Apple Studio Display

With some careful modding, you can use an iMac as a display — and save more than $1,300 to get a high-end monitor similar to Apple’s pricey Studio Display.

Apple’s Studio Display is one of only a small handful of 27-inch Retina 5K displays on the market, boasting a resolution of 5,120 × 2880. Unfortunately, it costs quite a handful — $1,599. If you have an old iMac 5K sitting around, you already have a computer with the exact same display panel inside. So if you are willing to spend about $190 in parts and can convert it to a Studio Display, you can save a big chunk of change.

Here’s how you can mod it yourself — but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Apple’s 5K Pro Display XDR is too expensive for regular users. The Studio Display is the perfect monitor for most Apple users, packing a big 27-inch 5K panel.

At $1,600, the monitor is too expensive for what it offers, especially since it is a few years old now. However, a deal on Amazon drops the Studio Display to a lifetime low price of $1,300, making it much more affordable.

Apple’s next-gen Studio Display might not ship with a 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED panel as initially rumored. It’s reportedly still in development though, and the monitor could debut in 2024 or early 2025 with all the features of a “high-end monitor.”

Apple’s current 27-inch display features a 5K 60Hz panel. With its next upgrade, it could switch to a mini-LED backplane for thinner bezels.

The Twelve South BackPack for Apple Studio Display and iMac adds storage space to the rear of the monitor. The snap-on shelf can be used to declutter a desk or to add a bit of decor to an office.

There was already a version of the accessory specifically for iMacs.

If you have been eyeing Apple’s Studio Display for a while but choking on the $1,599 price, Amazon has currently discounted it by an amazing $300.

Post the discount, you can get the Studio Display for $1,299, saving 19% from the regular cost.

The Mac is hardly ever the focus of events like CES. But at this year’s massive tech conference in Las Vegas, two promising displays were announced by Samsung and Dell.

Any new Retina display options for the Mac are a welcome treat. Let’s see how these new monitors stack up.

Seven months after its launch, Apple has started selling refurbished Studio Display units through its Certified Refurbished Store in the U.S. The company announced the standalone monitor in March this year.

Apple’s Refurbished Store provides a great way to save money on Apple products. Prices for refurbished units are usually around 10-15 percent lower than MSRP.

An enhanced version of the Apple Studio Display won’t launch until the first part of 2023, according to a very reliable source of insider info. It supposedly will have much in common with Apple’s current version, but with a mini-LED screen in place of the standard LCD.

This is the third time unconfirmed reports have indicated the product release has been pushed back.

A firmware update released Thursday fixes an audio problem that has afflicted the Apple Studio Display. Users of the pricey monitors have been complaining of choppy playback, audio that cuts out unexpectedly and playback speed issues.

Previously, Apple’s only solution to the problem was a variation on “turn it off and then back on again.”

Anyone wanting a new Apple Studio Display needs to be patient. Order the high-end display now and you could be waiting until August for it. The accessory has apparently run into COVID-related production problems in China.

Unfortunately, there are several other Apple devices with very long wait times.

An enhanced version of the Apple Studio Display will reach customers this fall, according to a very reliable source of insider into. This version of the monitor will feature a mini-LED screen, making it look better than the current model that has a standard LCD.

Previously, the display was thought to be coming this summer.

An intrepid Apple expert set out to convert an iMac on its last legs into a useful external monitor with the same general design and functionality as a new Studio Display. The inspiration comes from Apple’s recently released monitor using a 27-inch 5K LCD, as do all the iMacs made for many years.

Watch a video of this DYI project to see if this is something you’d like to do with that old iMac you have gathering dust.

Apple built a fix for the webcam quality issues on its new Studio Display into macOS 12.4, which is in beta testing. This will fulfill Apple’s promise to improve the look of video conferencing done with the camera.

Early tests with the pre-release software show definite improvements.

We have been blessed to live in interesting times. For the first time since 2010, we have not just one, but two external monitors from Apple.

How does Apple’s latest offering — the Studio Display, introduced during Tuesday’s “Peek Performance” event — stack up against the high-end Pro Display XDR, the outgoing LG UltraFine 5K and the displays of other Macs?

Let’s dive in.