What?... a global rapid RAM and NAND price rise and Apple sticks 128GB of it in their monitors...... just because.... and charges you for it.
What a complete waste.
What a complete waste.
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New Apple Studio Displays Double Internal Storage to 128GB
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The only Mac where Target Display Mode makes sense today is the 24" iMac. The architecture of Apple Silicon Macs would have required Apple to add additional chip(s) such as a DisplayPort receiver, video switch and scaler.
I don't think the market is big for people with these new iMacs later buying a Mac mini to use the old iMac as a monitor is big. It makes no financial sense for Apple.
I was wondering the same thing. Why does a monitor need 128 GB of storage.
Squidiey
macrumors member
Astuces iOS
macrumors 68020
Nah sorry iMac display is not as good and it's like for MacBook Pro users !
Squidiey
macrumors member
jz0309
macrumors P6
128 NAND is probably cheaper than 64 nowadays or will be soon, given that these monitors probably won't get refreshed for 4 years or so
Tyler O'Bannon
macrumors 65816
More powerful than a MB Neo. Wild.
Obviously it makes sense that they used their current supply of storage. 64GB might not have saved them any money. Too bad you can’t use it to store files
Obviously it makes sense that they used their current supply of storage. 64GB might not have saved them any money. Too bad you can’t use it to store files
iMac with a magnet on the side that held your Front Row remote was pretty awesome. I used this to watch TV shows I had downloaded from the iTunes Store or play music full screen. Before Siri, HomePod and just before AppleTV came out. That was a cool feature.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
It's for like Neural and Fusion and some Liquid or something?
Maybe some Intelligence in there?
It's "breakthrough™️", that's all I know.
The main reason for choosing 128 NAND is probably because they use the exact same module in other products. It simplifies the supply chain.
A lot of technical people have problems accepting that Apple may use more capable hardware than they need and just use a small part of it.
HouseLannister
macrumors 68040
It's really just that they finally ran out of 64 GB modules. Should also mean the next AppleTV is 128 GB only.
timshundo
macrumors regular
Willing to bet 128GB chips were the cheapest option they could throw in to hold an OS, even more cheap than 32 or even 64GB.
And having a full SOC chip inside that even needs said OS is probably cheaper than throwing in a custom chip that controls the camera software, color calibration, USB and Thunderbolt device management, spatial audio, etc.
Supply chain, man. Tim Cook gets so much flack for not being an ideas guy and just being a logistics guy. This is where that shines.
I think the iMac is about as Neo as it ever should be. And I say this as someone who loves his iMac.
Given the cost of NAND chips nowadays, could they not have installed a Fusion drive into this LCD?
XboxEvolved
macrumors 65816
I suspect there are other real reasons that Apple are not telling us about in regards to how these work. I’m curious as to what controllers and such other high end displays use and if they too have memory like this? Perhaps it also helps somehow with the load of devices on the back?
It definitely sounds stupid and overkill to us but there is likely a logistical reason this makes sense to Apple.
It definitely sounds stupid and overkill to us but there is likely a logistical reason this makes sense to Apple.
True. Not just any operations hack is going to prioritize their supply chain and components in such a way that their-near top tier product is so affordable to produce that it’s cheaper than designing a new component that would be far less capable. He gets ****, but he makes doing the hard thing look like the cheat code.
One of the critical requirements for tvOS to be useful is an internet connection. No Wifi or Ethernet and that tvOS to what?
Honestly, these displays seem to be dumping grounds to get rid of 'excess' (and partially defective?) A-series product at a profit. The higher price is to cover the cost of absolute overkill on system processor.
global NAND shortage looming and 12GB of NAND on a bridge to nowhere? Apple doesn't care because user covers the cost.
Maybe there is some tie-in with the. Smart Screen Homepod ... but again if no Internet how smart can it be.
Yes... the Display could wake-up an attached Mac enough to turn-on the WiFi-ethernet (maybe not fully waking the system) and funnle data to the screen. Saves Apple more FCC applications and even more additional hardware inside the monitor that many won't use.
timshundo
macrumors regular
Ewwww ahahahaha
But seriously, no not all NAND chips are expensive across the board rn, just the ones most in demand for AI hardware, which tend to be the highest capacities, probably 512GB and up.
And I think smartphone storage and ram chips are separate and still cheaper than ones required for the AI demand. So yes price is up, but not enough for Apple to ever be constrained. They're still gonna be smart with what they can get ahold of tho.
WilliApple
macrumors 68000
Every A-series or M-series chip Apple makes can run macOS if Apple wants to. That doesn't mean Apple should make it so.
Apple needs something to run their Firmware Studio Display software which is a highly specialised and reduced version of iOS. That's why there is an A-series chip in there.
It's just Apple's version of Samung Tizen OS which Samsung put on some monitors they sell. In these there is an Samsung designed ARM chip f.ex. the Samsung NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor.
Who told you it can't run macOS by itself? No one here has said that. Apple never said that. Obviously it can, and just because Apple chooses not to does not make them an evil company, they just simply want to sell a monitor with specific features and this is the most efficient and cheapest way to do that. They're not entitled to give users macOS on their monitors. Would it be cool? Yeah for sure, but I don't agree with all the complaints here.