As I’ve overhauled my setup all through the Apple Silicon transition and in conjunction with the Mac Studio and MacBook Professional, I’ve used this as a chance so as to add some new equipment as properly. This features a new OWC Thunderbolt Dock, a nifty Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad accent from Twelve South, and extra. Head beneath for the small print.
Greatest Mac Accent: OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock
One of many extra integral additions to my setup is the OWC Thunderbolt Dock, a model of we additionally went hands-on with earlier this 12 months.
The OWC Thunderbolt Dock I’m utilizing in my setup provides 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports with help for as much as 40Gb/s switch speeds, 4 USB-A ports, an SD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and gigabit ethernet. I’ve the dock mounted on the underside of my desk so it’s hidden and out of the best way, however its ports are nonetheless accessible.
The OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock is admittedly not fairly as helpful with the brand new Mac Studio because it was after I was utilizing my 14-inch MacBook Professional in clamshell mode. It is because the Mac Studio provides its personal versatile collection of ports.
If you happen to’re in search of a approach to release the ports on the Mac Studio itself, nevertheless, this OWC dock is a good choice. It’s additionally good for cleansing up your desk and having as few cables as doable snaking from the again of the Mac Studio. If you happen to’re putting an order from OWC, I also can extremely advocate the firm’s Thunderbolt 4 cable, which is considerably cheaper than Apple’s.
Magic Keyboard with Contact ID
If you happen to’re utilizing an Apple Silicon-powered Mac and also you haven’t added a Magic Keyboard with Contact ID to your setup, you’re critically lacking out. Lastly having the ability to use Contact ID with a desktop Mac is a sport changer. This consists of Apple Pay authentication, accessing password managers, and making App Retailer purchases.
In fact, which means you need to be happy with the shape issue and design of Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which isn’t the case for everybody. I’m nonetheless holding out hope that Apple releases a standalone “Magic Button” with Contact ID in some unspecified time in the future, however for now, this must do.
Greatest Mac keyboard accent: MagicBridge
Talking of the Magic Keyboard, if you happen to use the Magic Keyboard alongside a Magic Trackpad, the favored accent maker Twelve South provides a extremely nifty MagicBridge accent. The MagicBridge turns the standalone Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad right into a “one piece management floor, tidying up your workspace.”
You do lose among the flexibility of being about to maneuver your trackpad round in your desk, however in my setup, I a lot choose the one piece design. I take advantage of a Logitech MX Grasp alongside my Magic Trackpad, so I can transfer the MX Grasp round as wanted, and have a clear setup that mixes my Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad because of the Magic Bridge.
Stream Deck
I’ll have one other story going extra in-depth on this later, however I’ve additionally just lately added a Stream Deck to my Mac’s setup. I’m nonetheless studying my means world wide of the Stream Deck, however proper now I’m utilizing it for Mac automation and good dwelling management functions.
Listed below are among the guides I’ve been following as I study extra about Stream Deck:
Satechi Leather-based Desk Mat
Final however not least, and possibly the accent I get requested about most frequently after I characteristic it in product imagery, is the Satechi Eco-Leather-based Deskmate. It is a purely visible addition to my setup, bringing a leather-based desk mat to deal with my keyboard and trackpad. It’s made out of high-quality eco-leather and is designed to guard your desk whereas additionally serving as a tender resting place in your wrists and fingers.
Joli Leather-based Sleeves
I’ve been singing the praises of Joli’s handmade leather-based sleeves for MacBook since 2015, and nothing in any respect has modified. Each time I purchase a brand new MacBook, I all the time ensure to get a Joli leather-based sleeve to go together with it. The Joli sleeves are handmade from clean premium Italian leather-based, utilizing “luxurious full grain waxed leather-based which reveals marks as you utilize it.”
Joli’s leather-based sleeves come at a premium, with costs beginning at round $130 for the brand new 14-inch design. With their gorgeous leather-based materials and handmade touches, nevertheless, I discover them to be properly well worth the value.
Greatest Mac cleansing product: Whoosh Cleansing Spray
Final however not least, if you wish to maintain your new MacBook Air or MacBook Professional wanting model new, you’ll want a great way to maintain the show good and glossy. My go-to advice right here is the WHOOSH! Display screen Cleaner Package, which packs every part you might want to maintain your Mac clear at a value level underneath $20.
The display cleaner package consists of each 3.4oz and 0.3oz bottles of cleansing answer in addition to three 6″ x 6″ cloths. The truth is, the WHOOSH! spray is what many Apple Shops world wide use themselves.
What are a few of your favourite Mac equipment proper now? Tell us down within the feedback!
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