Was the Studio Display a flop?

[kvic]

Have you wrote to Apple (via Feedback page) regarding this yet? This seems like a huge oversight. It would be incredible to take advantage of all speakers across 2 displays - it is that type of synergy that would encourage folks to get 2 ASD instead of say 1 ASD + 1 LG Ultrafine, etc.

I believe this feature is already available in MacOS. You can combine multiple output device into an 'aggregate device' in Audio MIDI Setup. Then set this aggregate device as your default audio output. You'll get sound from both monitors.

I wonder how many people who have an ASD actually stick to native scaling? I certainly wouldn't be happy with only 1440p equivalent space on such an expensive monitor.

I run my 4K 24" at 2240 x 1260, which is not native, and everything is pin sharp at 50-60cm viewing distance.

I won't doubt about the sharpness. Not everyone still have a pair of young eyes, especially for a 24-inch (!)

Of course the more likely reason you haven‘t heard of it is because it’s not a thing but, please, continue reasoning backwards from your desired conclusion. I’ve always thought contortionists were fascinating.

You may also continue to deny. The army of Apple Privates fascinates me as much as the opposite for you I guess.

If the product was just that little bit more affordable, or upgradeable over time, for example buy the cheapest ipad pro, then in a year save up and upgrade.. I would have done this for my 2013 macbook pro laptop, and my 2013 ipad mini 2..I am willing to invest in "Apple Tax" think of it like buying a new car, you know going in, that you will need new tyres, new exhaust, annual service, new brakes, think of this as vital upgrades...So you budget for it...

Buy stuff that suit your need. Whether it's by Apple or not is secondary consideration.

I won't realise 4K LG works out so well until I gave it a try. Before my decision, there were mountains of misinformation about how bad 4K monitors work in MacOS, and sound the alarm of the mandatory of 5K. Heck. At a normal viewing distance, a plain-old 1440p 27-inch iMac screen appears about the same to a 4k 27-inch in 'look like 1440p' mode.

I envy those eagle eyes who claim to tell apart a 5K from a 4k at 'look like 1440p' mode from a normal viewing distance and in a double blinded test.

 

[Shirasaki]

A display that has an operating system built-in that can be prevented to receive software updates, thus potentially rendering the entire display useless? I want to buy more of those. Count me in.

 

[Originalblez]

With the hundreds of dollars in potential cost savings customers could've had if Apple omitted built-in webcam and built-in speakers in the Apple Studio Display, that same savings could've been spent by customers on much higher quality external webcams and external speakers.

Apple's makes among the very the best consumer-level monitors, but their built-in webcams and built-in speakers are subpar. There are customers out there who want such a high-quality monitor, and would prefer to have an external webcam and external speakers are also high in quality instead of the mediocre internal offerings.

The webcam is mid but I appreciate it being there (seamlessly integrated experience). The speakers are surprisingly rich and pleasant to listen to.

 

[yadmonkey]

Back in June after my iMac died, I labored for like 2 weeks over every monitor option I could find for my incoming M2 Max Studio. Ended up purchasing the ASD and I'm really glad I did.

Yes, it's expensive, although not crazy expensive for a 5K display with such good color accuracy out of the box, great build quality, glass, and good looks. Yes, looks matter to me & I hate plastic monitors. This is where people bring up inexpensive 4K displays. Apples to oranges if you ask me.

No, the refresh rate isn't disappointing if you're in the market for a 5K monitor. I don't know of a 5K monitor that does more than 60Hz. 120Hz isn't supported at 5K over Thunderbolt 4.

Yes, the lack of local dimming is disappointing at that price point, but I do nearly all of my gaming/media consumption on a 4K OLED TV. For my workstation it will very rarely matter.

The sound is the best I've ever heard on any monitor, but I don't care because I have a far better sound system.

The three USB-C ports really helped clean up my desktop. I'm dock-less for the first time in decades!

I love how the camera and display are seamlessly integrated with the Mac. Doesn't feel like anything is missing for a former iMac owner.

It's not for everyone, but if you want a beautiful, quality 5K workstation monitor there's not much competition. Yes, you can save $300 on the LG "Apple" monitor, but no glass and its plastic furniture is ugly af.

 

[Think77]

Happy with my ASD. For me 5K is the only way to go, but YMMV

Apple Studio Display gives us a screen real estate of 2560x1440 pixels in retina. And the picture quality is gorgious! However, for users such as me the asking price could be one third of what Apple asks, and it still wouldn't be my first choice. As a music producer I benefit ftom a display with as many horizontal pixels as possible to work with the chronological timeline in my DAW. So, I went with sn LG ultrawide that has 3840 x 1600 pixels native. It’s non-retina, but still pretty sharp due to high pixel density, and the build quality is high enough, as far as I can tell. And it works perfectly with macos, and I can connect it via HDMI and control brightness via the Magic Keyboard's dedicated brightnesskeys.

 

[Basic75]

All these comments praising the Studio Display, and hardly any mentions the monitor's glaring flaws, those being:

The fan! Probably don't want a monitor that has one.

 

[tehStickMan]

Not sure I've read a single negative thing about the quality of the picture.

Mine has low- to medium level of Dirty Screen Effect style banding. Horizontal dark line behind the panel in the lower third. Makes reading white background websites annoying as heck.

If I paid my own personal money for it it'd be replaced ASAP.

 

[daanodinot]

It’s fine, but the webcam is a dealbreaker for me. The webcam can and should be amazing for that price. Sadly, it isn’t. I will wait for version 2.

 

[Originalblez]

Apple Studio Display gives us a screen real estate of 2560x1440 pixels in retina. And the picture quality is gorgious! However, for users such as me the asking price could be one third of what Apple asks, and I still wouldn’t buy it. As a music producer I benefit ftom a display with as many horizontal pixels as possible to work with the chronical timeline in daws. So, I went with sn LG ultrawide with something like 3900 x 2560 pixels. It’s non-retina, but still very sharp due to high pixel density, and it’s truly high-quality, as far as I can tell. And it works perfectly with macos, and I can connect it via HDMI 😊

The feature set on the screen is not as good as rival monitors except that the bright, colour calibrated, 5K display is perfect for Macs. If you’ve gotten used to MacBook screens over the years, a 4K monitor just hurts. I don’t know how Samsung’s alternative will pan out but there just isn’t much of an alternative if you want the perfect scaling, screen estate, and brightness of display.

 

[Originalblez]

A display that has an operating system built-in that can be prevented to receive software updates, thus potentially rendering the entire display useless? I want to buy more of those. Count me in.

It feels weirdly over-engineered - like they started to build one product and shifted to another at the last minute.

 

[Originalblez]

Not sure I've read a single negative thing about the quality of the picture.

Mine has low- to medium level of Dirty Screen Effect style banding. Horizontal dark line behind the panel in the lower third. Makes reading white background websites annoying as heck.

If I paid my own personal money for it it'd be replaced ASAP.

Bring it back - that’s not right.

 

[mrmister]

I was not able to reasonably recreate the “my ASD falls over if I adjust it from one edge” without using a silly amount of force. FYI.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

The fan! Probably don't want a monitor that has one.

Actually this one is understandable. There are monitors that do have fans in them. Some displays (especially graphical workstation ones) get very hot, too hot that they can't be passively cooled with vents and a fanless heatsink like most displays. Monitors can actually overheat. The Pro Display XDR has fans in it for this reason, and why it has the infamous cheese grater design as well

The power cord and everything else about the monitor though, that's fair game. I can't defend that.

 

[tornado99]

a 4K monitor just hurts.

Unless it's the LG 24 inch 4K which is basically identically sharp to a Macbook in my opinion.

There are monitors that do have fans in them

The fan is purely for the 500 nits brightness. You could build a 350 nit edge-lit 5K screen that was fanless.

 

[Analog Kid]

The army of Apple Privates fascinates me

"There's an army supporting them but nobody's buying their stuff as evidenced by one guy on YouTube knocking it over."

Sounds like the foundation of a fully self consistent world view.

 

[cosmichobo]

Nice display.
Way WAY overpriced.

Thus... didn't sell all that well.

Fearless Fishrrman prediction:
It's going to be the same way with all Apple displays in the future.

It's not just Apple displays that are over priced... It's Apple. But hey, they are the trillion dollar company, so what would any of us know? Clearly they are priced correctly, or they wouldn't be a trillion dollar company. I guess I'm just a communist.

 

[kvic]

It's not just Apple displays that are over priced... It's Apple. But hey, they are the trillion dollar company, so what would any of us know? Clearly they are priced correctly, or they wouldn't be a trillion dollar company. I guess I'm just a communist.

Buy some AAPL share like some of them do. You could switch side in a flip...

 

[Basic75]

Actually this one is understandable. There are monitors that do have fans in them.

Sure, I'll just never buy one of them unless it becomes unavoidable.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

I missed out on AppleCare for my ASD so if mine ends up toast I’ll report back here with how screwed I am. But I’m not expecting any issues, it’s been great so far. I trust Apple enough. No dead pixels noticed yet either, so far.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Bring it back - that’s not right.

If I’m not mistaken, an ASD like this out of the box would qualify under the 1 year limited warranty as a hardware defect. No AppleCare needed. Not sure if they have to repair if the defect was caused by customer mishandling though. I do wonder what the company can do if the customer maintains both that they did not cause the damage and yet also they waited 10 or 11 months before calling in the defects, because in the end I guess somebody could claim that yes the ASD arrived both with this bad panel and also with scratches and marks on the surface/screen of the ASD’s exterior.

If the ASD is secondhand though, I think they can also confirm that, and have no further obligation to the customer. I think limited hardware warranty only covers the original buyer, and receipts are probably needed if not purchased directly through Apple.

 

[sugarfish]

I have the XDR bookended by vertical SDs. They're delicious but ridiculously pricey—and a semi-justifiable expense as I drive  products into the ground. I used my 30" HD Cinema Display with a 20" Cinema Display for about 13 years. The SDs plays (so very) well with others in the Walled Garden (Ecosystem). I tried two other displays that worked (including a 4K 24" ViewSonic), but did not play well with others in The Garden. One of few complaints: currently does not automatically rotate image 270° (counterclockwise), and System Settings does not provide the option to do so. 3rd party options have proven unstable. I seriously doubt that would contribute to the display being "a flop." I don't know that it has been. Maybe somebody's got the sales numbers; I couldn't find them.

 

[kvic]

Yes, you can save $300 on the LG "Apple" monitor, but no glass and its plastic furniture is ugly af.

Design wise the 5K LG isn't really a choice in 2023. Its design is so dated (around 2015/16?). LG chose not to refresh it with its newer design language of the UltraFine series that came out in subsequent years.

The newer UltraFine series (seems all 4K) came with a slim look, a curved back, and thin bezel. Still plastic (white back, black front, silver stand [with cast iron core]). The texture on the plastic is actually quite adorable to touch (I tried it on mine). This new design seems to mostly remain the same up to current models, with little tweak gen-over-gen but largely the same.

I think it's the plastic that done right. Apple also used plastic for a long time. No need to date far back, say since the first iMac.

I tried two other displays that worked (including a 4K 24" ViewSonic), but did not play well with others in The Garden. One of few complaints: currently does not automatically rotate image 270° (counterclockwise), and System Settings does not provide the option to do so.

Since 3rd party monitors almost all support VESA mount. Lacking rotation is an oversight. It might be hardware limitation or simply lacking a flag in EDID. If the latter, very easy to fix yourself. The funny about ASD is it supports rotation (?) but two of the three stand options doesn't support rotation (into landscape). And the decision for stand option need to be made at purchase - once in a lifetime (for the monitor) decision...

3rd party options have proven unstable.

While my 4K LG is very reliable so far and works great in MacOS, people have to ask who is to blame in general? A bit on all the parties. Sure Apple included. MacOS isn't one of the better OSes supporting 3rd party devices.

 

[xraydoc]

Late to the thread, but I own two and I'm 200% satisfied with them.

The text quality, greyscale and color fidelity is outstanding.
The speakers are about as good as you'll find for speakers built in to a display (way better than expected, but they can only move so much air).
The webcam gets a bad rap. Personally I think it's fine. It's not a 4K camera, but for a 1080p webcam, it does a perfectly respectable job.

And if you happen to own the VESA mount versions, the displays support auto-rotation. Not only do they tell macOS to turn the image 90º, the webcam image re-orients as well.

Even Samsung's new 5K display is essentially the same price. I think perhaps the only thing that the Samsung truly has over the Apple Studio Display is a second input for a second computer.

 

[jaw04005]

Late to the thread, but I own two and I'm 200% satisfied with them.

Same. One of mine has the adjustable stand and I love it.

Is it overpriced? Yes, I wish it was $999 or lower.
Is it over engineered? Maybe. Not sure the purpose of it running a stripped down version of iOS.

But the speakers are decent, it just works in the ecosystem, color is on point and it's bright enough.

 

[mrmister]

And the decision for stand option need to be made at purchase - once in a lifetime (for the monitor) decision

I've read articles in the past that you can switch the stand option after purchase—I can't imagine this happens often, but I did read a thing that it was possible.