Mac Studio and Studio Display Turn Three Today

Apple announced the Mac Studio and Studio Display three years ago today.

apple studio display
The ‌Mac Studio‌ and Studio Display were unveiled as the final major announcements of Apple's "Peek Performance" event. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced them as a completely new Mac product category and a powerful new display designed for creative professionals.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ is positioned between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. The first model featured the M1 Max or the newly introduced M1 Ultra chip, offering the best performance of any Mac at the time. The base ‌M1 Max‌ model started at $1,999, while the ‌M1 Ultra‌ variant began at $3,999. Fully configured, the ‌M1 Ultra‌ model could exceed $8,000. Many saw the ‌Mac Studio‌ and Studio Display as the spiritual successor to the 27-inch iMac, which was discontinued on the same day as the ‌Mac Studio‌'s launch.

In June 2023, during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple announced M2 Max and ‌M2‌ Ultra chip options for the ‌Mac Studio‌. Enhancements included support for up to six 6K monitors and improved connectivity options, such as Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E.

Earlier this week, Apple introduced the latest iteration of the ‌Mac Studio‌, now featuring the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. The M4 Max offers a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, starting with 36GB of RAM, while the M3 Ultra boasts a 32-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU, with configurations supporting up to 512GB of RAM. Both models include Thunderbolt 5 ports.

The Studio Display marked Apple's reentry into the consumer display market after more than a decade of absence. Prior to its release, Apple only offered one high-end professional monitor in the form of 2019's Pro Display XDR, which was aimed at a niche audience with a price tag of $4,999, without a stand. The Studio Display introduced a more accessible option for the wider range of users looking for a high-quality, premium external monitor that works well with Apple devices.

Rumors suggest that Apple is developing a new Studio Display model with mini-LED backlighting, expected to be released later in 2025 or early 2026.

Related Roundup: Mac Studio
Buyer's Guide: Mac Studio (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Mac Studio

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

iPhones Could Cost Up to $2,300 in the U.S. Due to Tariffs, Analyst Says

Friday April 4, 2025 9:30 am PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that steep tariffs will be applied to imports from many countries, starting April 9. The tariffs could have a significant impact on Apple, as the company assembles the majority of iPhones in China, and products imported to the U.S. from China will be subject to a 54% tariff. iPhone prices could increase by up to 43% in the U.S. due to the...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Is Now the Time to Upgrade Apple Devices Before Tariffs Lead to Price Increases?

Friday April 4, 2025 3:41 pm PDT by
If you have an older Apple device that you've been considering upgrading, you're probably wondering how the newly announced tariffs might impact prices going forward, and whether it's worth buying now before there's a price hike. Given analyst and economist responses to the tariffs, market panic, and Trump's stance on the current financial chaos, the answer is that making a purchase...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro: New 48MP Telephoto Lens May Change How Zoom Works

Thursday April 3, 2025 5:11 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly planning a major upgrade to the Telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, and while it may seem like a step back on paper, the change could actually improve real-world usability, if one leaker's claims are anything to go by. According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new Telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor, up from the current 12MP sensor found in the iPhone 16...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Tuesday April 1, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Apple has released iOS 18.4, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new things your ‌iPhone‌ ...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...

Top Rated Comments

Velin Avatar
4 weeks ago
The display is old, and badly in need of a significant price cut.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cupcakes2000 Avatar
4 weeks ago

Put an SD card slot on the front of a Mac mini and the Mac Studio is redundant for most people.

Apple Silicon has greatly increased the power and reduced the size of computers. It really should be very niche now to splurge on the larger unit.
An sd card added to the front of a Mac mini is absolutely not a deciding factor for ‘most’ people. The price and the size verses the potential power and spec increases are.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
enricoclaudio Avatar
4 weeks ago
I got my pair of Studio Displays at release, same for my Mac Studio M1 Max. Best Mac setup I have ever owned. I would be updating the Mac Studio to M4 Max sometime this year, but my Studio Displays will stay even if there is an updated version coming.




Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaUser Avatar
4 weeks ago
mac studio was updated this week, next is Studio Display
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
badgerbadgerx2 Avatar
4 weeks ago

Put an SD card slot on the front of a Mac mini and the Mac Studio is redundant for most people.

Apple Silicon has greatly increased the power and reduced the size of computers. It really should be very niche now to splurge on the larger unit.
in 35 years of mac use, as a graphic designer, ive used a SD card slot maybe 10 times. And a fast card reader is cheap.

But dual screens... since my 8100... now 3 screens since my 2015 iMac. Something the mini couldnt do until the PRO, so a studio was it. =)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ilikewhey Avatar
4 weeks ago
ASD is such a hard pass when even oled 32inch is cheaper
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)