Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Apple Studio Display

As a connoisseur of excellent displays - my main computer monitor is an Apple Pro Display XDR, and my TV is an LG OLED - what interests me most from yesterday’s Apple event is the new Apple Studio Display. They essentially took the panel from the 27-inch iMac, put it in an Apple-worthy aluminum enclosure, give it top-spec webcam, mic and speakers, then voila. For a princely sum of (starting at) $1599, there’s finally another external display option from Apple other than the aforementioned Pro Display XDR. That one commands a kingly sum of $4999.

Fan boys on the Mac forums are mad they’re not getting Pro Display XDR technology - namely full local LED dimming and HDR capabilities - at a smaller size for less than half the price. Of course, that was never going to happen. What we have with the Apple Studio Display is the LG UltraFine 5K monitor but in far nicer packaging. The LG still retails for $1299, so the Apple premium of $300 doesn’t seem absurd at all. I bet that aluminum enclosure is lovely to touch!

Would I have bought the Studio Display if it had been available at the time I bought the Pro Display XDR? Most likely. The price gulf between the two products is difficult to ignore (I could have bought two and still have money left over). Plus the Studio Display has speakers and a webcam, features that come in handy for a home office setup if you’re a minimalist like myself. Besides, I wasn’t yet spoiled by the wonderful black levels and high contrast of the Pro Display XDR.

But now that I am spoiled by the good stuff, there’s no coming down from the nicer of the two Apple displays. I can see why certain fan boys are frustrated: $4999 is a ton of money to spend on a monitor. Apple recycling a six-year-old display with none of the latest technologies like HDR or high refresh rate is probably not the progress we hope to see. However, just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s awful. I’ve had an 27-inch iMac, and that 5K display is still absolutely fine in 2022.

Not Pro Display XDR fine, but as ever, quality cost money. Suck it up, fan boys.

Deep blacks

First world problems: I am surrounded by top-notch quality displays that when I use one that isn’t so good, the contrast is annoying. My iPhone 13 Pro is OLED, my television is also OLED, and my monitor is the infamous Apple Pro Display XDR. It’s a feast for the eyes. The problem then lies with my poverty-spec basic iPad. The LCD panel on that tablet is fine in it of itself, but when used amongst these other displays, it’s leaves a bit wanting. Something about comparison being the thief of joy.

What I’m spoiled by are the deep blacks that OLED and Apple’s Display XDR technologies offer. The resulting picture quality is deep, clear, and vibrant. Sometimes I would turn on the TV just to watch whatever, because the image is so enjoyable to look at.

Watching Youtube videos - in the common 16:9 aspect ratio - on the iPad’s 4:3 ratio display reveals the flaw. The black bars above and below the video aren’t really precisely black. Because an LCD backlight is always on, the most black the bars can get is a very dark gray. Again, this wouldn’t be noticeable if everything else in the house is also LCD. But black bars on my phone, the TV, and the monitor can achieve absolute black, so every time I use the iPad I’m aghast at the difference. The LCD “glow” at the top and bottom is rather obvious.

Of course, there is an iPad that solves my first world dilemma. The iPad Pro in then biggest 12-inch size has the Display XDR technology, offering the same deep blacks as the monitor. If I were loaded with money (despite appearances, I’m not), I’d upgrade in a heartbeat. However I only use the iPad during dinner and for piano practice, so dropping a thousand dollars just because the display doesn’t look as good is not a justification.

My tax return is going towards renewing insurance on the BMW.

Really? Come on, man

It really grinds my gears to see guides like this: the best PS5 accessories for 2022! As if we are able to simply walk into any Best Buy and Target today and buy one these gaming consoles. A solid year since both the PlayStation 5 and the XBOX Series X have launched, and supplies are still heavily constrained. Unless your’e willing to pay extortion prices on eBay (I’m not), to snag a unit you practically have to keep an eye on supply drops everywhere. Miss them by minutes and stock will be gone again.

On a similar vein, yesterday Nvidia announced the latest top-tier gaming graphics card: the RTX 3090 Ti. Meanwhile, plebs like us still can’t buy a regular RTX 3080 for MSRP. Supplies are so low that practically every place that sells it is charging double. Why doesn’t Nvidia concentrate on making more 3080 cards instead of releasing yet another new card?

I understand why there is a shortage, but it doesn’t make it less frustrating.

However, I really don’t need a gaming console. I hardly have time to game in between my other hobbies and happenings. A PlayStation 5 would just sit and collect dust like my PlayStation 4 did. I currently don’t even have a television to plug a console into. My Pro Display XDR famously only have one input (thunderbolt 3) with no physical controls. A PS5 will work, but there’s no way to control screen brightness or turn on HDR. The $5,000 Apple display truly is the most niche of products. But I do love mine!

I honestly think my days of gaming are over, at least for the foreseeable future.

Pro Display blemish

A week ago just after Christmas, I noticed a tiny dark splotch at the bottom center of my Pro Display XDR. No matter what is being displayed, the screen blemish is constant. Probably a malfunctioning LED, one out of the 576 in the backlight array. I’ve had the monitor for about six weeks before I even caught this defect, likely one of those things where you don’t see it, but once you do, you can never unsee it.

I likely would have let it go if the display had cost $500. But since the Pro Display XDR famously starts at $5,000, the screen had better be as close to perfect as possible! The panel has a one year warranty, so off to the Apple store I went. Carrying a display worth that much from the mall parking lot to the store was rather stressful. The box indicated exactly what’s inside, ripe for enterprising robbers to have an easy payday.

My local Apple store did not even have the requisite power and data cables (nor the $1,000 Pro Stand to prop up the monitor) on hand to test at the Genius Bar. All they could do is check for exterior damage, then intake the display for further testing. I figured once the tech verify the splotch, Apple would simply ship an entire replacement unit. The Pro Display XDR doesn’t look to be a product that can be serviced readily. Take off the front glass to repair a single LED? No way.

A replacement display is exactly what Apple sent to the store some five days later. Quite a quick turnaround, given the globe chip shortage still ongoing. The staff there was curiously surprised Apple didn’t send parts instead, though I’m not sure I would want a display that’s been fettled with internally by a store-level tech. No offense: not for a $5,000 monitor.

After suffering another stressful journey from the Apple store to the parking lot, carrying an effectively brand-new Pro Display XDR, I’m happy to report the replacement screen is as clean as can be. Hopefully I won’t have to do this again.

All you plebs

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of staring at the gorgeous Apple Pro Display XDR. So much so that I’ve yet to take my new M1 Max MacBook Pro out of clamshell mode. I’m sure I’ll eventually use the portability of the notebook in the future, fingers crossed. But for now, a large external display on a desk is far better for the eyes and ergonomics. And there is none better for the Mac platform than the $5,000 Pro Display XDR. It is worth every single penny.

All you plebs whinging about how Apple should produce a cheaper display (and yet somehow keep the local-dimming LEDs and HDR capabilities) because the Pro Display XDR is vastly unaffordable (no arguments from me there) should simply save up some more. The Pro Display XDR is the one you really want. Stop kidding yourselves.

It’s interesting how quickly I got used to the 32-inch size of the Apple display, even though it’s the largest monitor I’ve ever had. The thin bezels really mask how large the display surface is. An equivalently-sized monitor from another manufacturer feels bigger. Apple design sure knows how to make things exquisite! I remember my first ever HD television back in the day: a Sony 32-inch 1080p Bravia. The bezels on that were two inches thick, and it made the TV look absolutely huge, even though the pane size is the same as this Pro Display XDR I’m staring at right now.

Heck, a 27-inch iMac feels bigger. Because of the inch-thick bezels. Thine eyes play tricks upon thee.

If I had to wish for another display from Apple, I would actually say a larger Pro Display XDR. The price for one of those would be hilarious. Moot point, however: I intend to keep this one for at least 10 years. That’s the only way I can justify spending $5,000 on a display: amortized it over a very long period. Says the guy who switches to a new iPhone every year, but that’s a different topic…

Waiting for aluminum

Now that I have a Pro Display XDR safely secured to my desk, I am really itching for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip to arrive. I still can’t believe that it is scheduled to take seven weeks from when I first ordered it to (October 23rd) to ship to my door. The global chip shortage is real. Even so, even knowing I’ve got about three weeks of wait to go, I can’t help but check the order status page once every few hours, hoping against hope that perhaps I might get the new MacBook Pro sooner.

There’s even a thread on Reddit where all of us waiting for our Apple laptops can commiserate together.

I count myself lucky that I was able to get an iPhone 13 Pro on launch weekend. Apparently the stock of those things, plus the new Apple Watch, are highly constrained as well.

The chip shortage seems to be getting worse, if you’re following the news. BMW announced that they are doing away with touchscreen on most of their lineup until further notice, save the expensive models with an ‘M’ badge. As an owner of a BMW M2 Competition with a touchscreen, I can say it would be no big deal to me if I were confined to only using the physical controls. I hardly touch the screen anyways, because I hate leaving fingerprints on it.

That’s a bit idiosyncratic to me for sure. If I had a BMW on order and now suddenly the dealer is telling me there will be no touchscreen function, I would be annoyed. Getting $500 back in return doesn’t really help the situation when there is an absolute shortage of new cars, and I’m probably paying MSRP (or above) for the BMW in the first place!

I’m so glad I’m not in the market for a new car right now.

Especially for a GM vehicle. Similar to BMW, they’ve announced they are also cutting features from their lineup due to the chip shortage. Instead of touchscreen, GM is doing away with heated seats. This move is baffling to me because heated seats is a feature that is universally loved, and we are heading into the winter season. On cold mornings I really appreciate the heated seats and heated steering wheel of my M2. I would hate to lose those functions just because the world has ran out of silicon chips.

I would bet a not insignificant amount of potential GM car buyers will look elsewhere. Losing touchscreen function is either here nor there; losing heated seats? That’s a deal-breaker in my opinion.

Pro Display XDR

Bottom line: the Apple Pro Display XDR is absolutely amazing, and worth the super hefty $5,000 entry cost.

In my search for an external monitor that led to the disappointing Dell UP3221Q monitor - one of the company’s very highest end displays - I was stuck with the realization that the best displays for Macs are the ones that are “sanctioned” by Apple. ‘It just works’ only applies to those monitors; everything else third-party have compromises few and many.

Unfortunately, as of current writing, there are only three monitors that Apple officially sells at their store: two LG UltraFine displays at 24 and 27 inch sizes, and the aforementioned Pro Display XDR. That is it, those are the only options. You either pay through the nose for the XDR, or pay reasonable amounts for the two LG monitors that’s been out since the mid 2010s.

Nothing against the LG Ultrafine: as a former 27-inch iMac owner, the LG 5K display has the same exact panel as the iMac. You absolutely cannot find this high quality and pixel density anywhere else. The problem is one of vanity: I find the LG to be incredibly ugly, with an industrial design that’s nowhere near the aluminum and glass enclosures of Apple-made products. We had a unit in at work, and the whole thing looks and feel of cheap plastic.

If Apple had taken that 27-inch display and encased it in an enclosure similar to that of the Pro Display XDR, I probably would have bought that instead, and pocketed the significant extra change. But Apple doesn’t, so here am I staring at the glorious 6K resolution of the XDR as I type these words.

I did not pay the extra thousand dollars for the Pro Stand. Instead I paid the (still expensive) $200 dollars for the VESA mount adapter, and about $190 for an Ergotron LX monitor arm.

The Pro Display XDR is the epitome of ‘you get what you pay for’. I would say to anyone that’s also looking for a display for their Mac laptops to look no further: this is the one you want. Delay the purchase and save up a bit more if you have to. A monitor is something we stare at for hours every single day; wouldn’t you want to invest and get the ultimate? The XDR’s quality and clarity is simply unmatched. Its aluminum casing is a work of art. It’s as good to look at from the back as it is from the front, a centerpiece in any home office.

It is a delight every morning when I press a button on the keyboard and the Pro Display XDR wakes from sleep immediately. A stark contrast to my experience with the Dell UP3221Q.

As with most things in life, save a bit more and get the thing you really want. The Pro Display XDR’s prohibitive price tag steered me towards a lesser option that constantly reminded me of its shortcomings. That’s not something I want to live with for the next 10 years. I’m happy I was able to return the Dell and get the display I wanted all along.