Apple's Pro Display XDR Wins 'Displays of the Year' Award

[Freida]

You didn't read my post correctly.

At work on movies my work provides machine!

AT HOME for my hobby (photography) or some OCCASIONAL freelance work (not as demanding as top blockbusters etc.) the current Mac Pro with the display would just not make sense.

Think of it like: Work = Avatar, Home = penguin commercial in cartoony style.

Are we clear now?

So, now that you understand different needs go back and re-read my point. Its not just mine but others too.
You came here flashing with money etc. so its only fair that you reconsider your faulty approach and understand what I wrote before.

If you still miss it then you are probably too stubborn or just don't want to consider others because its super nice up there on your noble steed

Sure ... I digress.

So hang on, you do top-level VFX, and imply I've seen "pretty much most of your work". Did you not ask for a raise? I don't understand people who say they do this level of work but are "priced out". And by your own admission, you probably wouldn't make much use of the 8 core and need the 12 - 28 core upgrade depending on your usage.

Please name me another high-grade workstation that doesn't put you back $10-20K equivalently specced with Intel CPU's and dual GPUs with nVMe RAID 0 boot drives etc. I've got Lenovo open in another tab here ...

I don't understand this "being priced out" argument. Secondly, I do get the 2013 wasn't the best solution for some. Though, it was certainly more capable and powerful than the 2010. Just check the benchmarks ... so if it was more powerful than the older system, with what they placed bets on (Thunderbolt) for expansion, I personally don't see that as being completely dropping the ball. I think they were trying to be innovative - and perhaps it backfired. Clearly Apple has listened and brought out this new Mac Pro.

Again ... the price point argument, especially for someone who says they've worked on most of the movies I've seen ... I don't understand how an investment in a machine with a 5+ year lifespan is completely pricing you out? Sorry, not buying it.

 

[bn-7bc]

never mind, like sn idiot I replied tonthe wrong post, snd the delite button is hiding from me, Mods feel free to delete this, as it atd nothing

 

[eflx]

Frieda ... do you not read your own posts? So you don't NEED that level of computer for a hobby or occasional freelance work. OK so, go buy an iMac? What's the issue here?

So don't buy it? The computer is squarely aimed at more demanding usage cases, or simply those who can afford to purchase it.

I did not come here flashing money. I came here telling someone who's complaining about equipment aimed at either "hobbyists with deep pockets" or professional users, to take a bit of a chill pill.

@bn-7bc - it does have a Vesa mount you can purchase instead of the stand.

 

[Kabeyun]

I am a professional in my job, but, I do not need this Mac nor a fast PC for that, seems like many think here that a professional is a person who's at the top of the ladder, as in, video content creators for big providers, guess what, a dentist is a professional, I in my job am a professional, a part time wedding videographer can be a professional.

Smug comes to my mind, pretty sure most could do with the old cheese grater with upgraded parts, not this machine.

Guess what? That’s a humorously semantic argument. Apple didn’t make their top level XDR display for dentists. A dentist wants pro-level dentistry stuff which you’ll find at a dentistry stuff store. They also didn’t make it for professional masseuses, professional arborists, professional exterminators, or professional prostitutes. No need to twist the “pro” monicker around. And if you’re a part time wedding videographer, you can pine for Apple’s apex monitor all you want. Apple probably didn’t make the XDR display for you either, although if you’re doing really well you’re certainly welcome to buy one and see if it’s advantages matter to you. But an iMac will suit you just fine, maybe an iMac Pro.

 

[turbineseaplane]

No need to twist the “pro” monicker around.

Apple is the one doing that (for years now), not the rest of us.

 

[Ronald Reagan]

Did their $1000 stand win stand of the year too?

 

[cbusbuck]

What about the display stand of the year?

 

[chucker23n1]

Limited set of devices?? That’s new. The usual criticism is that they’re confusing and congesting their lineups with too many products. Which Apple do you mean?

Not really. There are some line-ups that are a bit confusing (especially around 2018, when there were the 12-inch MacBook that was for all intents and purposes an Air, the 13-inch Air, the 13-inch Pro without Touch Bar, which was introduced by Phil Schiller as Air-esque, and the 13-inch Pro with Touch Bar, which for some reason was a completely different product with the same name). Or the differentiation between the iPad and the iPad Air.

But mostly, Apple does have a fairly limited set. They don't have a $2k tower. They don't have a laptop that isn't an "ultrabook" and has more ports and more thermal headroom. They don't have a 15-inch non-Pro. And so on.

Other vendors tend to have way, way more choices. I think Apple is mostly right not to have them, but "This is the disadvantage of Apple ecosystem." is perfectly right. Want a laptop with an Nvidia GPU that runs macOS? Or a 4-inch phone that runs iOS? Forget it.

 

[montuori]

Yeah but @Websnapx2 not everything Apple builds is intended to sell at the same rate as iPhones. Apple used to sell a 24" display.

The other thing about displays, is they don't need to be re-designed yearly and actually have a pretty solid lifespan.

To your point: I get daily use out of a 24” cinema display that I bought back in 1999. The thing is built like a tank (and survived a fall from a desk onto a concrete floor on one unfortunately dramatic occasion). Well worth the price.

 

[MacBH928]

Apple is definitely one of the most criticized tech companies; when the reality is, at least they TRY to make higher end gear for the type of consumer who appreciates attention to detail, good looking design, and a better operating system and ecosystem than what we have in Linux and Windows which are both pitiful by comparison.

Come on ...

There is a reason for this, because Apple users demand more. Remember when apple was dying in 1996 and Apple users kept buying Apple gear and when Jobs released iMac they went and bought it? Yes, that because Apple users demand higher quality. Blue Screens of death, bulky laptops, ugly display, RGB lightening...yea not here.

It is what makes Apple different from Dell, HP, Lenovo, or Acer.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I loved my ACD 30 - I think it's gorgeous, even today (don't have it anymore).

Wish they would do something like that for a 27" 5k standalone.

 

[HiRez]

Can Apple please make one of these that's slightly crappier for < $2K? Looking for the inverse of the law of diminishing returns. Sure, I can buy another brand monitor, but I'd love a 30" Apple monitor, I just don't need it to be reference quality.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I still don't understand how many of these screens and the new Mac Pros Apple expects to sell after screwing their users for so long.

They don’t intend to sell very many and it’s kind of the point. At that price, they’ll still recoup their R&D and make a profit.

Not that any of those two monitors are in my market segment.

Most movies/tv shows don’t really show a lot of ‘pinpoint’ lights on 100% black backgrounds. So, as long as you’re not working with anything SciFi, it seems like the monitor would be a good fit.

There is no profit at that price point. This is why Apple doesn't participate in this market anymore.

I always felt they didn’t participate in the market because the non-Apple alternatives had gotten “good enough”. I think a lot of people’s engagement with Apple was back when they made a LOT of devices because it took awhile for the industry to catch up. So, for those people, having to buy anything without an Apple logo on it just feels wrong.

What is unnatural, is Apple trying to satisfy all these different people with very limited set of devices.

I don’t know who “all these different people” are, but I do think there’s a number of people that feel Apple should be satisfying them, primarily because Apple USED to satisfy them, but aren’t. However, I think Apple’s target consumers have changed such that those people just won’t be fulfilled by Apple products anymore.

 

[Fusionskies]

I hear they also won 'stand of the year' as well.

 

[Blackwell]

I still don't understand it - Apple drove their high-end pro users off the platform for 6 years who bought non-Apple software and changed all their workflows for their new eco systems -- just so they could continue to do their jobs and stay competitive. They aren't getting many of these people back anytime soon. I still don't understand how many of these screens and the new Mac Pros Apple expects to sell after screwing their users for so long. A high-end tower prosumer setup would have made more sense than the most expensive workstation they could conceive of.... Its welcome that they finally took "pro" seriously, but I fear its too little, too late, and lackluster sales is going to be used as evidence as to why they don't need the lineup.

Got left behind on the Final Cut action. Not coming back, come here because I'm watching for iPhone stuff. Messages rule, otherwise I'd be long gone....

 

[EugW]

I hear they also won 'stand of the year' as well.

At least three people have posted this now in this thread.

I’m starting to wonder. Are you guys being serious, or do you just all have the same joke?

 

[MauiPa]

Saw this side by side with the iMac 5K in store and had it demoed to me by a staff member and I couldn’t see any difference at all.

Thank-you, that is such a scientific approach

 

[turbineseaplane]

Thank-you, that is such a scientific approach

Not scientific, but it does lend credence to the thought that they could sell a ton of standalone "only 5k" displays to people and they'd all be happy as clams (myself included).

 

[BlueTide]

Lol, that sure is an award to be proud of!

 

[Abazigal]

I still don't understand it - Apple drove their high-end pro users off the platform for 6 years who bought non-Apple software and changed all their workflows for their new eco systems -- just so they could continue to do their jobs and stay competitive. They aren't getting many of these people back anytime soon. I still don't understand how many of these screens and the new Mac Pros Apple expects to sell after screwing their users for so long. A high-end tower prosumer setup would have made more sense than the most expensive workstation they could conceive of.... Its welcome that they finally took "pro" seriously, but I fear its too little, too late, and lackluster sales is going to be used as evidence as to why they don't need the lineup.

Oh, the Mac Pro and the XDR display most definitely have their market.

We just won’t hear about it because none of them are here at Macrumours or were present at the 2019 WWDC keynote.

 

[bwillwall]

I still don't understand it - Apple drove their high-end pro users off the platform for 6 years who bought non-Apple software and changed all their workflows for their new eco systems -- just so they could continue to do their jobs and stay competitive. They aren't getting many of these people back anytime soon. I still don't understand how many of these screens and the new Mac Pros Apple expects to sell after screwing their users for so long. A high-end tower prosumer setup would have made more sense than the most expensive workstation they could conceive of.... Its welcome that they finally took "pro" seriously, but I fear its too little, too late, and lackluster sales is going to be used as evidence as to why they don't need the lineup.

I also don't get why they waited so long, but they hardly lost all their pro customers.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

Thank-you, that is such a scientific approach

Lab testing and numbers don’t mean anything. Those numbers amount to very little difference in image quality in reality.

Seeing it in person is the most important test. Everybody’s eyes are different and to me it was unimpressive for the price. It was ever so slightly sharper than the iMac 5K and that was barely noticeable if I wasn’t actively looking.

The screen at full brightness was similar to the iMac and the nano glass coating blurs text and washes colours out.

 

[Kabeyun]

Apple is the one doing that (for years now), not the rest of us.

This is specifically about the Apple Pro Display XDR. My opinion is that it qualifies as a pro level display intended for professionals who benefit from that level of display for their work. Does that clear up what we were exchanging about?

Not really. There are some line-ups that are a bit confusing (especially around 2018, when there were the 12-inch MacBook that was for all intents and purposes an Air, the 13-inch Air, the 13-inch Pro without Touch Bar, which was introduced by Phil Schiller as Air-esque, and the 13-inch Pro with Touch Bar, which for some reason was a completely different product with the same name). Or the differentiation between the iPad and the iPad Air.

But mostly, Apple does have a fairly limited set. They don't have a $2k tower. They don't have a laptop that isn't an "ultrabook" and has more ports and more thermal headroom. They don't have a 15-inch non-Pro. And so on.

Other vendors tend to have way, way more choices. I think Apple is mostly right not to have them, but "This is the disadvantage of Apple ecosystem." is perfectly right. Want a laptop with an Nvidia GPU that runs macOS? Or a 4-inch phone that runs iOS? Forget it.

At one point Apple was selling the iPhone 6, 7, and 8. Why? They had four laptops with roughly the same screen size. And now, right after they updated the 13” MBP, they’re prepping for a 14” MBP. And as you said, iPad Air? Really? ½” smaller than the iPad Pro, of which there’s a bigger version? And now there’s a rumor about an iPad that’s bigger than the old mini but all of 1” smaller than the Air.

The first thing Jobs did when he returned to Apple was clean up their messy product lineup. It feels like they tend to drift that way. This year, the iPhone lineup feels slotted and discrete for the first time in a while.

 

[turbineseaplane]

This is specifically about the Apple Pro Display XDR. My opinion is that it qualifies as a pro level display intended for professionals who benefit from that level of display for their work. Does that clear up what we were exchanging about?

My point was mostly that Apple just throws the term "pro" around to mean whatever they want..
Sometimes it just means "more expensive" and little else, for example.

 

[falainber]

Limited set of devices?? That’s new. The usual criticism is that they’re confusing and congesting their lineups with too many products. Which Apple do you mean?

How many monitor models does Apple have? One? Now compare this to, say, Dell. Same is true for the number of laptop and desktop models.