Apple Studio reviews are in

Apple's newest model of Mac (and its matching display) roll in tomorrow, but the first reviews are out today. The consensus: Mac Studio is an excellent and unexpectedly powerful machine in a compact case, but has a price to match. If your work needs the power—think high-resolution video editing, machine learning, VR—it can't be recommended enough. But with the Studio starting at $2000, a new Mac Mini (expected in the coming months) will surely be enough for the rest of the desktop crowd.

The $1600 Apple Studio Display is a similar proposition. Though nicer to look at than other models in its price range (such as the $1350 LG UltraFine it displaces as Apple's own pick) and coming with a free polishing cloth, 5K isn't getting cheaper. So the Studio Display perhaps landed a league higher than a lot of Mac users hoped to see. Consider that an Apple-refurbished Mac Mini is less than half the price of the display that Apple makes to pair it with, and the latest iMacs offer 4.5k over 24" for $1300.

I'm going to stay happy with my M1 MacBook Air for now, but will check out the display in-store, as I need a new one anyway and want something big and high-resolution. I'm alarmed at the multiple reviews from credible outlets (Verge, WSJ) saying that its webcam is very bad. This is hardly a new complaint about Apple, but who wants to throw down so much on a sleek metal slab only to end up perching a camera atop it on an ugly industrial arm amid a mass of cables?

Anyone all in on the Studio?