M3 MacBook Pro to Get Multi-Display Support With Software Update

[fenderbass146]

So they weren't professional enough to buy a computer which support the number of display they would need...

What a stupid thing to say. The reason for a "Pro" level Macbook is the extra gpu performance for the most party. Multi monitor support is standard issue on even a $500 windows computer. No one in their right mind should have to spend $2000 to get a computer with legit dual monitor support (what this MacBook Air M3) has still isn't legit dual monitor support. It only works when closed.

 

[tronleif]

So, given this, would you recommend the new 15" MacBook Air M3 (1TB, 16gb, $2,499.00 CAD) or 14" refurb MacBook Pro M3 (1TB, 16gb, $2,199.00) for a normal office professional?

I even just looked at normal prices, the Pro 14" (non-refurb) is only $100 more than the 15" Air at that config...

 

[pacalis]

and here with my crappy old dell work computer I can do two monitors without closing the laptop

Apple must have a stupid threshold for per product margins that drive all of their decisions.

This has to be why they don't sell monitors for dual display configurations despite obvious massive demand.

From there it is very logical that because the only monitor they sell is a billion dollars, no one needs dual display support on their MBAs.

 

[Flynnsworth]

Good way to encourage Apple to never add new features to previous devices.

They need calling out for their quite frankly awful behaviour in recent years.

 

[pacalis]

BREAKING: For profit company does something for profit.

This is not about total profit. They can increase more total profit by charging less and selling more products.

It's about profit margin, so they can continue to pump their story about brand power (which is loaded with network effects and tieing) to wall street. Good in the short term, but it makes them more and more vulnerable to disruption and regulation.

 

[jmh600cbr]

Interesting, I can't get my M1 Pro MBP to work on two monitors with a single USB-C solution. Connected to a dock that does 96W passthrough. DisplayLink doesn't always work for me either even though the dock says it supports DisplayLink.

i have to use 2 USB C cables. One for each monitor.

 

[mjs916]

Proofs that Apple is restricting features intentionally. Stagemanager 3.0.

They just needed to work up the courage.

 

[D-a-a-n]

so they just discovered a "magical" and "courageous" way of enabling this? What a clown show ...

Yeah.. I wonder about the technicalities behind this. So I have an M3 Pro MBP, which already had support for two displays at the start, does that mean that mine has native compatibility while the M3 Air and the base M3 MBP will get it through software "emulation"?

 

[jakey rolling]

Life is all about compromises.

Like compromising user experience for a few more dollars.

 

[sleeptodream]

Regardless of any malevolent or benevolent intent on the part of Apple, I think many who bought M3 Pro solely for the external monitor support might feel slightly put out a week later when discovering they could have spent several hundred dollars less. We can argue about the where & why all day long, but let's not pretend this has no negative consequences for paying customers.

They still have a much more powerful computer that will likely last years longer for their needs (which if they were considering the base model must not be too demanding), and also have the capability of using the external monitors in addition to the built in screen, not just in clamshell mode. They didn’t exactly get completely screwed over

 

[NT1440]

Yeah.. I wonder about the technicalities behind this. So I have a M3 Pro MBP, which already had support for two displays at the start, does that mean that mine has native compatibility while the M3 Air and the base M3 MBP will get it throught software "emulation"?

They get it by using an external monitor and not routing that signal to the internal monitor. There are only two “lanes” for video for the base M3. MR should really change the title to read “firmware” rather than software but rage clicks are still revenue generating so 🤷‍♂️

 

[sleeptodream]

Like compromising user experience for a few more dollars.

Apple is all about user experience, which may be why they limit things like this if the hardware isn’t truly up to it.

My crappy Dell work computer can technically use 2 external displays in addition to the internal, but one of them does weird flickering stuff no matter how they’re configured, and the fans are constantly going crazy.

That’s not a very Apple-like experience

 

[Tagbert]

Dang. Those are some bad numbers. Another poster replied to me and said that Apple explicitly says to close the laptop for clamshell mode. Too bad. 😕

Also lol @ "stupid plastic snap on cases." Yeah, those aren't for me.

Concerns about running in clamshell are not relevant to current Apple Silicon MacBooks. they run so much cooler than the older Intel machines that you will not run into overheat. Several people have already posted here about their experience running in clamshell mode with no problems.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Concerns about running in clamshell are not relevant to current Apple Silicon MacBooks. they run so much cooler than the older Intel machines that you will not run into overheat. Several people have already posted here about their experience running in clamshell mode with no problems.

I ran an i7 Intel MacBook Pro crushing through x265 video encoding for about a week straight in clamshell mode. Sounded like a Boeing 747 the whole time but never overcooked itself. Apple Silicon definitely won’t have any issues 👍

 

[hoodafoo]

who are the ppl using more than one external?? virtual desktops built in is the best feature ever!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

What cable are you using? I quite like my Surface Go, but I can't imagine it running multiple screens without lagging... now you have me wanting to test it!

Just a regular USB-C cable. I forget the name of the protocol, but the DisplayPort signal can travel over USB, and DisplayPort can be multiplexed to support 2 screens via one cable/port, so the end result is two screens and USB via a single cable.

 

[NT1440]

Just a regular USB-C cable. I forget the name of the protocol, but the DisplayPort signal can travel over USB, and DisplayPort can be multiplexed to support 2 screens via one cable/port, so the end result is two screens and USB via a single cable.

I think it’s DisplayLink?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I think it’s DisplayLink?

No, Display Link uses USB and CPU rendering. This is 100% native.

Multi-Stream Transport, or MST.

How to Daisy Chain Monitors for a Multi-Display Setup | Dell US

 

[darngooddesign]

They need calling out for their quite frankly awful behaviour in recent years.

Well you sure showed them.

 

[darngooddesign]

What a stupid thing to say. The reason for a "Pro" level Macbook is the extra gpu performance for the most party. Multi monitor support is standard issue on even a $500 windows computer. No one in their right mind should have to spend $2000 to get a computer with legit dual monitor support (what this MacBook Air M3) has still isn't legit dual monitor support. It only works when closed.

While it might be your preference, dual displays with the lid open isn't more legit than with the lid closed.

 

[fenderbass146]

While it might be your preference, dual displays with the lid open isn't more legit than with the lid closed.

I mean 3>2….having the option is better the not.

 

[darngooddesign]

I mean 3>2….having the option is better the not.

Dual display with the lid open is still only two displays; that’s how my work ThinkPad is. You’re talking about triple display support.

 

[jakey rolling]

Apple is all about user experience, which may be why they limit things like this if the hardware isn’t truly up to it.

That's a pretty silly take, considering this thread is all about how the hardware was actually truly "up to it", but Apple chose to restrict you from using that hardware to its fullest potential.

This isn't really all that new, either. Apple has been pulling the software-lock shenanigans since the early 2000's with the iBook and Powerbook G4 models. Both had external monitor support, but the iBook could only "mirror" the internal display. Lo and behold, someone discovered an EFI hack to enable display spanning on the iBook.

But you're right, Apple is all about "user experience". Only what that really means is that Apple is all about curating the user experience to segment the cheap bastards who buy the base model of a machine from the "real users" who opt for the more expensive version.

My crappy Dell work computer can technically use 2 external displays in addition to the internal, but one of them does weird flickering stuff no matter how they’re configured, and the fans are constantly going crazy.

Must be a particularly crappy Dell, then. My current setup (from which I'm posting this right now) is a Latitude 2-in-1 with two BenQ 2560x1440 monitors and one LG Dual-Up running 2560x2880. The LG and one BenQ are running off of the USB-C ports of the laptop, and the other BenQ is plugged into HDMI. I could, if I really wanted to, open the laptop and use its screen as a fourth monitor, if I so desired.

I've been using Dell laptops for my work computers for over 15 years now and have been running a triple monitor setup at home off of them for seven of those years. Two Latitudes and one Precision model over the past seven years have had no issue with running my monitors (though this is the first laptop to power the LG since it was bought less than a year ago - previously I had a third BenQ in its place).

I do agree with the fans though - they do run when I put any kind of load on this laptop (I'm usually running at least two VMware sessions, which can tax the CPU and RAM). It is intel afterall. To be honest, however, it isn't really that loud (the Precision was worse, but it was two upgrade cycles ago and was built to be more like a mobile workstation).

That’s not a very Apple-like experience

It was when Apple was still using Intel CPUs. Let's not pretend that Apple's thermal design of their pre-Mx machines weren't absolutely horrid when it came to managing thermals.

Instead, the new "Apple-like experience" with my home office setup would be two of my monitors working while the other one sits there collecting dust.

 

[jakey rolling]

who are the ppl using more than one external?? virtual desktops built in is the best feature ever!

Why not multiple external displays and virtual desktops?

 

[DrewHawk]

Sure would be nice if Apple made an official port replicator now. So you could have 2 monitors plugged in and have some ports to use. But this would mean 2 things. 1. Apple would have to acknowledge that people want to actually use non Apple monitors that are not USBC and 2. It would cost like $300 when you can get a generic one on Amazon for $40. Still it would be nice if they offered one.

I'm excited for my M3 MacBook Air I get on Friday but because of the hassle of port reps I will probably just stick with my M2 MacMini (connected to 2 monitors and 2 USB hubs) when working at home.

P.S. I know they offer the AV port rep, but that lacks ethernet, SD, and multiple USB3 ports. I'm talking about a robust one that would have a power source.