typical Apple user". The "user" part anyway and I have a XDR, which is just great connected to my M1 studio ultra. I got it because I could afford it and I am very glad I have it.
 
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But the thing is, it isn't. You could say it's a bit overpriced now, but not "absurd" like you're saying.
Similar speced monitors:
- Apple Pro Display XDR - 32", 6K HDR, IPS - $5000
- EIZO ColorEdge CG319X - 31.1", 4K HDR, Mini-LED - $5500
- ASUS ProArt PA32DC - 31.5", 4K HDR, OLED - $3,067
- ASUS ProArt PA32UCG-K - 32", 4K 120Hz HDR, Mini-LED - $2600

No other 6k monitor.
The Pro Art displays have much nicer specs. Again the problem is MacOS scaling which is don’t intentionally. Anyone with a real computer can run a 4K monitor at any size without problems except on MacOS.
 
If you had any professional background in product design/engineering/production, you'd know this isn't just a 'hot take', it's inherently false.
Look at the materials. Take some money to design it which is required when you’re selling as $6k monitor. At Apple’s économises of scale you would be shocked how much they can make each one for after the initial design costs. Super low. And aluminum is not a premium material except compared to plastic. Aluminum damages easily as it’s soft and it’s just some recycled soda cans. The thing that makes me laugh is all the people that thing it’s somehow expensive. Look up the price of aluminum - so make your block of aluminum and then machine it down and you have about $30 worth of soda cans there. Call it aerospace grade or whatever else you want - aluminum is very abundant and inexpensive. It’s not premium unless you’re comparing the feel to plastic.
 
Tandem OLED in that size is still going to be a ways off. LG just started manufacturing 13" panels earlier this year and those are the largest on the market.

Tandem OLED displays also require two display controllers. The M4 has an extra display controller (3 instead of 2) which is part of the reason why Apple used that chip instead of the M3, which only has two. The bonus is Macs getting an extra supported external display because of this, but if a Mac were to use a tandem display it would lose one additional supported display because of it.
Dell is already releasing Tandem OLED options of 16” and 18” at CES.

There’s always trade-offs with high-end monitor tech. Using less displays at once with the trade off being the use of a 32” 6K+ @ 120hz monitor is more than worth it for many (a common trade-off with highest end monitors and the bandwidth they demand regardless).

And Apple literally has the Vision Pro as an option to minimize
 
…Regardless there isn’t monitors with what the Pro Display XDR offers as well built, minimal, and quiet.

There’s absolutely a design premium for that other monitor manufacturers have not bothered meeting and surpassing.

The market is the market; it is what it is.
 
Look at the materials. Take some money to design it which is required when you’re selling as $6k monitor. At Apple’s économises of scale you would be shocked how much they can make each one for after the initial design costs. Super low. And aluminum is not a premium material except compared to plastic. Aluminum damages easily as it’s soft and it’s just some recycled soda cans. The thing that makes me laugh is all the people that thing it’s somehow expensive. Look up the price of aluminum - so make your block of aluminum and then machine it down and you have about $30 worth of soda cans there. Call it aerospace grade or whatever else you want - aluminum is very abundant and inexpensive. It’s not premium unless you’re comparing the feel to plastic.
Just because you can buy aluminum (cans or otherwise) for cheap, doesn't mean engineers are free, tooling/machining is free, testing is free, product packaging is free... or anywhere close to $99.

Especially when you factor in 'initial design costs'.
 
For the price it’s less than impressive. It is beautiful engineered but a grand for the stand? Cook is such a greedy sod. And it fringes very noticeably at the edges so not great for DTP.
 
Look at the materials. Take some money to design it which is required when you’re selling as $6k monitor. At Apple’s économises of scale you would be shocked how much they can make each one for after the initial design costs. Super low. And aluminum is not a premium material except compared to plastic. Aluminum damages easily as it’s soft and it’s just some recycled soda cans. The thing that makes me laugh is all the people that thing it’s somehow expensive. Look up the price of aluminum - so make your block of aluminum and then machine it down and you have about $30 worth of soda cans there. Call it aerospace grade or whatever else you want - aluminum is very abundant and inexpensive. It’s not premium unless you’re comparing the feel to plastic.
This is a comically absurd comment.
I posted a list of monitor stands for $99 that probably sell 100-1000x amount of what Apple sells yet they are made from even cheaper materials like plastic and steel. You have no idea what you're talking about.
 
Even today Apple still doesn't sell a monitor the size I had 10 years ago.
If I was to get a new one today I'd probably aim around 50".
On the other hand, you’re still using worse PPI than I had 10 years ago. ⚖️

That’s the problem with big monitors. No the manufacturer cares about PPI as much as Apple.
 
So many years on the market and still not a single decent competitor product.. I'm thinking on getting one, but who would pay this price for 5 year old product!
 
People understand that it is not for them, not for their use. With more expensive Apple devices targeted at professionals, they somehow cannot understand it.
You don't need to be professional to see that display tech evolved a lot during these five years, which means that value proposition of Pro Display XDR has degraded significantly.

Just like you don't need to be an enthusiast to feel ripped off by paying $200 for 256 -> 512gb storage upgrade.
 
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Well I may be a "typical Apple user". The "user" part anyway and I have a XDR, which is just great connected to my M1 studio ultra. I got it because I could afford it and I am very glad I have it.

Nothing at all wrong with that!
 
So many years on the market and still not a single decent competitor product.. I'm thinking on getting one, but who would pay this price for 5 year old product!

Someone who *really needs* what it offers that other displays don't offer. If I was a professional photographer and my living depended on my results, I would get one ASAP. Or, if I had the $$$$ and just wanted an outstanding display.

Fortunately, my Apple Studio Display meets my needs as a serious photographer just fine.
 
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if you want a 220ppi display
"special features" of the Studio Display (220ppi)
if I did want 220ppi
220ppi
Combined with atrociously bad non-functioning "retina" scaling in macOS, the PPI number is the WORST spec of Apple displays, and a primary reason to avoid them.

Same pixel density as a small laptop screen, but located much farther from your eyes, meaning you can't see *** unless you smash your face into the display.

Either it should be 4K 27" / 5K 32", or Apple must fix scaling algorithm in macOS, which has been broken since 2012.
 
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You don't need to be professional to see that display tech evolved a lot during these five years, which means that value proposition of Pro Display XDR has degraded significantly.

Just like you don't need to be an enthusiast to feel ripped off by paying $200 for 256 -> 512gb storage upgrade.
You may feel like it because it's been on the market for so long but even now there is still nothing that could compete directly with the Pro Display XDR combination of resolution and image quality.
 
What's the probability they update the studio display in March?
It was originally released March 18, 2022. It would be 3 years in March 2025, or is the refresh cycle for their monitors 4 years?
 
What's the probability they update the studio display in March?
It was originally released March 18, 2022. It would be 3 years in March 2025, or is the refresh cycle for their monitors 4 years?
Apple's update cycle is all over the place, the only certain thing is the iPhone and Watch in September and Macbook Pros in October/November.
 
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Nothing has existed unfortunately to warrant its price being decreased.

Asus PA32UCG was also $5000 MSRP but had to put their price down because they could not justify not offering 6K@60hz on a heavier and bulkier prosumer monitor that originally thought Thunderbolt + HDMI 2.1 + colorimeter w/ 4K@120hz could offset this.

Market corrected it to be priced $3000 eventually.

Other $3000 monitors don’t come close to the Pro Display XDR.

Despite DisplayPort 2:1 being available Monitor manufacturers have stagnated offering prosumer monitors at the Pro Display XDR’s level.

They just don’t bother to go for it.

This is similar to the advantages the 4090 has this GPU generation and what the Vision Pro enjoys in the spatial computing headset market.
You have to really love pixel peeping.

I bought one and the stand.

Absolutely love it.

The next version will be insane with TB 5.

I think I will probably sit that one out, however.

This thing is a tank and I imagine it will last a good while.
 
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It's like being steamed one can't buy a Lamborghini or Bugatti for $50K. The nerve of those companies for charging so much!

Thanks for the analogy. Apple Displays are the Lambos / Bugattis of the Monitor world. I will concede that they aren't for everyone. However, I assert they are overkill for just about everyone too.
 
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Thanks for the analogy. Apple Displays are the Lambos / Bugattis of the Monitor world. I will concede that they aren't for everyone. However, I assert they are overkill for just about everyone too.

They are definitely worth it for professionals in creative endeavors where one needs to be fussy about color and uniformity.

I believe that's a very small percentage of Apple's 1 billion active users.
 
Thanks for the analogy. Apple Displays are the Lambos / Bugattis of the Monitor world. I will concede that they aren't for everyone. However, I assert they are overkill for just about everyone too.
Pro Display XDR does 1000 nits sustained brightness / 1600 nits peak. HDR video can have highlights up to 10000 nits. So it's not overkill enough :)

Modern upper-range TVs are able to hit 2000 nits highlights already.
 
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