I use MacAirPro. I want a second screen. Please can anyone advise me of the easiest way to achieve this? Do i need an apple screen or just any screen? Can anyone actually tell me what would be an inexpensive option to create this? Not sure about compatibility etc. Thank you all.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: second screen?
MacBook Air 15″, macOS 15.5
DeborahCheshire wrote:
I use MacAirPro. I want a second screen. Please can anyone advise me of the easiest way to achieve this?
Which particular Mac do you have? Your tag line suggests that it might be a
All are very similar as far as the considerations involved in attaching a single external display. But it would be good to have confirmation of the model.
Do i need an apple screen or just any screen?
No, you don't need an Apple screen. The current Apple screens are very nice, but the 27" 5K Apple Studio Display is expensive ($1600), and the 32" 6K Apple Pro Display XDR is "if you have to ask, you can't afford it."
There are "cheap and nasty" third-party monitors for as little as $70, and other third-party monitors which rival the Apple ones in terms of price tag. More monitors than you can shake a stick at – and if your Mac is one of the three shown above, then just about any of them would be an option for your Mac.
So it might help if you could tell us a little more about what you're looking for: e.g., price range, size, how much you value color accuracy for photos and videos, whether you want a monitor that can act as a mini-docking station and charge your notebook, and so forth.
An iPad (price starts at $329) is portable (can run during a complete power outage) and doubles as a secondary "computing device" and connects wirelessly.
Good luck! 👋🏼😉
Is your monitor battery powered?
When the 6+ hour power outage occurred last week, I only had my iPhone, MacBook Pro and a flashlight to use, everything else was useless.
Do you have a link to the monitor?
If it’s not battery powered, then the iPad is the best solution.
Please read the Amazon reviews!
I looked it up and many are not battery operated and look for compatibility.
Also, can the battery be replaced when it eventually runs out?
Remember: Your MacBook Air can run during a power outage. Your monitor needs to as well.
I really want to know which model. 🧐
Remember: Your MacBook Air can run during a power outage. Your monitor needs to as well.
Unless you have some sort of battery backup for your router – or you have a cellular device like an iPhone which you can turn into a mobile hotspot – your Internet service isn't going to work during a power outage.
DeborahCheshire wrote:
Okay sorry . Just a second screen to see extra windows open while i am working online. No gaming. I only wanted to know if i can connect any monitor to my laptop and have double screens.
If you have a 15" M2, M3, or M4 MacBook Air, you can connect almost any regular desktop monitor to that Mac. (Portable monitors that want to suck battery power from the notebook might be a separate discussion.)
One of those MacBook Airs can drive
Or what other people use thats all.
Common choices for which there is a wide selection are:
The 32" monitors probably cost more than you want to spend, but I believe that you can now get some good – if basic – 27" 4K monitors for as little as $300 – $400 USD. You might have to spend more for features like USB-C input where a single cable carries video to the monitor, and power back to the laptop.
If you care about basic color accuracy, I'd suggest looking for a monitor that has an IPS panel, and 100% or near-100% coverage of sRGB. If the specifications do not mention sRGB, that's usually a Bad Sign.
A monitor should have at least one modern input: DisplayPort, HDMI, and/or USB-C. Many offer several – of two or more kinds.
Many HDTVs and Ultra HD TVs have HDMI inputs. Some have AirPlay – and it is also possible to outfit a TV with a spare HDMI input with a set-top box or streaming stick that can receive video over AirPlay. The bottom line: you could press a HDTV that you already own into service as a wired or wireless display for your MacBook Air.
DeborahCheshire wrote:
Thankyou Idris. Your reply makes sense. Much as an ipad would be nice and continue the apple theme, they do look a bit small for the job, and much more costly. And the rebooting sounds annoying. So, if you dont’t mind one more question, what brand did you go for? Im wondering if any portable screen will work or it needs to be apple compatible. Best, d
⇡ I experienced a complete power and Internet outage last week.
Both of my BackUps didn’t work.
Trust me, I am recommending from personal experience here. 😇
any monitor should work really have an old 17" samsung monitor from 2005 connected to my mini
you just the an adaptor that convert what the port (thunderbolt/displayport/hdmi) or whatever to what the monitor you wish to connect have like (thunderbolt/displayport/hdmi/dvi/sub-d)
though if you buy the cheapest adaptor you can find online there might be compatibility issues
By "inexpensive" what is your price ceiling for this external monitor? What minimum requirements do you have for this monitor? For example, are you just trying to "extend" your laptop's screen, or use it for gaming, etc.?
There is no such thing as a MacBook Air Pro. You either have a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. Regardless, which exact model is it? All we know from your tagline is that it is a MacBook Air running macOS Sequoia 15.5.
Okay sorry . Just a second screen to see extra windows open while i am working online. No gaming. I only wanted to know if i can connect any monitor to my laptop and have double screens. Or what other people use thats all.
A bit late to the party but here's my experience. I needed a second monitor for when I work from home. I picked up one on Amazon for about $50. Is it the greatest monitor in the world? No. Is it "nasty?" Definitely not. It does exactly what I need it to do which have one document open for reference while I work on a second one.
It works MUCH better than using an iPad as a second screen.
DeborahCheshire wrote:
Idris thankyou for your reply. Why is it much better than using an ipad?
The iPad was useful as a stopgap. However, I found that I often had to restart my Mac or my iPad to get it to work. Then, you have to go to Control Center and select it. If the iPad wasn't charged when I needed it, I would have to wait for that. The iPad screen is also smaller than the monitor I bought. And if you don't have an iPad already, it's a whole lot more expensive than an inexpensive monitor.
The monitor is just much simpler. I plugged it in and configured things once. Now it just works. It's large and lighter than my iPad (with Magic Keyboard case). The one I bought is a "portable" monitor. It has a folding cover ad is easy to take with me.
Objectively, it's not as "good" in that it's not quite as vibrant. But it's absolutely fine for documents.
In the end, it all comes down to budget and preferences.
Thankyou Idris. Your reply makes sense. Much as an ipad would be nice and continue the apple theme, they do look a bit small for the job, and much more costly. And the rebooting sounds annoying. So, if you dont’t mind one more question, what brand did you go for? Im wondering if any portable screen will work or it needs to be apple compatible. Best, d
DeborahCheshire wrote:
Thankyou Idris. Your reply makes sense. Much as an ipad would be nice and continue the apple theme, they do look a bit small for the job, and much more costly. And the rebooting sounds annoying. So, if you dont’t mind one more question, what brand did you go for? Im wondering if any portable screen will work or it needs to be apple compatible. Best, d
Here's the one I got:
It is powered by plugging it into the computer.
It was on sale when I bought it.
How to set up an inexpensive second screen for MacBook Air?
