9to5Mac has heard from sources familiar with the matter that the company has been working on a new “Apple Studio Display” with a 7K resolution, higher than the 6K Pro Display XDR.
While it’s unclear whether the new Apple Studio Display is a replacement for the Pro Display XDR or a new option in the lineup with distinct features, people familiar with the matter told 9to5Mac that the new display has a 7K resolution.
9to5Mac reported in July 2021 that Apple had been testing a new external display under the codename “J327” with a built-in A13 chip. It turns out that, according to our sources, the Apple Studio Display is the same J327 model – meaning that Apple has still been working on an external display with a dedicated Apple Silicon chip.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to introduce multiple new Macs in 2022, plus a new external display that is half the price of the Pro Display XDR targeted at regular users. In the past, Apple had its “Cinema Display” lineup available in multiple sizes – so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the company once again offered two or more display options to its customers.
MacDailyNews Take: The perfect companion for the new “Mac Studio!”
And, yes, we’ve been waiting for a lower-priced Apple-branded display for many years now and it was a mistake that Apple ever left the market:
Apple ceding the display business damages the Apple brand. Apple does not lead in an essential personal computing component and other companies logos are destined to be in Mac users’ faces all day long. Not smart. Cook & Co. should reconsider their decision and make and sell Apple-branded displays. Direct profits aren’t the issue, ancillary profits are; smart executives like Cook should be able to recognize the power of perception. — MacDailyNews, March 2017
FYI: We currently drive dual 27-inch 4K displays (LG 27UK850-W units, $472.92 at Amazon currently) when at our desks with 16-inch MacBook Pro units (AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB). We’d switch to Apple displays in a heartbeat, if only Apple would get around to offering them again.
(Yes, the LG logos are covered with black tape.)
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Will the price match the resolution? 7K for each?
Unfortunately, with Apple monitors, the old adage now applies: “If you have to ask, ‘How much?’ you can’t afford it.”
Why Apple can’t offer a reasonably priced, 4K, 27″ – 32″ monitor is beyond me.
Great! When I get hired by Apple/Hollywood/Nintendo, I might be able to use one. Until then, it may as well not exist!
If it has an A13 and 7K resolution, it’s likely to be expensive. Half the price of XDR is still expensive, NOT aimed at “regular” users. Why not just put an M-chip in there so it can run its own OS? Oh wait… That’s the new 30-inch iMac.
But seriously, if it’s eventually 8K with an A-chip, it may be an Apple-branded (full) television with built-in tv hardware, allowing wireless AirPlay connectivity to Apple devices to use as external display. And THAT would probably be priced at about half the cost of XDR.
Big whoop….
Existence of the display isn’t confirmed and already the formerly loyal fanclub is protesting the price tag. Does this call into question whether Apple is losing its image of being a long-term value brand?
In addition to boneheaded moves like Pro Display XDR display stand pricing, Apple’s overpriced image is due to Apple’s very poor job clarifying the Mac product lines. The term Pro is meaningless, even moreso on the display market where mathematicians, scientists, photographers, and video producers with high pro-level CPU demands seek substantially different display performance attributes. Apple hasn’t ever delivered a good set of standalone display options to the many different customers, a lost opportunity to be sure.
It should be simple to maintain a competitively priced consumer line of ~4K displays matching the iMacs as well as a proper Mac Pro display line with larger sizes and the latest tech (8K, 120 Hz HDR video). Today the latest tech for video pros is 8K resolution. The XDR display is for photographers. Same for Apple’s “Pro” laptops: M1 Max integrated video can only support 6K video at 60 Hz. More than consumer grade, but not pro video grade. Thus 7K resolution displays makes no sense. What would that accomplish, other than adjust for a notch that nobody wants on a display? It’s not current professional grade video, it’s way too much for consumer grade, and it exceeds the performance that the top selling Mac laptops can support.
Then again, given how inconsistent Apple’s Mac lineup has been (in offerings and value) since the TrashCan Pro Sans Pro Display, anything is possible. Knowing how Apple loves to polish pointless custom machined aluminum, the rumored Apple Studio Pro-ish Display could be priced like a proper Pro model and perform like a plastic entry level LG consumer display, designed to thrill fashionistas with lots of spare change and low performance demands. If that comes to pass, Apple will have confirmed they have totally lost sight of the value proposition that they used to offer. We may learn more tomorrow.
Apple corrects itself! FINALLY!
The Studio Display is 5K, appropriate for most professionals and prosumers who aren’t doing insane video.
Several bells and whistles differentiate it over inferior displays, at a relatively reasonable price. No-nonsense clean design with appropriate options for mounting. Looks like Apple has finally decided to take back some of the market it abandoned, while leaving the bargain basement display market to others.
A display like this should have been in the lineup for years!
If it is also miniLED, I’m prepared to pay XDR prices for a 7K Studio Display. It would be a nice bonus if it also supported 120Hz+ when downsampled to ~3.5K (so it could do double duty between the best ever workstation monitor and also a good gaming monitor).