Apple Studio Display only starts at $1599, and can easily climb to $2458
Apple launched the new Studio Display at $1,599, but some options can take that higher -- and depending on your use case, they may be options you want.
Apple unveiled its new 27-inch 5K Apple Studio Display at its March 8 event, and it's a lower-resolution, lower-cost alternative to the Pro Display XDR. Plus the new monitor does come with a stand, meaning Apple perhaps listened to the criticism it got over the Pro Display XDR's costly stand options.
However, for $1,599, the Apple Studio Display comes with either a VESA mount adapter or what Apple calls a "tilt-adjustable stand." Buyers have to make a choice at the time of purchase, too.
Unlike the Pro Display XDR, you can't slap on a VESA adapter to the tilt-adjustable stand. Pick one, and you'll need to stick with it forever.
While choosing, though, you could also look at the extra options for both the stand and the display itself. Do so with a mind to just what your whole setup is, particularly the environment you will be working in.
For instance, if you're in a darkened video editing suite, maybe anything goes. But a media center with bright lights and open plan cubicles will have considerably more glare.
Apple has a solution: you can buy the Studio Display with Apple's nano-texture glass. That noticeably reduces glare on the screen, but with no other change, having it raises the price to $1,899.
Then the other options chiefly center on the stand, and you're not going to spend all this money and then prop the stand up on a phone book -- if you can still find a copy of Yellow Pages anywhere.
Unless you're lucky, the stand that can only tilt will not happen to be just the right height for you. Apple has you covered there, too, as it also offers what it describes as a "tilt- and height-adjustable stand."
By itself, electing to have that height-adjustable stand makes the price $1,999.
So if you're in a bright media office with low furniture, you're looking at nano-texture with a height-adjustable stand. And now you're looking at $2,299.
To facilitate studios and users whose setups need more, Apple has already launched a new 1.8m Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable, costing $129. Apple also lists a new 3 meter edition as "coming soon," and that costs $159.
Please, please don't buy Apple's 1.8-meter Thunderbolt cable. Right now, we like the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 cable, which will do precisely the same thing, for $69.99 retail.
So for a nano-texture Apple Studio Display with tilt- and height-adjustable stand, plus Apple's as-yet-unreleased 3-meter cable, the total price is $2,458. Or about $500 more than the base Mac Studio.
That's assuming, of course, that your setup needs only one 27-inch Studio Display.
Read on AppleInsider
Apple unveiled its new 27-inch 5K Apple Studio Display at its March 8 event, and it's a lower-resolution, lower-cost alternative to the Pro Display XDR. Plus the new monitor does come with a stand, meaning Apple perhaps listened to the criticism it got over the Pro Display XDR's costly stand options.
However, for $1,599, the Apple Studio Display comes with either a VESA mount adapter or what Apple calls a "tilt-adjustable stand." Buyers have to make a choice at the time of purchase, too.
Unlike the Pro Display XDR, you can't slap on a VESA adapter to the tilt-adjustable stand. Pick one, and you'll need to stick with it forever.
While choosing, though, you could also look at the extra options for both the stand and the display itself. Do so with a mind to just what your whole setup is, particularly the environment you will be working in.
For instance, if you're in a darkened video editing suite, maybe anything goes. But a media center with bright lights and open plan cubicles will have considerably more glare.
Apple has a solution: you can buy the Studio Display with Apple's nano-texture glass. That noticeably reduces glare on the screen, but with no other change, having it raises the price to $1,899.
Then the other options chiefly center on the stand, and you're not going to spend all this money and then prop the stand up on a phone book -- if you can still find a copy of Yellow Pages anywhere.
Unless you're lucky, the stand that can only tilt will not happen to be just the right height for you. Apple has you covered there, too, as it also offers what it describes as a "tilt- and height-adjustable stand."
By itself, electing to have that height-adjustable stand makes the price $1,999.
So if you're in a bright media office with low furniture, you're looking at nano-texture with a height-adjustable stand. And now you're looking at $2,299.
Don't forget cables
That could be all most people need, as the monitor comes with an Apple Thunderbolt cable in the box. However, the provided cable is just over three feet long. That's not going to be long enough for many setups.To facilitate studios and users whose setups need more, Apple has already launched a new 1.8m Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable, costing $129. Apple also lists a new 3 meter edition as "coming soon," and that costs $159.
Please, please don't buy Apple's 1.8-meter Thunderbolt cable. Right now, we like the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 cable, which will do precisely the same thing, for $69.99 retail.
So for a nano-texture Apple Studio Display with tilt- and height-adjustable stand, plus Apple's as-yet-unreleased 3-meter cable, the total price is $2,458. Or about $500 more than the base Mac Studio.
That's assuming, of course, that your setup needs only one 27-inch Studio Display.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
I see one of these in my future.
Yes, the camera/mics would be nice I guess. I've already good good of both, so I don't need them (and it wouldn't be good enough to replace them). Speakers would be nice, but again, probably not as good as what I want to eventually get if I get into creating music again (ie. studio monitors).
I'm sure it will be high quality. I need to look at the specs more... is input just the USB-C/TB? If I wanted to plug in, say a PS5 (or my Intel Mac mini), is there a way to do that and switch inputs? I'm not up on the methods to do that kind of stuff with the new cabling.
The odd thing about this monitor is that if I wanted a 2- or 3-screen setup I can't think of a reason why I'd want 2 or 3 cameras and speakers. I hope Apple (or someone) makes a version of this monitor with the same display panel but without the camera and speakers and for a reduced price. Having the camera and speakers on one unit would be good enough, and in truth, I'd prefer to add my own speakers and camera. I guess these are really for folks who miss their 27" iMac.
The lack of inputs makes it a non starter for me. Shame, it's quite a nice design in other ways.
> Installs MacOS.
I'm not certain either (I have a PS4), but I assume HDMI. I suppose there are converters to run that into it, but I wonder if you'd have to do the input switching with external gear as well?
Yeah, kind of like the iMac dropping video in, it seems like Apple doesn't consider people using multiple devices. This should have definitely been considered with the move to Apple Silicon where one might need to run an Intel Mac for some time along with a new Apple Silicon one. I'd have to look into it more, but I'm sure there are external units that can do the switching. (At least I hope!)
For most people 4K, 350nits, clunky build quality, and woeful customer support is enough. That's what you get for $500-$1000. Some of us want more than that. When the onIy 5K monitor around that's remotely Mac compatible was the LG I tried that, had multiple hardware issues with it, and dealing with LG's support probably took years off my life. I tried 4K as an alternative, but for me at least, it just doesn't cut it. Some people say they can't tell the difference between 150 and 220dpi, or 350 and 500 nits. I don't get it. It's night and day for me. The extra pixels (it's almost twice as many) and increased brightness of the LG 5K make a significant difference to my productivity (when it's not going through LG's warranty repair processes).
Now, that covers differences between the many 4K options and the LG 5K. Then there's the LG 5K vs this new Apple Studio Display (ASD)...
Not quite (actually not even close). There are some very significant differences, such that I'm surprised there's only $300 difference.
LG 5K:
Apple Studio 5K:
- 600 nits + True Tone
- USB3 10Gbps
- 12lb
- 12MP camera (6x the pixels, + Center Stage)
- High quality 3 mic array, directional beam forming (if these are anything like the MBP mics then they're amazing)
- Superior speakers (+ spatial audio)
- Excellent build quality (presumably, if it's typical Apple).
- Best in class Apple customer support
- built in A13 CPU
- $1600
Bottom line, other than the 5K resolution part, nothing is the same. (More here)Far from it. And it seems many others agree. I ordered two of these ASD's within seconds of the store coming back online this morning, and enough people still got in before me that mine aren't coming until the end of the month. They're either very short on supply or a lot of people want them.
I'm doing pretty much the same as you, although for different reasons. If I only wanted it on my desk I'd just get the height adjustable mount, but I need it to move around in a few directions etc. in my home office, so I have a really long industrial arm attached to a pole mount, handling my LG 5K. This will be a simple swap out.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXYN33U
This may be worth investigating. As I am looking at this, one further item is worth noting... the unit is designed for monitors weighing between 20 - 42 pounds and the Studio Display (VESA option) is 12.1 pounds. If I find other options that address this, I'll add a posting.