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MacBook Air M2 will most probably replace my current 2018 MacBook Pro. My only gripe with MacBook Air M1 was crappy RAM which they addressed (24GB). It's still

MacBook Air M2 will most probably replace my current 2018 MacBook Pro. My only gripe with MacBook Air M1 was crappy RAM which they addressed (24GB). It's still less than what I have (32GB) I expect M2 will make up for that.

zuhsetaqi 4y ago
My dealbreaker for the MBA is single external monitor support
- boringg 4y ago
  Single monitor support that's it? Why is that? Seems like an odd limitation.
  - adam_arthur 4y ago
    Have to justify the Pro. Same in regard to the ram
    - eptcyka 4y ago
      The regular 13" is also limited to a single external output. I feel burned, because I got one before the 14 and 16 inch models were announced.
- highwaylights 4y ago
  This is the real problem right here and why I was ready to upgrade day one. Not interested in the M2 Air now. I'm sure it's all very nice but the only thing missing from my Air that I really wanted was multiple display output.
  - tra3 4y ago
    You can have multiple display support with Display Link. It's not ideal because it consumes CPU, but it's working fine with my M1 MBA. If I had to do it again, I'd likely just purchase a real nice single monitor.
    - highwaylights 4y ago
      Looked into it but the need to grant screen recording permission really made me uncomfortable. EDIT: not sure why this was downvoted. All DisplayLink devices need to be granted screen recording permission to work on macOS.
- duxup 4y ago
  There are some work arounds for that limit on the M1. Depending on your situation that might be an acceptable solution.
- bank_daddy 4y ago
  I'm having no issues running two displays with my MBA M1. The second display does require a DisplayLink adapter though.
- woodylondon 4y ago
  I maybe being dumb here - but why can you not plugin a USB-C dock that has dual HDMI output ? I get you cannot dual monitor direct from laptop > screens. I would always use a dock with single cable. e.g https://www.belkin.com/uk/docks-hubs/connect-pro-thunderbolt-4-dock/p/p-inc006/ https://www.belkin.com/uk/docks-hubs/connect-pro-thunderbolt...
  - ghostly_s 4y ago
    Because that requires DisplayPort MultiStream Transport, which Apple's chipsets for unknown reasons do not support.
- aemadrid 4y ago
  with DisplayLink I'm running two external monitors just fine.
nico_h 4y ago
MY only gripe with the M1 and M2 Air the lack of support for more than a single external screen. I feel like it's just a pure marketing play to only support more than one external screen on the 14" pro. They have Magsafe and two thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 ports, they could totally support 2 Apple studio displays, at least on the 24GB model.
- louissm_it 4y ago
  As someone who upgraded from an Intel Mac to an M1 mac, the memory is a non-issue. Three years ago I would have laughed if you said I would be happy with "only" 8GB, but now I am.
  - solarkraft 4y ago
    I thought I'd be happy with 8GB based on benchmarks and sensationalistic videos (thanks, Max Tech), but I absolutely wasn't. Apple silicon Macs or maybe Macs in general handle high memory pressure (graph in the red) terribly. The system will get extremely slow and laggy, develop audio issues and eventually lock up. I ran into that all the time on the 8GB model (admittedly with multiple RAM-intensive apps and lots of tabs open), while it now happens very rarely on my 16GB model.
    - joshspankit 4y ago
      Is that high memory pressure slowness issue the same when there is lots of HD space left? Apple devices have had issues with “low” amounts of HD space for a long time, and I’m curious if the M* continue the trend. Also: this makes a red flag of the recent shift to half-speed drive performance
- evo_9 4y ago
  I switched to a single ultra wide 38 from LG and it was a huge improvement over my dual monitor setup. I’m on M1 Air, and switched my work pc to the same.
  - 4y ago

zuhsetaqi 4y ago

My dealbreaker for the MBA is single external monitor support

boringg 4y ago
Single monitor support that's it? Why is that? Seems like an odd limitation.
- adam_arthur 4y ago
  Have to justify the Pro. Same in regard to the ram
  - eptcyka 4y ago
    The regular 13" is also limited to a single external output. I feel burned, because I got one before the 14 and 16 inch models were announced.
highwaylights 4y ago
This is the real problem right here and why I was ready to upgrade day one. Not interested in the M2 Air now. I'm sure it's all very nice but the only thing missing from my Air that I really wanted was multiple display output.
- tra3 4y ago
  You can have multiple display support with Display Link. It's not ideal because it consumes CPU, but it's working fine with my M1 MBA. If I had to do it again, I'd likely just purchase a real nice single monitor.
  - highwaylights 4y ago
    Looked into it but the need to grant screen recording permission really made me uncomfortable. EDIT: not sure why this was downvoted. All DisplayLink devices need to be granted screen recording permission to work on macOS.
duxup 4y ago
There are some work arounds for that limit on the M1. Depending on your situation that might be an acceptable solution.
bank_daddy 4y ago
I'm having no issues running two displays with my MBA M1. The second display does require a DisplayLink adapter though.
woodylondon 4y ago
I maybe being dumb here - but why can you not plugin a USB-C dock that has dual HDMI output ? I get you cannot dual monitor direct from laptop > screens. I would always use a dock with single cable. e.g https://www.belkin.com/uk/docks-hubs/connect-pro-thunderbolt-4-dock/p/p-inc006/ https://www.belkin.com/uk/docks-hubs/connect-pro-thunderbolt...
- ghostly_s 4y ago
  Because that requires DisplayPort MultiStream Transport, which Apple's chipsets for unknown reasons do not support.
aemadrid 4y ago
with DisplayLink I'm running two external monitors just fine.

nico_h 4y ago

MY only gripe with the M1 and M2 Air the lack of support for more than a single external screen. I feel like it's just a pure marketing play to only support more than one external screen on the 14" pro. They have Magsafe and two thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 ports, they could totally support 2 Apple studio displays, at least on the 24GB model.

louissm_it 4y ago
As someone who upgraded from an Intel Mac to an M1 mac, the memory is a non-issue. Three years ago I would have laughed if you said I would be happy with "only" 8GB, but now I am.
- solarkraft 4y ago
  I thought I'd be happy with 8GB based on benchmarks and sensationalistic videos (thanks, Max Tech), but I absolutely wasn't. Apple silicon Macs or maybe Macs in general handle high memory pressure (graph in the red) terribly. The system will get extremely slow and laggy, develop audio issues and eventually lock up. I ran into that all the time on the 8GB model (admittedly with multiple RAM-intensive apps and lots of tabs open), while it now happens very rarely on my 16GB model.
  - joshspankit 4y ago
    Is that high memory pressure slowness issue the same when there is lots of HD space left? Apple devices have had issues with “low” amounts of HD space for a long time, and I’m curious if the M* continue the trend. Also: this makes a red flag of the recent shift to half-speed drive performance
evo_9 4y ago
I switched to a single ultra wide 38 from LG and it was a huge improvement over my dual monitor setup. I’m on M1 Air, and switched my work pc to the same.
- 4y ago