One of the standout features of the new M3 MacBook Air notebooks that Apple unveiled today is their ability to power two external monitors while the lid is closed. When a function from the more robust MacBook Pro line is absent from the Air line, it’s a strange development, but Apple is handling it well. According to 9to5Mac, the company has just stated that a software update will bring this feature to ordinary M3 MacBook Pro notebooks as well.
The specific software version that would contain the new tool is unknown, but because macOS Sonoma 14.4 is still under development, it’s a possibility. Due to the shared CPU and similar design between the two lines, the feature ought to function just as it does with the upcoming M3 MacBook Air.
This update is going to be for 14-inch MacBook Pro laptops with the standard M3 chip. The more powerful versions with the M3 Pro and Max chips can already do this, so the 16-inch model doesn’t require a software update. Prior to this, you could only use the regular M3 MacBook Pro to drive a single external monitor with the lid closed.
Apple Silicon MacBook Pros have been able to drive multiple external displays all the way back to the M1 Pro chip, but never with standard M-series chips. Apple hasn’t offered up a reason as to why this took so long to get going on chips without Pro or Max in the name. In any event, this is going to be huge for current M3 MacBook Pro owners looking for more screen real estate.
