Does Apple need to make better accessories and displays for the Mac?

[257Loner]

Thanks to Apple Silicon, portable Apple computers and gadgets that run off of a battery are typically best-in-class hardware these days. You can purchase best-in-class accessories for them, such as the AirPods Pro, the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, and the Apple Pencil Pro. And they tend to feature high-end OLED displays like in their iPad Pro, their iPhones, and very good mini-LED screens in their MacBook Pros.

Once Apple Silicon was put in their desktop computers, their desktops shrank to a fraction of their original size and began to be more power efficient. However, the Apple accessories that are bundled with their desktop computers, Magic Trackpad excepted, are not best-in-class and leave much to be desired. Their keyboards and mouse are flat and un-ergonomic, which can lead to painful carpal tunnel syndrome when used for long periods of time. The problem is that there are better accessories, but Apple refuses to make best-in-class accessories for the Mac. Of course, all desktops like the Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro may be accessorized in a BYODKM (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, Mouse) fashion. My question is: In your opinion, does Apple need to make better accessories, themselves, or should they leave the market of superior accessories to companies like Keychron and Logitech?

And another uncomfortable point. Apple Displays are beautifully designed, but they do not feature best-in-class visual performance nor offer great value for what you pay. Here are two reviews from rtings.com between the Apple Studio Display and another 27" monitor that is $1,000 less but performs much better in most categories! As is typical, most PC monitors are 4K rather than Apple's 5K display. But the question buyers must ask themselves is: when a standard monitor is 4K, should I pay $1,000 extra for 1K more?

_ _ .Apple Studio Display _ _ _ _ _ _.Dell U2725QE

The ideal Apple desktop looks like this these days, and no Apple display or accessory is among them—only the computer itself. Is that okay, or should Apple try harder?

Addendum: Just to let you know where I'm coming from, the first Mac I ever used was an iMac G3 running Mac OS 8, and I've loved the Macintosh ever since. I'm just concerned that Mac desktops are now an afterthought for Apple and won't ever again receive the TLC that they deserve.

 

[xraydoc]

I have to say, while I've not read the article that accompanies those monitor scores, there's no way that the ASD gets a 3.5 in brightness while the Dell gets an 8.1 (unless they're on a completely different scale). The ASDs get retina-searingly bright -- over 600 nits. No way the Dell even comes close. I'm suspecting some anti-Apple bias there.

I can accept a lower "overall" score given it's price (where it will definitely lose points) and technical lack of HDR support, but I can't believe the SDR picture and brightness scores.

 

[dropadrop]

So years after Apple released the display, somebody released one with lower resolution and price, but sharper image?

I get that it’s the natural thing to compare things ”now”, but when the post is a general rant about Apple accessories I would expect a bit more perspective.

Apple probably plans a display release for 2-3 years before it actually happens. Considering how much improvements have happened in the last year I’m not really surprised there is something out there with better reviews, or that there is is rumors of a new Apple display coming out soon.

Ofcourse it would be great that the pace of development would be faster. At the same time once you buy a display you will probably be happy it’s not obsolete right away. I do agree with you on the mouse though…

 

[Lihp8270]

I have to say, while I've not read the article that accompanies those monitor scores, there's no way that the ASD gets a 3.5 in brightness while the Dell gets an 8.1 (unless they're on a completely different scale). The ASDs get retina-searingly bright -- over 600 nits. No way the Dell even comes close. I'm suspecting some anti-Apple bias there.

I can accept a lower "overall" score given it's price (where it will definitely lose points) and technical lack of HDR support, but I can't believe the SDR picture and brightness scores.

This is exactly what the article says. It scores the ASD higher for HDR brightness. But that score as shown on RTings is a combination of both HDR and SDR brightness, and so the ASD lack of HDR support harms that metric.

 

[xraydoc]

This is exactly what the article says. It scores the ASD higher for HDR brightness. But that score as shown on RTings is a combination of both HDR and SDR brightness, and so the ASD lack of HDR support harms that metric.

Except, most likely, even with HDR content, the Dell likely cannot get as bright as the Apple. Odd metric to combine the two.