Following widespread issues with the quality of the webcam, Apple’s pricey Studio Display is now experiencing problems with its vaunted audio system—and Apple is once again refusing to replace affected models and promising a fix through a future software update.
The issue, which has been widely documented, affects audio coming from the display when connected to a Mac. Users have reported sound that’s choppy and cuts out. According to a service memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple has acknowledged that the problem is related to software and suggests that a future iOS update will address the issue (the Studio Display runs a version of iOS).
On its website, Apple touts the Studio Display’s audio system as one of its best features, writing, “Four force-cancelling woofers produce bold, articulate bass and minimize distortion. And two high-performance tweeters deliver accurate mids and crisp highs. Altogether, this is the highest‑fidelity speaker system ever created for Mac.”
As for now, Apple recommends that affected users unplug the Studio Display from power, unplug anything connected to it, wait 10 seconds, and then reconnect the display to power and peripherals. Most users have reported success with this workaround, though the issue inevitably reoccurs.
Apple’s Studio Display has been beset with issues since its launch in March. Apple issued a software update in May to address issues affecting the webcam, but some users didn’t see much of a difference. Previously Apple accidentally pulled an iOS update that caused some users to get error messages when updating their Studio Display.
Apple hasn’t pushed out any iOS 15 beta updates since iOS 15.6 landed last month, so it’s likely that the issue won’t be addressed in either an emergency release or iOS 16 in September.