this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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I just want them to “innovate” their way into supporting an actual number of monitors that makes sense.
Even Intel's cheapest CPUs have IGPs that support 3 external monitors at 4k, you just need to make sure it has the ports to do it (like 1x thunderbolt 4 + 1x HDMI or Display port).
Like you can get <$500 PC laptops that do 3 external displays. Apple has no excuse beyond segmentation, forcing people to buy a more expensive 'Pro' CPU.
Only Apple has the courage to sell you a "Pro" laptop for $1600 that doesn't support more than one external display!
Not everyone uses 2+ monitors, and then you would be demanding 4/8K at 120hz. These chips require making trade-offs.
My personal laptop is used stand-alone, for work I'm a caveman with a single monitor. If you need multiple monitors, then don't buy the base MBP.
They do it to „upsell“ you towards M3 Pro. There is no other reason why a powerful chip like M3 should not support 2, 3 or even 4 external displays.
Whilst this is definitely true, wouldn't the absence of necessary I/O hardware also cut costs on the chip?
Yes, they can cut costs on the chip and the I/O hardware if I remember correctly. Anyways, these costs are minimal compared to the enormous overall prices of these machines. It just seems like a silly idea to cut costs in an area where even 500$ Windows laptops offer a good functionality.
It’s also because the base M1/2/3 chips find their way to the iPad lineup as well, where there’s already limited use for even 1 external display.
Its a hardware limitation, so you are essentially claiming that Apple, at the design phase, explicitly scoped a limitation of external displays?
Facts
(There’s actually a good technical reason as to why this is the case, to an extent, but the answer ultimately comes down to the fact Apple is being cheap)
What’s the technical rationale? Is it related to heat and efficiency?
The video ram would be the issue with the 8gb ram version I bet.