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New Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR Don't Work With Intel Macs
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octopi
macrumors regular
Are you sure it won't work? It seems unlikely, perhaps it's only tested and recommended for Apple Silicon macs, but I'd bet it'll work it as well can (maybe you won't be able to change the brighness, or update the monitor firmware) but things will probably display.
if it's anything like the older Studio Display, the power cable is basically captive to the monitor. So it would come with it already attached.
I do agree, but I think the reasoning is because they don't include controls on the monitors themselves and they are controlled by MacOS. So they have to have "drivers" in MacOS to support it. That said, Tahoe should already have them, so not sure why it would be no intel macs and not just requiring Tahoe. it might still work just like the studio display will still work with Windows, just that you may not be able to adjust settings and such which could be a problem if your only Mac IS an intel mac that you want to use it on.
StoneJack
macrumors 68040
It is been 13 years since TrashMac. Time to move on. You could say same thing about PowerMac G4 as well.
Spock
Contributor
Er… this is about connecting a new monitor to an old computer. Your new M5 MacBook Pro should still drive your 2016 5k display…
Yeah…for a given value of “possible ” - Especially with Apple displays and Macs which often have weird and wonderful connectors and strange non-VESA resolutions. It’s usually possible - you may be lucky, but you may need the sort of converter box that retro enthusiasts use. “Not supported” doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get it to go with a bit of tinkering.
So, yeah, this isn’t wonderful but it’s hardly a surprise and hardly new. One of the reasons I wouldn’t buy an Apple display anyway is that they usually only have a single TB-only video input and no built-in controls to change modes and troubleshoot connections, whereas many 3rd party displays have at lest 2 out of USB-C, HDMI and regular DP in. That has been true of Apple displays since forever (substitute the video connection of the day).
Fun fact: The original 2011 Thunderbolt Display wasn’t even compatible with the Mac Pro of the day…
Do the later MacBook Pros support even DisplayPort 1.4 data rates over Thunderbolt? ISTR Thunderbolt was very late to that party, and DP1.2 could only do 5k by using both of TBs DisplayPort streams. That would be one very good reason for not supporting Intel Macs.
To me, such things seem a bit dumb. I have a display that can be controlled from my computer, BUT it also has controls on the monitor. I can see needing a Mac (ideally newer) to get the very best from the display but it seems like it would be pretty easy (especially for that high price tag) to also include the needed ports, controls, resolutions to allowance a wide range of computers.
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For $3500 for ONE, it better be the best. Problem is, 27" is so...yesterday, and for $3500 it just seems like a rip-off.
Zdigital2015
macrumors 601
programmers, musicians, audio video guys in general video, editors engineers if it’s not broken, they’re not gonna fix it with new workflow’s new stuff until it breaks so badly that they can’t do the work that they need to do and even then you know there’s still audio people working with fire wire interfaces that they bought from 20 years ago that they’ve got jumbled up with a couple of different connectors because they don’t want to buy a new interface so none of this should come as a surprise to Apple owners. Apple‘s been pretty good about making sure that Intel stuff gets deprecated slowly but it’s gonna get deprecated and everybody needs to be prepared for that eventuality and this is what’s gonna happen when new hardware is introduced you wanted monitors you got monitors why is anybody surprised that Apple is not supporting Intel Macs with these new monitors this should come as a surprise to absolutely no one.
gtg465x
macrumors 6502a
Guess what, Apple? Most of us with 2014-2020 iMac 5Ks with Intel chips don’t want your $1600 display anyways, because we already have the exact same one minus a few nits of brightness. Ridiculous that Apple is selling a display that hasn’t materially improved for 12 years for $1600.
The Studio XDR is nice, but way overpriced. How does the 16” version of the XDR display in the MacBook Pro (which also has MiniLED, HDR, and 120 Hz) cost $600 at most (difference between Mac Mini and MacBook Pro with same specs), and you’re selling one 11 inches larger $3300? Doesn’t add up. The Studio XDR should be $1600. The standard Studio using 12 year old tech should be like $800-1000.
Was planning on getting a Studio Display when it finally got HDR and / or 120 Hz, but didn’t realize they were going to double the already insane price. F that. Probably going for a 32 inch 6K in the $1000-$2000 range. The extra screen size and resolution will probably be more helpful and noticeable to me in day-to-day tasks anyways over HDR and 120 Hz.
The Studio XDR is nice, but way overpriced. How does the 16” version of the XDR display in the MacBook Pro (which also has MiniLED, HDR, and 120 Hz) cost $600 at most (difference between Mac Mini and MacBook Pro with same specs), and you’re selling one 11 inches larger $3300? Doesn’t add up. The Studio XDR should be $1600. The standard Studio using 12 year old tech should be like $800-1000.
Was planning on getting a Studio Display when it finally got HDR and / or 120 Hz, but didn’t realize they were going to double the already insane price. F that. Probably going for a 32 inch 6K in the $1000-$2000 range. The extra screen size and resolution will probably be more helpful and noticeable to me in day-to-day tasks anyways over HDR and 120 Hz.
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Zdigital2015
macrumors 601
How many Intel or AMD motherboards are currently shipping that feature Thunderbolt 4 or 5 support? How many discrete GPUs on the AIC market support TB4/TB5? How many Intel and AMD iGPUs support 5120x2880 at frequencies up to 120Hz? I lost track of this since 2020 since Hackintoshes and Intel were basically deprecated by Apple. I have zero desire to build a PC at his point in my life even though my day is spent in Windows 11 at work. if any of those things are true then yes the studio display should work with a PC otherwise probably not.
Zdigital2015
macrumors 601
Then look at Asus pro art or BenQ displays and find a suitable one that does what you needed to do for less money
Naraxus
macrumors 68030
JosephAW
macrumors 604
Won’t touch any older Intel Macs with the T2 chips. Apple crippled them from future updates and even using opencore because of the T2 chip. 😵
Of course, they DO. Apple didn't state Windows PC support for Studio Display first gen or XDR Display either. But these monitors support Windows, Linux, PlayStation (via HDMI to DP converter) etc...
Additional features (camera and sound related) is another topic. They might not work.
This is true. The article must be more clearer, yes.
you can. With some additional cable/converter.
if older GPU cannot run in 120Hz, it always can downgrade to 60.
it still is.
jdawgnoonan
macrumors 65816
Cool, I assumed that should be the case. So Apple did not explicitly say they would not work, but people made the assumption?
losthismarbles
macrumors regular
Man, i'm with you.. 🙂
Am just looking at it the way these folks over there do.
i) they aim forward; if it's a bother (never mind when it's a bother with zero ROI on top of the bother) to support something older? And/or it may have consequences(tm)? They just.. don't.
ii) they are who they are. Sell, sell, sell. More products, more products. They push you to upgrade. Artificial cut-outs, segmentation, dirty tricks, aggressive tactics, you name it, they do it. And you know what? Sadly? It works too. Millions of folks had a perfectly awesome iPhone 16 Pro, they effing rushed to get themselves the 17 Pro. Rushed. They have a MB 14 Pro/Max whatever? I bet you a nut they'll now be rushing to get the MB 15 Pro/Max whatever. It works.
iii) little steps. The bigger the entity (a corp in our context), the smaller the steps, the longer to implement them. Especially when, you guessed it, it already works.
iv) beyond a certain degree? If you have a.. definitively, undoubtedly old Intel Mac by now? They've been crying it from the rooftops. End of Life, Way of the Dodo, So Long Now, Nice Knowing Thee. It's the company you chose, it's how it functions, always has, so why complain now? Because it affects you? Did others before, in some other fashion; yet here you are as well.. by now anyway. So, why complain? 🙂
* you as in figuratively
Lastly, this is hands down, no question, a luxury product. LU-XU-RY.
The folks it aims itself at? They don't count the nickels. Or between you and me? In all honesty? If they're counting nickels, then maybe they shouldn't be aiming at acquiring luxury products in the first place.
Life.
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kalsta
macrumors 68000
Maybe so—I don’t know. So you’re saying the precedent was actually set by Apple years ago?
Sure, I could have made it clearer that I was talking about general two-way compatibility between monitors and computers. My point was that it’s a reasonable consumer expectation that a new monitor is broadly compatible with any available PC (including Macs), and you might expect it to remain so for 10+ years. The reverse is true as well—you buy a modern desktop PC assuming that monitors will support it for the life of the machine. That’s the whole point of universal standards like USB-C and Thunderbolt, right?
A minority of folks on these forums may defend planned obsolescence as a capitalist virtue, but I think it’s repulsive. I can’t say if that is what Apple is doing here, but given that many Intel Macs have Thunderbolt ports, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to expect backwards compatibility here.
kalsta
macrumors 68000
Absolutely. Divisive topics like this may get more engagement, but good journalism tries to convey the full truth. (I can’t understand why anyone would disagree and downvote your comment!)
Xade
macrumors 6502
Not necessarily. I still have a an old 2017 imac that works perfectly for my use case which still has the same display as the new monitor, but I can't plug one into it? Hey Samsung, can you help....?