Apple Has Reportedly Killed Off An Accessory Lots Of People Were Looking Forward To
Apple doesn't seem to be in any rush to launch new displays. There are ample choices on the market from the Cupertino company, including the Pro Display XDR and the Studio Display, but many were looking forward to a new 27-inch version of the latter that would use mini-LED backlighting and offer ProMotion variable refresh rate technology for a smoother viewing experience along with better vibrancy and color accuracy.
Sadly, we might have to wait even longer. Display industry analyst Ross Young reports (source only available to subscribers) that Apple has shelved plans to release the display. There's no discernible cause for the halt, though it was previously reported that Apple encountered issues during the research and development phase.
Young says Apple ordered some panel shipments last year, which lends credence to previous reports that the company was aiming for a late 2022 launch. But it continued to suffer delays, with a Q1 2023 release offered as the latest expectation. We've jogged briskly past that window with no new product in sight.
What's going on with Apple's displays?
Apple's original 32-inch, 6K Pro Display XDR seemingly raised questions about whether Apple's new standalone monitor craze was an experiment to see how much money it could siphon from its diehard customers' wallets. At a heart-stopping $4,999 for the display and another $999 for a tilt-adjustable stand, all but the most opulent creative workers swore it off. It was a beautiful display, mind, but for many in a field lush with suitable alternatives well under half the cost, the prospect of owning one was little more than wishful window shopping.
Then came the 5K Studio Display, which Apple launched in 2022 alongside the new Mac Studio. This 27-inch beauty was a much more reasonable $1,599 and offered useful features, including an integrated 12-megapixel camera, built-in microphones, powerful speakers, and a svelte 600-nit IPS panel. It also housed Apple silicone to handle some of the camera and voice-activated features built-in.
Between industry-standard framerates for creative tasks and content creeping toward 120 Hz, and macOS garnering more respect as a viable gaming platform, we'd hoped Apple would be more apt to introduce this long-awaited successor following the Studio Display's success. But problematic manufacturing coupled with a stifling economic climate has curbed retail spending in a way that not even its mobile arm hasn't been immune to, so Apple may have decided the revenue opportunity is not worth the investment. There's no clear answer to whether this dream display will ever see the light of day.