Any Mac Studio bluetooth dropouts?

[wayne_rowley]

Buyers, please report your experience of the Mac Studio with Bluetooth mouse/trackpad and keyboard when you get it. I'm curious to know whether this has the same bluetooth reliability/dropout issue that has plagued the Mini for so many years.

Wayne

 

[Pressure]

I think that simply boils down to BT using the crowded 2.4GHz spectrum. If you disabled 2.4GHz WiFi and don’t live in an apartment with 10 other networks around you, there shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[jasnw]

Partially a "crowded spectrum" issue, but not entirely. I have a 2019 Mini and a 2016 MBP that sit about a foot apart and share a monitor (not both on at the same time). The Mini has Big Sur and the MPB is on Catalina. I have lots of BT dropout problems when I'm using the Mini, and almost none with the MBP. I have an older Mini (2015) and a really old 27" iMac (2011) that are in the same room and on all the time, and I don't have BT dropout problems with either of them. Just the 2019 Mini. I see that as at least partially a hardware issue.

 

[upritbass]

I have a 2019 Mini … I see that as at least partially a hardware issue.

Yes, this is a well-known issue along with Wi-Fi. Just head over to the Mac Mini forum for a long list of complaints. If the studio checks out, my mini is gone.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I think that simply boils down to BT using the crowded 2.4GHz spectrum. If you disabled 2.4GHz WiFi and don’t live in an apartment with 10 other networks around you, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Hmm.

I live in an apartment where everyone above and below me has a 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi network. Everyone, their spouse, and kids 10yrs+ have smartphones and many homes have at least 1 computer if not more. Plus 1 camera 2 floors below me on WiFi for a garage door security.

Bluetooth since its inception was created to behave differently than WiFi for signals. This ‘crowded band’ has been played ad-nauseam without real evidence practiced/seen in the real world from Bluetooth 2.0+EDR to Bluetooth 5.0 with WiFi 802.11b/a/g/n/ac . If there was really a problem Smartphone and Computer manufacturers would issue statements or just not deliver both - even with combo chips in their products.

Not a single drop I’ve experienced on my iPhone, AirPods Pro (or former Jabra’s), iPad Pro, EliteBook 840 Pro (G5 before now G8), TrackPad just arrived today. Not a single connection error.

I’d like to see someone’s reported issues and the details therein if a suspect congestion of bands is in play.

 

[twssas]

Buyers, please report your experience of the Mac Studio with Bluetooth mouse/trackpad and keyboard when you get it. I'm curious to know whether this has the same bluetooth reliability/dropout issue that has plagued the Mini for so many years.

Wayne

On the fence about what to replace my aging late 2015 Imac with, so I am also anxious to hear experiences of others using the Mac Studio, especially any of the bluetooth reliability issues.

 

[F-Train]

I've had a Mac Studio/M1 Max since Friday and have had no Bluetooth issues. Judging from what Max Yuryev's teardown video shows about the antennas, I don't expect an issue either.

 

[BanditoB]

I picked up the base model Mac Studio with M1 Ultra on Friday and have had no issues with Bluetooth using the Apple keyboard and mouse. The only thing that I have noticed is that after a reboot of the Mac Studio, it takes several seconds for the mouse to connect. In other words after the Mac Studio is booted, you can click the mouse to wake it up and start moving the mouse around, but the cursor on the Mac doesn’t start moving for about 5-6 seconds, which seems like an eternity when you’re waiting to log in.

On another note, the only time I have experienced any Bluetooth issues is in my vehicles. Occasionally it will disconnect for some unknown reason and sometimes it won’t reconnect until I restart the iPhone or the vehicle’s audio system. Other than that, Bluetooth has been flawless on all of my computers.

 

[roland.g]

Anyone know how easy it is (or not) to dual purpose a trackpad and keyboard to more than one Mac. I have an older Mini and original gen 1 trackpad (with 2 AA batteries) as well as the matching keyboard and for my MBP I have the grey/black gen 2 magic trackpad and keyboard. Could I use those for a Studio or new Mini and still connect them to my MBP when I want to work on that?

 

[ikaka]

Yea I'm also curious on the bluetooth issue, I've had Mac Mini 2018 that I couldn't use bluetooth devices with (like mice MX Masters 1 and 3) with as it was stuttering all the time, it was a little better if wifi was disabled and even better with the bottom cover off, so it was def a design/antenna issue. USB's were also on the fritz. Replaced it with a macbook pro and didn't have an issue since in the same environment. Curious on Mac Studio.

 

[BanditoB]

Certainly you can use your Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and trackpad with two or more computers; however, since the Apple products don’t have a switch for supporting more that one computer, I’m afraid that you’d have to pair and unpair each time in order to get them to switch.

In thinking about it, I guess that wouldn’t work after all as you would have to use a wired mouse to get into the system and re-pair the wireless mouse.

So, it really wouldn’t be practical to do this unless you went with third-party accessories that support multiple computers.

 

[CodeSpyder]

The only thing that I have noticed is that after a reboot of the Mac Studio, it takes several seconds for the mouse to connect. In other words after the Mac Studio is booted, you can click the mouse to wake it up and start moving the mouse around, but the cursor on the Mac doesn’t start moving for about 5-6 seconds, which seems like an eternity when you’re waiting to log in.

What brand mouse are you using?

 

[BanditoB]

@CodeSpyder

It’s Apple’s new mouse for the Mac Studio. Do you think there could be something wrong with it?

I don’t notice this much of a delay on my Mac Mini with Apple wireless mouse. They keyboard appears to connect instantly once a key is pressed, but, as I said, the mouse has a significant delay.

 

[m1m1m1m1]

This is a legitimate question. I work at a BLE wearable OEM. While 2.4 GHz interference will always be an issue for some environments, antenna placement and proximity makes a difference, particularly when your local environment is crowded.

That said, perhaps one of the biggest differences would be an OEM's responsibility. In the last few years BLE introduced new modes that trade off between speed and range. Apple's default choice may not be in the current use case's favor. Unfortunately, mode choice must be done in peripheral firmware, not in a delegate method that Apple opens up to developers to dynamically choose, so it's possible the OEM hasn't gotten around to it or even realized there's a problem.

 

[CodeSpyder]

@CodeSpyder

It’s Apple’s new mouse for the Mac Studio. Do you think there could be something wrong with it?

I don’t notice this much of a delay on my Mac Mini with Apple wireless mouse. They keyboard appears to connect instantly once a key is pressed, but, as I said, the mouse has a significant delay.

I was wondering if it was the Logitech mouse.

 

[shadowmatt]

It has been perfect. Compared with my Intel Mac mini 2020 where it drops out all the time.

 

[wayne_rowley]

It has been perfect. Compared with my Intel Mac mini 2020 where it drops out all the time.

Thanks for reporting - that's very encouraging!

 

[4sallypat]

Not an issue with the new Mac Studio and never had an issue with my traded in M1 Mini - bluetooth has been 100% perfect for me.

Apple wireless keyboard & mouse have been excellent with both machines.

But then I don't use wireless for connectivity - wired Ethernet for full gigabit experience.

 

[cpnotebook80]

Just reporting here that my original magic mouse with batteries - the Bluetooth dropped out a couple of times today on my mac studio Monterey 12.3 version. Connection lost and after 10-15 seconds reconnects. I checked batteries and they are new. I saw this here https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/702767

 

[cpnotebook80]

so my Magic Mouse has a constant drop of bluetooth now and its getting annoying as it takes like 1min to reconnect. Worse it happens when I'm doing a meeting or taking notes and its like dead! Anyone else has issues with older Magic Mouse etc? I don't really want to use a wired mouse but guess will switch for now.

 

[DamnDJ]

I just got an Apple Keyboard with Touch ID yesterday and have been experiencing 1 second drops every 30 minutes or so. Nothing horrible, but I don't think that should be happening.

 

[aurora_sect]

No issues here so far. My old iMac stopped playing with my wireless headphones awhile ago so it's nice to be able to use those again with the new Studio.

 

[aurora_sect]

so my Magic Mouse has a constant drop of bluetooth now and its getting annoying as it takes like 1min to reconnect. Worse it happens when I'm doing a meeting or taking notes and its like dead! Anyone else has issues with older Magic Mouse etc? I don't really want to use a wired mouse but guess will switch for now.

Is it a AA battery powered mouse? Those were consistently terrible for me. Battery contacts go bad.

 

[sfwalter]

I'm using a Logitech MX Master 2S and haven't noticed any dropout. I've had the machine since Friday.

 

[cpnotebook80]

Is it a AA battery powered mouse? Those were consistently terrible for me. Battery contacts go bad.

yes it is - ugh. I did see some corrosion on one of the contacts and its green and tried to clean it as best. I put a piece of foil also for better contact. So far so good.