Post Your Mac Setup: Past & Present (Part 17)

[The.316]

It's awful, really. My room can get quite dusty in only a week

Good, I thought I was the only one lol. I have to clean my area at least once a week because I get dust everywhere. Im wondering if something like a air purifier would clean up some of the dust???

 

[Destroysall]

I always felt EXACTLY the same way. I opted to go a slightly different route and bought a top from the Kitchen Countertop section of Ikea. It's better quality wood and more choices when it comes to finishes.

Interesting. Never knew that was possible. I did consider grabbing a dining table sometimes instead as they are sturdy and made of pine wood.

It depends which Vika you get I think. I had a rather small one as a temporary setup last year (120cm wide IIRC) and it felt pretty unstable with 2 screens on it. I found that every month or so I was having to tighten up the legs.

On the other hand, if you get one that is stable, its a pretty decent desk. Dont forget though that it is a budget desk, even by Ikea standards. The finish on the wood will fade and rub off within a year of daily use, much like the old Michael and the newer Micke series desks do. If you can, go for a light one as there is a white primer under the top surface, so you wont notice the faded/rubbed top layer as much as with, say the dark brown/black ones (Which have a light brown primer).

If you can afford it, go for a Galant - it's a much more sturdy unit and has a huge number of modular expansion options.

Wait, the paint fades over time? That's crazy.. Thanks for the Galant recommendation. I did check those out at Ikea and they look nice and sturdy.

I agree with the flimsy tops. I replaced mine with Elfa tops from The Container Store. The legs are fine, but you can get tops pretty much anywhere. If you have a specific space that requires a top that Ikea doesn't carry, you can get one cut to size at Lowe's, etc.

I had no idea that you can get that from Lowe's. I am sure that gives more choices (a few) in the type of wood to use for the top, right?

 

[neilmacd]

I always felt EXACTLY the same way. I opted to go a slightly different route and bought a top from the Kitchen Countertop section of Ikea. It's better quality wood and more choices when it comes to finishes.

Now that's an idea! If mine does start to fade, there's a good chance I'll go down that route.

Still can't see why the Vika is getting such a bad rep though, mine seems totally solid. I have the 150cm top, dont know if the extra weight/area adds to the stability

 

[tn9design]

Now that's an idea! If mine does start to fade, there's a good chance I'll go down that route.

Still can't see why the Vika is getting such a bad rep though, mine seems totally solid. I have the 150cm top, dont know if the extra weight/area adds to the stability

Well I don't know how much yours weighs but the countertop I chose is a 73" solid wood plank that weighs around 80lbs. Between the weight and the awkward size it's hard to carry without help.

When I first bought it 2 years ago I was living in a 3rd floor apartment. I almost died of exhaustion trying to carry the thing up 3 flights of stairs by myself.

 

[neilmacd]

Well I don't know how much yours weighs but the countertop I chose is a 73" solid wood plank that weighs around 80lbs. Between the weight and the awkward size it's hard to carry without help.

When I first bought it 2 years ago I was living in a 3rd floor apartment. I almost died of exhaustion trying to carry the thing up 3 flights of stairs by myself.

Ha! I'm comparison I nearly put my Vika table top through the ceiling, overestimating it's weight!

 

[Ddyracer]

I will move to Madrid, Spain in a few days for study purposes (duration: 6 months). So, I have all my elektronics I do not need / can't get there locked away in a different place. I will rent my house during the 6 months to others. Everything stays (as in furniture). This is the current 'mobile' setup I will also have in Spain.

- rMBP
- iPad 3rd gen 32GB 4G
- iPhone 4S (pictures taken with)
- Trackpad

Very minimalistic but the way it will be in Spain. No TBD whatsoever. Fine by me.

Sad to leave my black macbook and other iMac behind, but oh well.

I already sold a few other MacBooks I had laying around. .

I like it but don't you ever get blinded by the reflections on your table?

 

[jodelli]

This is my setup,

 

[Iphone4sinwhite]

Just received my new display

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What is the name of this beautiful stand? Can it support a 15" cMBP?

 

[ranviper]

Here is where my macbook has been used, when it has been used, here at my summer job.

 

[jodelli]

How not to do it...

 

[AppleDApp]

How not to do it...
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Nice Setup!

 

[J.Appleseed]

What is the name of this beautiful stand? Can it support a 15" cMBP?

It's a Twelve South BookArc Pro. It fits all 13", 15" and 17" MacBooks and MacBook Pro's except for the MacBook Air and retina MacBook Pro

 

[Aodhan]

I use the BookArc with my MacBook Pro and 23-inch monitor, and I love it. However, I find that with the lid closed, the reception for my Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse are severely impacted. I have to keep it much closer to my keyboard and mouse than I would like to, on the right side, otherwise the mouse stutters and the keyboard lags.

I don't want to keep the lid ajar because it'll just fill up with dust. I've seen some other setups here where the BookArc is on the left side of the monitor. I wish I knew how that was working for people.

 

[J.Appleseed]

I use the BookArc with my MacBook Pro and 23-inch monitor, and I love it. However, I find that with the lid closed, the reception for my Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse are severely impacted. I have to keep it much closer to my keyboard and mouse than I would like to, on the right side, otherwise the mouse stutters and the keyboard lags.

I don't want to keep the lid ajar because it'll just fill up with dust. I've seen some other setups here where the BookArc is on the left side of the monitor. I wish I knew how that was working for people.

I also use it with my display in clamshell-mode and I have perfect connection to my wireless keyboard and mouse. I happen to have rearranged my desk yesterday so I'll put my desk up again to give you an idea how I've done it.

I have only two cables in the MacBook: the MDP>HDMI-adapter and the MagSafe-adapter. The HDMI-cable also transfers the sound to my display, which then transfers it to my speakers.

The reason I put the MacBook on the left side of the display is that its ports are on the right when put lid-forward in the BookArc, making cable management a whole lot easier.

 

[Iphone4sinwhite]

If you leave your MBP in the bookarc, how do you turn the computer on and off? Do you have to pull the computer off the stand, open it, hit power, connect your monitor, and then close it each time you want to use it? Do you just walk away from the computer and let it sleep/hibernate? Is there anyway to turn it on/off while in the stand?

 

[GoCubsGo]

If you leave your MBP in the bookarc, how do you turn the computer on and off? Do you have to pull the computer off the stand, open it, hit power, connect your monitor, and then close it each time you want to use it?

You can put it to sleep and everything while in clam shell mode. Of course, you need to be hooked up to an external display.

 

[Iphone4sinwhite]

You can put it to sleep and everything while in clam shell mode. Of course, you need to be hooked up to an external display.

Do you need a keyboard with a dedicated power button to do this?

 

[GoCubsGo]

Do you need a keyboard with a dedicated power button to do this?

No. You need a keyboard but the keyboard plugs into the laptop, the display is driven by the laptop, you just go to the top menu bar and put it to sleep like you would any desktop. Do you know what I mean?

 

[MattA]

No. You need a keyboard but the keyboard plugs into the laptop, the display is driven by the laptop, you just go to the top menu bar and put it to sleep like you would any desktop. Do you know what I mean?

I also use the keyboard shortcut (Command-Option-Eject). Quicker than the mouse.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I also use the keyboard shortcut (Command-Option-Eject). Quicker than the mouse.

Well yeah but I didn't want to complicate matters by pushing him into the world of keyboard shortcuts.

 

[mwhities]

I rearranged my work desktop up a little bit.

 

[iSkiny]

Here is mine

 

[rmwebs]

Here is mine

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Nice wallpaper! A fellow JB fan

 

[mwhities]

I'm a bit late to the party but I found some of my old setup photos and a somewhat cluttered desk of my current. A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind.

The last iBook G4 model (decked out with a 100GB factory installed HDD) as I really didn't want to go through the madness of tearing down the thing myself. Kicking back playing WoW. Also in the first photo is the now rare iPod Hi-Fi and my 30GB iPod circa 2007.

Current setup is in my sig and now while a bit outdated, I still love my MBP. Forgive the clutter, just got a new battery for my DSLR and still had the box from Amazon and such. Have the current model full size aluminum keyboard and a USB "Mighty Mouse" as I like having the extra features from it. On the road, I have a Magic Mouse in my laptop bag. Not shown: 64GB iPad 2.

Four words: GO PACKERS!

 

[MacJones]

Sold my Core 2 Duo Macbook Air and bought a late 2011 15" refurb. I'm very happy with the performance so far.

Before:

After: