MARCH 2021 PCWorld 13ALL KINDS OF THINGS JUST
DON’T WORK ON THE M 1
Intel didn’t just get into the performance of
the M1. It also said it found the MacBook
Pro had serious shortcomings, such as an
inability to use more than one display with
a Thunderbolt dock.
And while the PC can use gaming
headsets, eGPUs, a third-party fingerprint
reader, a Wacom drawing tablet and an
Xbox Controller, Intel said that it found the
MacBook Pro simply doesn’t work with
eGPUs and also had multiple issues with
some other devices.
And that’s just talking about the issues
with hardware incompatibility. Intel’s rap
battle with Apple also highlights issues
with plug-ins for Ableton, Bitwig Studio,
Avid Pro Tools, FL Studio, Motu, and many
other programs.
Our take: The fact that the MacBook can
only use a single external display is a big
problem. We’d want to verify that ourselves,
but it’s a serious weakness in this multi-
monitor world. Hopefully, it’s just a bug from
the new platform, but for all we know, it’s a
limitation of the hardware too.
We’ve long said lack of eGPU is a major
weakness because who doesn’t want more
performance for gaming? But to be fair:
We’ve already stressed the Mac is pretty
worthless for gaming, so what exactly do you
need that eGPU for?
Intel’s take on the software issues is a
little less problematic, we think. When you
pull up stakes and tell all of your