During our testing, we have discovered that Dual Extended display support is not possible on either the new Apple MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. In this article, we explain the technical limitations for audio professionals.
Caldigit, makers of docks and other peripherals, has posted the following support information on their website about Dual external display support with the new Apple Mac M1 computers…
“We know that our customers will want to know about compatibility between the new M1-based Macs and CalDigit’s docking solutions.
All of CalDigit’s docks are fully compatible with the new M1-based Macs including the ability to charge a laptop and more. However, the only limitation is that the new M1-based Macs cannot support dual “Extended” displays through their Thunderbolt 3 ports. This means that when using any dock, users cannot extend their desktop over two displays, and will be limited to either dual “Mirrored” displays or 1 external display depending on the dock.
Users with Intel-based Macs and Windows PC users can still benefit from dual “Extended” displays when using CalDigit docks.
This is not a limitation of CalDigit’s Thunderbolt or USB-C docks, but of the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the new M1-based Macs.
All other functionality of our docks including laptop charging will work as normal."
What Does This Mean For Audio Professionals?
For anyone wanting to use dual monitors in their studio with a new Apple Mac M1 computer then the only option is the new Apple Mac mini as this offers HDMI and then a second Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA monitor via the Thunderbolt port and using adaptors.
This means the current Intel MacBook Pro is a better choice for those wanting to add multiple displays in clamshell mode. It also highlights that at this stage, whilst the new Apple Mac M1 computers offer real power gains, the limitation of their expandability reduces their usefulness as a core to a studio setup.
You can, of course, use the internal display of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in addition to a second display, but for many professionals, they will want to use Extended display mode, as they do with current Intel Macs.
However, as we've already stated in several articles, the new Macs are entry-level but it shouldn’t be too long for a second generation of Silicon Macs to come along that will offer far more for the power user.