This.
a reflective glass strains the eyes much more than a perceptible blur with X zoom because it forces our brain to exclude part of what it sees to focus on the rest
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.
Apple Studio Display - Owners Thread
- Thread starter KPOM
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
a reflective glass strains the eyes much more than a perceptible blur with X zoom because it forces our brain to exclude part of what it sees to focus on the rest
only if you have a need for it. on my particular desk / chair combo the height of the standard version is perfect. I have no interest or need for standing / frequently showing others content on my monitor etc. that would make the height adjustable version useful.
agreed. everyones vision/needs are different: I was in the store and out of the 4 monitors displayed I had to ask the sales person to point the nano-textured model out— even then three of them couldn't find the Nano textured one without deliberation. oNce found it was clear that it stood out. lol
but for me, I have an apt that is saturated with light (both sun and lamps) and a 'remodel of my apt' or 'closing the shades' every time I want to use the computer is a non-starter, so YMMV.
its nice to have the option.
but for me, I have an apt that is saturated with light (both sun and lamps) and a 'remodel of my apt' or 'closing the shades' every time I want to use the computer is a non-starter, so YMMV.
its nice to have the option.
How many posts will this thread have when my Studio Display arrives? Estimated delivery date is May 13 - 30.
I ordered as soon as it was possible, still preparing. Cant wait to replace my broken Dell 27”, I have waited for many years for this display.
however, to me the text still looks significantly sharper than my previous monitor (a 4k with 160 PPI)
I've been working hard at my setup using the ASD + M1 MacBook Air which is replacing a late-2015 i7 27-inch iMac that has been tried and true the last 7 years.
This is the Apple Studio Display, the M1 MacBook Air (1 TB SSD) behind to the left in a BookArc, the new black Touch ID extended keyboard and trackpad, two 2TB SSDs for photo and video media, an Anker 777 Thunderbolt 4 dock, a 10 TB Seagate USB-3 drive for Time Machine, a hidden 5 TB Seagate pocket USB-3 drive for a mirror of key data via Carbon Copy Cloner (and a monthly mirror of that placed in a fireproof safe the rest of the time) and a Belkin MagSafe Charger stand. Also part of this setup is Backblaze for online cloud backup of everything. I've also tested this with Universal Control and our iPad Pros and it works great.
The desktop is a start of setting up my wife's account to have her own Mac desktop, up until now all our Macs only logged into my account and she was left to only be able to customize her mobile devices with her photos, music, bookmarks etc. and it made handling files difficult. Now we will get smart and just setup shared documents folders but she will have full access to her other stuff properly on the Macs.
I don't do it often but its always fun creating a new "setup". I'd love to see your ASDs in use...
This is the Apple Studio Display, the M1 MacBook Air (1 TB SSD) behind to the left in a BookArc, the new black Touch ID extended keyboard and trackpad, two 2TB SSDs for photo and video media, an Anker 777 Thunderbolt 4 dock, a 10 TB Seagate USB-3 drive for Time Machine, a hidden 5 TB Seagate pocket USB-3 drive for a mirror of key data via Carbon Copy Cloner (and a monthly mirror of that placed in a fireproof safe the rest of the time) and a Belkin MagSafe Charger stand. Also part of this setup is Backblaze for online cloud backup of everything. I've also tested this with Universal Control and our iPad Pros and it works great.
The desktop is a start of setting up my wife's account to have her own Mac desktop, up until now all our Macs only logged into my account and she was left to only be able to customize her mobile devices with her photos, music, bookmarks etc. and it made handling files difficult. Now we will get smart and just setup shared documents folders but she will have full access to her other stuff properly on the Macs.
I don't do it often but its always fun creating a new "setup". I'd love to see your ASDs in use...
Here's mine - love my ancient 2011 ATD and the latest 2022 ASD - next to each other - they share the same glass screens, sharp text fonts and crisp Apple images!
Gallaway Leather Desk Pad on Amazon. I also got the paper stacking trays and a desk organizer from them that came after I took the picture. Super premium "fake" leather in weirdly fancy boxes, I'm kind stunned with the quality for the price, lol. I saw some people talking it up and it is a good match for my desk so I went for it, my old setup stuff slid around too much and I heard the ASD was particularly slippery so this has fixed the problem.
So my Studio Display with height adjustable stand is ever so slightly crooked ...
Long story short, I actually bought both the tilt only version and the height adjustable version. When comparing them back to back, my eyes felt like the height adjustable monitor was slightly crooked. Especially when placed right in front of some wall mounted lights I have that are very level.
This was picked up from an Apple store so I know it didn't get banged up by UPS to my place. Did some searching around and I guess the new 24" iMac has suffered from a few crooked builds too.
So I busted out the rulers and yep, it's indeed a tiny bit crooked and wasn't just my table. Normally I can maybe live with imperfections but, for a $2,000 display where build quality is one of the major selling points, I'm sending it back to Tim Apple. Also the tilt only monitor is indeed perfectly level. Good times.
Long story short, I actually bought both the tilt only version and the height adjustable version. When comparing them back to back, my eyes felt like the height adjustable monitor was slightly crooked. Especially when placed right in front of some wall mounted lights I have that are very level.
This was picked up from an Apple store so I know it didn't get banged up by UPS to my place. Did some searching around and I guess the new 24" iMac has suffered from a few crooked builds too.
So I busted out the rulers and yep, it's indeed a tiny bit crooked and wasn't just my table. Normally I can maybe live with imperfections but, for a $2,000 display where build quality is one of the major selling points, I'm sending it back to Tim Apple. Also the tilt only monitor is indeed perfectly level. Good times.
Attachments
Can someone with a nano-textured glass ASD do a direct comparison in terms of text clarity to a 27" 4K Dell Ultra Sharp set to look like 2560x1440?
The power cable is removable, although Apple Support Docs say that it is not removable. Video clip here showing how much force must be used to remove it:
I was wondering the exact same thing. It looks sturdy and I'd be curious to see if someone could break down the interior of the tilt-height adjustment mechanism to see the engineering on the inside. My guess is that the mechanism was designed for the XDR and taken right from it (pro but also heavy/sturdy), therefore reliable for the long term.
Max Tech does the best reviews! Glad to see the back USB ports data transfer speeds were published. Also Max touched on exactly my suspicions regarding their webcam quality! The 12MP camera is using center stage which crops in and blows up the image, a digital zoom as opposed to an optical one right? This would explain the quality disparity regardless of the noise reduction.
I canceled my initial order and reordered over the webcam quality. Unfortunately the backorder is out 2 months, so my display won't be arriving until May 19 to June 2nd. So, maybe by the time I get this display the rumored 27" XDR might be out? We'll see 🧐
Maybe is better this option, more reliable without the height mechanism? Less is more I guess?
It looks really good, nice design, but over the years who knows. Also this mechanism brings the screen closer when lifted up. For 150/200 eur I would go for it, but 460 to lift the screen 10cm is hard to pay, I didn’t order yet because of this. Also I like neat workspaces so I don’t want the screen over a stand or books 😒
lol I know what you mean, especially in regards to a clean workspace.
I've been debating with myself the past few days recently too about my order, cancellation, and reorder. It's in regards to other things, but my mind has been split a few different ways.
I wonder how quickly the Studio Display would get a refresh and if the next version would work out all these kinks in a decent time? Next year? I have no idea. That's kind of what would help me make a clearer decision. I could wait it out for a year with my current setup, but 2 or 3 for an update or a refresh? I'd rather just pay now than to wait that long. Since there's no precedence or timeframe, it's making it more difficult for me to stick with the decision
for the sake of argument i also made a zoom with my previous 4k 160 PPI monitor. Confirmed the feeling, the nano is sharper and sits halfway between the glossy display of the imac 5k.
IMAC
NANO
4K Mateview 28
IMAC
NANO
4K Mateview 28