Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Was the Studio Display a flop?
- Thread starter GooseInTheCaboose
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Completely off-point, but shoutout to your Captain Burnham avatar. I'm a fan as well.
I'm not debating your data as I don't really know, but my daughter is a graphic designer and media relations person, and their whole firm uses either iMacs or MacBooks Pros + Studio Displays. Apparently the color accuracy and coverage is sufficient for their professional use.
I just remembered that one way to avoid Apple's poorly-performing peripherals is to buy someone else's! Duh! However, the real problem is that there's no way to replace the shallow keyboard of a modern MacBook.
I'd love to reply to this, but I'll get my post deleted and a warning for being political in a non political forum...
Have a little chat with your child about ASD's color gamuts to get a second opinion when you meet up next time..
A possible explanation for people who claim they're fine with ASD because they do graphics for the web, and web alone. I think a cheap 4K display with decent sRGB support can get the same job done, and done well.
Worth echoing ASD's actual contrast ratio mentioned in the previous page. The 5K IPS panel in ASD is spec'ed to be 1200:1 contrast ratio. Based on credible review sources, the actual, measured contrast is anywhere between 970 to 1052. Yike. The said cheap, decent 4K LG display has spec'ed the same 1200:1 contrast ratio. Actual, measured value is above 1100, hovering around 1150.
I expect the black on ASD looks grey in the dark, similar to my 4K LG.
Took a look over the list at the beginning and it does not even mention speakers, microphones, webcam and USB-C wattage. The ones I already knew from that list all fall short in at least one of those features compared to the ASD.
Yeah but only the first 2 points seriously since I know from a past 21:9 LG display how crappy the speakers are. So I'd need external speakers and webcam. As I was saying: the Studio Display is not about only the display but about the feature-package.
If you're ok with additional devices and cables on your desk, that's totally fine. No one is forcing you to buy the display from Apple.
I don't want the additional devices and cables that go with them and I guess many others who bought the ASD feel the same.
Continuity Camera was not even announced when the Studio Display has been released. Also that feature comes with a serious limitation: I can't use my iPhone (with my personal Apple ID) as a webcam for my company MacBook (managed Apple ID) since Continuity Camera requires both devices on the same Apple ID.
Apart from that you can no longer use the iPhone during a video conference which does not work for me (and probably others) since I often need the authenticator app on it as well as do some testing of apps while I'm on a video conference.
I buy the product that fits my needs and the Studio Display does that perfectly. If some other company made a display with all the mentioned features for a better price, I'd take it.
Before the ASD I had an Eizo EV 2785 (4K with 27") which also had a brilliant picture. But the speakers are garbage, it has no webcam and only 60 watts of USB-C PD.
I totally get that there are people who don't need/want the "all-in-one" display and can totally get along with something else, which is exactly what I wrote in my last post.
So don't limit yourself to your own requirements/perspective and discover that different people have different requirements on what features a display should offer for them.
In Sonoma and iOS 17, MAIDs do support Continuity so that’s one problem solved for you.
OK, you've made multiple posts stating this, and I think I understand your issues with the ASD now. You state that you can't tell the difference between 4K and 5K, and you think it's expensive. That's fine. But clearly a lot of other people can see a difference between 4K and 5K, and they are OK with the price. So I think you need to take into account other people's wants and needs instead of just talking about what you can see/like.
Yes, I'm sure her and her bosses will appreciate a random person on the internet telling them that their equipment is in fact insufficient for their work, even when their customers, who pay them, are perfectly happy with the work delivered.
Last edited:
Pretty sure all 5K panels are 1000:1. The LG 24" 4K is 1200:1, and the one I own measures 1250:1.
Your daughter is correct. In fact, I don't know of very many agencies that don't use Apple's products almost exclusively in their creative departments. Many design firms/agencies will give their creatives a "secondary" monitor that is not an Apple-branded display, but the main display is almost always Apple (built-in or external).
Dude, nobody here is buying your particular pale of garbage on this topic. We get it, you can't afford an Apple Studio Display, therefore it's hot garbage. If we all agree to say you're right, will you just stop?
5K LG is officially listed as 1100:1 while 500 nits. Apple doesn't list contrast officially but says 600 nits. Given 100 nits higher, I think the 1200:1 is believable. I don't have insider info. So you might be right.
I’m happy with mine. Looks good. And I have the upgraded Mount which is really nice to move or move out of the way if I need to get to my drives underneath. It would be nice to have a thunderbolt port for drives. But I just use the laptop.
Quite a few positive reviews on YouTube. You can usually get one in the refurb store for a few hundred off. (I saw one on there for $1399). I bought the VESA mount version so I can adjust it any way I want, and I love it. Best thing I've ever done for my eyes. If I ever get splurgy, I might get a second. Samsung is due to release their 5k display which will compete with it (Pro: It will work better with a PC and has some unique stand alone features, Con: Speakers not as good and it's much more plastic) LG 5K is out there, but for only $300 less and the lower quality, not recommended, especially when you can get the ASD on refurb for nearly the same price.
So compared with Samsung's expected MSRP, and the LG, Apple's price isn't crazy outrageous. The speakers in it are actually pretty great. I don't have to have separate speakers on my desk anymore. The web-cam is ... serviceable. If I need better I can use the continuity camera of the iPhone. (Or my DSLR if I really want to get all crazy).
Just my thoughts.
So compared with Samsung's expected MSRP, and the LG, Apple's price isn't crazy outrageous. The speakers in it are actually pretty great. I don't have to have separate speakers on my desk anymore. The web-cam is ... serviceable. If I need better I can use the continuity camera of the iPhone. (Or my DSLR if I really want to get all crazy).
Just my thoughts.
There are many "creative companies" here in the city, and I see desks full of either Pro XDR or the Apple Studio Display. Some are also using iMac's. They sure love those Apple displays.
So whatever MacRumors thinks how bad these monitors are, creative companies think differently.
I should probably look this up but I think Rtings did a review of the ASD and measured a pretty mediocre contrast ratio, certainly nothing impressive.
My feeling is that it's just hard to manufacture a good quality edge-lit panel that's Retina + large size + bright, which is why the 24" outperforms the 27".
There is the Pro XDR display. That display has 1.000.000:1 contrast ratio and does 1600 nits while being retina.
If you need HDR capabilities, the Pro XDR is for you.
Last edited:
My original message was completely lost in the back and forth. lol. Let me spell it out again for potential ASD buyers: it's supposed to have "1200:1" contrast ratio but it's only measured to be anywhere between 970:1 and 1050:1 which is not as good as a 27-inch 4K LG cheap but decent monitor with official spec 1200:1 but measured to be around 1150:1.
27-inch 4K is so pervasive, price friendly and decent quality, Apple could make it perfect scaling ratio (for "look like 1440p") as well. 27-inch 4K is going to stay for a very long time while 5K popularity and cost will never approach a decent 4K. Apple should consider such a move if it's caring for users.
21 inch feels too cramped for me, no matter how many pixels. The perfect consumer ASD would actually be their 24" iMac 4480 x 2560 pixels in a standalone case. Although having seen the iMac its not really that different an experience to the Ultrafine 24" 3840 x 2160.
Um, no. 4:1 scaling for a 4K display would be 1920x1080, which looks ridiculous at 27".
That's why Apple went with 5K.
Don’t you LOVE the stupid faces YouTubers do on their clickbait videos? “I bought the ASD and it does not makes coffee!” (Idiot grim face attached) 😊
On the serious side, happy people will rarely post positive reviews. There is a dedicated ASD thread where you can find a lot of useful info, with users sharing their experiences. Is a nice way to spend two hours of your time reading it, better than any reviews out there.
Last edited: