When will Macbook Pro's get Eyefinity?
I know Apple's been sticking with nVidia lately, but they have a multi-screen technology too.
Those Macbook Pro clone hp's have it, allowing them to run two external monitors at the same time.
I'm not buying a new MBP until I can have two external 24's without an external piece of hardware.
EDIT: I was looking at a demo of HP's Envy 17 doing this, and it's ability to run 3 external displays hinges on using all three ports: minidisplay port. hdmi and vga (??!!??). Makes sense for games, but for productivity, who is going to run one of their displays off of vga?!?
And we know Apple will never add HDMI to a laptop, so our only hope it that they put a second miniDP port. Keeps fingers crossed.
Those Macbook Pro clone hp's have it, allowing them to run two external monitors at the same time.
I'm not buying a new MBP until I can have two external 24's without an external piece of hardware.
EDIT: I was looking at a demo of HP's Envy 17 doing this, and it's ability to run 3 external displays hinges on using all three ports: minidisplay port. hdmi and vga (??!!??). Makes sense for games, but for productivity, who is going to run one of their displays off of vga?!?
And we know Apple will never add HDMI to a laptop, so our only hope it that they put a second miniDP port. Keeps fingers crossed.
Comments
I process LIDAR on my MBP in ArcGIS. Two monitors would be nice. Three would be better. Four would be best.
When you have a task like this, why do you even try doing it on a laptop of any type? Right now the best you can do with a true laptop is two monitors.
Possible in 2011? Probably not. I'd assume it will be either possible and/or actually implemented by Apple or at least PC laptops in 2012.
Laptop GPUs might get there one day no doubt. The problem is display densities are increasing so it takes more GPU power to drive a laptop display.
I mean by then laptops will have a gig of VRAM. I'd think that's plenty for multiple monitors! Particularly with a Lightpeak port like 1337_5L4Xx0R said. There can never be too much of anything in computing.
I don't think Light Peak has anything to do with it. All you would need is an additional Display Port outlet.
LightPeak is interesting because we don't know yet what Apples goal with the port is. Trying to video over the link would seem to imply using intel hardware. Not sure how that would go over at Apple.
I have no doubt GPUs on mobile platforms will be able to handle this in the near future, the problem is demand to convince Apple to implement support for four monitors in a Laptop. It seems to go counter to there current design ethic of lean low power machines.
I have no doubt GPUs on mobile platforms will be able to handle this in the near future, the problem is demand to convince Apple to implement support for four monitors in a Laptop. It seems to go counter to there current design ethic of lean low power machines.
However, Apple is always showing the MBP running with some huge external monitor.
If Apple did put in a second display port adapter, it would only be on the 17 which would suck for me.
I am tempted to go to the Mac Pro to run a second monitor but I'd hate to have to run two machines (I still need my MBP). I may also look into solutions from Matrox or CineView.
A Mac Book Pro is a laptop, a portable machine why would you even bother with trying to drive two desktop monitors from any laptop. There is a reason why desktop machines exist and this is one of them.
Only because it hasn't been possible on notebooks until now. There's no reason not to use a notebook with multiple monitors, especially if you need to unplug it and take it home at night.
I mean by then laptops will have a gig of VRAM.
Almost every maker but Apple already has graphics cards with a gig of VRAM and has had them for quite a while on machines half as expensive as a Macbook.
Only because it hasn't been possible on notebooks until now. There's no reason not to use a notebook with multiple monitors, especially if you need to unplug it and take it home at night.
It certainly makes sense to want to run an (one) additional monitor connected to a laptop. However when we start talking about three or four monitors you have crossed a line where reason doesn't follow.
Remember the whole point of a laptop is portability. Adding in support for hardware that only a tiny portion of your customer base will ever use doesn't make sense. By tiny we mean very very small fractions of one percent.
By the way a transportable computer, that is something larger and more powerful than todays MBP might not be a bad idea. However that is not what I want out of my next MBP. Even thinner and lighter would be better. As would be considerably greater storage capacity. Hooking up multiple (> 1 external) monitors doesn't even come into play.
Almost every maker but Apple already has graphics cards with a gig of VRAM and has had them for quite a while on machines half as expensive as a Macbook.
Well that has been the case for a very long time. Generally these are machines built to a certain spec for advertising. Very few of them have Apples overal build quality. When comparing apples to apples Apple doesn't do to bad. In such cases Apple is seldom doubke the price.
In any event if this is such a big issue as some here are trying to imply then buy the alternative laptop that does what you need. Then send Apple the sales reciept telling them how important it was for you to find a laptop supporting four monitors. If enough letters come in to Apple HQ they will consider that in their next round of engineering ( they won't because of near zero demand).
This is sort of like buying a pickup truck and crying that Toyota doesn't have what you need. If that is the case then you need to look at a Ford.
I know Apple's been sticking with nVidia lately, but they have a multi-screen technology too.
Those Macbook Pro clone hp's have it, allowing them to run two external monitors at the same time.
I'm not buying a new MBP until I can have two external 24's without an external piece of hardware.
I wouldn't be horribly surprised if they announce new MBPs at the event at the end of the month, maybe with 2 mini-DP ports (or a mDP and HDMI like the mini) with ATI cards, supporting eyefinity. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't too though
It certainly makes sense to want to run an (one) additional monitor connected to a laptop. However when we start talking about three or four monitors you have crossed a line where reason doesn't follow.
Remember the whole point of a laptop is portability. Adding in support for hardware that only a tiny portion of your customer base will ever use doesn't make sense. By tiny we mean very very small fractions of one percent.
By the way a transportable computer, that is something larger and more powerful than todays MBP might not be a bad idea. However that is not what I want out of my next MBP. Even thinner and lighter would be better. As would be considerably greater storage capacity. Hooking up multiple (> 1 external) monitors doesn't even come into play.
A lot of people use 17" MBPs as lugables, they would benefit distinctly from it. Just because *you* don't want the option doesn't mean no-one does.
Well that has been the case for a very long time. Generally these are machines built to a certain spec for advertising. Very few of them have Apples overal build quality. When comparing apples to apples Apple doesn't do to bad. In such cases Apple is seldom doubke the price.
To be fair, the HP Envy 14, which tasslehawf explicitly mentioned, is pretty damn close, and better in some ways.