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How to connect two or more external displays to an M1, M2, or M3 MacBook

While the higher-end MacBooks with M1/M2/M3 Pro and Max chips support multiple external displays, the majority of Apple’s lower-end range of MacBooks that use a standard M1, M2 or M3 processor cannot natively connect more than one external monitor. This is a massive limitation compared to the previous Intel-based generation of Mac laptops that could run two displays when connected to a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 docking station or hub.

Apple’s M3 MacBook Air models do now support two external monitors (if the MacBook has its lid closed in what is known as Clamshell Mode). The M3 MacBook Pro supports a similar feature, but the macOS Sonoma 14.6 update needs to be installed. We explain how to run dual external displays on an M3 MacBook in a separate article.

The solutions below, however, allow for more than two external displays on plain M1, M2 and M3 Macs.

There have also been reports that the M3 MacBook Air with lid closed suffers significant performance decline due to heat build up, so following our advice below still has relevance even for M3 MacBook Air users who want to hook up to multiple displays and keep their Mac purring at full speed.

Later, we list our tested and recommended software and hardware solutions for adding more than one display to the plain M1, M2 and M3 Macs. You can jump straight to our list of the best DisplayLink docks if you know all about DisplayLink. If not, read on a while.

The solutions we explain here will also help M2 Pro and M3 Pro MacBook users extend to three external displays.

Here are the external display specs for Apple’s current laptops:

• M1 MacBook Air : Maximum one external display—read our workarounds below.
• M2 MacBook Air : Maximum one external display—read our workarounds below.
• M3 MacBook Air : Maximum two external displays if MacBook lid is closed. Three using our workarounds.
• M2 MacBook Pro : Maximum one external display—read our workarounds below.
• M2 Pro MacBook Pro : Maximum two external displays. Four using our workarounds.
• M2 Max MacBook Pro : Maximum four external displays.
• M3 MacBook Pro : Maximum two external displays if MacBook lid is closed. Three using our workarounds.
• M3 Pro MacBook Pro : Maximum two external displays. Four using our workarounds.
• M3 Max MacBook Pro : Maximum four external displays. Workarounds allow four using just one laptop port, plus dock.

However, there are ways around this plain M1/M2/M3 limitation, allowing you to run two or more external displays off your MacBook, which we will outline here. In each case, there’s a software download and a docking station, hub or adapter required. 

The simplest solution is to get a USB graphics-enabled docking station or hub, sometimes called a DisplayLink Dock —and we’ve reviewed the best ones later in this article. USB graphics is a software-based technology (DisplayLink or InstantView) that compresses the video signals from the computer to the monitor, enabling you to connect multiple external displays to your M1, M2 or M3 MacBook.

Installing third-party software drivers leads to a slight risk that these might later be unsupported by future updates of the macOS, but the two drivers we recommend are recognized industry standards that we believe will continue to be supported.

External displays: Big problem for M1, M2 and some M3 Macs

Apple’s Mac mini, MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro were the first Macs to feature the Apple-designed M1 processor (CPU). They received rave reviews for their speed improvements over Intel-based laptops, including here on Macworld. Since then Apple has released M2 and M3 chips, plus Pro and Max versions of the M1, M2 and M3.

But if your MacBook setup includes running more than one external display, you have a major problem. Apple’s basic (non-Pro or Max) M1 and M2 chips simply won’t allow it—at least natively. Apple states in the M1 or M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro tech specs that they support only “one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz”.

While the M1 and M2 MacBooks natively support just one monitor, the M1 and M2 Mac Mini does natively support up to two external monitors—one via the HDMI port and a second via USB-C. But the M1 and M2 models of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (plus the M3 MacBook Pro) support only a single external display over Thunderbolt.

The latest M3 MacBook Air models (13- and 15-inch) are the first to support more than one external display—as long as you close the laptop’s lid (Clamshell Mode) to allow for the second external display. The first display (allowing an open MacBook lid) has a maximum 6K resolution at 60Hz. The second display (requiring the closed lid) can be up to 5K at 60Hz.

The14-inch M3 MacBook Pro also supports two external display in Clamshell Mode, but the macOS Sonoma 14.6 update must be installed to do this.

Apple doesn’t look like it will solve this problem for you—it would prefer you buy one of its more expensive laptops! We have this guide to monitors for M1 Macs and what you need to know before buying. We also cover the basics of how to connect your Mac to an external monitor .

Workaround #1: Install DisplayLink software drivers

You can use a combination of display technologies to get around the M1/M2/M3 MacBooks’ single-monitor limitation. DisplayLink is the most common software solution that you pair with a compatible dock: we’ve tested the best DisplayLink docks further down. Note that the docks need to state DisplayLink compatibility—you can’t just install DisplayLink drivers and hope they work with regular docks and hubs.

A whole new category of docks—many reviewed below—has appeared to solve the M1/M2/M3 Mac one-screen problem. DisplayLink USB-C docks or just USB-C docks require software drivers to enable data compression that make them almost as powerful as a Thunderbolt dock. You’ll need to download the appropriate DisplayLink software from the dock manufacturer—full instructions later on.

Many multi-display docks use a combination of native USB-C Alternate Mode (native “Alt Mode” video output) and DisplayLink technology. This combination serves as a workaround to the M1/M2/M3 platform supporting only a single external display via USB-C.

Note that DisplayLink requires a third-party driver to be installed on the Mac. There are different versions of the DisplayLink driver, and some bring their own compromises to the party. But, in general, setup is straightforward. Some of the docks we review below offer the DisplayLink software when you first connect the dock to your Mac.

The DisplayLink macOS app or DisplayLink Manager app are ways of enabling DisplayLink technology on macOS. The app is available as a standalone installer rather than through the mac App Store.

1. First, download the latest Mac DisplayLink driver . As stated above, some docks, do this for you but it’s always best to use the latest version.

DisplayLink Manager Graphics Connectivity App v. 1.10.2 is compatible with macOS Monterey 12, Ventura 13 and Sonoma 14. For macOS Big Sur 11, look for version 1.9, and v1.5 for Catalina 10.15. It can be managed via the DisplayLink icon in the Apple Menu bar.

The macOS requires the user to permit “Screen Recording” in order for DisplayLink devices to work properly. This can be found in System Preferences under Privacy in Security & Privacy ; navigate to Screen Recording in the list on the left, then tick the Screen Recording permission for DisplayLink Manager after unlocking the padlock using your admin password. You may need to quit and restart DisplayLink Manager afterward. Don’t worry, DisplayLink isn’t recording your screen—this just lets it do its magic enabling multiple screens.

Installation is straightforward. Older versions did not support laptops’ closed-display/Clamshell Mode, but 1.8.1 and later do support Clamshell Mode if the MacBook is Intel-based running macOS 12 or if the MacBook is M1-based running macOS 11 or later.

The most scary bit is when you need to enable “Screen Recording” to allow the DisplayLink Manager app to capture pixels and send them to your USB peripheral. This entails making some adjustments in the Mac’s “Privacy” tab, but you are walked through it step by step. Take a look at the instructions here .

There’s an option in DisplayLink manager to “launch at startup”, or you can drag the DisplayLink Manager to your Login Items in Users & Groups.

2. Then connect the MacBook to a docking station.

3. For the first screen you can connect via the dock’s DisplayPort or HDMI Port, and this will be handled natively by the M1/M2 MacBook.

You could also connect the first external display via the dock’s other display ports or via a Thunderbolt or USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort adapter.

The HDMI or DisplayPort output uses Alternate Mode (Alt Mode), and as it is basically a pipeline directly to the system’s native GPU, it will behave just like if you hooked up a USB-C to HDMI dongle to your laptop. This requires no user driver installation.

The second and third displays will rely on the DisplayLink software. DisplayLink uses an installed driver and the system CPU and GPU to convert graphics data on the system into data packets. That data is then sent over the cable as data packets and converted back to video information and output to the monitors via the DisplayLink chip in the docking station.

Workaround #2: Install InstantView software

Another third-party software solution is SiliconMotion’s InstantView, which operates in a similar way to DisplayLink and works with three of the hardware hubs and adapters we review below.

The initial setup is easier than DisplayLink with the hubs from Hyper but similar to the Satechi hub—but it suffers the same challenge that Apple’s software updates could disable it, which will entail installing a newer version and allowing the necessary security & privacy settings for screen recording, just as with DisplayLink.

You can download the latest version of InstantView software here . The latest version supports macOS 14 Sonoma, 13 Ventura and 12 Monterey.

Neither software solution is complicated and both worked well in our tests as you can read below.

Which docks support DisplayLink and InstantView?

Originally, dock manufacturers did not officially support such a DisplayLink setup for Macs. The solution works, but they rightly warned that this could become unstuck in future versions of the macOS. Whenever there is a new OS update the drivers may need to be updated each time.

However, after some recent testing and improvements Plugable, for example, has updated its compatibility to officially support that configuration. For Mac compatibility, it has validated both Apple and Intel platforms running at least macOS 11.

Which dock is best?

A docking station connects to your MacBook via Thunderbolt or USB-C. It then offers multiple ports that your laptop now has access to. These can include new display ports, such as HDMI, as well as Gigabit Ethernet for wired Internet access, USB-C/Thunderbolt/USB-A ports at varying speeds, audio plugs, and card readers.

Learn more about the best Thunderbolt docking stations for more details, or you can connect via a simpler USB-C hub . Look for a dock with two or more display ports, preferably ones that can connect to your preferred displays without the need for an adapter.

Thunderbolt 4 docks or hubs often have no dedicated display port but three available TB4 ports that can be used to connect directly to a USB-C display or via adapters to HDMI or DisplayPort monitors. While you may have to buy an adapter cable, 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4’s port flexibility and backward compatibility are recommended for users of modern Macs such as the M1 and M2 MacBooks.

USB-C docks and hubs are usually cheaper, but not always so check our reviews below.

Docking station and hub manufacturers are now actively marketing their products as solutions to the M1/M2/M3 external display limitation. Each requires either the DisplayLink download or another similar software solution, such as InstantView, but no further hardware adapter except for the dock or hub itself. And of course, these hubs offer the usual multi-port benefits as well as the external monitor solution.

The best multiscreen hubs and adapters for M1, M2 and M3 MacBooks

Below we have gathered the best dedicated hubs and docks for multiscreen M1/M2/M3. Note that most of these listed (and tested) below use USB-C rather than Thunderbolt, so don’t benefit from the MacBook’s potential 40Gbps data bandwidth. If you require all 40Gbps, go for a Thunderbolt dock and install DisplayLink as instructed above.

Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with DisplayLink – three 4K displays at 60Hz for M1/M2, four for M3

• Supports up to four external displays at 4K 60Hz
• One display at 6K 60Hz
• 11 ports, inc. three 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4
• 2x HDMI 2.0 video ports
• Speedy SD card reader
• 96W charging and 180W power supply

While plain M1 and M2 MacBooks are limited to three external displays using this dock when DisplayLink software is installed, M3 and M1/M2/M3 Pro/Max MacBooks can connect to four 4K at 60Hz.

Other docks reviewed here also allow M1 and M2 Macs to connect to three displays, but what we really like about the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with DisplayLink is right there in its name: it’s a full Thunderbolt 4 dock rather than USB-C. It therefore offers 40Gbps data-transfer rates compared to the 10Gbps that you’ll find on most of the other docks reviewed here.

If you require three monitors we think you might also prefer the fast data-transfer rates offered by Thunderbolt, so recommend this DisplayLink docking station to power users.

That Thunderbolt port connection also allows one of the three screens to be at 6K resolution (60Hz) while the other two via HDMI will be 4K at 60Hz.

There are two HDMI 2.0 ports plus a generous three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports (as well as one upstream TB4 to the laptop). It doesn’t host any extra USB-C ports but the three Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps data transfer, 15W power output) are backwards compatible with USB-C. There are two fast 10Gbps USB-A ports, too, plus a UHS-II SD card reader, Gigabit Ethernet and an audio jack.

Non-Pro/Max M3 Macs can connect to four displays using this dock, as long as the laptop’s lid is closed (clamshell mode). It’s also a great option for M1/M2/M3 Pro users usually restricted to two external displays.

Alogic DX3 Triple 4K Display Universal Docking Station – three 4K displays at 60Hz

• Supports three external displays at 4K 60Hz
• 12 ports, inc. 10Gbps USB-C
• 3x DisplayPort 1.4 video ports
• Speedy SD and MicroSD card readers
• 100W charging and 135W power supply

This Alogic DisplayLink docking station is similar to the Satechi Triple 4K Display Dock (reviewed below) in that it supports up to three external 4K displays at an impressive 60Hz refresh rate and has an array of useful non-display ports. It can power the connected laptop at 100W and has a decent 135W external power supply so doesn’t require an extra USB-C charger.

The DisplayLink download link is clearly shown in the user manual, and instructions make sense—although you need a magnifying glass to read them!

The DX3 has fewer video ports than the Satechi dock but all are top-notch DisplayPort 1.4. If any of your monitors lacks DisplayPort but has HDMI, you’ll need to add an adapter between dock and display. As you’ll need to buy video cables anyway, this doesn’t matter as prices for straight cable and adapter cable are close enough.

Unlike the Satechi, this dock does have a card reader—indeed it has two: SD and MicroSD, both at top 312MBps UHS-II—allowing you to add inexpensive portable storage to your laptop setup.

It also has Gigabit Ethernet, four USB-A (one with 7.5W charging) and two 10Gbps USB-C (one 100W PD upstream to the laptop, and one 7.5W smaller device charging).

Choosing between the Alogic DX3 and Satechi Triple 4K docks could be decided on whether your monitors have HDMI rather than DisplayPort, although adapters mean there is an easy solution. We also applaud the DX3 for its dual SD card readers.

Reviewed further down this list is Alogic’s DX2, which supports two 4K displays at 60Hz and lacks some of the other ports found on the DX3. if you just need two external monitors for your M1/M2/M3 MacBook this may be a cheaper option.

Satechi Triple 4K Display Docking Station – three 4K displays at 60Hz

• 12 ports, inc. 10Gbps USB-C and USB-A
• 3x HDMI 2.0 and 2x DisplayPort 1.4 video ports
• 100W charging and 130W power supply
• No card reader

The Satechi Triple 4K Display Docking Station is a quality horizontal dock that supports up to three external displays on a plain (non-Pro or -Max) M1/M2/M3 MacBook if you install DisplayLink software. The user manual includes a QR code that takes you to the software download page.

Competitively priced at $299 / £299, it features three HDMI ports and two DisplayPorts and can support three 4K displays at 60Hz on a Mac. The mix of HDMI and DisplayPort offers a more flexible monitor choice than some docks tested here, although adapters will provide easy solutions if your dock’s port is DisplayPort but the monitor has just HDMI.

There are 12 ports in total, including Gigabit Ethernet and 10Gbps USB-A and USB-C ports—two of which can power devices at a decent 7.5W. The dock connects to the MacBook via 10Gbps USB-C.

Unlike most of the docks reviewed here it comes with its own 130W power supply, so doesn’t require a high-powered USB-C charger.

It doesn’t boast a card reader to add inexpensive portable storage to your laptop, but you can buy one cheaply enough to attach to one of the USB ports.

Alogic DX2 Dual 4K Display Universal Docking Station – two 4K displays at 60Hz

• Supports two external displays at 4K 60Hz
• 2x DisplayPort 1.4 video ports
• 65W charging and 100W power supply

We prefer Alogic’s DX3 that supports up to three 4K displays and offers more ports and faster charging for not much more cost, but the DX2 is fine if all you require is two top-end monitors connected to your mid-sized MacBook.

It features two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, one 10Gbps USB-C with 7.5W charging, three 5Gbps USB-A ports (one with 7.5W), a 3.5mm audio jack and Gigabit Ethernet.

Wavlink Dual 4K DisplayPort & HDMI Adapter – two 5K displays at 60Hz

• Supports two external displays at 5K 60Hz
• No USB ports, Ethernet etc

This simple, portable and affordable adapter doesn’t give you loads of extra USB ports, Ethernet or card readers like a hub or docking station would, but it offers four powerful video ports: two DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0.

Once you’ve installed the DisplayLink drivers, this means an M1/M2/M3 MacBook can run two extended displays at up to 5K (5120-x-1440) at 60Hz using a combination of these video ports. You’d need to use both DisplayPort 1.4 ports for the maximum 5K resolution—the HDMI 2.0 ports max out at 4096-x-2160 at 60Hz.

There’s no passthrough charging so you’ll need to use another of the MacBook’s Thunderbolt ports to keep the laptop powered up in use.

Ugreen USB-C Revodok Pro 312 Triple Display Docking Station – three 4K displays at 60Hz

• Ships with 100W wall charger

The Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station is a quality compact vertical dock that supports up to three external displays on a plain (non-Pro or -Max) M1/M2/M3 MacBook if you install DisplayLink software.

Priced at $329/£399, it features two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort and can support three 4K displays at 60Hz on a Mac. There are 12 ports in total, including Gigabit Ethernet, card readers, and 10Gbps USB-A and USB-C ports. It connects to the MacBook via 10Gbps USB-C.

You need to install DisplayLink on your Mac—instructions above. Ugreen could make this easier with a link on its site.

Read our full Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station review .

Hyperdrive Dual 4K HDMI 10-in-1 USB-C Hub – one 4K display at 60Hz, one 4K display at 30Hz

• Supports two external displays at 4K
• 10 ports, inc. 5Gbps USB-C and USB-A
• 100W passthrough charging
• InstantView easier than DisplayLink
• Second 4K display is 30Hz rather than 60Hz
• Requires USB-C charger

The Hyperdrive Dual 4K HDMI 10-in-1 USB-C Hub doesn’t use DisplayLink and instead uses SiliconMotion’s InstantView.

Hyper says that it works “without having to download cumbersome drivers” but there is some software installation involved, and you need to allow InstantView access to your Privacy settings in System Preferences. You connect the hub or adapter to your M1 MacBook and find the HyperDisplay app that appears in a Finder folder sidebar. Double-click the macOS InstantView icon and follow the System Preferences instructions. Once this has been completed your MacBook will automatically recognize the adapter from then on.

It’s an easier solution than DisplayLink but with the same ability to allow M1, M2 and M3 Macs to connect to multiple external displays.

This compact hub still includes 10 ports, including the all-important 2x HDMI. The first display at 60Hz is added via HDMI and DP Alt-mode and the second at 4K 30Hz through HDMI and InstantView.

Also included are Gigabit Ethernet, MicroSD card reader (UHS-I), 3.5mm audio jack, 2x 5Gbps USB-A, and one 5Gbps USB-C.

A further USB-C PD port allows you to charge the connected laptop at up to 100W—handy as the hub itself uses up one of your M1, M2 or M3 laptop’s two Thunderbolt ports.

Hyperdrive Dual 4K HDMI Adapter – one 4K display at 60Hz, one 4K display at 30Hz

This double-function hub is designed to provide two HDMI display ports for a MacBook M1/M2/M3, plus passthrough charging for the laptop. It doesn’t offer a bunch of other ports like its big brother, the Hyperdrive Dual 4K HDMI 10-in-1 USB-C Hub reviewed above. As a result, it is cheaper and is one of the most cost-effective solutions for adding multiple monitors to the limited plain M1/M2/M3 Macs.

Like the 10-in-1, it uses SiliconMotion’s InstantView rather than DisplayLink software to get past the limitation.

The first display at 60Hz is added via HDMI and DP Alt-mode and the second at 4K 30Hz through HDMI and InstantView.

If you require more ports, such as Gigabit Ethernet, card readers and USB ports, consider the Hyperdrive 10-in-1 or one of the other hubs or docks reviewed here..

Plugable USB-C to Quad HDMI Adapter (USBC-768H4) – four HD displays at 60Hz

• Supports four external displays
• Doesn't charge your MacBook

Do you really need four screens? If you do, and you can do without 4K resolution, the Plugable USB-C to Quad HDMI Adapter supports four HD displays even on an M1, M2 or M3 MacBook using the Silicon Motion InstantView software (requires download and installation ).

The adapter features just the four HDMI ports so doesn’t offer any Gigabit Ethernet or extra USB-C ports, but does what it says on the box. All four displays can support HD (1920-x-1080) at 60Hz images.

The USB-C cable tucks neatly into the adapter’s case when not in use, making this a nimbly portable solution… as long as you don’t also carry the four screens around with you.

Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C Docking Station – two 4K displays at 60Hz

• 9 ports, inc. 10Gbps USB-C and USB-A
• 100W charging
• DisplayLink file on dock connection

If you don’t need three external screens, we like this USB-C dock for its two HDMI and two DisplayPorts, which you can choose between when adding two displays to your M1, M2 or M3 MacBook. This should suit most monitors, unless you prefer direct USB-C displays.

Its spare USB ports (2x USB-A and 1x USB-C) are fast (10Gbps) for data transfer, and another USB-C port can be plugged into a USB-C charger (not included, which is common with the docks reviewed here) and supply up to 100W of charging power to the connected laptop.

There’s also a Gigabit Ethernet port for fast, stable wired Internet access.

You need to install DisplayLink on your Mac—instructions above—and UGreen has made this easy by adding the download files to your Mac when you first connect the dock.

Read a full Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C dock review .

Alogic DV4 Universal Quad Display Docking Station – one 4K display at 60Hz, two HD displays

• Supports three external displays, one at 4K 60Hz
• 14 ports, inc. 5Gbps USB-C and USB-A
• 3x HDMI 2.0 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4 video ports
• 12W USB-C charging
• 85W PD charging
• 2 displays at HD, not 4K

With third-party DisplayLink drivers, this dock will support up to three displays on a Mac. You can connect one 4K at 60Hz display (3840×2160 pixels) via either the DisplayPort or one of the HDMI ports. The other two displays via HDMI, however, are at a lesser HD (1920×1080) resolution, both at 60Hz.

There is a link to the DisplayLink download printed in the user manual, although the type in the manual is the smallest we’ve ever seen!

The specs aren’t quite as impressive as the Satechi Triple 4K Display Docking Station, with 5Gbps a maximum data-transfer rate, although charging wattage for USB-A (3.0) is up to 7.5W each and USB-C is up to 12W, which beats the Satechi..

However, it does boast both SD and MicroSD card readers for affordable portable storage options, although UHS-I rather than super-fast UHS-II. And, crucially, it’s cheaper, although you will need to add your own USB-C 100W PD charger , unlike the Satechi Triple 4K Dock.

Satechi USB-C Multimedia M1 Adapter – one 4K display at 60Hz, one 4K display at 30Hz

• 6 ports, inc. 5Gbps USB-C and 2x 5Gbps USB-A

The Satechi USB-C Multimedia M1 Adapter uses InstantView rather than DisplayLink but the installation process is practically the same when you follow the manual.

It includes 2x HDMI ports: one of which can support a 4K display at 60Hz and the other at 30Hz.

It’s more than a mere display adapter, though, as it also boasts USB-C PD passthrough charging at up to 85W, one 5Gbps USB-C port, and two 5Gbps USB-A ports.

Although named after the M1 processor it is fixing on the multiple display front, it will also work with similarly limited M2 and M3 MacBooks.

• No other ports except passthrough charging

Like the Hyperdrive Dual 4K HDMI 10-in-1 USB-C Hub, Hyper’s cheaper Dual 4K HDMI Adapter uses the simpler InstantView software rather than DisplayLink.

Lacking any other ports, it’s not a hub and so just facilitates the dual-display function on M1 and M2 Macs. While it’s cheaper than its 10-port sibling, we’d recommend the more able hub—unless you need three displays, in which case you’d need to look at the other hubs and docks reviewed here.

One HDMI port supports 4K displays at 60Hz, but the other at the slower 30Hz.

A passthrough USB-C port requires a USB-C charger but can supply 100W to the connected laptop.

If you’re based outside the US, beware as Hyper charges $80 international shipping, making this adapter more expensive than its 10-port sibling.

Alogic Dual 4K Universal Compact Docking Station – two 4K displays at 60Hz

• 7 ports, inc. 10Gbps USB-C and USB-A
• HDMI and DisplayPort versions

The Alogic Dual 4K Universal Compact Docking Station comes in two models—the CH2, which features two HDMI 2.0 ports; and the CD2, with two DisplayPort ports—so you can choose which best suits the external displays you already own.

Two external screens are probably enough for most people. If you require three, see the other hubs and docks reviewed here. Both screens can be up to 4K at 60Hz. Basic instructions are given on installing the DisplayLink software for M1, M2 and M3 Macs.

This neat, compact dock doesn’t feature as many ports as others mentioned here but what it has are top-rated: both the USB-A and USB-C ports support 10Gbps data transfer. There is also a Gigabit Ethernet port and a UHS-II SD card reader.

A passthrough USB-C port—you need to add a suitably powerful charger—can handle 100W, although 22W is required by the dock so leaving 78W for laptop and device charging. The dock must be connected to the laptop to allow device charging.

EZQuest Ultimate Plus USB-C Multimedia Hub – one 4K display at 60Hz, one 4K at 30Hz, one HD

• Supports three external displays (2x 4K; 1x HD)
• VGA if you need it
• 12 ports, inc 4x 5Gbps USB-A
• Third display is HD not 4K

The EZQuest Ultimate Plus USB-C Multimedia Hub has two HDMI ports and a VGA port, and supports one 4K at 60Hz and one 4K at 30Hz via HDMI and 1080p HD via VGA. If you want three 4K displays, look instead at the Ugreen Triple Display Dock.

It also features 5Gbps USB-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet and card readers.

Like the Ugreen dock, it requires a USB-C charger for power and can pass through up to 85W to the connected MacBook, but connects via slower 5Gbps USB-C.

Baseus 17-in-1 Docking Station – three 4K displays at 30Hz

• Supports three external displays at 4K 30Hz
• 15 (actual) ports
• Requires USB-C charger for laptop
• 30Hz 4K not 60Hz
• Only mirrors laptop display

The Baseus 17-in-1 Docking Station has three HDMI ports, each of which can connect to an external 4K display at 30Hz. If you require three 4K external displays at 60Hz, the Ugreen Triple Display Dock will fulfill your needs better. If 30Hz is fine, the Baseus will save you money. 60Hz is better for gamers as it offers smoother video.

One big limitation for Macs, though, is that the external displays can only mirror and not extend the Mac’s screen.

Its claim to have 17 ports is exaggerated slightly as one is for the external power supply that powers just the dock at 12W. and another to add power the dock via a USB-C charger and then onto the laptop. But it has 15 other ports including the upstream 5Gbps USB-C connection to the MacBook, plus Gigabit Ethernet, card readers and 5Gbps USB-A and USB-C ports.

StarTech.com USB-C Hybrid Triple Monitor Docking Station – DisplayLink dock with video options

• 15 ports, inc. 10Gbps USB-C and USB-A
• 85W passthrough charging
• DisplayPort didn't work on our test Mac

This triple-monitor DisplayLink-based docking station is positively bristling with ports: 15 in total.

Most interesting to us here are the six video ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4 and 3x HDMI 2.0. This doesn’t mean you can connect six displays but it does should give you flexible options for the type of connection that fit your displays. However, in testing we had no success linking via DisplayPort, which makes the extra options rather worthless. As such, we prefer the other docks and hubs reviewed above.

You need to download the DisplayLink drivers for your M1/M2/M3 Mac. StarTech.com has a link and a video , or just follow our guide above.

As well as the half-dozen video ports are six USB ports: 2x USB-C (one at 10Gbps and one 5Gbps), plus 4x USB-A (one 10Gbps and three 5Gbps). The 5Gbps USB-C port can charge a connected device at 18W, enough to fast-charge an iPhone. One of the 5Gbps USB-A ports can charge at 7.5W.

Rounding off the many ports are Gigabit Ethernet and a 3.5mm Audio In-Out.

There’s no card reader to add portable storage but you could connect an adapter to one of the USB ports.

Workaround caveats

Whenever there is a new OS update DisplayLink and InstantView drivers may need to be updated each time.

Plugable doesn’t recommend the workaround for gaming, video editing, digital audio workstations (DAWs), and protected content (HDCP) playback. For these workloads, users will want the full throughput of a “bare-metal” native GPU connection—such as provided by the DisplayPort or HDMI port on the dock using Alt Mode.

Caldigit actively recommends against using DisplayLink, as it finds it unreliable and there would be no synergy between the driver and the dock. Because it requires a third-party driver, users are at the mercy of Apple and the third-party developer to support later versions, the company told Macworld.

However, this combination of display technologies does allow M1 and M2 MacBooks to run more than one external monitor, and the M1 and M2 Mac mini to run more than two. And more manufacturers are coming out with docks and hubs that support it.

The only risk is that it could stop working at any time, although it wouldn’t harm your system if it did, and you could simply uninstall DisplayLink.

DisplayLink and InstantView are workarounds with a potentially limited timespan but the likelihood is that compatibility would be restored at some stage if the worst happened and you would get back your multi-monitor setup.

Read our M1 MacBook Air review , M2 MacBook Air review , and M3 MacBook Air review .

If you are wanting to use a second display with your Mac and not have your Mac’s screen on, read our feature How to turn a Mac’s screen off. Want to use an 8K monitor? Read How to connect an 8K display to your Mac .

What you need to know about DisplayLink and InstantView

Does displaylink and instantview block netflix or other streaming content.

DisplayLink and InstantView are great at adding multiple monitors to M1, M2 and M3 Macs, but there is a catch.

Some protected content in Netflix, AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Disney+ or YouTube TV and other streaming applications may not play. The video remains black while audio keeps playing.

This is all down to how the macOS interfaces the DisplayLink driver used to access graphics content. As soon as one DisplayLink-enabled screen is connected, protected content becomes unavailable on all screens.

This is down to the streaming platforms using High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), which is Intel-developed digital copy protection that prevents copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across connections.

Because macOS requires DisplayLink and InstantView to enable Screen Recording, HDCP moves in because it thinks you are actually trying to record the content rather than just display it on screen.

How to enable streaming content when using DisplayLink or InstantView

To get round HDCP stopping your DisplayLink or InstantView setup showing Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services, you may need to disconnect all the DisplayLink or InstantView screens, or switch to a browser other than Safari or Chrome (for example Opera or Firefox).

You can disable hardware acceleration in your browser to access the protected content.

On Google Chrome, go to Google Chrome settings, and click on “Advanced” and then select “System”. Here you can disable “Use hardware acceleration when available”.

Select “Relaunch” to activate the new setting.

If that doesn’t solve the black issue, disconnect the docking station, and try using the laptop’s build-in display or the direct video ports of the laptop.

Uninstalling the software is the ultimate solution.

Author: Simon Jary , Contributor

Simon has over 30 years of expert experience testing and reviewing ever-smaller and more powerful tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, hubs and adapters. A former Editor of Macworld, he has contributed to PCWorld, Tech Advisor and TimeOut, as well as national newspapers such as The Times, Independent and Telegraph.

Recent stories by Simon Jary:

• The best USB-C charger for your MacBook Pro or Air
• Best MacBook bags, cases and sleeves 2024
• Best USB-C hubs and adapters for Mac 2024

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Using Multiple Screens w/ ProPresenter and Apple Silicon (M1 Processor)

In late 2020, Apple released the first set of computers made with their own processors, dubbed “Apple Silicon”. The first new chip released was the entry-level processor called the M1, and it honestly lives up to the hype. As an entry-level processor, it performs similarly to the top-end MacBook Pro’s with Intel chipsets, and even competes with many of the larger iMacs for performance. To get similar performance from an Intel Mac is double or even triple the cost of an M1 computer. If an organization budgeted $2899 for a new iMac to run ProPresenter on 4 screens plus live streaming, now the same scenario can be accomplished on a $799 M1-based Mac Mini. That’s an insane amount of performance for the price! Update: in Fall 2021 Apple released two new MacBook Pro’s with M1 chips: the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Starting at $2000 and $3500 respectively, the M1 Pro can natively support 3 displays (built-in screen + 2 external), and the M1 Max can natively support 5 displays (built-in screen + 4 external). This article is to add more displays than a system officially supports, and the examples listed are based on the original M1 release, which only supports 2 displays.

Here is where some costs get added back to the equation. The M1 chips currently only support 2 graphics outputs. That means natively, macOS is only ever going to detect up to two screens. If your device includes a built-in screen, like an iMac, that counts as one of those screens. Meaning, you’d only get a total of one external screen that you could connect to your M1-based computer. However, as a professional video solution, ProPresenter integrates with some hardware that uses “video outputs” instead of “graphic outputs”. While the computer recognizes “graphics” outputs as additional desktop displays, the “video” outputs we are speaking of (mostly through Blackmagic Decklink and UltraStudio hardware) are only used by software that is specifically written for them (meaning that the operating system does not treat them as it does graphics outputs). As such, video outputs are not encumbered by the operating system, and the M1 hardware limitations won’t play a role in how many screens you can use. Here is a look at video vs graphic outputs.

All of this means extra costs to an M1 computer that you may not have needed with an Intel machine. But regardless, if an M1 is powerful enough for your production, you’ll likely still save a lot of money over a Mac configured with Intel’s chipset.

COSTS YOU MAY NEED TO PLAN FOR

Basic computer accessories.

If you purchase a Mac Mini, it won’t come with some basic accessories. For example, a Mac Mini also needs:

• External Display for the operator

AUDIENCE & STAGE SCREEN OUTPUTS

How many screens you plan to present to and the type of cabling to reach those screens will directly affect what hardware route you take. We usually recommend SDI as your delivery method, as it is the broadcast industry standard, can be used across long distances, is fairly inexpensive, and has excellent reliability and quality. If your display devices only accept HDMI, SDI to HDMI converters are inexpensive and widely available. Just run SDI to the display, connect the adaptor, and use a short HDMI cable. For just 1 additional output, the Blackmagic UltraStudio Monitor 3G outputs either HDMI and SDI. If you need a key/fill signal, you might opt for the UltraStudio HD Mini with which ProPresenter can generate a separate key and fill signals.

If your setup already has multiple SDI cable runs, or if you plan to eventually switch to SDI and will use 3 or more presentation screens (or a Key/Fill and additional outputs), then a Blackmagic Decklink Duo 2 (up to 4 SDI inputs/outputs) or Decklink Quad 2 (up to 8 SDI inputs/outputs) is an excellent choice. Both of these PCIe cards can be connected via Thunderbolt to any of the M1 processor Macs with an external PCIe enclosure. Renewed Vision sells these as a bundle to make this process easier.

Example Scenarios

Existing hdmi based cable runs.

All “Operator” displays referenced below will use the computer’s built-in display (for iMacs or MacBooks), or a graphics output (for the mac mini)

1 Operator // 1 Projector // 1 Confidence Monitor 1x UltraStudio Monitor 3G ; USB-C to HDMI adapter (Around $130)

1 Operator // 1 Projector // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure + 3x SDI to HDMI Converters (Around $1040)

1 Operator // 1 Projector // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor / 1 Video Input Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure + 4x SDI to HDMI Converters (Around $1125)

1 Operator // 3 Projectors (Triple Wide Screen) // 1 Confidence Monitor Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure + 4x SDI to HDMI Converters (Around $1125)

1 Operator // 3 Projectors (Triple Wide Screen) // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor // 1 Video Input Decklink Quad 2 + External Enclosure + 5x SDI to HDMI Converters + 5 BNC Female to Din Cables (Around $1885)

1 Operator // 3 Projectors (Triple Wide Screen) // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor // 1 Video Input // 1 Key // 1 Fill Decklink Quad 2 + External Enclosure + 7x SDI to HDMI Converters + 7 BNC Female to Din Cables (Around $2085)

EXISTING SDI BASED CABLE RUNS

1 Operator // 1 Projector (SDI) // 1 Confidence Monitor (HDMI) 1x UltraStudio Monitor 3G ; USB-C to HDMI adapter (Around $130)

1 Operator // 1 Projector // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure (Around $785)

1 Operator // 1 Projector // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor // 1 Video Input Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure (Around $785)

1 Operator // 3 Projectors (Triple Wide Screen) // 1 Confidence Monitor Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure (Around $785)

1 Operator // 3 Projectors (Triple Wide Screen) // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor // 1 Video Input Decklink Quad 2 + External Enclosure + 6 BNC Female to Din Cables (Around $1375)

1 Operator // 3 Projectors (Triple Wide Screen) // 1 Teaching TV // 1 Confidence Monitor // 1 Video Input // 1 Key // 1 Fill Decklink Quad 2 + External Enclosure + 8 BNC Female to Din Cables (Around $1405)

WHICH HARDWARE SHOULD I BUDGET FOR?

Start by figuring out how many screens you plan to present to and how many stage screens (confidence monitors) you need. If it’s just one audience screen and one stage screen, then you can use the M1’s regular display output for one screen, and a Blackmagic UltraStudio 3G Monitor for the other. If you plan to use three or more external presentation screens then it is worth upgrading to the Blackmagic Decklink Duo 2 + External Enclosure.

THE “iffy” ALTERNATIVE: DisplayLink

If you start searching online for ways to get around the M1 hardware limitations, you might see recommendations for DisplayLink hubs or adapters (not to be confused with DisplayPort, which is completely different).

DisplayLink is a driver technology from a third-party company to run on top of macOS, and allow your Mac to add more displays than it’s normally able to. If your Mac is limited to two displays, with a DisplayLink-based hub, you can get around this limitation. However, this is not ideal for a number of reasons. First, DisplayLink is not directly supported by Apple or Renewed Vision so if you ever have a problem getting a video signal through these devices, you won’t be able to ask Apple or Renewed Vision for technical support to get these outputs running. The performance of these adaptors is also significantly lower than native graphics outputs so these adaptors should not be used for audience-facing displays, otherwise, you might have undesired performance issues. Further, updates to the operating system frequently break the DisplayLink drivers, so should you go down this path, be sure to turn all “auto-update” functions off.

All of that said, there are hundreds of ProPresenter users that have used DisplayLink adaptors for their Stage Displays for years without issue. Just be aware of what you’re getting into should you choose this path.

ALTERNATIVE OUTPUTS FOR AUDIENCE & STAGE SCREENS

Create additional audience & stage screens with ndi.

NDI stands for Network Device Interface. It allows video and audio to be sent over the network (or even internally on the same computer) from one device to another. In most cases, NDI needs a gigabit network or better for best performance. With NDI, the more NDI feeds you use, the more processing power that is required from your devices. NDI is commonly used on computers and some video switchers, but there is also hardware that converts NDI to HDMI or SDI connections.

Here’s an example of how it works: you create an NDI audience screen in ProPresenter, and any other NDI receiving device (a computer, or various devices on your network) can see that display output on the network. One popular solution for adding an additional screen is using an Apple TV with the NDI Monitor TV App . A newly released option is the BirdDog PLAY 4K player for $149, which has an HDMI output.

CREATE STAGE SCREENS WITH THE PROPRESENTER STAGE APP

The ProPresenter Stage App is only US$9.99 and can be run on Android, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS. Have an extra iPhone collecting dust? For an additional Stage Screen, you could get an HDMI adapter for your iPhone, run the Stage App, and plug it into a TV. Similarly, you could run the Stage App directly from an Apple TV to display lyrics to your on-stage talent.

Taking all these options into consideration, using multiple screens with ProPresenter and Apple Silicon (M1 processor) can be affordable and easy to accomplish. HDMI, SDI, NDI, Stage App — there are multiple ways to get Audience and Stage screens out of ProPresenter. Between the built-in graphics outputs, the UltraStudio 3G Monitor, the DeckLink Duo 2 or Quad 2, NDI connections, or even the ProPresenter Stage App, there is a solution for everyone.

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Apple Announces The Apple Silicon M1: Ditching x86 - What to Expect, Based on A14

• Apple Silicon

Today, Apple has unveiled their brand-new MacBook line-up. This isn’t an ordinary release – if anything, the move that Apple is making today is something that hasn’t happened in 15 years: The start of a CPU architecture transition across their whole consumer Mac line-up.

Thanks to the company’s vertical integration across hardware and software, this is a monumental change that nobody but Apple can so swiftly usher in. The last time Apple ventured into such an undertaking in 2006, the company had ditched IBM’s PowerPC ISA and processors in favor of Intel x86 designs. Today, Intel is being ditched in favor of the company’s own in-house processors and CPU microarchitectures, built upon the Arm ISA.

The new processor is called the Apple M1, the company’s first SoC designed with Macs in mind. With four large performance cores, four efficiency cores, and an 8-GPU core GPU, it features 16 billion transistors on a 5nm process node. Apple’s is starting a new SoC naming scheme for this new family of processors, but at least on paper it looks a lot like an A14X.

Today’s event contained a ton of new official announcements, but also was lacking (in typical Apple fashion) in detail. Today, we’re going to be dissecting the new Apple M1 news, as well as doing a microarchitectural deep dive based on the already-released Apple A14 SoC.

The Apple M1 SoC: An A14X for Macs

The new Apple M1 is really the start of a new major journey for Apple. During Apple’s presentation the company didn’t really divulge much in the way of details for the design, however there was one slide that told us a lot about the chip’s packaging and architecture:

This packaging style with DRAM embedded within the organic packaging isn't new for Apple; they've been using it since the A12. However it's something that's only sparingly used. When it comes to higher-end chips, Apple likes to use this kind of packaging instead of your usual smartphone POP (package on package) because these chips are designed with higher TDPs in mind. So keeping the DRAM off to the side of the compute die rather than on top of it helps to ensure that these chips can still be efficiently cooled.

What this also means is that we’re almost certainly looking at a 128-bit DRAM bus on the new chip, much like that of previous generation A-X chips.

On the very same slide, Apple also seems to have used an actual die shot of the new M1 chip. It perfectly matches Apple’s described characteristics of the chip, and it looks looks like a real photograph of the die. Cue what's probably the quickest die annotation I’ve ever made:

We can see the M1’s four Firestorm high-performance CPU cores on the left side. Notice the large amount of cache – the 12MB cache was one of the surprise reveals of the event, as the A14 still only featured 8MB of L2 cache. The new cache here looks to be portioned into 3 larger blocks, which makes sense given Apple’s transition from 8MB to 12MB for this new configuration, it is after all now being used by 4 cores instead of 2.

Meanwhile the 4 Icestorm efficiency cores are found near the center of the SoC, above which we find the SoC’s system level cache, which is shared across all IP blocks.

Finally, the 8-core GPU takes up a significant amount of die space and is found in the upper part of this die shot.

What’s most interesting about the M1 here is how it compares to other CPU designs by Intel and AMD. All the aforementioned blocks still only cover up part of the whole die, with a significant amount of auxiliary IP. Apple made mention that the M1 is a true SoC, including the functionality of what previously was several discrete chips inside of Mac laptops, such as I/O controllers and Apple's SSD and security controllers.

The new CPU core is what Apple claims to be the world’s fastest. This is going to be a centre-point of today’s article as we dive deeper into the microarchitecture of the Firestorm cores, as well look at the performance figures of the very similar Apple A14 SoC.

With its additional cache, we expect the Firestorm cores used in the M1 to be even faster than what we’re going to be dissecting today with the A14, so Apple’s claim of having the fastest CPU core in the world seems extremely plausible.

The whole SoC features a massive 16 billion transistors, which is 35% more than the A14 inside of the newest iPhones. If Apple was able to keep the transistor density between the two chips similar, we should expect a die size of around 120mm². This would be considerably smaller than past generation of Intel chips inside of Apple's MacBooks.

Road To Arm: Second Verse, Same As The First

Section by Ryan Smith

The fact that Apple can even pull off a major architectural transition so seamlessly is a small miracle, and one that Apple has quite a bit of experience in accomplishing. After all, this is not Apple’s first-time switching CPU architectures for their Mac computers.

The long-time PowerPC company came to a crossroads around the middle of the 2000s when the Apple-IBM-Motorola (AIM) alliance, responsible for PowerPC development, increasingly struggled with further chip development. IBM’s PowerPC 970 (G5) chip put up respectable performance numbers in desktops, but its power consumption was significant. This left the chip non-viable for use in the growing laptop segment, where Apple was still using Motorola’s PowerPC 7400 series (G4) chips, which did have better power consumption, but not the performance needed to rival what Intel would eventually achieve with its Core series of processors.

And thus, Apple played a card that they held in reserve: Project Marklar. Leveraging the flexibility of the Mac OS X and its underlying Darwin kernel, which like other Unixes is designed to be portable, Apple had been maintaining an x86 version of Mac OS X. Though largely considered to initially have been an exercise in good coding practices – making sure Apple was writing OS code that wasn’t unnecessarily bound to PowerPC and its big-endian memory model – Marklar became Apple’s exit strategy from a stagnating PowerPC ecosystem. The company would switch to x86 processors – specifically, Intel’s x86 processors – upending its software ecosystem, but also opening the door to much better performance and new customer opportunities.

The switch to x86 was by all metrics a big win for Apple. Intel’s processors delivered better performance-per-watt than the PowerPC processors that Apple left behind, and especially once Intel launched the Core 2 (Conroe) series of processors in late 2006, Intel firmly established itself as the dominant force for PC processors. This ultimately setup Apple’s trajectory over the coming years, allowing them to become a laptop-focused company with proto-ultrabooks (MacBook Air) and their incredibly popular MacBook Pros. Similarly, x86 brought with it Windows compatibility, introducing the ability to directly boot Windows, or alternatively run it in a very low overhead virtual machine.

The cost of this transition, however, came on the software side of matters. Developers would need to start using Apple’s newest toolchains to produce universal binaries that could work on PPC and x86 Macs – and not all of Apple’s previous APIs would make the jump to x86. Developers of course made the jump, but it was a transition without a true precedent.

Bridging the gap, at least for a bit, was Rosetta, Apple’s PowerPC translation layer for x86. Rosetta would allow most PPC Mac OS X applications to run on the x86 Macs, and though performance was a bit hit-and-miss (PPC on x86 isn’t the easiest thing), the higher performance of the Intel CPUs helped to carry things for most non-intensive applications. Ultimately Rosetta was a band-aid for Apple, and one Apple ripped off relatively quickly; Apple already dropped Rosetta by the time of Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) in 2011. So even with Rosetta, Apple made it clear to developers that they expected them to update their applications for x86 if they wanted to keeping selling them and to keep users happy.

Ultimately, the PowerPC to x86 transitions set the tone for the modern, agile Apple. Since then, Apple has created a whole development philosophy around going fast and changing things as they see fit, with only limited regard to backwards compatibility. This has given users and developers few options but to enjoy the ride and keep up with Apple’s development trends. But it has also given Apple the ability to introduce new technologies early, and if necessary, break old applications so that new features aren’t held back by backwards compatibility woes.

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again starting next week, when Apple launches their first Apple M1-based Macs. Universal binaries are back, Rosetta is back, and Apple’s push to developers to get their applications up and running on Arm is in full force. The PPC to x86 transition created the template for Apple for an ISA change, and following that successful transition, they are going to do it all over again over the next few years as Apple becomes their own chip supplier.

A Microarchitectural Deep Dive & Benchmarks

In the following page we’ll be investigating the A14’s Firestorm cores which will be used in the M1 as well, and also do some extensive benchmarking on the iPhone chip, setting the stage as the minimum of what to expect from the M1:

• Page 1: Replacing x86 - The Next Big Step
• Page 2: Apple's Humongous CPU Microarchitecture
• Page 3: Dominating Mobile Performance
• Page 4: From Mobile to Mac: What to Expect?
• Page 5: Apple Shooting for the Stars: x86 Incumbents Beware

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Apple M2 vs M1 chip: What's the difference?

Apple's M2 chip is a notable upgrade over the M1— here's how

The Apple M2 chip appeared during the WWDC 2022 keynote as the power inside Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Air 2022 and MacBook Pro 2022 .

That debut is significant because the M2 heralds the arrival of a second generation of Apple silicon for Macs. It's an evolution of the remarkable M1 chip Apple launched in 2020, which blew us away with how much it improved performance and power efficiency in the 13-inch  MacBook Pro M1 ,  MacBook Air M1 , and  Mac mini M1 . 

Since then we've seen Apple push the limits of M1 performance further with the M1 Pro , M1 Max and M1 Ultra . Now that the M2 has arrived, it's important to understand that it may not be as powerful on paper as some of the beefier M1 variants, but it still offers some promising improvements over the original M1 formula.

Understanding the differences between Apple's first- and second-generation chipsets will help you make a more informed buying decision the next time you're looking to buy the best MacBook for your needs. So read on for a full breakdown of what's different about Apple's new M2 chip.

Apple M2 vs M1: Specs

Row 0 - Cell 0
	$1,199 (MacBook Air 2022)	$999 (MacBook Air 2020)
	8	7-8
	8-10	8
	16-core	16-core
	20 billion	16 billion
	100 GB/s	68 GB/s

Apple M2 vs M1: Price

Apple's M2 chip debuts in two new laptops, the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, which are set to hit the market in July of 2022. 

Pricing starts at $1,199 and $1,299 (respectively) in the U.S., so don't expect to get into a new M2-powered MacBook for under $1,200.

The cost of the new MacBook Air M2 is $200 more than it costs to get an M1-powered MacBook, since the M1 Air still sells for a starting price of $999. Of course, you could always get a Mac mini with M1 (starting price: $699) if you really want Apple silicon on the cheap, but it'll be a bit less portable.

Apple M2 vs M1: CPU

Apple says its new M2 chip sports 20 billion transistors, which is roughly 25% more than the original M1 but far less than on beefier versions like the M1 Pro (33.7 billion transistors) or M1 Max (57 billion transistors).

The M2 is built on a 5-nanometer process, just like the M1, though Apple claims its a "second-generation 5-nanometer technology" that delivers improved performance. That helps explain why, despite the fact that the M2 CPU has the same four high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, Apple claims it can deliver up to 18% better multithreaded performance than the M1.

Apple M2 vs M1: GPU

The original M1 chip shipped with an 8-core GPU that handled graphics-intensive tasks. The M2 also ships with an 8-core GPU by default, though its a bit more advanced than its predecessor and upgradable to a 10-core GPU if you're willing to pay a bit extra.

How much more advanced, you ask? Apple claims the M2's GPU can deliver up to 25% better performance than the M1's GPU at the same power level, and up to 35% better performance at max power.

Apple M2 vs M1: New features

There are a few other key differences that set Apple's new M2 chip apart from its predecessor, including the fact that it supports 100GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is nearly twice as good as the M1.

There's also a 16-core Neural Engine built into the M2, just like the M1. It's a specialized processing unit that excels at machine learning tasks, and it helps out with everything from image processing to voice recognition. The Neural Engine in the M2 can process up to 15.8 trillion operations per second, which Apple claims is over 40 percent more than on M1.

Battery life is also a feature of Apple silicon, in a way, and Apple claims the efficiency of the M2 should deliver some long-lasting laptops. Specifically, the company claims that the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 can deliver up to 20 hours of video playback on a single charge, while the 13-inch Air is advertised as lasting up to 17 hours.

Note that the M1-powered MacBook Air advertises that same 17-hour playback time, though its screen is moderately smaller than the 2022 model's.

Video editing pros can look forward to some improvements in the M2 that weren't present in the M1, including a higher-bandwidth video decoder for the media engine that supports 8K H.264 and HEVC video. You can also now play back multiple streams of 4K /8K video using the ProRes video engine, which seems like good news for those who work regularly with Apple's video format.

Apple M2 vs M1: Outlook

Now that the next generation of Apple silicon is here, it looks to be a minor but meaningful improvement over the original. 

The M2 chip offers a number of significant upgrades over the M1, including a beefier CPU/GPU combo with more power, improved memory bandwidth, and support for Apple's ProRes and ProRes RAW codecs. It's not the revolution I was hoping for, but it lays a promising foundation for whatever comes next from Apple's bespoke silicon business. 

Since Apple followed up the 2020 release of the original M1 chip by releasing beefier Pro and Max versions in 2021, it's exciting to consider how the Cupertino-based company could iterate on the M2 chip in the year(s) ahead. For now, it's a notable upgrade that's good news for Apple fans, especially those who have been waiting for the Air to get an overhaul.

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Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. A lifelong PC builder, he currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice. 

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We believe that design does not need to be sacrificed in favor of performance and work to bring you products featuring the best of both. We specialize in modern USB Type-C hubs, adapters, and accessories.

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Product Description

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Diego, California, Satechi has taken a combined passion for technology + design and created a leading consumer electronics brand, specializing in modern USB Type-C accessories.

Satechi R1 Bluetooth Presentation Remote

Enhance your PowerPoint or Keynote presentations with the Satechi R1 Bluetooth Presentation Remote.

Featuring wireless Bluetooth connectivity, back/forward presentation controls, virtual keyboard button, and black-out screen, the R1 remote helps you take full control of your presentations no matter where you are.

• Wireless Bluetooth 5.0 connection
• Features presentation control with laser
• Rechargeable USB-C design
• Slim profile with a sleek aluminum finish
• Includes USB-C charging cable

Features back/forward slide clickers, virtual keyboard, laser, and black-out screen buttons to help control and enhance your presentations from afar.	With wireless Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and a range of up to 32 ft (10 m), the remote allows you to freely walk the room when presenting so you’re not tethered to the projector or computer.	Features a convenient USB-C recharging port for a long battery life – up to six months based on one hour usage, with a sleek aluminum finish and slim profile for easy storage in the office or on-the-go. Includes USB-C charging cable.	Presentation features supported in PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, Google Slides, and PDF. PowerPoint requires a valid Office365 subscription.

Customer Reviews
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Multimedia features	-	Volume up/down, Forward/backward, Play/pause, Home, Siri (iOS only), Mute, Virtual keyboard
Presentation features	Next slide arrow, Previous slide arrow, Laser (Red), Virtual keyboard, Black screen	Navigational arrows, Enter, Home, Mouse on/off, Mouse left/right
Rechargeable USB-C	✓	✓
Battery Life	Up to six months on a full charge – based on one hour usage & laser usage	Up to six months on a full charge – based on one hour usage

Product guides and documents

Looking for specific info, product information, technical details.

Manufacturer	‎Satechi
Brand	‎Satechi
Item Weight	‎2.14 ounces
Product Dimensions	‎4.92 x 1.42 x 0.35 inches
Item model number	‎ST-BTPR1M
Batteries	‎1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	‎No
Color	‎Black
Number of Items	‎1
Manufacturer Part Number	‎ST-BTPR1M

Additional Information

ASIN	B08VF8WLVC
Customer Reviews	4.2 out of 5 stars
Best Sellers Rank	#41,108 in Office Products ( ) #47 in
Date First Available	January 29, 2021

Warranty & Support

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Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 70% 10% 4% 5% 11% 70%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 70% 10% 4% 5% 11% 10%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 70% 10% 4% 5% 11% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 70% 10% 4% 5% 11% 5%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 70% 10% 4% 5% 11% 11%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the ease of use and appearance of the office product. For example, they mention it's easy to set up and looks nice. That said, opinions are mixed on performance and connectivity.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the controls of the product intuitive to use. They also say it's easy to set up and works beautifully on iPad Air 4th gen.

"...The buttons are the right size and intuitively placed . It pairs hassle free with Bluetooth...." Read more

"...The controls are intuitive and works very reliably, wish the laser was stronger, but I seldom use it so it works well for my purposes...." Read more

"I was able to pair this easily with my MacBook. Learning the controls without looking was intuitive ...." Read more

"Looks nice, easy to use . But every time I have used it, it suddenly flips through the remaining slides. It is embarrassing...." Read more

Customers like the appearance of the office product. They say it looks nice, feels sleek, and is high quality.

"Feels like Apple TV remote. Elegant design . Works well. Best remote I’ve used." Read more

" Feels sleek and high quality. It paired quickly with my iPad. And worked perfectly with both PowerPoint and Keynote presentations...." Read more

" Looks nice , easy to use. But every time I have used it, it suddenly flips through the remaining slides. It is embarrassing...." Read more

" Looks great and at first worked great on my iPad. A few clicks in it will just flip through the remaining slides. No way to stop it...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the quality of the mouse. They mention that it is sleek, high quality, and well built. The body has some weight to it and doesn't feel like cheap plastic.

"...The body has some weight to it and doesn't feel like cheap plastic . The buttons are the right size and intuitively placed...." Read more

"Feels sleek and high quality . It paired quickly with my iPad. And worked perfectly with both PowerPoint and Keynote presentations...." Read more

"This is almost a great product. It feels well built ...." Read more

" Feels like quality in the hand ..." Read more

Customers are mixed about the performance of the product. Some mention that the controls are intuitive and it works very reliably. They say it works beautifully on iPad Air 4th gen and for PowerPoint and Keynote presentations. However, some customers have reported issues with the product not working with MacBook Pro and having a poor connection.

"Feels like Apple TV remote. Elegant design. Works well . Best remote I’ve used." Read more

"It only works in my ipad with a really poor connection." Read more

"Good button feel. Smooth surface. Strong laser pointer . Usd-c charge port. Compatible with mac and PC. Fast Bluetooth pairing" Read more

"...The controls are intuitive and works very reliably , wish the laser was stronger, but I seldom use it so it works well for my purposes...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the connectivity of the product. Some mention it's compatible with mac and PC, and pairs quickly with their iPad. However, others say that it won't pair and starts asking to be paired consistently.

"...The buttons are the right size and intuitively placed. It pairs hassle free with Bluetooth ...." Read more

"This clicker worked great for about 1 week. Then it started asking to be paired consistently . Wouldn’t recommend for teachers." Read more

"Good button feel. Smooth surface. Strong laser pointer. Usd-c charge port . Compatible with mac and PC. Fast Bluetooth pairing" Read more

"I had to return it because it did not work. I could not pair it in bluetooth ." Read more

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Keynote presentation on M1 MacBook Pro flickers

flickering screen makes presentations impossible - whether using a second screen or with only one screen.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.3

Posted on Feb 13, 2024 10:48 AM

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Apple M1 Chip: Everything You Need to Know

Apple in November 2020 released the first Macs with an Arm-based M1 chip, debuting 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air , and Mac mini models. In early 2021, Apple added the M1 iMac and the M1 iPad Pro . The M1 chip received rave reviews for its incredible performance and efficiency, and it is the culmination of more than a decade of Apple's work on chips created for the iPhone and the iPad .

Apple's M1 Chip Explained

The M1 was the first Apple-designed System on a Chip (SoC) that's been developed for use in Macs. It marked Apple's first step toward transitioning away from the Intel chips that the Cupertino company used in Macs since 2006.

Before Apple silicon, Macs used multiple chips for CPU, I/O, and security, but Apple's effort to integrate these chips is the reason why the M1 is so much faster and more efficient than prior Intel chips. The unified memory architecture that Apple has included is also a major factor because all of the technologies in the M1 are able to access the same data without having to swap between multiple pools of memory.

There are 16 billion transistors on the M1, which is the most Apple has ever put into a chip for the fastest CPU core available in low-power silicon and unparalleled CPU performance per watt. Apple's chip design has allowed it to create Macs that are faster and more power-efficient than was possible with Intel-designed chips, and further enhancements are available through the new tighter integration of an Apple-designed chip paired with Apple-designed software.

What's Different About the M1

Unlike Intel chips built on the x86 architecture, the Apple Silicon M1 uses an Arm-based architecture much like the A-series chips that Apple has been designing for iPhones and iPads for years now.

Macs With M1 Chip

Apple has released the 2020 ‌MacBook Air‌, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and ‌Mac mini‌ with M1 chips, replacing the low-end machines in those lineups.

CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine

The M1 chip includes an 8-core CPU with four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. The high-performance cores are designed to offer the best performance for power-intensive single-threaded tasks.

The four high-performance cores can work together to offer impressive multithreaded performance that has allowed the M1 Macs to outshine even the highest-end 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

play For tasks that are less intensive and don't require the same power, such as web browsing, there are four high-efficiency cores that use a tenth of the power to preserve battery life.

Apple says these cores offer performance similar to the prior-generation dual-core ‌MacBook Air‌, but at much lower power. These cores can work alone when significant power isn't needed, but for demanding tasks, all eight cores can be engaged at one time.

Benchmarks of the ‌MacBook Air‌, MacBook Pro, and ‌Mac mini‌ have confirmed the M1 chip's impressive performance. There are some thermal differences between the models, but all have the highest single-core performance out of any Mac and multi-core performance on par with Apple's desktops.

The ‌Apple Silicon‌ chip has an 8-core GPU, but there's also a version used in the entry-level ‌MacBook Air‌ models that has one of the cores disabled for a 7-core GPU.

GPUs in the ‌Mac mini‌, MacBook Pro, and higher-end M1 ‌MacBook Air‌ models are all 8-core GPUs capable of running close to 25,000 threads simultaneously and with 2.6 teraflops of throughput. According to Apple, the M1 has the fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer.

Neural Engine

The M1 chip has a built-in Neural Engine, a component that Apple first started adding to its A-series chips a few years ago. The Neural Engine is designed to accelerate machine learning tasks across the Mac for things like video analysis, voice recognition, image processing, and more.

The 16-core Neural Engine is capable of 11 trillion operations per second for up to 15x faster machine learning performance compared to the previous generation of models that have moved to the M1.

Apple M1 Speed

The M1 chip brings up to 3.5x faster CPU performance, up to 6x faster GPU performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning capabilities compared to the Intel chips used in prior-generation machines.

Compared to the latest PC laptop chips, the M1 offers 2x faster CPU performance and does so using just 25 percent of the power.

Battery Life

Even with the incredible speed improvements that the M1 chip brings, it is also more battery-efficient than any other Mac chip Apple has released to date.

Battery life in an M1 Mac lasts up to 2x longer than in prior-generation Macs. The Mac with the longest battery life is the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which lasts for up to 20 hours. That's double the battery life of the prior-generation model.

M1 Security Features

Intel Macs had a built-in T2 chip that handled security and other features on the Macs, but with the M1 chips, that functionality is built right in and a secondary chip isn't required.

The M1 has a built-in Secure Enclave that manages Touch ID and a storage controller with AES encryption hardware for SSD performance that's faster and more secure.

Running Apps on M1 Macs

Because the M1 chip is using different architecture, Apple has built tools to allow developers to create Universal app binaries that run flawlessly on both ‌Apple Silicon‌ and Intel chips, plus it has developed the Rosetta 2 translation layer that allows x86 apps to run on the M1 chip.

With Rosetta 2, apps designed for Intel machines will continue to run on M1 Macs with some limited performance compromises. For the most part, apps run similarly on both Intel and M1 Macs due to the performance improvements introduced in the M1.

Everything should function as normal when transitioning to M1 Macs, and over the course of a few years, most popular Mac apps will likely be built to run on the M1 Macs natively. Right now, there is one major compromise when choosing an M1 Mac, and that's Windows support.

There is no Boot Camp for M1 Macs and M1 Macs are not officially able to run Windows, although some users are figuring out ways to make it work. Official support could come in the future, but it largely depends on Microsoft licensing its Arm-based version of Windows to consumers, and so far, that hasn't happened.

M1 Macs can run ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps as well as Mac apps, so long as app developers make them available on the Mac. There used to be a way to sideload any iOS app on an M1 Mac, but that functionality was removed in January 2021 .

M1 Mac How Tos

Since the M1 Macs are using a new type of chip designed by Apple, there are some tips and tricks for doing things like transferring files, entering recovery mode, and finding apps optimized for the new machines. We have several M1-specific how tos that are worth checking out.

• How to Use Apple Diagnostics to Test Your Mac
• How to Tell Which Apps Are Optimized for M1 Apple Silicon Macs
• How to Transfer Files Between an Apple Silicon Mac and Another Mac
• How to Reinstall macOS on an M1 MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Pro, and M1 Mac Mini
• How to Install Rosetta on Your M1 Apple Silicon Mac
• How to Start Up in Safe Mode on an M1 Apple Silicon Mac
• How to Install iPhone or iPad Apps on an M1 Mac
• How to Repair the Startup Disk on M1 Apple Silicon Macs
• How to Turn Off Optimized Battery Charging in macOS
• How to Check the Battery Health of Your Apple Silicon MacBook
• How to Launch the Intel Version of a Universal Apple Silicon App

M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra

Apple followed the M1 chip with the M1 Pro and M1 Max , introduced in October 2021 in the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro machines , and the M2 in June of 2022. The ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ are faster variants of the M1, with both chips equipped with a 10-core CPU that has two high-efficiency cores and eight high-power cores.

Apple in June 2022 introduced the ‌M2‌ chip in the updated ‌MacBook Air‌ and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The ‌M2‌ features the same 8-core CPU as the M1, but it offers more GPU cores, with nine and 10-core GPU options, up from the 7 and 8-core options in the original M1 chip.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about the M1 chip, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here .

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MacBook Air (M1, 2020) - Technical Specifications

Year introduced: 2020

Identify your MacBook Air model

Retina display

13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors

Supported scaled resolutions:

1680 by 1050

1440 by 900

1024 by 640

400 nits brightness

Wide color (P3)

True Tone technology

Apple M1 chip

8-core CPU with 4 perform­ance cores and 4 efficiency cores

7-core GPU, 8-core GPU

16-core Neural Engine

Battery and Power 1

Up to 15 hours wireless web

Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback

Built-in 49.9‑watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery

30W USB-C Power Adapter

Charging and Expansion

Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for:

DisplayPort

Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s)

USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)

USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

3.5 mm headphone jack

8GB unified memory

Configurable to 16GB

Configurable to 512GB SSD, 1TB, or 2TB

Keyboard and Track­pad

Backlit Magic Keyboard with:

78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement

Ambient light sensor

Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Touch ID sensor

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking

IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible

Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

720p FaceTime HD camera

Advanced image signal processor with computational video

Display Support

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:

One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz

Thunderbolt 3 digital video output

Native DisplayPort output over USB-C

VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

Stereo speakers

Wide stereo sound

Support for Dolby Atmos playback

Three-mic array with directional beamforming

Operating Requirements

Line voltage: 100V to 240V AC

Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz

Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)

Storage temperature: −13° to 113° F (−25° to 45° C)

Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing

Operating altitude: tested up to 10,000 feet

Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet

Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet

Size and Weights

Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)

Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)

Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)

Weight: 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg) 3

Operating System

macOS is the most advanced desktop operating system in the world. macOS Ventura makes the things you do most on Mac even better, so you can work smarter, play harder, and go further.

Learn more about latest operating system

macOS User Guide

Accessibility

Accessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new MacBook Air. With built-in support for vision, hearing, mobility, and learning, you can create and do amazing things. Learn more about Accessibility

Features include:

Voice Control

Increase Contrast

Reduce Motion

Siri and Dictation

Switch Control

Live Captions

Built-in Apps 4

Photo Booth

QuickTime Player

Time Machine

Voice Memos

MacBook Air

USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)

Configure to Order

Configure your MacBook Air with these options at apple.com :

16GB unified memory

512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD

MacBook Air and the Environment

MacBook Air is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact: 5 See the MacBook Air Product Environmental Report (PDF)

Made with better materials

100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure 6

100% recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board

35% or more recycled plastic in multiple components

Energy efficient

ENERGY STAR ® certified 7

Smarter chemistry 8

Arsenic-free display glass

Mercury-, BFR-, PVC-, and beryllium-free

Green manufacturing

Apple’s Zero Waste Program helps suppliers eliminate waste sent to landfill

All final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100% renewable energy for Apple production

Responsible packaging

100% of virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests

Recyclable, majority-fiber packaging

Apple and the Environment

We’re committed to making our products without taking from the earth, and to become carbon neutral across our entire business, including products, by 2030. See Apple’s commitment

Acoustic Performance

Declared noise emission values in accordance with ECMA-109

	Sound Power Level (B)	Sound Pressure Level Operator Position (dB)
Idle	1.3 ( = 0.3)	3
Wireless web	1.3 ( = 0.3)	3

L W A,m is the mean A-weighted sound power level, rounded to the nearest 0.1 B.

L p A,m is the mean A-weighted sound pressure level measured at the operator position (rounded to the nearest 1 dB).

1 B (bel) = 10 dB (decibel)

K v is the statistical adder for computing upper-limit of A-weighted sound power level.

The quantity, L W A,c (formerly called L W Ad ) may be computed from the sum of L W A,m and K v .

The Wireless web test browses 25 popular websites.

Configuration tested: Apple M1 chip, 8-core GPU, 8GB memory, 512GB storage.

Testing conducted by Apple in October 2020 using preproduction MacBook Air systems with Apple M1 chip and 8-core GPU, configured with 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD. The wireless web test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites with display brightness set to 8 clicks from bottom. The Apple TV app movie playback test measures battery life by playing back HD 1080p content with display brightness set to 8 clicks from bottom. Battery life varies by use and configuration. See apple.com/batteries for more information.

1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = 1 trillion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.

Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.

iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are available on the Mac App Store. Downloading apps requires an Apple ID and a device that is compatible with the OS version required for each app.

Data accurate as of product launch.

Recycled material claim applies to the enclosure and is based on auditing done by UL LLC.

ENERGY STAR and the ENERGY STAR mark are registered trademarks owned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Apple defines its restrictions on harmful substances, including definitions for what Apple considers to be “free of,” in the Apple Regulated Substances Specification. Every Apple product is free of PVC and phthalates with the exception of AC power cords in India, Thailand (for two-prong AC power cords), and South Korea, where we continue to seek government approval for our PVC and phthalates replacement.