Apple revealed some new features today and one of the standout features is that they can control two external displays while the lid is closed. It's pretty strange when the Air line is missing a feature from the beefier MacBook Pro line, but Apple is on top of that. The company just announced that this feature will also come to standard MacBook Pro M3 laptops via a software update.
There are no details on what software update the new tool would include, although version 14.4 is in active development, so it's a possibility. The feature should work exactly as it does with the upcoming MacBook Air M3, as the two lines share a similar processor and architecture.
This update will be for the standard M3 chip. The more powerful versions with the M3 Pro and Max chips can already do this, so the 16-inch model does not require a software update. Before this, you could only use the regular M3 MacBook Pro to control a single external monitor with the lid closed.
Apple Silicon MacBook Pros have been able to drive multiple external displays up to the M1 Pro chip, but never with standard M-series chips. Apple hasn't offered a reason why it took so long to roll out chips without Pro or Max in the name. In any case, this will be huge for current MacBook Pro M3 owners looking for more screen real estate.
