Employees of Apple Stores or authorized service providers can change which default is attached to the Studio Display, according to a report of MacRumors, which cites internal Apple documents. This despite a warning on Apple’s “Buy Apple Studio Display” pagestating that you must choose a stand at the time of purchase as they are “built-in” and “non-interchangeable”.
Apple offers three different default options for the Studio Display. You can get the kickstand stand with tilt adjustments or the VESA adapter to attach the monitor to third-party arms without paying anything extra. If you want a height-adjustable stand from Apple, it’s a $400 upgrade. Apple says you should decide when you buy the monitor, although the MacRumors report means you can pay later to change booths if you change your mind or get a different desk setup.
Apple did not respond to The edge‘s request for comment on whether these reports are accurate.
Differences between what Apple says and reality seem to be a frustrating trend with the Studio Display. apples “Important processing information for Apple Studio Display” page says monitor power cable cannot be removed yet The edge Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel, along with YouTuber Linus Tech Tips† have already proven that the cable can indeed be removed. (Although in my opinion that shouldn’t distract from the fact that making a monitor with a power cable that would have to be secured in place is really tedious.)
roadside colleague Umar Shakir points out that, at least outwardly, the hinge looks much the same as that of Apple’s Cinema HD Display from the early 2000s. According to an archived copy of a service manual, removing the stand for that monitor simply required loosening two screws, suggesting that Apple could have designed the Studio Display’s stand to be user-replaceable.
In my opinion, at least that would be almost the perfect use case for the company’s recently introduced Self Service Repair program – it’s the kind of work that most people can easily do themselves, but wouldn’t be. So easy that it would make the Pro Display XDR (with its magnetic stand mount) less desirable. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in now.
Currently, Apple’s display service and repair page does not mention the reported program that allows you to change the stand of your Studio Display. MacRumors does say the price “will vary based on the region, the type of stand or mount being installed, and the cost of labor” and the kit to make the change won’t be sold online, so it seems unlikely we’ll will ever see hard details about pricing on Apple’s site. We’ll keep an eye out for any public mention of Apple that this is an option – otherwise you may have to go to your local Apple Store and ask them to change a booth if you want one done.