Apple’s Studio Display Hides Some Dirty Secrets

And it could very well become a deal-breaker…

In true Apple fashion, there simply cannot be a new product launch without conveniently forgotten details. The marketing is exemplary. The presentations flawless, and the new devices generally compelling. All this was true when it came to the new Studio Display as well. It genuinely got me excited. I’ve been a huge fan of the Thunderbolt monitor for years. This looked like a very much needed next version of that.

In some ways it is, but in some others it isn’t, and I can’t really say either of those scenarios are as good as one would hope. This of course only became apparent as the new devices started popping up on the Apple websites across the world. Here’s what Apple didn’t advertise, and for good reasons.

1. Stands are built in, and are not interchangeable. This makes the mounting of the three stand types: vesa, tilt and heigh-adjustable essentially unique, non-standard, and in every single way the anti-pattern you’d expect from a “studio” monitor. Forget the aspect of poor repairability that will draw out the pitchfork-bearing right to repair activists. This goes very much against what most actual studios will want — flexibility. One could argue that the old Thunderbolt screens didn’t even have the three options at purchase, but it’s…