Tech Friday: MacBook Air M4 to offer the missing link
Posted By RichC on January 24, 2025
My MacBook Air M2 is a fantastic portable computer. It has worked nearly flawlessly for the past couple of years and will likely be fine for a couple more. The missing feature has been the inability to connect more than one external monitor … something I use everyday. Unfortunately I was used to using a late 2012 Intel-chipped iMac 27” with a second monitor which offered a lot of extra display space than my previous Mac Mini setup (usually run Parallels and Windows on one and MacOS on the other).
It is true, I’m now comfortable working with just one extra portable monitor and the existing MacBook Air display, but would have preferred running two displays PLUS the MacBook Air M2 display — not possible with the M2 or the newer M3.
This year it may be changing …
M4 MacBook Air to support two monitors with the lid open per 9to5Mac
Apple’s new MacBook Air will run the same M4 chip available already in the base MacBook Pro. And just like when the M3 MacBook Pro tipped us off to expanded display support coming to the M3 Air, the same story is playing out again.
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air is expected to support up to three displays total: two external monitors plus the internal display with lid open.
This is what the M4 MacBook Pro specs support, and we should see the same compatibility with the M4 Air.
Which for some users could be reason enough to upgrade.
Whether you’re using last year’s M3 Air, or certainly an older M2 or M1 model, the ability to drive two monitors plus keep your lid open is a huge win.
It means being able to use the MacBook Air’s built-in keyboard and trackpad rather than needing separate accessories, and it increases the amount of screen space you have in total.
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