Apparent software signature issue breaks updates for some studio offerings

The only thing that makes Apple Studio Display Unique – apart from the original 5K screen resolution – is that it basically has an iPad inside. The screen includes an Apple A13 chip and 64 GB of storage To power some of its smart features, and like any of Apple’s other iDevices, it can receive iOS-based firmware updates to add new features and fix bugs.

But also like other Apple iDevices, it means that sometimes you will have problems installing the latest updates for your studio monitor. This was the case over the weekend for some users New Studio Monitors from Apple who have found that they cannot update the factory firmware (version 15.3) to the latest version (15.4).

The reason why the update stopped working is likely related to how Apple handles iOS software updates. Apple checks the digital signature of an iOS update file before allowing installation to prevent updates that contain malware or other modifications from being installed. And to prevent an iOS downgrade, Apple will usually allow one or two of the latest iOS updates to be installed at any time. When a new iOS version is released, Because iOS 15.4.1 was on March 31Apple will stop signing the previous version (in this case, iOS 15.4) soon after.

The problem with Studio Display was that it didn’t get a 15.4.1 firmware update with my other iDevices. By itself, this is not a problem, because Studio Display does not connect directly to the Internet and is not subject to the same security vulnerabilities as the typical iPhone or iPad. but that It was problem for people receiving the new Shows studio shipped from the factory with firmware version 15.3 installed. Connected Macs can see that the displays weren’t running the latest firmware version, but Apple no longer signs iOS 15.4, so displays actually can’t verification Update once downloaded.

As of April 10, Apple Looks like it’s signing Studio Display update 15.4 again, allowing firmware updates to be installed normally. These updates are signed on a per-device basis so older iPhones and iPads can continue to install the latest version of the software that supports them, which means Apple will usually be able to release new iOS updates without having to update the Studio Display and vice versa. – clicker. In the case of update 15.4 like Macworld suggestIt’s possible that Apple simply forgot that it needs to keep signing the update for the Studio Display.

Firmware 15.4 was the version our review unit was running when we tested it, so it doesn’t include Promised fixes for mediocre webcam image quality in Studio Display. to me Apple release notesthe main feature of version 15.4 (aside from “minor stability improvements”) is Boot Camp support on Intel Macs.