PSA: Studio Display Stands Are Not Interchangeable

[deeddawg]

And somehow books are more stylish?

Depends on which titles you select...

 

[Macintosh TV]

Needs change. I've switched between arm and stand a few times. It just depends on the desk I'm using.

Sounds like you need to consider a different product then, or go with the VESA mount one and put it on your own stand.

These aren't meant to meet the needs of everyone out there. No Apple product does, not any from any other company.

 

[lilkwarrior]

Yeah, the lowest Vesa standard is actually HDR-400 which is satisfied with 400 nits peak brightness and no local dimming. IMHO that should be not enough to qualify as "HDR", but it exists and likely the reason some "budget" monitor can be still advertised as "HDR".

I'm aware of HDR400; HDR600 starts the base of essential core features HDR400 monitors can skip. Most enthusiasts and pros just dismiss HDR400 not being HDR at all to even mention without such things.

 

[lilkwarrior]

View attachment 1972084[That is a real screenshot of a real text chat with a real AppleCare tech team Advisor]

Why not simply manufacture the display with a standard four-hole VESA interface, or the mount adapter included, and offer a sexy stand with an adjustable-height arm and a four-hole VESA interface? You know, like normal people would? [Keep in mind that American law considers corporations to be people because racism (it's true!).] My guess is that, as suggested above, Apple doesn't want the riffraff to mount filthy displays upon their gorgeous, nay, exquisite stands. Maybe some industrious 3rd party like Kensington or Brydge will make an adjustable-height stand with a VESA interface that looks like the integrated ones, and you can choose the VESA mount adapter option without regret.

"You want that sexy stand? Great. Comes with. You want a separate stand? Too bad. Sell you an interchangeable rear panel with the integrated mount option you prefer?

No. Because that is a choice that I have made."

?

Note: as long as the adjustable arm is an option, the stands have to have the different shapes; you can't just add the adjustable height arm to the tilt-only stand because too low, too top heavy. And you can't just make the one perpendicular stand because without that adjustable-height arm, you might as well be screwing it directly into a wall.

The original Studio Displays had a proprietary mount interface for the stands that came with. A little hinky to attach, but the displays could tilt and they were great. You could buy a VESA Mount Adapter, but it was expensive — not as offensive as this mishigas with these 2022 stands, but annoying and familiar. If we'd had the adjustable height option, I'd probably have bought it, grumbling about the markup.

But the iMac G4, AKA the iLamp, had an adjustable-height arm built into the attached monitor, and it was absolutely beautiful. Get me a hanky. An updated version would be awesome.

[Just me pretending to be Apple, the person, again, but I'd kinda have a point or three] "And you know what? Don't kvetch about the price. You're either a design professional or professional video editor, no other reason you should be buying this. Not even because it's aesthetically superior to, let's face it, any other brand's displays. Which, actually, is reason enough to buy it even if you aren't a professional. It's got an amazing camera, speakers and microphones built in — you're saving scrilla right off the bat! Sure it would be nice if it had ProMotion, but really, you want a 144Hz refresh rate? Go get a gaming monitor, ya knob! Mini-LED? Christ, why not Micro-LED or OLED while you're asking!? Mini-LED or OLED would drive the price WAY up. Micro-LED... I mean how much longer do you want to wait for this thing, much less pay for it? HDR? That's a function of the... Sigh. Look, just go get yourself the Pro Display XDR. Take out a ******* loan. Or get a whole giant TV for what you want! You... wait, you WHAT? You want it to work with Windows natively?? Read the room!! Oh hey. Hey now. I'm sorry. Come back. Wipe away those tears. Come. Come into the garden. It's beautiful here. Everything works with everything else here. Mostly. Most of the time. Is it perfect? No. But is it better here than out there, beyond the wall? Oh my, yes. You're adorable. Let me see your wallet."

What you mean original Studio Display? The Pro Display XDR? The Studio Display does not compare whatsoever to the Pro Display XDR in quality and flexibility. Only advantages it has over the Pro Display XDR is a camera that's usually mediocre for pros anyway vs. using a DSLR (or Logitech's magnetic Web Cam specifically for the monitor) and it's cheaper being far inferior in picture quality.

The Pro Display XDR works perfectly with a Windows PC. I use it on my Windows PC, Mac Pro, & Macbook Pro daily: All of them run the monitor at 6K@60hz at 1000 sustained nits and 1600 peak brightness as specified.

 

[fuchsdh]

The VESA mount looks ugly compared to the integrated stand. That's why Apple does it.

Has there ever been an Apple monitor or iMac with default VESA?

Yeah, but if Apple's creating whatever connector it wants, then it doesn't matter. The ugly VESA attachment is there for the people who need it, and their more elegant stands are also offered, without requiring a completely different chassis.

 

[sugarfish]

What you mean original Studio Display? The Pro Display XDR? The Studio Display does not compare whatsoever to the Pro Display XDR in quality and flexibility. Only advantages it has over the Pro Display XDR is a camera that's usually mediocre for pros anyway vs. using a DSLR (or Logitech's magnetic Web Cam specifically for the monitor) and it's cheaper being far inferior in picture quality.

The Pro Display XDR works perfectly with a Windows PC. I use it on my Windows PC, Mac Pro, & Macbook Pro daily: All of them run the monitor at 6K@60hz at 1000 sustained nits and 1600 peak brightness as specified.

I misspoke. I meant the "Apple Cinema Displays" that debuted in 2004. I waited most of the 15 years I had them for Apple to make an updated display with narrower bezels the size of my 30" Apple Cinema HD display with all that vertical screen real estate (the 27" Thunderbolt Display of 2011 didn't quite cut it. The Pro Display XDR exceeded my desires and expectations by so much. Worth every penny, and I'll likely ride it into the ground, too. No argument on the SDs' inferior picture quality, but I'm good; my PDX does everything I need and then some — I can use the superfluous nits to burn out my retinas if ever I decide that's a good idea. I'd honestly probably be fine with only 600. You've tried the maximum nits on the PDX. You know what I mean. Maybe if you're working in direct sunlight you need that. Jeebus.

I've been yearning for Apple to release smaller displays to match the PDX; when news surfaced that something was in the works, I was hoping they'd be smaller. And I didn't expect the camera & mics. I prefer to be able to completely disconnect all a/v input for obvious and not-entirely-unrealistic reasons. I'll live. I had the 30" display bracketed by vertical matching 20" displays for that decade-and-a-half — so very much looking forward to a similar setup. Whatever the new SDs lack, they have the same 218ppi as the PDX, so I'm pretty much overjoyed. And if they don't show bouncing "display disconnected" messages every time the Mac goes to sleep (they shouldn't) I'll die happy.

Side note on the PDX: Would that the bezels were thinner. Brightness is inconsistent in an odd way — move your head from left to right, you'll see what I mean. Not a huge problem, but noticeable. I think MicroLED would fix that, but I'm not sure. I can wait.

I did get Logitech's (basically modified BRIO) bespoke webcam for the PDX. It matches the Aesthetic delightfully, but is so very disappointingly buggy. [Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen PDX also has built-in mics and an inferior camera, but I love unobtrusive speakers — happy I'll have them on the SDs, but hoping I'll figure out a way to make them play all L on the left display and all R on the right.] The webcam I want doesn't exist yet: a reboot of the gorgeous 2003 iSight. Basically a lens without a camera body. With a low aperture for low light. And a bit of an optical zoom. Maybe a vanity light ring. Is that asking too much? Not like I'm asking for Face ID on a Mac, here.

Very happy to hear your PDX works on your Windows PC. fhall1 had said

"[...] that's a $1,500 27" monitor that won't connect with anything but a modern day Mac without some sort of TB to whatever adapter. They should have also added at least the latest version DP or HDMI input, so folks in the Windows world can hook up to it natively.

If Dell (for example) had beat Apple to releasing a 32" or even a 30" anywhere near the same specs as the (sexy AF!) Pro Display XDR with the latest DP or HDMI input AND a USB-C Thunderbolt jack, I probably would have bought it while weeping that Apple hadn't done it first so I could maintain the Aesthetic. I'd've adapted until what I wanted came out. The dongles I had to suffer to keep my 30" display working all that time — an adapter adapting another adapter at one point — it really could be worse. Maybe all the things will learn to play well together some day. Me, I love that the PDX and SDs only have USB-C ports. So sleek. Chasing that "one cable to rule them all" dream, here.

 

[sugarfish]

View attachment 1972084Update, because of COURSE they can:https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/21/studio-display-vesa-mount-adapter-after-purchase/