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rumz

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2006
1,226
635
Utah
The VESA Mount Adapter for the Pro Display XDR seems to be unavailable in the U.S. at the moment. “Sold Out” on Apple’s web site. Anyone see this before? Perhaps it’s just such a low volume item for Apple that they only periodically do a production run. Just wondering if that particular thing is EOL or if people have seen existing products with the “Sold Out” label that weren’t discontinued.
 

savjam

macrumors newbie
Jul 3, 2022
15
8
the VESA mount is not available at popular resellers either. The only times i have seen product unavailability is when Apple is introducing a replacement product.
 

rumz

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2006
1,226
635
Utah
the VESA mount is not available at popular resellers either. The only times i have seen product unavailability is when Apple is introducing a replacement product.
Yeah initially I was putting the XDR in my cart and there was no option to add the VESA mount adapter even though it still appears in the flow on that page. There’s even a third party VESA adapter that seems to no longer be available as of the last week or so. (Made by HumanCentric. I’ve emailed them to see what their story is.)

Definitely gives me a tiny bit of pause about ordering. Not really expecting a replacement imminently but maybe it’s closer than I had guessed?
 

Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
Could some peeps here who've had the XDR for a while now tell us a bit more about the issues with the display? (please don't tell us about the positive stuff, there's enough of that out there)

I have an Apple Studio Display and I'm thinking of switching it for an XDR, but I've seen quite some people having issues with it after a while.

I haven't read such things on the Studio Display, so now I'm thinking the XDR may have been some sort of prototype or concept, while the Studio Display is more mature and has less reported issues, and seems to be more stable in general.

So now I'm really starting to have doubts if I should do the swap.

On the previous page, someone seems to have had four different XDRs, all with dead pixels. On Youtube I've seen a report of some stains on the display (like some sort of issues with the backlight, basically the brightness is unevenly distributed).

Would appreciate to hear all the negative stuff.
 

DennisdeWit

macrumors 6502a
Nov 16, 2016
872
850
The Netherlands
Didn’t know the VESA Adapter is so hard to get in the US. I bought one for 135 EUR, while the retail price is 229 EUR in Europe. I returned the VESA after getting the Pro Stand.

If I knew it was so difficult to get over there, I would have sold it to one of you guys. :)

@Silly John Fatty Though I haven’t had any negative experiences yet, I do recommend you to try to find a B-Stock, so it has been thoroughly tested already. It reduces the chance on what scares you away. Also a second hand Pro Display XDR with Apple Care might help you.

What I found out during my research, is that the nano texture version is a bit more prone to the problems that you are talking about. I have done extensive searching before deciding on the Pro Display XDR. I also have been doubting between one XDR or two Studio Displays. I know what you feel like. Feel free to DM me when needed.

My brother bought two Studio Displays and is very happy with them. Although they are not for me, mostly because the screens are too small for me and I really enjoy HDR on the Display XDR.

I have seen your earlier posts and it reminds me of me. I was also looking for negative experiences, just to talk myself out of buying the Pro Display. But in the end you will keep talking yourself out of it until you’ll decide again and again that you want it. :)
 
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thosmatthews

macrumors regular
Apr 20, 2021
107
258
On the previous page, someone seems to have had four different XDRs, all with dead pixels. On Youtube I've seen a report of some stains on the display (like some sort of issues with the backlight, basically the brightness is unevenly distributed).

Would appreciate to hear all the negative stuff.
I'm the guy who has had the dead pixels, amongst other things. Unfortunately I can't speak for long-term use of the display because I've had to send two back after less than a week's use of each. I'm now waiting for Apple to get back to me regarding this third one as they don't replace a fourth time apparently, at least through their online store (and in the UK).

My gut feeling (and hope) is that I've been very unlucky and gone through a bad batch that will be caught, so I don't want my limited experience with the display so far to completely put you off. I've also been thoroughly checking each one, so I might be over-sensitive to any issues now (as their 'flagship' display and for the price though... it should really be 100%).

However, I will list the problems I've had on each so far:

1st:
Glass front wasn't attached straight, with what looked like glue or some other material slightly poking out the side. I didn't check for dead pixels as I was more concerned about the glass front

2nd:
Several dead pixels across the display and uneven vertical brightness stripes (I didn't notice the brightness issue until after I'd posted here about the dead pixels and around the time I was about to return it). Physically perfect on this one though, if I recall correctly

3rd:
One major dead pixel right in the middle, another two more subtle ones in the top left and bottom right corners. It also has a very minor version of the glass issue where it's almost like there's a gap between the body and the glass but I think at this point I'm over it with my microscope. So overall this is the best version I've had so far. The brightness is totally even and I'd say best so far for blooming (lack of)

If you have an Apple Store with stock near you I suggest taking a look at a unit. Unfortunately in the UK they don't hold stock at all, so I'm at the mercy of the Shenzhen factory QC...!
 

Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
Didn’t know the VESA Adapter is so hard to get in the US. I bought one for 135 EUR, while the retail price is 229 EUR in Europe. I returned the VESA after getting the Pro Stand.

If I knew it was so difficult to get over there, I would have sold it to one of you guys. :)

@Silly John Fatty Though I haven’t had any negative experiences yet, I do recommend you to try to find a B-Stock, so it has been thoroughly tested already. It reduces the chance on what scares you away. Also a second hand Pro Display XDR with Apple Care might help you.

What I found out during my research, is that the nano texture version is a bit more prone to the problems that you are talking about. I have done extensive searching before deciding on the Pro Display XDR. I also have been doubting between one XDR or two Studio Displays. I know what you feel like. Feel free to DM me when needed.

My brother bought two Studio Displays and is very happy with them. Although they are not for me, mostly because the screens are too small for me and I really enjoy HDR on the Display XDR.

I have seen your earlier posts and it reminds me of me. I was also looking for negative experiences, just to talk myself out of buying the Pro Display. But in the end you will keep talking yourself out of it until you’ll decide again and again that you want it. :)

Thanks man :) But I can guarantee you that I'm not talking myself out of buying it for fun, but for strictly rational reasons. My time is very limited, and my setup has to work. If there's a slightest problem, then that's a big problem for me, because suddenly I have to deal with my setup, and that's a catastrophe.

Sadly I've had this happen multiple times with Apple already. Also with software updates for example. But it's become better now, and I hope it continues to improve.

The XDR is very expensive and seems to have some flaws that the ASD doesn't have, so the rational decision I took was to go for the ASD.

But I am still looking out for an XDR. The price has to be right, though. I've seen some for 3000 Euros and they didn't sell that fast, so the market value has gone low very steeply. If I could get one for 2000 - 2500 Euros, I might consider getting it, but I'll still have to make sure it has absolutely zero issues.

The problem is that by then, it won't have Apple Care anymore (and even if it does, that's maybe like one or two years, that's nothing). So in the worst case, I'll have a display, without warranty, that could potentially go wrong any time. And I'll have to pay for fixing it, and it will cost a lot I believe.

I'm the guy who has had the dead pixels, amongst other things. Unfortunately I can't speak for long-term use of the display because I've had to send two back after less than a week's use of each. I'm now waiting for Apple to get back to me regarding this third one as they don't replace a fourth time apparently, at least through their online store (and in the UK).

My gut feeling (and hope) is that I've been very unlucky and gone through a bad batch that will be caught, so I don't want my limited experience with the display so far to completely put you off. I've also been thoroughly checking each one, so I might be over-sensitive to any issues now (as their 'flagship' display and for the price though... it should really be 100%).

However, I will list the problems I've had on each so far:

1st:
Glass front wasn't attached straight, with what looked like glue or some other material slightly poking out the side. I didn't check for dead pixels as I was more concerned about the glass front

2nd:
Several dead pixels across the display and uneven vertical brightness stripes (I didn't notice the brightness issue until after I'd posted here about the dead pixels and around the time I was about to return it). Physically perfect on this one though, if I recall correctly

3rd:
One major dead pixel right in the middle, another two more subtle ones in the top left and bottom right corners. It also has a very minor version of the glass issue where it's almost like there's a gap between the body and the glass but I think at this point I'm over it with my microscope. So overall this is the best version I've had so far. The brightness is totally even and I'd say best so far for blooming (lack of)

If you have an Apple Store with stock near you I suggest taking a look at a unit. Unfortunately in the UK they don't hold stock at all, so I'm at the mercy of the Shenzhen factory QC...!

Thanks for describing the issues more deeply. That does sound very concerning and it's what I've read from other people as well. It doesn't motivate me to get one.

As for your display: I'm not sure how it is in the UK now, as it left the EU, but we've got a "state-side", compulsory warranty of two years (I think it might even have increased to three years, and I think there's plans to make it five years, or at least some have tried to push this through).

Anyway, this warranty basically says that the thing has to work for that period of time. Which your display didn't. And I'm pretty sure the UK has this law too, I would be very surprised if it didn't.

So it's not really a matter of "Apple doesn't replace them a fourth time", but more of "Apple has to replace them as often as needed in that period of time, or return your money". Apple doesn't make the rules here.

I hope you go see them and tell them what's the law (look up the law before, of course).

In the worst case, if they don't want to replace it, just ask your money back and get a Studio Display. Don't tell them your want the Studio Display, or they might try to swap the XDR for an SD, and you'll make a bad deal. I think they'll make everything to make a good deal on you, they're not the most valuable company in the world because they make gifts.

I'd get my money back, not tell anything, and silently order a Studio Display (or two) if I was you.

And I didn't find you pedantic by the way, those things would utterly annoy me as well. Like you say, at that price, 100% is obligatory.
 
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Spybreakjj

macrumors newbie
May 11, 2015
16
37
Spain
Could some peeps here who've had the XDR for a while now tell us a bit more about the issues with the display? (please don't tell us about the positive stuff, there's enough of that out there)

I don't have one but have been researching and seeing them at the Apple Store while I decided (ultimately I went for a Studio Display until the Pro XDR gets updated).

The main issue with the XDR, for me, is the vignette effect when looking at the screen from a relatively close distance. There is a brightness shift, especially noticeable on a white screen, related to the viewing angles. You can even move your head side to side and see how the image gets dimmer/brighter on each side as you move. Its rather distracting.

For a 3 year old display that still costs 5k I decided it was unacceptable. If I had been able to find a decently priced second hand (or B-Stock) one I might have gone for it, but I have a feeling it wont be long until we get a replacement and it will hopefully fix the few issues it has.
 

Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
I don't have one but have been researching and seeing them at the Apple Store while I decided (ultimately I went for a Studio Display until the Pro XDR gets updated).

The main issue with the XDR, for me, is the vignette effect when looking at the screen from a relatively close distance. There is a brightness shift, especially noticeable on a white screen, related to the viewing angles. You can even move your head side to side and see how the image gets dimmer/brighter on each side as you move. Its rather distracting.

For a 3 year old display that still costs 5k I decided it was unacceptable. If I had been able to find a decently priced second hand (or B-Stock) one I might have gone for it, but I have a feeling it wont be long until we get a replacement and it will hopefully fix the few issues it has.

Thanks, that was very useful information. I find what you describe unacceptable as well.
 

thosmatthews

macrumors regular
Apr 20, 2021
107
258
Thanks, that was very useful information. I find what you describe unacceptable as well.
Here’s an image of the peculiar ‘between glass and body’ glue issue. Different from 1st display I received where the glue was black/grey and poking out. This is between the aluminium body and glass. A small / insignificant issue, but having had several iMacs and displays since 2005 for work and personal, an issue I’ve not encountered before the XDR:
 

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Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
Here’s an image of the peculiar ‘between glass and body’ glue issue. Different from 1st display I received where the glue was black/grey and poking out. This is between the aluminium body and glass. A small / insignificant issue, but having had several iMacs and displays since 2005 for work and personal, an issue I’ve not encountered before the XDR:

Thanks. That's unacceptable, I'd return it. In the end I don't think I'll be buying an XDR, unless I get it cheap, but seen the issues, even getting it cheap wouldn't solve all the issues it's got.

It's just going to be a headache, so I'll stick with the ASD I think.
 

Onimusha370

macrumors 65816
Aug 25, 2010
1,042
1,518
Could some peeps here who've had the XDR for a while now tell us a bit more about the issues with the display? (please don't tell us about the positive stuff, there's enough of that out there)

I have an Apple Studio Display and I'm thinking of switching it for an XDR, but I've seen quite some people having issues with it after a while.

I haven't read such things on the Studio Display, so now I'm thinking the XDR may have been some sort of prototype or concept, while the Studio Display is more mature and has less reported issues, and seems to be more stable in general.

So now I'm really starting to have doubts if I should do the swap.

On the previous page, someone seems to have had four different XDRs, all with dead pixels. On Youtube I've seen a report of some stains on the display (like some sort of issues with the backlight, basically the brightness is unevenly distributed).

Would appreciate to hear all the negative stuff.
I know you asked not to see positive stuff, but I feel like only hearing about the negatives can lead to bias one way or the other! I got my first XDR a few weeks ago and have had absolutely zero issues, no dead pixels, no quality/build issues, its just perfect. So it is deffo possible to get a good one :)
 

Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
I know you asked not to see positive stuff, but I feel like only hearing about the negatives can lead to bias one way or the other! I got my first XDR a few weeks ago and have had absolutely zero issues, no dead pixels, no quality/build issues, its just perfect. So it is deffo possible to get a good one :)

I don't doubt that, I'm just scared issues could pop up any time. I basically want to never have to think about it at all, so I can concentrate on my work and being productive. Nothing is worse than your Display having to go to a repair shop in the middle of your work, and then potentially spending big amounts of money for it on top of that.
 
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Onimusha370

macrumors 65816
Aug 25, 2010
1,042
1,518
I don't doubt that, I'm just scared issues could pop up any time. I basically want to never have to think about it at all, so I can concentrate on my work and being productive. Nothing is worse than your Display having to go to a repair shop in the middle of your work, and then potentially spending big amounts of money for it on top of that.
yep fair cop! I agree that given the price tag, it would be horrible if there were issues that needed repairs. I'm still on the fence about keeping mine purely due to the possibility of a refresh in the next 12-18 months. If I do return it then I'll probably get a studio display to tide me over until the new XDR is out. I guess apple care+ means that you have at least 3 years before you need to worry too much? I think we're still early days to know much about long term reliability.
 
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Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
yep fair cop! I agree that given the price tag, it would be horrible if there were issues that needed repairs. I'm still on the fence about keeping mine purely due to the possibility of a refresh in the next 12-18 months. If I do return it then I'll probably get a studio display to tide me over until the new XDR is out. I guess apple care+ means that you have at least 3 years before you need to worry too much? I think we're still early days to know much about long term reliability.

Exactly, Apple Care is 3 years. I have it on my Studio Display so I'm kind of relaxed in this regard. But I admit that I'd love the bigger screen of the XDR. That's the only thing I'd wish to be honest.
 

Onimusha370

macrumors 65816
Aug 25, 2010
1,042
1,518
Exactly, Apple Care is 3 years. I have it on my Studio Display so I'm kind of relaxed in this regard. But I admit that I'd love the bigger screen of the XDR. That's the only thing I'd wish to be honest.
It's a tough one! You could always buy it and take advantage of the 14 day return policy from Apple? I find with some Apple products that I know within the first few days of test driving that I'm not going to return it - just because of how awesome it is. If you're happy to wait a bit you could always hang onto the studio display until a refreshed XDR appears? I personally really struggled with buying something that's 4 years old out of the box!
 

Silly John Fatty

macrumors 68000
Nov 6, 2012
1,806
516
It's a tough one! You could always buy it and take advantage of the 14 day return policy from Apple? I find with some Apple products that I know within the first few days of test driving that I'm not going to return it - just because of how awesome it is. If you're happy to wait a bit you could always hang onto the studio display until a refreshed XDR appears? I personally really struggled with buying something that's 4 years old out of the box!

I would buy it from Apple - if I had the money. But I can't spend that much on a display. I've seen some used ones go for 3000 Euros (around 3370 US $). It's still a lot of money. And you have no Apple Care, and you don't know how it was taken care of or if it will have issues. If it does, you can probably spend another 1000 $ on fixing it. Too risky, sadly. :confused: Otherwise a beautiful display, probably my dream display, lol.
 

Onimusha370

macrumors 65816
Aug 25, 2010
1,042
1,518
I would buy it from Apple - if I had the money. But I can't spend that much on a display. I've seen some used ones go for 3000 Euros (around 3370 US $). It's still a lot of money. And you have no Apple Care, and you don't know how it was taken care of or if it will have issues. If it does, you can probably spend another 1000 $ on fixing it. Too risky, sadly. :confused: Otherwise a beautiful display, probably my dream display, lol.
Yeah that's tough if you're buying used, I feel your pain now. It is an amazing display, wishing you all the best in finding one :)
 
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Patchwork

macrumors 6502
Jan 6, 2008
345
514
Near Preston, UK
The VESA mount adapter is showing as available both online and in my local Apple store in the UK for pick up today. It is also in stock at quite a few third party Apple suppliers, generally the ones that stock the Pro Display XDR. So either it isn’t a popular option in the UK, so have a lot of spare stock, or US deliveries have been delayed for some reason. I’m not sure it means that a Pro Display XDR replacement is imminent though as the obvious time for a new Pro Display was when the Mac Pro came out.
 

rumz

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2006
1,226
635
Utah
The VESA mount adapter is showing as available both online and in my local Apple store in the UK for pick up today. It is also in stock at quite a few third party Apple suppliers, generally the ones that stock the Pro Display XDR. So either it isn’t a popular option in the UK, so have a lot of spare stock, or US deliveries have been delayed for some reason. I’m not sure it means that a Pro Display XDR replacement is imminent though as the obvious time for a new Pro Display was when the Mac Pro came out.
Agreed. I did see it available on Apple’s Canada online store; I just wasn’t sure I’d seen the “sold out” label before to be sure what it meant. I did order one second-hand for relatively cheap ($60-ish)… would be odd if it was bogus but we’ll see, you never know these days.
 

etc

macrumors regular
Sep 27, 2008
235
50
Could some peeps here who've had the XDR for a while now tell us a bit more about the issues with the display? (please don't tell us about the positive stuff, there's enough of that out there)

I have an Apple Studio Display and I'm thinking of switching it for an XDR, but I've seen quite some people having issues with it after a while.

I haven't read such things on the Studio Display, so now I'm thinking the XDR may have been some sort of prototype or concept, while the Studio Display is more mature and has less reported issues, and seems to be more stable in general.

So now I'm really starting to have doubts if I should do the swap.

On the previous page, someone seems to have had four different XDRs, all with dead pixels. On Youtube I've seen a report of some stains on the display (like some sort of issues with the backlight, basically the brightness is unevenly distributed).

Would appreciate to hear all the negative stuff.
I use my XDR for almost a year, so here my observations:

1) Uneven dimming - very common for XDR because of backlight technology. I think if it had more zones it'd be much better. Also blooming;
2) Not perfectly aligned glass - mine is 0.5 mm lower than it should be, but sides are perfect and no glue, so I don't care much;
3) Screen matrix substrate slightly discolored around edges. Can be seen only when the display is switched off and at a certain angle. I guess it appeared after viewing a HDR content - heat from backlight LEDs affected the substrate. Just a cosmetic issue which is hardly visible and doesn't affect the image.

Also I don't look for dead pixels purposely, but so far I haven't seen any.
 

TECK

macrumors 65816
Nov 18, 2011
1,129
478
I’m curious if I buy an used XDR screen, can I add AppleCare+ to it? The one I purchased already comes with AppleCare but I want to purchase another one.
 

Lammers

macrumors 6502
Oct 30, 2013
449
345
I don't doubt that, I'm just scared issues could pop up any time. I basically want to never have to think about it at all, so I can concentrate on my work and being productive. Nothing is worse than your Display having to go to a repair shop in the middle of your work, and then potentially spending big amounts of money for it on top of that.
You have that risk whatever you do. Whatever model you buy, whether new or used, has the risk that “issues could pop up any time”.

On the other hand - the chances are that whatever you buy will be just fine for years.
 
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