New Final Cut Pro update brings Mac Studio support, Voice Isolation, and more

Apple has released the next version of Final Cut Pro, version 10.6.2, and introduces a host of new improvements and new features, including optimizations for Mac Studio workstations, and introduces new Duplicate Detection and Voice Isolation features.

For the Mac Studio, the new update is somewhat vague other than indicating that there have been optimizations for playback and graphics performance on both the M1 Max and M1 Ultra versions of the Mac Studio, but users should see an overall improvement in performance.

Duplicate detection, as the name suggests, searches for duplicate ranges within the timeline and marks the clips for easier editing, something that would be especially helpful for long-form content. 

Meanwhile, Voice Isolation, as the name suggests, is a feature that uses machine learning to isolate voice frequencies from other sounds in the background.

Other improvements to Final Cut Pro include updates to its companion apps Motion and Compressor, various updates to Tracker Options/Object Tracker, and other performance and reliability enhancements. 

iMovie has also been updated to its 3.0 version, which adds Storyboards and Magic Movie features.

The full release notes for the update are:

Via 9to5mac

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Apple forgot about its own Studio Display in latest iOS update

It seems that Apple forgot about the A13 Bionic processor that powers its own Studio Display, as a recent firmware update caused the monitor to malfunction.

On April 8, Apple stopped signing iOS update 15.4 after it pushed down update 15.4.1 on March 30. Normally when an update stops signing, it’s not available anymore and can no longer be installed. But since Studio Display uses 15.4 and cannot install 15.4.1, this meant that over the weekend users were out of luck.

According to MacWorld, anyone with issues using the monitor was met with a message stating: “Apple Studio Display firmware update could not be completed. Try again in an hour. If the problem persists, contact an authorized Apple service provider.”

As of April 10, Apple has fixed the issue and users have reported that the firmware update was installed without a hitch. However, the tech giant will most likely need to overhaul the signing and un-signing of iOS updates since multiple products require various versions to operate.

This isn’t the first time the Apple Studio Display needed a fix. Soon after its launch, the monitor received an update in order to fix the low quality of its webcam, as reported by multiple outlets such as TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal.


Analysis: the perils of an ecosystem

When you have a whole lot of products that are supposed to work with each other seamlessly, but they aren't running on the same system, problems are bound to pop up.

While Apple is known for a very tight product catalog that keeps the number of models currently being sold to a fairly lean lineup, Apple has been expanding its offerings in recent years.

Whether it's the Apple HomePod, the recent Apple AirPods 3, or any number of its MacBook and Mac products, Apple is having to juggle a lot more discrete systems that are supposed to work without the user even really thinking about it. It's kind of Apple's thing, so while it's kind of funny to think that Apple accidentally nerfed its own high-end workstation monitor by mistake, it's also symptomatic of a growing number of interlocking products where it becomes harder to predict what any single change to the system will have.

While Apple typically runs a tight ship, we wouldn't be surprised if we saw more of this kind of thing in the future. 

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The Apple Studio Display has a neat feature for old Macs

The Apple Studio Display's built-in A13 Bionic chip allows older Mac computers and MacBook laptops to use the 'Hey Siri' voice command, even if they don't support the feature. 

As reported by MacRumors, the 27-inch display allows the Siri voice command to run on several devices that predate its introduction to the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air back in 2018, though this doesn't extend to the entire back catalog of Mac computers and laptops.

Although it was released alongside the Mac Studio desktop computer, the Studio Display can also be used with the following compatible Mac products on macOS Monterey 12.3 or later:

  • Mac Studio
  • 14-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2021
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2019 or later
  • 13-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2016 or later
  • 15-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2016 or later
  • MacBook Air introduced in 2018 or later
  • iMac introduced in 2017 or later
  • iMac Pro
  • Mac mini introduced in 2018 or later
  • Mac Pro introduced in 2019

As you can see from the list, this means that devices released as far back as 2016 will now be able to use the voice-controlled Apple AI assistant. And, as the Studio Display  runs on iOS 15.4, it's likely that we'll see additional features included in the future.

There's nothing confirmed just yet and given the Studio Display has just been released it's unlikely we will see any big features for some time – however, there's always a chance that Apple will surprise us at WWDC 2022.


Analysis: Is your Studio Display listening to your conversations?

While voice-controlled AI assistants like Siri can be very useful, there will be some users with understandable security concerns around being listened to in the home.

Thing is, Siri doesn't really listen to you 24/7, at least not in any way that matters. The trigger phrase 'hey Siri' is required for the AI voice assistant to communicate back and start recording, so although Siri is listening out for its trigger phrase, it doesn’t remember anything you say before it’s activated by its voice command.

Still, AI voice assistants and smart speakers have plenty of advantages, and Siri is no different. You can quickly translate different languages, set alarms or timers, and a host of other tasks completely hands-free, which makes them a useful accessibility feature within our homes and offices.

It's likely you'll be able to switch this feature off entirely if you won't be using Siri at all (though we no longer have a Studio Display unit to check this for ourselves). On Mac, this is done by heading into System Preferences within the Apple Menu. From here, simply select Siri. and uncheck the checkbox beside “Enable Ask Siri”.

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The Apple Studio Display has a neat feature for old Macs

The Apple Studio Display's built-in A13 Bionic chip allows older Mac computers and MacBook laptops to use the 'Hey Siri' voice command, even if they don't support the feature. 

As reported by MacRumors, the 27-inch display allows the Siri voice command to run on several devices that predate its introduction to the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air back in 2018, though this doesn't extend to the entire back catalog of Mac computers and laptops.

Although it was released alongside the Mac Studio desktop computer, the Studio Display can also be used with the following compatible Mac products on macOS Monterey 12.3 or later:

  • Mac Studio
  • 14-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2021
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2019 or later
  • 13-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2016 or later
  • 15-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2016 or later
  • MacBook Air introduced in 2018 or later
  • iMac introduced in 2017 or later
  • iMac Pro
  • Mac mini introduced in 2018 or later
  • Mac Pro introduced in 2019

As you can see from the list, this means that devices released as far back as 2016 will now be able to use the voice-controlled Apple AI assistant. And, as the Studio Display  runs on iOS 15.4, it's likely that we'll see additional features included in the future.

There's nothing confirmed just yet and given the Studio Display has just been released it's unlikely we will see any big features for some time – however, there's always a chance that Apple will surprise us at WWDC 2022.


Analysis: Is your Studio Display listening to your conversations?

While voice-controlled AI assistants like Siri can be very useful, there will be some users with understandable security concerns around being listened to in the home.

Thing is, Siri doesn't really listen to you 24/7, at least not in any way that matters. The trigger phrase 'hey Siri' is required for the AI voice assistant to communicate back and start recording, so although Siri is listening out for its trigger phrase, it doesn’t remember anything you say before it’s activated by its voice command.

Still, AI voice assistants and smart speakers have plenty of advantages, and Siri is no different. You can quickly translate different languages, set alarms or timers, and a host of other tasks completely hands-free, which makes them a useful accessibility feature within our homes and offices.

It's likely you'll be able to switch this feature off entirely if you won't be using Siri at all (though we no longer have a Studio Display unit to check this for ourselves). On Mac, this is done by heading into System Preferences within the Apple Menu. From here, simply select Siri. and uncheck the checkbox beside “Enable Ask Siri”.

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Apple’s Studio Display is found to be running iOS 15.4 – is this the 27-inch iMac?

It's been discovered that Apple's Studio Display runs on iOS 15.4, making us wonder if the display may see some additional improvements in the future.

According to Daring Fireball, if you go to Applications > Utilities > System Information and find your Studio Display, you'll see the software version as 15.4.

This isn't groundbreaking information, as the display is powered by an A13 chip, the same that powered the iPhone 11 series and iPad (ninth generation). But it's telling that instead of a software driver that's usually present in monitors, it's an operating system that powers Apple's iOS devices.

It makes us wonder whether we already have a 27-inch modular iMac running on Apple Silicon, and what this could mean for the iPad going forward.


Analysis: A display that also rivals Apple TV

The first SoC (System on a Chip) by Apple first debuted with the iPhone 4 back in 2010, called the A4. Since then, we've seen different types of Apple chips on wearables, tablets, Macs, and now displays.

But it's an interesting prospect that we're now seeing another version of iOS loaded onto the Studio Display. A tweet over the weekend also spotted that it has 64GB of storage loaded on.

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Even though we already have an iMac with an Apple Silicon chip, it's the first time that we've seen iOS 15.4 appear on a new Apple product that doesn't run iOS, or the Apple TV, where the latest model runs on an older A12 chip.

Software updates for the display could improve its features, especially with its camera which had a polarizing opinion in terms of its image quality.

We're at a point where we're already seeing a 27-inch iMac running on Apple Silicon, but not with macOS. It blurs the line as to what we could see from Apple in the coming years in more shapes and sizes than what the Mac Studio offers.

Instead of a bigger iPad Pro, we could see a monitor solely running iPadOS, tailored to a 27-inch display. An 'iPad Studio' suddenly doesn't seem too outside the realms of possibility.

As there's a good chance we'll see iPadOS 16 at WWDC this year, Apple's yearly developer conference, users have been clamoring for better external display support for the iPad.

It seems as though it's the perfect time for both products to see an improvement in how the iPad is perceived, especially for pros. But while I'm happy with my MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021), the potential of iPadOS is there, it just needs a push. And with the Studio Display running on iOS 15.4, it seems as though worlds are about to collide.

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Apple’s Studio Display is found to be running iOS 15.4 – is this the 27-inch iMac?

It's been discovered that Apple's Studio Display runs on iOS 15.4, making us wonder if the display may see some additional improvements in the future.

According to Daring Fireball, if you go to Applications > Utilities > System Information and find your Studio Display, you'll see the software version as 15.4.

This isn't groundbreaking information, as the display is powered by an A13 chip, the same that powered the iPhone 11 series and iPad (ninth generation). But it's telling that instead of a software driver that's usually present in monitors, it's an operating system that powers Apple's iOS devices.

It makes us wonder whether we already have a 27-inch modular iMac running on Apple Silicon, and what this could mean for the iPad going forward.


Analysis: A display that also rivals Apple TV

The first SoC (System on a Chip) by Apple first debuted with the iPhone 4 back in 2010, called the A4. Since then, we've seen different types of Apple chips on wearables, tablets, Macs, and now displays.

But it's an interesting prospect that we're now seeing another version of iOS loaded onto the Studio Display. A tweet over the weekend also spotted that it has 64GB of storage loaded on.

See more

Even though we already have an iMac with an Apple Silicon chip, it's the first time that we've seen iOS 15.4 appear on a new Apple product that doesn't run iOS, or the Apple TV, where the latest model runs on an older A12 chip.

Software updates for the display could improve its features, especially with its camera which had a polarizing opinion in terms of its image quality.

We're at a point where we're already seeing a 27-inch iMac running on Apple Silicon, but not with macOS. It blurs the line as to what we could see from Apple in the coming years in more shapes and sizes than what the Mac Studio offers.

Instead of a bigger iPad Pro, we could see a monitor solely running iPadOS, tailored to a 27-inch display. An 'iPad Studio' suddenly doesn't seem too outside the realms of possibility.

As there's a good chance we'll see iPadOS 16 at WWDC this year, Apple's yearly developer conference, users have been clamoring for better external display support for the iPad.

It seems as though it's the perfect time for both products to see an improvement in how the iPad is perceived, especially for pros. But while I'm happy with my MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021), the potential of iPadOS is there, it just needs a push. And with the Studio Display running on iOS 15.4, it seems as though worlds are about to collide.

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