it seems both the AS Air and Pro can only support one external monitor, which is extremely disappointing. I was hoping to replace my 2013 MBP which is still performing fine, but two external monitors is a must for me for WFH. So disappointing.
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MacBooks only one external monitor???
- Thread starter jqc
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Today on the M1.
My guess is that Apple has more capable ASi prototype SoCs in their labs that can handle multiple monitors.
Apple did say that this was a two-year transition. My guess is that more advanced and complex functionality will arrive closer to the end of this two-year transition period rather than the beginning.
My guess is that Apple has more capable ASi prototype SoCs in their labs that can handle multiple monitors.
Apple did say that this was a two-year transition. My guess is that more advanced and complex functionality will arrive closer to the end of this two-year transition period rather than the beginning.
which is fine, but multiple monitor support seems like a pretty basic feature these days. Maybe the replacement for the 4 port 13" (14" MBP?) will have this, as it seems to be a limitation with the thunderbolt bus? The new Mac mini supports 2 external monitors, one through USB and one through the HDMI.
Well then wait a year or two.
My guess is that 95% of the users who select the MacBook Air, Mac mini, entry-level MacBook Pro 13" don't need to drive multiple monitors. I'm pretty sure Apple has years and years of data on how people use their products. Assuming they don't sell this data, the data collection might not require an opt-in.
I'm sure when Henry Ford introduced the Model A, some people were bummed that they couldn't tow their boat with the new vehicle.
Let Apple do their thing. They have repeatedly said this was a two year transition period. No one should expect everything on Day One.
My guess is that 95% of the users who select the MacBook Air, Mac mini, entry-level MacBook Pro 13" don't need to drive multiple monitors. I'm pretty sure Apple has years and years of data on how people use their products. Assuming they don't sell this data, the data collection might not require an opt-in.
I'm sure when Henry Ford introduced the Model A, some people were bummed that they couldn't tow their boat with the new vehicle.
Let Apple do their thing. They have repeatedly said this was a two year transition period. No one should expect everything on Day One.
I used to like dual monitors, until I replaced with one larger one.
I would bet both Thunderbolt/USB4 ports are connected to the same DisplayPort 1.4 stream so only one port can be used at once. The Mac Mini's HDMI must be connected in a different way, hence the dual display support. Obviously is not a matter of raw GPU power since it's "5x" more powerful than the last version.
The spec page is confusing. It says it can support built in display and one external display, but they also say thunderbolt 3 digital video output. Im not sure what that means.
This is puzzling… especially as thunderbolt 3 used to support two monitors per cable (on apple devices) per se. For instance even the LG Ultrafine 5k (at leats the first gen model) did rely on this, as it is a MST display (two DP1.2 streams), while the Apple 6K one uses SST DisplayPort 1.4 with data-stream compression if I'm not mistaken.
EDIT:
I would assume this applies:
EDIT:
I would assume this applies:
Last edited:
Inelegant wording, but unless Apple somehow gimped the thunderbolt/usb c standards (hence not being able to use the names) I think you guys are reading way too much into this.
USB C alone supports multiple 1080p monitors, I don’t buy for a second that you’ll only be able to drive one external display.
I think we’re going to see clarification on this soon. I believe this is them inelegantly explaining that the thunderbolt protocol is what supports 6K on one display.
Quite likely the M1 can only output two video streams. On the laptops, one is dedicated to the screen, the other to the ports. The Mini, with no screen, can send one to HDMI, and the other to the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports.
It doesn't matter if the interface connector supports multiple monitors - if there isn't extra hardware (in the M1) to read from a frame buffer, then you don't get additional displays.
from Appleinsider, 1 external display:
appleinsider.com
How Apple Silicon on a M1 Mac changes monitor support and what you can connect | AppleInsider
The Macs with the new Apple Silicon M1 chip each have new port configurations and more processing power than ever, but monitor configurations have changed. Here's what monitors you can connect to the new Macs, and how they compare to the Intel Macs that they replaced.
appleinsider.com
Thank you. Cancelled my order this AM because of this one.from Appleinsider, 1 external display:
How Apple Silicon on a M1 Mac changes monitor support and what you can connect | AppleInsider
The Macs with the new Apple Silicon M1 chip each have new port configurations and more processing power than ever, but monitor configurations have changed. Here's what monitors you can connect to the new Macs, and how they compare to the Intel Macs that they replaced.
Don’t know if that helps in your workflow or not but it’s important to note.
Edit: idk WTF is going on with the quote feature
I cancelled my order too, this is a dealbreaker. If it will push 2 in clamshell mode I can work with that.