StandBy, one of many exciting new features in this year’s iOS 17 software update, allows iPhones to act as smart displays when plugged in and not otherwise in use. That means they can perform a secondary function as a dimmed (or red-tinted) digital alarm clock with some useful widgets while charging overnight. But based on a new report, Apple is considering a similar feature for the Mac.
Of course, your Mac is less likely to be sitting next to your bed at night, so the analogy isn’t exact. But there’s considerable merit in the idea of the screen automatically turning into a hub of more general information when it would otherwise be sleeping (and assuming battery conservation isn’t an issue ). It may feature a clock, calendar, weather information, smart home controls, rotating photo gallery, or any number of other useful widgets or controls.
It seems that Apple feels the same. In the subscriber-only version of his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg leaks analyst Mark Gurman says Cupertino engineers are working on a new Mac display that will feature Apple’s own silicon processor. That’s nothing new in itself: the Studio Display runs an A13. But this device will be designed to act (like an iOS 17 iPhone) as a standalone smart display when not needed for daily work.
Given that StandBy was only just announced for the iPhone and th is is the very first we’ve heard of this development for a Mac display, we’re expecting it to be a long way from launch, if ever. it becomes reality. . But it’s worth mentioning that, as The Verge observes, such a feature has been rumored in the past, only for the iPad.
Leaving aside the smart display feature, there have been plenty of rumors about Apple’s upcoming standalone displays. Last December, it was reported that the company was working on several such devices for a 2023 launch, and it is hoped, albeit in the longer term, that a 27-inch mini-LED display is in the works.
