On my way to buy some groceries I stopped by the Apple store to check out the new Mac Studio. I didn't have to walk too far in the store and was greeted by it sitting on one of the tables at the front accompanied by a Studio Display, wireless keyboard and magic trackpad.
My initial impression is its a beautiful desktop setup! The Studio is surprisingly large in person; videos and images don't really give you the full picture of how big it is. I came to the same conclusion a month ago when checking out the Mac Mini. In comparison to a Dell Optiplex MFF, the Mini feels bigger. The Studio itself is utilitarian in its design, but its not gonna feel awkward on your desk. The demo on display is the Max model with 32 GBs of LPDDR5 RAM and I think it its intentional, too. This is probably Apple's way of saying, for most users, whether you are a YouTuber or just someone who wants a nice desktop setup, the entry level model with the Studio display is probably good enough. That said, if you walk further to the back where all the desktops are on display, you will find the Ultra model with 64 GBs of LPDDR5 RAM. Many have talked about the weight of the Ultra and yes, it is a literal dumb bell! The Max is comfortably heavy, but the Ultra is not something you will likely want to move around often or even travel with.
As for the Studio Display, the bezels are really thick! I have a Dell U2415 connected to my M1 MBP and even it has thinner bezel. Apple could have easily carved out an extra two to three inches out of what's mostly bezels. Another thing that images on the web and YouTube videos don't convey is how wide the display is. This is a screen that should be great for watching movies on.I just wish Apple had taken the challenge and pushed it out to 32 inches. Its gorgeous otherwise! The ergonomics of the display will depend on your desk or your chair but the limited built in tilt functionality is ok. The tilt adjustable stand which sat next to the Studio Ultra is definitely what I would splurge on if money was no object. Its weird that Apple would really charge for this functionality though. What about people with disabilities who would benefit from this but just don't have it in the budget or don't want to spend anymore?
I digress! Whats most impressive about the Studio Display though, is how solidly built it feels. Next to the XDR Display, its just as elegant and robust. The sharp edges, the weight all makes it feel like a solid investment if I ever got one. I tested out the speakers on the Studio Display and its great, pumping bass that cuts through the crowded store impressively. Its no better than the audio coming from my MBP M1, but the point is, I wouldn't need extra speakers if I had a display like that. The speakers on the Mac Studio are unimpressive, they sound puny and are best for error codes and just to hear the Mac boot chime. Definitely get external speakers if you buy one. The web cam as everyone knows already is a potato. In the brightly lit store on a sunny Saturday afternoon I looked like I was out at sea on a 3G connection. I really do hope for the sake of users who bought one of these Apple does indeed provide a superior fix. If not, many of you might want to consider getting a third party web cam. I have seen Jason Snells results from using his and it looks great. So, this might be an anomaly or some lemons because even the cheaper 24 inch iMac has a great web cam.
I am not in the market for a Mac anytime soon and the only time I was potentially looking at getting another Mac was next year. That was based on the assumption there would have been a successor to the 27 inch iMac replaced with a 32 inch model. But it looks like that's not gonna happen. After seeing the 27 inch Studio Display though, it does make me wonder though, why couldn't Apple just add an M1 Pro chip to this setup to begin with it? Its thick enough, it has a gorgeous wide screen display. But of course Apple is in a transition and believe speculatively they are secretly diversifying the Mac lineup. Its just that its the Studio's time to shine without the need to cannibalize it. Well that's what I hope.
While playing around with macOS in general on the Mac Studio, I felt a moment of 'thats it?". For most Mac users, this system and setup would be the definition and pinnacle of overkill. That said, if you have the resources, its a want that you should have. So much of my computing has changed in the past two years. But, I love coming home and using my Mac; I typed this on my MBP M1. To conclude, the Mac Studio and Studio Display are two great parts of the Apple Mac ecosystem and further proves Apples recommitment to the platform.
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As for the Studio Display, the bezels are really thick! I have a Dell U2415 connected to my M1 MBP and even it has thinner bezel. Apple could have easily carved out an extra two to three inches out of what's mostly bezels. Another thing that images on the web and YouTube videos don't convey is how wide the display is. This is a screen that should be great for watching movies on.I just wish Apple had taken the challenge and pushed it out to 32 inches. Its gorgeous otherwise! The ergonomics of the display will depend on your desk or your chair but the limited built in tilt functionality is ok. The tilt adjustable stand which sat next to the Studio Ultra is definitely what I would splurge on if money was no object. Its weird that Apple would really charge for this functionality though. What about people with disabilities who would benefit from this but just don't have it in the budget or don't want to spend anymore?
I digress! Whats most impressive about the Studio Display though, is how solidly built it feels. Next to the XDR Display, its just as elegant and robust. The sharp edges, the weight all makes it feel like a solid investment if I ever got one. I tested out the speakers on the Studio Display and its great, pumping bass that cuts through the crowded store impressively. Its no better than the audio coming from my MBP M1, but the point is, I wouldn't need extra speakers if I had a display like that. The speakers on the Mac Studio are unimpressive, they sound puny and are best for error codes and just to hear the Mac boot chime. Definitely get external speakers if you buy one. The web cam as everyone knows already is a potato. In the brightly lit store on a sunny Saturday afternoon I looked like I was out at sea on a 3G connection. I really do hope for the sake of users who bought one of these Apple does indeed provide a superior fix. If not, many of you might want to consider getting a third party web cam. I have seen Jason Snells results from using his and it looks great. So, this might be an anomaly or some lemons because even the cheaper 24 inch iMac has a great web cam.
I am not in the market for a Mac anytime soon and the only time I was potentially looking at getting another Mac was next year. That was based on the assumption there would have been a successor to the 27 inch iMac replaced with a 32 inch model. But it looks like that's not gonna happen. After seeing the 27 inch Studio Display though, it does make me wonder though, why couldn't Apple just add an M1 Pro chip to this setup to begin with it? Its thick enough, it has a gorgeous wide screen display. But of course Apple is in a transition and believe speculatively they are secretly diversifying the Mac lineup. Its just that its the Studio's time to shine without the need to cannibalize it. Well that's what I hope.
While playing around with macOS in general on the Mac Studio, I felt a moment of 'thats it?". For most Mac users, this system and setup would be the definition and pinnacle of overkill. That said, if you have the resources, its a want that you should have. So much of my computing has changed in the past two years. But, I love coming home and using my Mac; I typed this on my MBP M1. To conclude, the Mac Studio and Studio Display are two great parts of the Apple Mac ecosystem and further proves Apples recommitment to the platform.
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Show off your 24" iMac (Apple Silicon)
I was able to play with all the colors at Apple, the best are Blue, Purple and Green. The red if you are looking at it from behind is too loud, orange feels the same but is tolerable, yellow is probably the fourth safest choice along with silver. If I didn’t purchase the M1 MacBook Pro last...
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