New features that the 13 and 15-inch MacBook Air M3 bring include the ability to drive two external monitors at up to 5K at 60 Hz when the device itself is closed (clamshell mode). The sister model from the Pro series, the MacBook Pro M3 with 14 inches, does not yet have this capability. However, that will change soon. As Apple confirmed to US media on Monday, this multi-display support will be added to these computers via a software update.
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macOS 14.4 on the way
Apple initially did not provide any information about when this would happen. With luck, it could happen this week, as macOS 14.4 Sonoma is expected in the coming days, which is currently in beta testing and is already available as a release candidate. This could also be the operating system that ships with the new MacBook Air models. The update delivers the usual bug fixes and stability improvements, as well as new emojis and minor optimizations in Podcasts (audio search function), Messages (business updates support) and Safari (favorites bar with icons only)
There have been repeated controversies in the past regarding support for multiple external screens with both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. Until now, Apple had always limited support for the SoCs from the M1 to M3 series to a single monitor, even if the lid of the main device remained closed. Only Pro and Max models could support more displays. As it now turns out, this was primarily a marketing decision – at least for the M3 machines.
Portable Macs now on the same page
With the release of the M3 variants of the MacBook Air, Apple has now brought all portable Macs up to date. Both the three variants of the MacBook Pro (M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, 14 and 16 inches) and the MacBook Air with 13 and 15 inches have arrived in the 3 nm segment.
In addition, the group is now bringing the respective series onto the market at the same time and is no longer splitting the availability of the 13- and 15-inch versions of the MacBook Air. Nevertheless, some customers who only bought the 15-inch model in the summer of 2023 are likely to be annoyed, as the newer and better version appeared very quickly.
(bsc)