Apple Studio Display Contains 64GB of Storage, But Only 2GB Used

Apple's Studio Display contains 64GB of onboard storage, but only 2GB are actually used by the display, a developer has discovered.

Mac Studio Display Feature Pink
As highlighted by developer "Khaos Tian" on Twitter, the Studio Display only uses 2GB of its 64GB of internal NAND storage. Some free space is likely needed for firmware updates, but the 62GB of unused space is seemingly otherwise useless at the current time. Apple has not confirmed the quantity of the Studio Display's internal storage in its technical specifications.

studio display onboard storage 64gbImage via @KhaosT

The discovery may be unsurprising given that the Studio Display contains an A13 Bionic chip. The A13 Bionic was introduced with the iPhone 11 lineup in 2019, before being offered in the second-generation iPhone SE and the ninth-generation iPad. None of these devices have ever been available in any storage configurations below 64GB, which may suggest that smaller quantities of NAND storage are incompatible with the A13's storage controller.

Economies of scale may also be responsible, with production costs for pairing the A13 with a smaller amount of storage potentially costing more than the same 64GB system currently used in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 that is still on sale and the ninth-generation ‌iPad‌.

The finding means that, overall, the Studio Display contains the exact same 2.65GHz A13 Bionic chip, 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera setup with Center Stage, and 64GB base configuration of storage as the ninth-generation ‌iPad‌. It is also now clear that the Studio Display has better specifications than the second-generation Apple TV 4K, which sports an A12 Bionic chip and a base storage configuration of just 32GB.

Last week, it emerged that the Studio Display runs the full version of iOS 15.4, with the exact same build used by the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, meaning that updates to the display's functionality will come as part of iOS updates.

Related Forum: Mac Accessories

Top Rated Comments

berrymetal Avatar
28 months ago
I can't believer they're only offering 64GB versions, hello apple it's 2022! 64GB is very little!
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dysamoria Avatar
28 months ago
It’s getting to where it’s almost impossible to hide just how arbitrary Apple’s limits are when imposed upon hardware by software. This thing could’ve been an Apple TV (without the need for a display).

This thing seems stupidly over-engineered and then intentionally crippled. Or maybe this isn’t engineering. Maybe it’s laziness/convenience and price gouging, because they have all these over-featured parts to use instead of something focused, less complicated, and less expensive.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
walnuts Avatar
28 months ago
Haha there is a certain irony that you have to pay extra to get 64 Gb on some Apple TV’s with no explanation for its use, but here you get 64 GB for free but can’t use it!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gazsi Avatar
28 months ago
sounds like surprises are coming! :) I guess we'll hear more about these hidden capabilities at WWDC!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Mac Daz Avatar
28 months ago

sounds like surprises are coming! :) I guess we'll hear more about these hidden capabilities at WWDC!
I doubt it, As was mentioned in the article 64GB is the minimum storage for the A13 so just a cost thing than develop a new chip
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
idmean Avatar
28 months ago

I have a feeling this Studio Display is something else disguised as Display, i mean, it is going expand its functions/role in the ecosystem and so they are charging so much for it.
It's always a good marketing strategy to seemingly overcharge people and only later reveal what they've purchased! Always works!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....