The new MacBook Air proves Apple uses software to limit features

[mectojic]

The new Macbook Air supports 2 external displays in clamshell mode, compared to just 1 on the M1/M2 Airs.
There was nothing that the M3 added that would've enabled this; the M1 and M2 already had plenty of raw CPU/GPU power to do this.

It's purely a software decision.
Apple uses software to make their entry models worse.

Yeah, they've actually done this for decades now, but it's still sad. It's 2024, we should be living in the future, and instead we get artificial roadblocks.

(On that note, Apple's noise-cancelling software for the Airpods Pro could easily be brought to regular Airpods, and even to wired Earpods... would be nice to have a wired option.)

 

[turbineseaplane]

To be fair to Apple, I think it's likely they chose to segment things as they did to drive sales to "Pro" models, and now have worked to find a way to bring the external displays feature down the line due to the uproar about it.

I don't like that it went how it did, but I'll give them credit for hearing the feedback at least

Now ... about those RAM & SSD upgrade prices...

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

To be fair to Apple, I think it's likely they chose to segment things as they did to drive sales to "Pro" models, and now have worked to find a way to bring the external displays feature down the line due to the uproar about it.

I don't like that it went how it did, but I'll give them credit for hearing the feedback at least

Now ... about those RAM & SSD upgrade prices...

Stinks that the only external display with proper scaling is more than the laptop itself.

 

[mectojic]

To be fair to Apple, I think it's likely they chose to segment things as they did to drive sales to "Pro" models, and now have worked to find a way to bring the external displays feature down the line due to the uproar about it.

I don't like that it went how it did, but I'll give them credit for hearing the feedback at least

Now ... about those RAM & SSD upgrade prices...

The moment they make 16GB/512GB the base model, I think 99% of complainers will go away, even if every other ram/SSD upgrade costs the same (or even more).

 

[Chuckeee]

I realize that this might be a bit of a nit, but is this actually a firmware mod or is it truly a software mod?

 

[mectojic]

Stinks that the only external display with proper scaling is more than the laptop itself.

Just need to use BetterDisplay. They're being totally insane with their UI and font scaling.

 

[TheWraith]

The new Macbook Air supports 2 external displays in clamshell mode, compared to just 1 on the M1/M2 Airs.
There was nothing that the M3 added that would've enabled this; the M1 and M2 already had plenty of raw CPU/GPU power to do this.

To be technical—all three support 2 displays...it's just that the M1 and M2 count their own display as one of the displays.

Being cranky that this change, where they can be run clamshell and turn off the internal display and run 2 external displays isn't being released for earlier Macs, is worth kvetching about but is hardly surprising.

(On that note, Apple's noise-cancelling software for the Airpods Pro could easily be brought to regular Airpods, and even to wired Earpods... would be nice to have a wired option.)

This part is just untrue—noise cancelling isn't just software, it's multiple microphones to pick up external sounds, chips that process that...all the things that make APP what it is. Not sure why you think they could just flip a switch and do that with your headphones that cost $19 and have no parts for any of that.

 

[mectojic]

To be technical—all three support 2 displays...it's just that the M1 and M2 count their own display as one of the displays.

Being cranky that this change, where they can be run clamshell and turn off the internal display and run 2 external displays isn't being released for earlier Macs, is worth kvetching about but is hardly surprising.



This part is just untrue—noise cancelling isn't just software, it's multiple microphones to pick up external sounds, chips that process that...all the things that make APP what it is. Not sure why you think they could just flip a switch and do that with your headphones that cost $19 and have no parts for any of that.

Fair points.
And yeah, I wasn't suggesting you could perfectly recreate the Airpods Pro effect without the additional mics and processing chip it has. Still, you could have a software method of simulating silence on the cheaper devices; just feed the sounds you want via software into the DAC. Airpods pro could still be the better option.

 

[JPack]

When M3 was launched late last year, some posters here basically argued it wasn't worth it, a tiny percentage of people use dual monitors, Apple knew their customers, or some other garbage explanation.

Mac sales dropped 34% year over year in 2023. If sales hadn't dropped, Apple wouldn't even consider adding such essential dual-monitor features to base M3.

 

[JPack]

I don't like that it went how it did, but I'll give them credit for hearing the feedback at least

If Apple heard feedback, this feature wouldn't be limited to M3. It would be open to M1 and M2.

No, this feature is purely to drive M3 sales given the recent steep drop in Mac demand.

 

[JPack]

It's purely a software decision.
Apple uses software to make their entry models worse.

It's been happening for years on iPhone. Feature rationing has been a thing since the introduction of Siri. It has just become more and more obvious. You need an A16 chip to limit battery charge to 80%.

The marketing guys aren't about to let customers have Photonic Engine for free even though iPhone 13 and 14 share the same A15 SoC.

 

[rampancy]

This isn't anything new.

Remember when Apple "offered" to sell us a software patch to enable the 802.11n compatibility that we already had on our hardware?

 

[rowlands]

No, this feature is purely to drive M3 sales given the recent steep drop in Mac demand.

Interesting take, I assumed that the reason why sales have tanked is because Apple's most popular Mac is the MacBook Air at $1,000, which hadn't seen an update for over 3 years, half it's supported life.
Would you buy a 3 year old car at original price? A 3 year old TV, Fridge, phone?
I know I wouldn't.

 

[MallardDuck]

I suspect this is actually just an oversight - the idea of using two external and not the internal probably never crossed their minds. Why it has to be in clamshell mode vs just turning off the internal screen though, that's a mystery (overheating when closed is a real thing).

 

[JPack]

Interesting take, I assumed that the reason why sales have tanked is because Apple's most popular Mac is the MacBook Air at $1,000, which hadn't seen an update for over 3 years, half it's supported life.
Would you buy a 3 year old car at original price? A 3 year old TV, Fridge, phone?
I know I wouldn't.

Demand for the entire Mac lineup dropped due to high base year effect for 2021 and 2022. Large numbers of consumers migrated from Intel to Apple Silicon during those two years. Everyone was working remotely and needed a notebook, whether it was a PC or a Mac.

But once Mac consumers had M1, they weren't going to upgrade to M2 or M3 because it's not worth it. Apple needed to add features to M3 to encourage upgrades.

 

[JPack]

I suspect this is actually just an oversight - the idea of using two external and not the internal probably never crossed their minds. Why it has to be in clamshell mode vs just turning off the internal screen though, that's a mystery (overheating when closed is a real thing).

It's no oversight. Every MacBook Air/Pro before M1 supported closed lid operation. When you closed the lid, the desktop would rearrange to fill the external monitors. This is equally true for PC notebooks. With M1, it was clear Apple began using thermal performance, software, and number of ports to artificially segment their products.

Clamshell mode prevents the user from using the webcam. As a MacBook Air user, you're not "Pro" enough to use the webcam and two external monitors simultaneously. You gotta pay more.

 

[Chuckeee]

Clamshell mode prevents the user from using the webcam. As a MacBook Air user, you're not "Pro" enough to use the webcam and two external monitors simultaneously. You gotta pay more.

Or use at least one external display (e.g., ASD) that includes a Webcam

 

[JPack]

Or use at least one external display (e.g., ASD) that includes a Webcam

Even after that, consumers still have a use an external keyboard and mouse, which blunts the dual-monitor benefits. It's one of those gotchas that Apple loves to dish out and encourage people to go M3 Pro.

 

[Student of Life]

Even after that, consumers still have a use an external keyboard and mouse, which blunts the dual-monitor benefits. It's one of those gotchas that Apple loves to dish out and encourage people to go M3 Pro.

A monkeys paw moment

 

[BeatCrazy]

The moment they make 16GB/512GB the base model, I think 99% of complainers will go away, even if every other ram/SSD upgrade costs the same (or even more).

Like in 2015 when the base model was 4GB/128GB? Y'all complainers just gonna complain. Buy what you need and let the entry level model come in a price that suits the average user.

 

[Slix]

Apple did the same thing for iBooks and iMacs in the later days of PowerPC too, likely to drive people to get a PowerBook or Power Mac instead.

I do wonder if we could get a software update to enable this on M1 or M2 as well, but I kinda doubt it. I do wish I could plug in two displays (at all, but even if it turned the internal screen off) especially because I'd like to be able to use the keyboard and trackpad and Touch ID on the MacBook.

 

[G5isAlive]

Fair points.
And yeah, I wasn't suggesting you could perfectly recreate the Airpods Pro effect without the additional mics and processing chip it has. Still, you could have a software method of simulating silence on the cheaper devices; just feed the sounds you want via software into the DAC. Airpods pro could still be the better option.

(On that note, Apple's noise-cancelling software for the Airpods Pro could easily be brought to regular Airpods, and even to wired Earpods... would be nice to have a wired option.)

So it seems you did suggest it... 'easily', but regardless do you know how noise cancellation works? Cliff note's version is sound is actually waves of air, to 'cancel' it you provide waves of opposite sound to cancel out to smooth seas. Random sounds won't do the trick. Mics are needed to sample the ambient sounds. Processing chips are needed to calculate the right amplitudes. in other words. you have to pay for it. it can't be added easily as you suggest.

Which is the problem I have in general with arm chair engineers and software experts that claim Apple could easily do this or that they just don't for 'fill in the evil corporation theory here.'

Easy to say, hard to actually do.

 

[spunkystrawberries]

I’ve been reading a lot of perspectives about this update, but I’m amazed that no matter what Apple does, there’s always a large contingent of folks who are still unhappy.

(I’m not referring to the OP specifically here. They were simply pointing out that Apple may be limiting certain features through software, which we’ve known as true through many examples that have been highlighted already. I’ll even add another… features like Stage Manager being limited to newer iPads at first. I believe Apple’s reason for this is keeping an eye on the overall performance and experience versus creating something that’s subpar or doesn’t meet their bar.)

And ya know what, that’s fine with me.

The perspective I don’t see at all is this one: the new M3 Airs do something cool that previous models couldn’t do. Cool! And for all the people complaining about buying an M3 Pro last year and upset that this was withheld from them, well now with an update it works for yours too! So now… your laptop does something even better than what it could do when you originally bought it. Isn’t that great? Sounds like a win to me.

If folks are upset about lower end models not supporting the connectivity or features they want, that’s why higher end models exist. Would it be great if they were offered in an entry level model that’s slimmer or cheaper? Well of course. But that’s not a deal breaker. You buy from what’s offered based on your unique needs.

 

[ThomasJL]

Apple uses software to make their entry models worse.

Tim Crook could probably do a similar thing with hardware for wired data speeds on iPhones:

Will iPhone 14 be USB 2.0? Probably, since Cook is mediocre.

The MacRumors forum poster, @sideshowuniqueuser , made an excellent post on another thread predicting Tim Cook's roadmap for wired data transfer speeds on future iPhones...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Sami13496]

Let’s say Apple added all the support to Air and that would cannibalize Pro sales. Apple would be “good guy” but the profits would go down. That’s a bad business decision. Apple is a business. Sometimes people forget that businesses are supposed to drive sales and maximize their profits…