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Ok, does this Samsung have iOS built-in? If no, I can think about it.
No, but (unlike the Studio Display) it sounds like it has "smart TV" features so it will probably have Samsung's Tizen OS built in. Your mileage may vary as to whether that is a "pro" or a "con". Hopefully you'll be able to leave it disconnected from the internet and just ignore those features (as discussed previously, leaving them out probably wouldn't change the price you pay). The bundled apps may stop working after a year or two but that shouldn't stop it working as a display (I used my previous Samsung TV for 10 years, even though the "smart" features were useless after 2).

Hate to break it to folks but virtually every modern display of this type has a computer or microcontroller built in to it with upgradeable software/firmware and usually an OS of some flavour. The fact that the Studio Display appears to be using "iOS" (probably just the kernel and a few selected drivers) is really of no consequence.
 
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Apple Studio Display with Tilt Adjustable Stand is $1500 at Costco
...if Costco can offer $300 off the list price of a Studio Display, do you really think they are going to be charging the full $1599 list price for the Samsung S9 - especially a few months down the line?

Having been through a lot of threads (including this one) where folks express disappointment about lack of 120Hz ProMotion on the ASD and other displays, I don't think people realize just how much bandwidth a high-refresh 5K resolution would need. The 2021 MacBook Pro's couldn't drive faster than 60Hz over TB4 or HDMI. I think the M2 Pro's have HDMI 2.1 and might be capable of it, but I'm not sure.
Gosh... you mean that there might actually be a valid technical reason for a product not having a certain feature? That won't go down well here :)

Still never understood the obsession with this. I’ve even moved twice with mine. Wrap the cable around the stand and it’s literally no problem. Would you have preferred they made a removable cable with a proprietary port?
No, I'd have preferred they used a standard IEC port just like they did with the iMacs since forever - and if that meant making the case a few mm deeper, all the better for cooling & air volume for the speakers.

No, its not a deal-breaker, but its a "budget option" feature that I'd only expect on a cheaper display. I expect a $1600 display to come with all the trimmings (including detachable cables, multiple video inputs and the adjustable stands that are pretty much standard on displays costing a quarter of the price).

So when I find myself chasing dust bunnies with the mouse I could clear the desk completely and clean it without having to dive under the desk and untangle the power cable. When I wanted to re-arrange my multi-monitor setup I could just swap the displays without having to re-route the cables. If I needed a longer cable to reach the socket I could just buy a 3m IEC cable rather than an extension socket.
 
The only reason I could see myself buying this over the studio display is the multiple inputs
I have a PC at the same desk my Mac resides on and it would be nice to use both displays on it

Pivot is nice I guess but I find 27 inches to be highly impractical for portrait use without an arm that lets you tilt them and that’s assuming your cables have enough slack to allow for that kind of movement
 
The $3500 headset will be praised to the moon and back. But $3500 won’t be the new normal. Because that’s just pricing 99% of humanity out of apples VR ecosystem.
Apple tried to do it with the iPad pricing and they soon figured out people refused to buy a $800 tablet. Which is why they adjusted the iPads many models and made much MUCH more affordable iPads.
I assume the same will happen with the headset. Apple will realize people are NOT going for $3500 and they will release newer cheaper headsets with different price points in mind.
In a few years I can see apple offering a great headset at $999. And that will be the one people go for. This first one though, not some much.
Yes, that was exactly why I said we still need to see if Apple normalizes a $3500 price.

Actually the first iPad was introduced at $499 USD after the rumours were expecting $799 or higher. They were somewhat hard to find in 2010, as people refusing to buy them was not an issue. They have indeed since dropped the price on the base iPad, as they started basically selling prior generation versions as the base, but they have actually pushed overall iPad pricing higher in the last few years.

If I recall correctly, it was the original 8GB iPhone that dropped $200 a few months after intro, leading to Apple offering early buyers a store credit after many complained. Though I would say that iPhone pricing has also gone up the last few years, too.

Yeah, I’m not expecting $3500 to be a normalized price, though the way inflation is going, I guess it is eventually possible… and sooner than I would have ever expected. ;)
 
Looks nice Samsung and Apple make quality products. but, at 27 inches I'd rather pay a grand for a 4k Samsung ultra wide or something. This is probably for videographers and photographers.
 
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Apple could fix this by fixing the scaling, but they're not going to do the work. This saddens me because most folks are going to have 4K displays which look fine with Windows, but not with Macs. Not everyone can afford a 5K display and prices don't seem to be coming down.
I think this is one of those situations where they bet on the wrong horse and now they’re just trying to hold out until they can push through. They presumably thought 5k screens would come far faster than they did, and so didn’t address scaling in the same way as windows. (And, in my opinion, they did it in a better way… when it’s used with an unfortunately rare 5K panel…) Now it’s been so long that they likely assume 5k monitors will finally come and thus it’s not worth backtracking and hoping developers update their apps to the new scaling method. Unfortunate state of affairs.
It will come down to less that $1k. Otherwise, when compared to a Studio this option only make sense to non Mac user.
Once you experience brightness control in-OS it’s hard to go back. 😭
Using a standard IEC C14 socket would mean the display is much more deployable, and can use existing cabling particularly on monitor arms, media carts, and walled / ceiling installations.

But this is coming from a company that shipped a flagship workstation in a cylinder before, so I am not surprised.
doesn’t fit. monitor is too thin.
 
The matte display could absolutely be an issue and a dealbreaker for some.

I've compared Apple's regular glossy with nano finish and the difference in (text) sharpness was immediately noticeable along with colours. I'd do everything in my power to make the regular glossy work in the environment before defaulting to the matte screen. Matte/nano is a good solution if you absolutely cannot fix your room for whatever reason, like a window behind you that you don't want to close with a curtain.


The arguments pro and con for the anti-glare coating on the screen vs not having it are very much like the difference between the consumer oriented headphones that emphasize bass vs the professional headphones that offer accurate sound.

Consumers tend to like glossly screens and headphone that go "boom-boom thump-thump", while professional content creators go for accurate colors and accurate sound.

A long time ago, Apple and others discovered there are MANY more content consumers than there are content creators.
 
I think this is one of those situations where they bet on the wrong horse and now they’re just trying to hold out until they can push through. They presumably thought 5k screens would come far faster than they did, and so didn’t address scaling in the same way as windows. (And, in my opinion, they did it in a better way… when it’s used with an unfortunately rare 5K panel…) Now it’s been so long that they likely assume 5k monitors will finally come and thus it’s not worth backtracking and hoping developers update their apps to the new scaling method. Unfortunate state of affairs.

Even though it's 'just' 1K of difference, it seems that they are much more expensive to manufacture and the mass market demand just isn't there for a 5K panel, because most consumers are happy with 4K (i.e. it's what they know from movie and 4K blu-ray standards).

I'm sure Apple has the telemetry on this though. If e.g. 90% of Macs rarely connect to a 5K display, surely it's worthwhile optimizing the OS for it as some point.

As much as I love my ASD, it annoys me that the 4K displays that I've tried don't look right. They are excellent panels which are unfortunately let down by the OS.
 
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The only reason this is compelling is that it will be available for 1/2 price at some point in the next 6-12 months
 
IMHO it's competing far more with LG than Apple and far more with Windows than Mac platforms.

Also, whats the use case are people doing on webcams that need anything better than the ASD's cam? (or do I wanna know?). As it stands it rivals most external webcams in the sub $200 price range.

Going by the samples I saw on reviews, the S9 camera appeared no "better" than the ASD, just a wider field of view maybe giving an impression of "sharper" vs centerstage's crop, looks like a darker, flatter image - seeing as it's big, external and had the potential to be that "something special' which would have made the package stand out, i'm kinda disappointed.

If you're using a camera for anything more serious than video conferencing (which is going to be compressed to all hell anyhow) you should be using a dedicated camera, not a "webcam" anyhow.

That power brick though - thats one chunky bugger, why the heck could they not build it into the monitor.

If the prices drop significantly I suppose it's a good buy if your need is a 5k Multipurpose/Multiplatform monitor.
 
5K at 120Hz (ProMotiion) isn't technically possible over TB4. I've tried searching but I can't find conclusive evidence that HDMI 2.1 can even do it. I'm pretty sure that is why panels don't offer it yet.

DP 1.4 DSC should be able to pipe it through TB3/4.

DP 2.1 can definitely do it.

Even if refresh rate isn't high, Mini LED / FALD shouldn't be an issue, but they decided to leave that out....
 
Talk about another Samsung knockoff product. Can’t Samsung start innovating instead of copying?
 
I find the ability to use the Samsung as a tv a compelling feature.

My ASD goes mostly unused, as my primary interaction with my Mac is via my Cintiq 27” tablet. As it is I need an extra screen for entertainment.
 
I find the ability to use the Samsung as a tv a compelling feature.

My ASD goes mostly unused, as my primary interaction with my Mac is via my Cintiq 27” tablet. As it is I need an extra screen for entertainment.
Their smart monitors have offered that for a few years, but your stuck with their streaming apps, Tizen interface, using their remote.


Given the advantages of using a Mac with Safari, along with Apple ID to login, or saved credentials to streaming sites without a remote you’ll find that additional streaming capability maybe useful only as stand alone solution. ;)
 
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Talk about another Samsung knockoff product. Can’t Samsung start innovating instead of copying?
Samsung does have a well earned reputation for trodding the well traveled path on product designs, but that’s fine. We need more products in this category to give people options and increase competition that might finally bring down the price of what is still an low volume panel.
 
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Tim Cook and Apple's Board must have been laughing their asses off when they saw Samsung announce this price. "We won't have to drop the price on the ASD for a few more months!"
or put it another way: I'm sure Samsung would have very much liked to undercut the ASD by price by a significant margin. They couldn't do it. Apple may not be making as much margin on these things as people tend to assume...
 
or put it another way: I'm sure Samsung would have very much liked to undercut the ASD by price by a significant margin. They couldn't do it. Apple may not be making as much margin on these things as people tend to assume...
I guess I need to mention this again, but these have already been available for well under US$1000 street in Asia for weeks now.

Unlike Apple pricing, Samsung’s MSRP is not reflective of street pricing.
 
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