Andrew Cunningham
Apple’s Studio Display received many points in reviews, including price and IPS panel technology. But the most consistent criticism has centered on the built-in webcam, which lags far behind most standalone desktop webcams — and even the front-facing cameras that come with iPhones and iPads.
Apple said in March it would release a firmware update to address at least some of the issues, and that update is currently available in beta form starting today.
“This beta update has refinements to the Studio Display camera tuning, including improved noise reduction, contrast and framing,” an Apple spokesperson told Ars.
To download the Studio Display firmware update, you must first download and install the macOS Monterey 12.4 beta, which was also released today. That update is currently only available to developers, but a version for the general public should be available in a day or so. Once installed, the Studio Display 15.5 firmware beta will be downloaded and installed separately. The Studio Display packs an Apple 13 chip along with 64GB of internal storage – it’s essentially an iPad in the housing of a monitor – so the iOS-based firmware updates are downloaded and installed separately rather than as part of a macOS. -update.
It is unknown when the final version of macOS 12.4 or the Studio Display firmware update will be released. But we expect them both to come out sometime between now and the time Apple unveils its next major OS updates at its Worldwide Developers Conference in early June.
