Apple’s Studio Display is basically a giant iPad

The Apple Studio Display is expensive for a consumer-level display, but it turns out that the Studio Display has a few secrets that make us wonder if Apple has more in store for it in the future.

Apple made it known that the Studio Display uses an A13 Bionic processor and has a 12MP Ultra Wide camera, but it also turns out that it’s running iOS 15.4, the latest version of the iPhone operating system. And on Twitter, KhaosT discovered that the display also has 64GB of onboard storage—that seems like a lot for a display, especially since the display is using only 2GB.

Essentially, the Studio Display is a giant ninth-gen iPad or iPhone 11, except it doesn’t do all the things those devices can do—most notably anything that requires multi-touch. So why all the fancy components? It could be a simple case of affordability and easy access for Apple—the parts are already on hand and they’re cheap for Apple to make. There’s no need to invest in engineering and manufacturing for new components. (It would’ve been nice to pass those savings along to the consumer, though.)

We can’t help but hope that Apple will do something to take advantage of those components, though. The Studio Display could make for a great Apple TV, or maybe it could be equipped with AirPlay or be used as an external AirPlay display for an iPhone. But according to Apple, the display doesn’t have any wireless components such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, which limits its possibilities as a standalone screen.