WEBVTT 00:00:02.290 --> 00:00:06.730 The Apple Studio Display brings out lots of emotions 00:00:06.730 --> 00:00:07.670 for people. 00:00:07.670 --> 00:00:10.250 It's either the screen we've all been waiting for 00:00:10.250 --> 00:00:12.990 or the biggest disappointment in technology 00:00:12.990 --> 00:00:14.270 in the past decade. 00:00:14.270 --> 00:00:16.730 The Studio Display, the Apple Studio Display. 00:00:16.730 --> 00:00:19.010 Biggest disappointment of the last 10 years. 00:00:19.010 --> 00:00:20.130 Yeah. 00:00:20.130 --> 00:00:22.610 But like many devices we've seen come from Apple 00:00:22.610 --> 00:00:23.830 over the past many years, 00:00:23.830 --> 00:00:26.290 the story is a little deeper and more annoying 00:00:26.290 --> 00:00:28.770 because those buggers in the glass circle 00:00:28.770 --> 00:00:30.670 are masters of getting you to pay more 00:00:30.670 --> 00:00:32.470 than you otherwise would want to. 00:00:32.470 --> 00:00:33.970 And damn it, you're gonna like it 00:00:33.970 --> 00:00:36.730 because it's the best monitor there is. 00:00:36.730 --> 00:00:37.610 Right. 00:00:37.610 --> 00:00:40.890 So the expectation is that this monitor is perfect, 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:42.410 but it's not. 00:00:42.410 --> 00:00:43.790 And that's the tension. 00:00:43.790 --> 00:00:46.650 So I'm gonna show you my nitpicks about the Studio Display 00:00:46.650 --> 00:00:51.260 and a very suitable alternative not from Apple. 00:00:51.260 --> 00:00:53.020 It's like the cable's already attached. 00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:53.860 Oh, right. 00:00:53.860 --> 00:01:10.440 And then there's that. 00:01:10.440 --> 00:01:14.500 Allow me to at least briefly explain why everyone is so mad. 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:15.920 Apple has a pretty long 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.260 and storied history of making very nice, 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:20.920 quite expensive monitors for their desktops. 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.540 There's the portrait Macintosh display from the late 80s, 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:26.960 and then the larger than you ever thought possible 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:29.520 Apple Cinema displays through the aughts, 00:01:29.520 --> 00:01:32.760 all the way to the Pro Display XDR. 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:36.720 32 inches, 6K resolution, mini LED contrast ratio, 00:01:36.720 --> 00:01:38.040 HDR brightness. 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:42.260 It's five plus thousand dollar price tag was defensible, 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:43.780 but still quite dear. 00:01:43.780 --> 00:01:45.860 Everyone else who wanted an Apple display, 00:01:45.860 --> 00:01:48.920 had to either get the 5K display built into the iMac 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:51.020 or settle at the Apple store checkout 00:01:51.020 --> 00:01:55.100 for a $1,300 LG 5K ultra-fine display. 00:01:55.100 --> 00:01:57.520 And the display shaped hole in the Apple lineup 00:01:57.520 --> 00:01:59.900 felt like a major oversight. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.460 I already lamented about this last fall 00:02:02.460 --> 00:02:05.260 when I pitched some admittedly strange alternatives, 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:06.960 which I will still defend, 00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:08.660 but don't worry because Apple 00:02:08.660 --> 00:02:10.840 have finally given us their answer. 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:14.660 The $1,600 Apple Studio Display. 00:02:14.660 --> 00:02:15.760 On paper, it's what Apple has to offer. 00:02:15.760 --> 00:02:17.260 It's what I've been asking for. 00:02:17.260 --> 00:02:21.140 A new Thunderbolt display with the lauded 5K resolution 00:02:21.140 --> 00:02:24.080 in a well-built, attractive enclosure. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:25.880 It's certainly much more attractive 00:02:25.880 --> 00:02:28.220 than the old LG 5K ultra-fine display, 00:02:28.220 --> 00:02:30.500 which LG still sells though, 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:32.580 no longer through the Apple store. 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:36.220 Despite the new Studio Display being an all new product 00:02:36.220 --> 00:02:39.020 from Apple, it essentially uses the same LG panel 00:02:39.020 --> 00:02:41.460 that is found in the ultra-fine and the iMac. 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:44.140 Though in here, it's about 100 nits brighter. 00:02:44.140 --> 00:02:44.820 That paired with the ultra-fine display, 00:02:44.820 --> 00:02:47.280 and paired with the anti-reflective coating 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:49.280 that Apple puts on their glossy screens, 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.820 means that you can place it opposite a window 00:02:51.820 --> 00:02:53.220 and never notice. 00:02:53.220 --> 00:02:56.880 It also means that nanotexture is really not worth it 00:02:56.880 --> 00:02:59.800 unless you absolutely know you need it. 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:03.440 The 200 plus pixels per inch look nice, crisp, 00:03:03.440 --> 00:03:06.880 and is perfect for macOS, but accuracy, 00:03:07.980 --> 00:03:09.820 I still have to figure that out in another video, 00:03:09.820 --> 00:03:11.360 so subscribe if you wanna find out 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:13.440 how to calibrate an Apple monitor. 00:03:13.440 --> 00:03:14.520 Even if it turns out to be 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:18.140 Perfectly accurate, that should be a given at this price 00:03:18.140 --> 00:03:19.860 and not really enough to justify 00:03:19.860 --> 00:03:22.320 the $300 price increase alone. 00:03:22.320 --> 00:03:28.500 So what else is there? 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:30.740 The new studio display has all the latest technologies 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:33.680 fitted within a very thin package. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:36.280 There are the best speakers you'll ever hear 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:37.500 built into a monitor. 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:39.580 They're good enough that I don't think you'll need 00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:41.260 to buy another pair. 00:03:41.260 --> 00:03:43.300 Next, the webcam gets center stage, 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:45.640 which is probably the best place for it. 00:03:45.640 --> 00:03:47.540 This is the webcam and microphone 00:03:47.540 --> 00:03:49.100 of the Apple Studio display. 00:03:49.100 --> 00:03:52.200 There is lots of commotion going on behind me, 00:03:52.200 --> 00:03:55.800 as you can see, and the center stage camera is pretty nifty. 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:57.580 When I tested it in a Zoom call, 00:03:57.580 --> 00:04:00.180 I found that it works as good or better 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:02.520 than any of the other webcams I tried, 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:04.920 and that's with harsh window light. 00:04:04.920 --> 00:04:07.800 Others have not found the webcams as compelling 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.640 and their screenshots do show some stark differences. 00:04:10.640 --> 00:04:12.780 There's room for improvement for sure, 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:14.840 but after some Zoom compression, 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:15.600 it's not really that bad. 00:04:15.600 --> 00:04:18.900 Same goes for the microphone. 00:04:18.900 --> 00:04:21.320 All of these fancy new features are enabled 00:04:21.320 --> 00:04:24.720 by an A13 powered logic board running iOS. 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:26.180 And if that goes wrong, 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:29.480 you can only reboot the monitor by pulling the power cord 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:33.240 as there's no off button. 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:35.620 And that's my thing about this monitor. 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:38.200 Apple might think they put lots of thought into the features, 00:04:38.200 --> 00:04:40.380 but when you start zooming in on the design details, 00:04:40.380 --> 00:04:43.360 you'll find that they've received little attention. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:46.100 It's not actually all that innovative where it matters. 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:51.020 The fact they were able to fit the power supply they did 00:04:51.020 --> 00:04:53.680 behind this panel is mighty impressive. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:55.880 It's nice too, as you don't have to deal 00:04:55.880 --> 00:04:58.040 with the giant power brick dangling somewhere. 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:00.280 But that convenience is compromised by the fact 00:05:00.280 --> 00:05:03.880 that Apple attached a knot for you to remove cable 00:05:03.880 --> 00:05:05.580 to power the display. 00:05:05.580 --> 00:05:07.720 This was a problem they already fixed 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:09.180 with the LED cinema display, 00:05:09.180 --> 00:05:14.210 but somehow we've regressed back to this hassle. 00:05:14.210 --> 00:05:15.350 Here's a free idea. 00:05:15.350 --> 00:05:17.910 What about powering the monitor through Thunderbolt 00:05:17.910 --> 00:05:19.450 from the Mac Studio? 00:05:19.450 --> 00:05:21.970 The USB-C standard supports enough 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:23.850 to power a display like this. 00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:26.290 So could you imagine a single port solution 00:05:26.290 --> 00:05:28.710 like the old ADC connector? 00:05:28.710 --> 00:05:30.210 And then for laptop users, 00:05:30.210 --> 00:05:31.690 Apple could flip the script, 00:05:31.690 --> 00:05:34.150 offering an external power supply with Ethernet 00:05:34.150 --> 00:05:35.090 like the iMac, 00:05:35.090 --> 00:05:39.150 and then make the studio display the perfect hub. 00:05:39.150 --> 00:05:40.150 Speaking of hubs, 00:05:40.150 --> 00:05:42.710 while the USB hub on the back of the display 00:05:42.710 --> 00:05:45.130 now supports up to 10 gig speeds, 00:05:45.130 --> 00:05:49.130 the Thunderbolt input is in completely the wrong spot. 00:05:49.450 --> 00:05:51.990 Is it over here? 00:05:51.990 --> 00:05:53.370 With the downstream ports, 00:05:53.370 --> 00:05:56.830 it should be tucked in behind the stand with the power cord. 00:05:56.830 --> 00:06:02.180 Everything going into the monitor should go through here. 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:06.370 Look how much better this immediately looks. 00:06:06.370 --> 00:06:09.450 The included Thunderbolt cable is also annoyingly short. 00:06:09.450 --> 00:06:11.630 That means you can't really put the Mac Studio 00:06:11.630 --> 00:06:14.790 or a MacBook on the left side of your screen. 00:06:14.790 --> 00:06:16.030 And if you have two screens, 00:06:16.030 --> 00:06:18.250 you're gonna have to put the computer 00:06:18.250 --> 00:06:19.430 in the center between them. 00:06:19.430 --> 00:06:21.110 And if you want three screens, 00:06:21.110 --> 00:06:22.590 you're gonna need to buy a longer cable, 00:06:22.590 --> 00:06:28.290 which Apple will sell to you for $130. 00:06:28.290 --> 00:06:31.760 Then there's the whole stand situation. 00:06:31.760 --> 00:06:34.340 Apple's hardware designers moved the mounting point 00:06:34.340 --> 00:06:36.260 for their modern monitor stands 00:06:36.260 --> 00:06:40.340 from here in the center down to here on the new iMac, 00:06:40.340 --> 00:06:42.400 and now this. 00:06:42.400 --> 00:06:46.240 The benefit is a smaller footprint on your desk. 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:48.580 That's great if you're using a yellow iMac at home, 00:06:48.580 --> 00:06:51.420 but it's not great if you need more flexibility. 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:52.120 But it's not great if you need more flexibility. 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:54.880 The standard stand is a little low 00:06:54.880 --> 00:06:56.940 for a tall person like me. 00:06:56.940 --> 00:07:00.100 So Apple offers a height adjustable stand option, 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:02.300 which uses the same nifty hinge design 00:07:02.300 --> 00:07:05.400 as found in the $1,000 Pro display stand. 00:07:05.400 --> 00:07:08.600 And on here, it's $400, 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:10.300 which is a little dear when you note 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:12.800 that the stand doesn't support rotation. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:16.560 Even more annoying is that thanks to all that A13 power 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:20.280 on board, the monitor does in fact support auto rotation, 00:07:20.280 --> 00:07:21.280 which is awesome. 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:26.470 But for that, you have to opt for the VESA mount. 00:07:26.470 --> 00:07:29.130 Generally, I wish that VESA mounts and arms 00:07:29.130 --> 00:07:30.810 would look better from behind. 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:33.650 Here though, Apple isn't really helping things. 00:07:33.650 --> 00:07:35.650 Again, because of the mount placement, 00:07:35.650 --> 00:07:38.030 Apple had to create this stretched H pattern 00:07:38.030 --> 00:07:40.430 to move the mount point to the center. 00:07:40.430 --> 00:07:43.590 But that means now the Apple logo gets blocked. 00:07:43.590 --> 00:07:45.410 A charitable way of putting it is that 00:07:45.410 --> 00:07:47.250 it's peeking above the plate. 00:07:47.250 --> 00:07:48.740 How cute. 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:49.580 Oh, right. 00:07:49.580 --> 00:07:52.040 And I almost forgot the worst part. 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:53.560 You have to choose what style of monitor you want, 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.000 what stand you want at the time of purchase. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.700 Because unlike previous Apple displays, 00:07:57.700 --> 00:08:00.760 this one has a non-user removable stand. 00:08:00.760 --> 00:08:03.320 Rumors exist that you can take the monitor 00:08:03.320 --> 00:08:05.420 to the Apple store and have them swap the stand, 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:09.940 but I called and at the time of writing, you can't. 00:08:09.940 --> 00:08:13.540 Look, all I'm doing is holding the studio display 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:16.720 up to the precedence set by its predecessors. 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:18.900 Those had great cable management. 00:08:18.900 --> 00:08:21.720 Those had a user-friendly way to swap the stand 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:22.700 for a VESA mount. 00:08:22.700 --> 00:08:24.300 So considering that the price 00:08:24.300 --> 00:08:29.300 has gone up well then so would the expectation and scrutiny. 00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:32.500 If this 5K monitor came out in black 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:36.440 with the cylindrical Mac Pro in 2013 for $1,600, 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:39.180 our collective heads would have exploded with glee. 00:08:39.180 --> 00:08:41.580 But unfortunately, the technology to transmit 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:44.260 this amount of pixels didn't exist yet. 00:08:44.260 --> 00:08:47.840 If in 2016, this monitor had come out in space gray 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.160 alongside the Touch Bar MacBook Pro 00:08:50.160 --> 00:08:53.760 instead of the LG Ultra Fine at $1,600, 00:08:53.760 --> 00:08:56.880 we would have all loved and praised it. 00:08:56.880 --> 00:09:00.080 But it's 2022 and we've already had five years 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:03.520 of a $1,300 LG Ultra Fine display 00:09:03.520 --> 00:09:07.660 and six plus years of the $1,800 5K iMac. 00:09:07.660 --> 00:09:10.140 This is old display technology 00:09:10.140 --> 00:09:12.780 and some fancier speakers and center stage camera 00:09:12.780 --> 00:09:14.500 isn't going to make up for that 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:18.140 or the poorly placed mounting point and Thunderbolt input. 00:09:18.140 --> 00:09:21.820 So what have other monitor makers been doing in the meantime? 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:23.660 Well, I'll show you one of my favorites, 00:09:23.660 --> 00:09:27.700 after a word from this video's sponsor, Squarespace. 00:09:27.700 --> 00:09:30.260 These days, if you're running a business, you need a website. 00:09:30.260 --> 00:09:34.340 And by the way, I hate making websites, CSS, HTML, ugh. 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:36.580 So Squarespace's all-in-one platform 00:09:36.580 --> 00:09:38.920 for building your business's online presence 00:09:38.920 --> 00:09:40.140 is quite appealing. 00:09:40.140 --> 00:09:42.460 You can monetize member areas, 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:45.100 market with email campaigns and SEO tools, 00:09:45.100 --> 00:09:47.360 and track insights and analytics. 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:48.780 Squarespace is so good, 00:09:48.780 --> 00:09:51.800 we use it here at Linus Media Group for our webpages. 00:09:51.800 --> 00:09:54.480 So head to squarespace.com slash macaddress 00:09:54.480 --> 00:10:00.210 and get 10% off today. 00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:05.340 My favorite monitor available at the moment is this, 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:06.920 the Huawei MateView. 00:10:06.920 --> 00:10:11.140 This is a screen that is unlike any other screen you can buy. 00:10:11.140 --> 00:10:13.640 It has a three by two aspect ratio. 00:10:13.640 --> 00:10:16.380 It has truly next level industrial design 00:10:16.380 --> 00:10:18.300 that's just as height adjustable 00:10:18.300 --> 00:10:21.200 as the expensive stand option from Apple, 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:23.480 while being just as attractive. 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.500 Many people here actually mistook it. 00:10:25.500 --> 00:10:28.280 For the Apple Studio Display. 00:10:28.280 --> 00:10:30.060 It's more color accurate 00:10:30.060 --> 00:10:32.400 and almost as bright as the Studio Display 00:10:32.400 --> 00:10:35.460 while costing less than half the price. 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:37.000 As far as value is concerned, 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:40.180 this is a truly great monitor. 00:10:40.180 --> 00:10:42.620 But there are flaws here too. 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:46.020 Unlike Apple, Huawei put no effort in the garnish. 00:10:46.020 --> 00:10:50.740 The speaker sounds like it came from a 2005 laptop. 00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:52.320 The built-in microphone is awful too, 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:54.600 though there's no webcam anyway. 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:55.600 The matte display, 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:58.220 they finish shows way more glare 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:00.600 than Apple's glossy screens. 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:02.140 But perhaps the biggest flaw 00:11:02.140 --> 00:11:05.160 is the placement of the USB-C input. 00:11:05.160 --> 00:11:11.410 It's right here on the side of the stand. 00:11:11.410 --> 00:11:12.590 Why? 00:11:12.590 --> 00:11:14.290 That means it's always visible 00:11:14.290 --> 00:11:16.310 contributing to the cable clutter. 00:11:16.310 --> 00:11:20.210 And if you wanna be able to use these built-in USB-A ports, 00:11:20.210 --> 00:11:21.430 which is handy, 00:11:21.430 --> 00:11:24.910 you have to use this plug. 00:11:24.910 --> 00:11:28.330 Oh, and the last issue is that for geopolitical reasons, 00:11:28.330 --> 00:11:31.370 it's not available in the US. 00:11:31.370 --> 00:11:41.200 My fellow Canadians, it's about $900 here, which is sweet. 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:44.580 Apple's external displays have always been quite expensive, 00:11:44.580 --> 00:11:48.400 but we accepted that for cohesive industrial design, 00:11:48.400 --> 00:11:51.520 great build quality, and advanced technology. 00:11:51.520 --> 00:11:54.420 But as the display technology got older, 00:11:54.420 --> 00:11:56.980 the prices at least became more manageable. 00:11:56.980 --> 00:12:01.040 The glorious 30-inch cinema display launched at $3,500, 00:12:01.040 --> 00:12:02.820 but was only $1,700 when it was discontinued. 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:04.640 This continued six years later. 00:12:04.640 --> 00:12:07.780 The last Thunderbolt display, which was great, by the way, 00:12:07.780 --> 00:12:10.280 was priced at $1,000. 00:12:10.280 --> 00:12:13.360 I think the Apple Studio display costs too much. 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.340 It should be 1,300 tops, 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:18.800 especially when you consider that before, 00:12:18.800 --> 00:12:23.120 you could get an iMac with this panel for $1,800, 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:26.040 with a whole computer for only $200 more 00:12:26.040 --> 00:12:28.190 than this monitor costs. 00:12:28.190 --> 00:12:31.350 Apple's hardware engineering has been on a righteous roll 00:12:31.350 --> 00:12:32.970 these past few years, amazing us, 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:36.250 with fast, efficient chips we never thought possible. 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:37.970 This has been great for their computers, 00:12:37.970 --> 00:12:40.090 but what's happened with the Studio display 00:12:40.090 --> 00:12:44.310 is that that philosophy has been applied here too, 00:12:44.310 --> 00:12:46.430 at the detriment to everything else. 00:12:46.430 --> 00:12:48.670 This is an electrically engineered product 00:12:48.670 --> 00:12:51.210 as opposed to a holistically designed product, 00:12:51.210 --> 00:12:54.630 and that really is too bad. 00:12:54.630 --> 00:12:57.050 Thanks for displaying this Mac Address. 00:12:57.050 --> 00:12:59.910 If you like my alternative pick for the Studio display, 00:12:59.910 --> 00:13:01.110 give this video a like, 00:13:01.110 --> 00:13:02.970 and if you just wanna get a Studio display, 00:13:02.970 --> 00:13:05.090 display yourself, well, you might as well subscribe. 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:06.330 Now, I'm curious, in the comments, 00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:08.050 how important are displays to you? 00:13:08.050 --> 00:13:10.950 I think they are a monument of computing on your desk, 00:13:10.950 --> 00:13:13.130 so they should look and be nice. 00:13:13.130 --> 00:13:13.970 Do you agree?