As a pure commodity I think the M2/M1 Minis are still the best value anyway if you can find them refurbed for like 350. I wouldn't care so much about the M4 power for just reading PDFs and handing out papers.
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Mac Studio and Studio Display Turn Three Today
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ASD is such a hard pass when even oled 32inch is cheaper
Yeah I agree, at current prices especially used these machines are a killer deal. I believe that the M1 Mac mini will go down in history as one of the all-time greatest computers of all time, alongside the Apple II and Commodore 64.
Apple sees the Mac as their biggest growth vector right now (it's unclear if AppleTV will ever turn a profit for example, and everybody that wants an iPhone has one, meanwhile Mac marketshare in the US is around 9%) - that means they are putting out incredible products in the Mac lineup. We all benefit.
Because then they couldn't sell the stock of Studio Displays they still have on hand at full price.
The AppleTV is useless. Now if they made games worth playing. It's a pointless device that cockblocks all other devices that might do the same job from doing that job.
That's why it's trash, like the iPad it's trying to cut a segment of a market that doesn't want it, and that doesn't exist.
I got my pair of Studio Displays at release, same for my Mac Studio M1 Max. Best Mac setup I have ever owned. I would be updating the Mac Studio to M4 Max sometime this year, but my Studio Displays will stay even if there is an updated version coming.
If Apple offered a 27" iMac M4 Max with 64-96gb RAM at that price, I'd be very tempted to finally upgrade our Intel 27s.
A 32" would start at least at $7499, and that's where it gets into extreme niche.
In unicorn land feeding on the magic daisies
You may find yourself best served by not upgrading. The performance differences are not larger than what you have. Very nice setup. It's my goal this year to get rid of all the spinning storage. Is that an Apollo I/O?
My m2 studio max is the favorite Apple model that I have owned over the years.
I’ve enjoyed my 27” LED Cinema Display from way back in 2010—still going strong, by the way! While the 5K panel on my current Studio Display is nice, I can’t help but feel like it’s a stopgap for what I really wanted: a 32” iteration.
Given the camera was seen as underwhelming when this was released, and the fact that Apple has updated the camera in all of its other computers, Apple should at least release a new version of the ASD with the latest camera.
Meanwhile, for the average Joe computer user (like me) who just wants a decent productivity-but-also-sometimes-gaming monitor with half-decent colour and a good refresh rate, Dell upgraded their UltraSharp TB 4K monitors a few weeks ago.
$700 gets you a really decent 4k 120Hz monitor with very good picture and colour accuracy, a plethora of connectivity options (including TB4 upstream and downstream with 140W power delivery for budget-conscious Mac users who might want two good monitors but not spend a small fortune on them), and some other kind of neat options like 2.5G Ethernet and a bunch of downstream USB-C and USB-A ports (including 2 C's and 1 A in a front-facing pop-down hub).
EDIT: I forgot two of the coolest features: It actually includes both the HAS and VESA mount hardware in the box, and it has a removable power cable!
$700 gets you a really decent 4k 120Hz monitor with very good picture and colour accuracy, a plethora of connectivity options (including TB4 upstream and downstream with 140W power delivery for budget-conscious Mac users who might want two good monitors but not spend a small fortune on them), and some other kind of neat options like 2.5G Ethernet and a bunch of downstream USB-C and USB-A ports (including 2 C's and 1 A in a front-facing pop-down hub).
EDIT: I forgot two of the coolest features: It actually includes both the HAS and VESA mount hardware in the box, and it has a removable power cable!
If you're a serious photographer and fussy about color when post-processing/editing your image files, it's an outstanding display and an excellent value.
Maybe not for most people but a friend of mine just upgraded to an M4 Mac mini from a M1 Max Mac Studio, and the only thing he misses is the built-in SD card slot.
Right, which is why the Mac mini exists — it’s for “most people.” The Mac Studio is a pro-level “mini Mac Pro”. It’s not aimed at consumers or “Office apps” users. No one is buying the Mac Studio just because it has an SD slot. In fact, the SD is of limited value to me as I use CF Express in all but one of my cameras. I only use SD in the one because it’s all it has.
You are right, I fixed my original comment. Quickly read this as both the displays, not the Mac Studio pc.
AppleTV is great. If you have a big TV in a living room, bedroom or den, and want it as a dumb terminal, the Apple TV with the ethernet port is the best out there. Looks phenomenal on OLEDs.
I don't upgrade often, and am looking to purchase the M4 Max Studio as my first MAC desktop (always used laptops in the past).
It's a shame the Display wasn't updated, but if I buy the studio then I do of course need a monitor with it, and I know I just won't be happy with any other monitor. Pains me to buy a Studio Display now though as another may be released soon! But as I said, I've sold my main laptop so need something now, otherwise I would have waited!
It's a shame the Display wasn't updated, but if I buy the studio then I do of course need a monitor with it, and I know I just won't be happy with any other monitor. Pains me to buy a Studio Display now though as another may be released soon! But as I said, I've sold my main laptop so need something now, otherwise I would have waited!
5K at 144hz would be perfect. I would guess that Apple would wait until the M5 and add two thunderbolt 5 ports to the machines.