Post Your Mac Setup: Past & Present (Part 20)

[macindork]

I've made a few changes to my setup (mostly the Mac mini is back connected to the TV in the living room) so now I have a Dell WD-15 docking station charging my laptop (and the Apple LED Cinema Display connects directly to it, no adapters required). I also added some Bose Companion 2 Series III speakers speakers and now I'm back to having good audio at my desk.

Mounted via Command Strips:

 

[Aggedor]

I finally upgraded to an LG OLED 42” monitor to take advantage of the M2 Max studios 2.1 hdmi. Picture is amazing. The 48” LG OLED is currently 52% off at $699 but I figured that’s too big. Very happy with the purchase View attachment 2312380

Haha, I was tempted by that, but if I go for 42" I'll probably get the Asus ROG Swift 42" OLED. My office setup would make the full gloss of the C2 impossible to use.

Out of interest, what's your viewing distance from seated to the screen?

 

[CreepyAF]

Haha, I was tempted by that, but if I go for 42" I'll probably get the Asus ROG Swift 42" OLED. My office setup would make the full gloss of the C2 impossible to use.

Out of interest, what's your viewing distance from seated to the screen?

Im about 3.5 feet away from the screen. Looking at the corners I do have to move my head slightly. I don’t know anything about the asus I just went with LG because this is my fourth LG OLED and they all work flawlessly. I have a water rower in the same room so I keep the blinds closed to prevent algae formation so I don’t have any reflections.

 

[Aggedor]

Im about 3.5 feet away from the screen. Looking at the corners I do have to move my head slightly. I don’t know anything about the asus I just went with LG because this is my fourth LG OLED and they all work flawlessly. I have a water rower in the same room so I keep the blinds closed to prevent algae formation so I don’t have any reflections.

The C2 looks great (I'm a fan of LG OLEDs in general). The Asus is a 42" OLED as well, but has a matte screen, which is why it might be more suitable for me.

Having said that, my desk is not as big and I'd be about 2 feet from the screen rather than 3.5. Perhaps I need to cut a sheet of card to the same size and see what it is like!

 

[CreepyAF]

The C2 looks great (I'm a fan of LG OLEDs in general). The Asus is a 42" OLED as well, but has a matte screen, which is why it might be more suitable for me.

Having said that, my desk is not as big and I'd be about 2 feet from the screen rather than 3.5. Perhaps I need to cut a sheet of card to the same size and see what it is like!

Yeah I would be careful about buying asus. I don’t know if they update their products as frequently as LG. Matte is nice for monitors tho.

 

[xraydoc99]

I’ve used large monitors for many years, but I tried this setup out of curiosity, and I’ve found I actually really like it. Overall, this is a very practical, reasonably portable, and incredibly versatile (though expensive) setup.

Just to get ahead of the possible comments: I’m not advocating for people to buy an iPad pro to use exclusively as a second screen.

The main point of this post is to show the specific setup of the iPad on the MacBook keyboard. I love finding ways of using the tech I already have to it’s best potential - for me, this is it. I haven’t seen any others doing this, and the fact that they fit so perfectly, and work so well together, made me want to share.

• The camera bump, as I have this set up, is on the top left, and doesn’t touch any keys. This may not be the case for other iPads, as their camera bumps are larger.
• The iPad fits perfectly between the MacBook’s speakers.
• I am not concerned about overheating, as my workload is not nearly heavy enough for that to be an issue.
• I am insanely careful with my tech, so I’m not dropping the iPad down on the MacBook or anything; nothing is being damaged or scratched.

The only thing I don’t like is that I have to lift the iPad, in order to reach the Touch ID sensor. Not a deal-breaker for me, obviously, but worth mentioning.

I’ll list the details of everything below, but the main parts are an M1 MacBook Air and a 12.9 iPad Pro (2018).

There are many ways to arrange this setup, depending on my needs at the time, and each offer their own advantages. Here are just a few:

1. MacOS on both screens, extended using Sidecar.
   • This is my daily setup for work. It allows me the screen real estate I need, while not being as overwhelming as my previous setup, which consisted of two 24” screens, and one 15”.
   • To make this work, you need to have your window/desktop management down (I use Rectangle Pro), but if you do, I’ve found no disadvantage to this over a wall of screens, for me personally.
   • At my desk, I use a wired connection, but when mobile the wireless mode works well enough for me; not as smooth, but I’ve had a good enough experience to make it work without complaint.
   • This is best on a riser, for neck strain reasons, but it will absolutely also work in a portable setting. I often work in different locations, and being able to bring the vast majority of my setup in one bag is really nice.
2. MacOS on top screen, iPadOS on bottom.
   • Thanks to Universal Control, this is much more practical than them being totally separate.
   • I’m still getting used to this, but I can definitely see situations where it would be an advantage - though, mostly for personal stuff, not work (again, for me, personally).
3. MacBook on top, and iPad on desk for notes w/ pencil.
   • I like writing with a pen/pencil sometimes; this allows for that option.
   • During meetings, I can put my iPad on the desk and write notes, scribble ideas, etc.
   • I don’t do it often, but when I do, I’m glad to have the option.
   • Works raised, or on the desk while using the MacBook keyboard and trackpad, obviously

These can obviously also be used separately, and I often do. It all depends on the needs of the day.


The stuff:

• Macbook Air M1
• iPad pro 12.9 (2018)
• iPhone 12 Pro
• Keychron K3 keyboard
• Logitech M535 mouse
• Ugreen USB-C cable
• Laptop riser is this one
• Desk pad from IKEA
• Choetech iPhone charger (that I don’t plug in; just a stand)
• Ember Mug (this thing is incredible)
• Dell D6000 dock is under the shelf thing

@tweaknmod - I am likely missing something very obvious here, but I'm trying to use Rectangle Pro with sidecar and when I try to drag a window to the iPad, instead of moving it to the second monitor (the ipad), it tries to activate one of the Rectangle Pro areas. Any thoughts on how to get Rectangle Pro and sidecar to play well together?

 

[antipodean]

16" MBP Space Black M3 Max (16c/40c 64GB 2TB), tilt & height adjustable Apple Studio Displays, Caldigit TS4, Magic Keyboard w/Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, MX Master 3 mouse, BenQ e-reader lamp, 12.9" M1 iPad Pro w/celluar and Magic Keyboard. Logitech Herman Miller chair, Dams Maestro 25 Corner Desk.

The chief surprise for me is how well the single TB4 cable to the Caldigit TS4 handles both 5K displays and ethernet and does so for both this MBP (expected) and my work Dell laptop (unexpected, especially the webcam, mics and speakers).

 

[tweaknmod]

The first thing that came to mind is that your displays aren’t arranged properly in display settings.

As-in, if you’re trying to replicate the setup in my post, you have to tell MacOS that your second screen (the iPad) is below your main screen (MacBook).

If it thinks your iPad is to the right, for example, then it also thinks that the bottom edge of your MacBook is like a wall - when you hold a window up against a screen edge (“wall”) that doesn’t have a screen on the other side, rectangle pro will take that as a trigger to snap the window to a set size.

If that might be it, but you still need help, please just say the word and I’ll whip up a guide with screenshots.

If that’s not it, please try to describe the issue in more detail and I’ll see what I can do.

Good luck!

 

[AZhappyjack]

@tweaknmod - I am likely missing something very obvious here, but I'm trying to use Rectangle Pro with sidecar and when I try to drag a window to the iPad, instead of moving it to the second monitor (the ipad), it tries to activate one of the Rectangle Pro areas. Any thoughts on how to get Rectangle Pro and sidecar to play well together?

The first thing that came to mind is that your displays aren’t arranged properly in display settings.

As-in, if you’re trying to replicate the setup in my post, you have to tell MacOS that your second screen (the iPad) is below your main screen (MacBook).

If it thinks your iPad is to the right, for example, then it also thinks that the bottom edge of your MacBook is like a wall - when you hold a window up against a screen edge (“wall”) that doesn’t have a screen on the other side, rectangle pro will take that as a trigger to snap the window to a set size.

If that might be it, but you still need help, please just say the word and I’ll whip up a guide with screenshots.

If that’s not it, please try to describe the issue in more detail and I’ll see what I can do.

Good luck!

Besides position of the iPad on the Display settings screen, you have to take into consideration the height of the screens... you can have the iPad correctly positioned (left to right), but if the iPad screen is shorter (less height) than the monitor next to it, you could be hitting the wall by having your mouse/trackpad pointer too high on the screen. Hope that makes sense.

 

[mk313]

Hey Amaze,
As I posted back in Nov 17 2012....

"This room was a dusty 120+ year old attic.. I needed a cave so I dressed it up with this silver foil blanket insulation to keep in warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.. A quick, easy and inexpensive wall covering fix with the benefits of energy efficiency.

How does that insulation work? Does it make a large difference temperature wise, or is it more subtle?

 

[xraydoc99]

The first thing that came to mind is that your displays aren’t arranged properly in display settings.

As-in, if you’re trying to replicate the setup in my post, you have to tell MacOS that your second screen (the iPad) is below your main screen (MacBook).

If it thinks your iPad is to the right, for example, then it also thinks that the bottom edge of your MacBook is like a wall - when you hold a window up against a screen edge (“wall”) that doesn’t have a screen on the other side, rectangle pro will take that as a trigger to snap the window to a set size.

If that might be it, but you still need help, please just say the word and I’ll whip up a guide with screenshots.

If that’s not it, please try to describe the issue in more detail and I’ll see what I can do.

Good luck!

@tweaknmod I made sure the screens were in the correct orientation using arrange in the monitor settings but still no luck. Basically when I drag a window to the bottom of the screen to go down to the iPad, it tries to "snap to" based on the Rectangle Pro settings. I looked in Rectangle Pro, but couldn't figure out a way to configure the bottom screen edge to do anything else. Using a macbook pro m2 Sonoma 14.1.1 with a ipad pro 10.5, rectangle pro 3.0.14, LG ultrawide monitor with the macbook stored under the desk. Thanks in advance for any help you have.

 

[tweaknmod]

@tweaknmod I made sure the screens were in the correct orientation using arrange in the monitor settings but still no luck. Basically when I drag a window to the bottom of the screen to go down to the iPad, it tries to "snap to" based on the Rectangle Pro settings. I looked in Rectangle Pro, but couldn't figure out a way to configure the bottom screen edge to do anything else. Using a macbook pro m2 Sonoma 14.1.1 with a ipad pro 10.5, rectangle pro 3.0.14, LG ultrawide monitor with the macbook stored under the desk. Thanks in advance for any help you have.

Thanks for the additional info - I’ll look into this later today (won’t be until about 8pm ET) and get back to you.

 

[tweaknmod]

@tweaknmod I made sure the screens were in the correct orientation using arrange in the monitor settings but still no luck. Basically when I drag a window to the bottom of the screen to go down to the iPad, it tries to "snap to" based on the Rectangle Pro settings. I looked in Rectangle Pro, but couldn't figure out a way to configure the bottom screen edge to do anything else. Using a macbook pro m2 Sonoma 14.1.1 with a ipad pro 10.5, rectangle pro 3.0.14, LG ultrawide monitor with the macbook stored under the desk. Thanks in advance for any help you have.

The only thing I can think of is that you've got something set in the bottom-centre snap area (screenshot)... I'm not confident this is the issue, but it's worth a shot.

If that isn't it, I'd email the dev and link him to this thread. I had an issue with the app a while ago, and got a reply within a couple of days.

 

[xraydoc99]

The only thing I can think of is that you've got something set in the bottom-centre snap area (screenshot)... I'm not confident this is the issue, but it's worth a shot.

If that isn't it, I'd email the dev and link him to this thread. I had an issue with the app a while ago, and got a reply within a couple of days.

View attachment 2318981

That solved it! I had missed the little dash as the first choice for the snap area and once I chose that it worked like a charm. Thanks!

 

[tweaknmod]

That solved it! I had missed the little dash as the first choice for the snap area and once I chose that it worked like a charm. Thanks!

If everyone knew how good it felt to help people, we’d all be set…

 

[Mezelluf]

Hi

I know that it's a bit late in the day but, nice setup. Is that two 200x60cm desks on top of the drawers ? What's the panel underneath at the back ? Another table top cut down ?

Thanks

No, those are two 246cm kitchen countertops.
The panel underneath is just one I made to hold all of my sockets and cables.

 

[Eggtastic]

My MBA15 Midnight BTO 24/512, Dell U3223QE, MxMaster 3 for mac, Magic KB, Presonus Eris 7XT, Scarlett Solo:

View attachment 2311869

How's the monitor?

It's between this or the LG C3 42 for me for an external monitor. I believe text clarity would be best on this but literally everything else might be better on the LG. Price is similar too but again, this is a legit monitor vs. a tv.

 

[joelkalsi]

I am an old school dude 😝

 

[Cnasty]

Would love any input on your current chairs you have and love vs the ones you hated and changed.
I am having analysis paralysis!

Thanks for any feedback

 

[jazz1]

 

[mk313]

Would love any input on your current chairs you have and love vs the ones you hated and changed.
I am having analysis paralysis!

Thanks for any feedback

I don’t have a ton of experience with different chairs, but the company I work at upgraded our chairs in 2018 or 2019 to Allsteel Relate chairs. They have held up surprisingly well (much better than the ones they replaced), and show no signs of wearing out or anything like that. I’m still using mine today (they sent them home with us when we went remote). Not sure where to find them specifically. FWIW, we got cloth seats on ours. It looks like some of them are leather. I have no experience with how sturdy that surface is.

 

[Destroysall]

View attachment 2290569

super happy with this. my workhorse is now an itx machine, fully compatible with the Studio Display, with the M2 13” a quick change of the TB cable anytime I want to switch systems. I always like having a clean table out from the wall like this too, so anytime I can get behind to the ports or io as needed

but this gen to me this is the perfect balance for todays world. i tried the Mac Studio but ended up doing my first real build in a long time, so much happier

but it’s so cool you can live in this cross pollinated world so easily these days with an Apple display, this setup is an Intel Bootcamp replacement for me basically

What desk is this? It looks simple but beautiful

 

[corry29]

 

[CreepyAF]

Would love any input on your current chairs you have and love vs the ones you hated and changed.
I am having analysis paralysis!

Thanks for any feedback

I’ve had the embody chair for about 10 years and it’s still going strong. I’m pretty rough on the chair but I’m comforted by the 12 year warranty. It’s really comfortable. The fabric is nice but I tried to steam clean the chair which left some water marks. I could probably get it out but don’t wanna further damage the appearance. Other than that I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one. And I’ve had the Aeron chair as well and this is more comfortable.

 

[MircoT]

ASD mitosis 😂