Redditor jondajaba recently finished putting together a computer setup and asked in a post for recommendations on what’s missing that he might add. Naturally, setup mavens far and wide who live and breathe this stuff replied with plenty of advice.
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First, one thoughtful adviser asked what Jondajaba uses his MacBook Air for, so they could offer appropriate ideas. Turns out he uses his equipment mainly for his work in sales. He spends most of his time in the Safari browser, Excel spreadsheets and PDFs.
What’s missing? Solid peripherals.
Redditors focused their suggestions on basic peripherals. Jondajaba’s MacBook Air is tethered to a 32-inch, high-def Samsung monitor. So the visuals are covered. But wouldn’t a nice keyboard help?
“I would consider an external keyboard and closing the Mac up,” wrote one commenter we know from a past Setups article. “Depending on the generation of the MBP, some of the keyboards are just awful. Keychron has a huge following here. The K3 is interesting to me. I actually like and use the Magic Keyboard 2.”
And along with a nice new keyboard, a Magic Trackpad 2 might hit the spot. The same commenter said it beats the built-in trackpad on the MacBook Air.
Jondajaba initially seemed to object to the idea, noting he likes to switch between his MacBook Air’s trackpad and a mouse. But in the end he seemed to warm to the idea of switching back and forth from a mouse and a bigger, nicer trackpad than his laptop has.
What would make him look and sound his best?
Another vein of recommendations covered the sorts of things jondajaba could use to look and sound his best on calls and videoconferences. A salesperson must put their best foot forward, after all.
Again, it came down to recommending better stuff than the laptop provides.
One person suggested the Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam. Another observer offered a shout-out for a good set of Sony headphones and an external boom microphone.
Monitor connection
Another Redditor said jondajaba might benefit from an HDMI cable connection from MacBook Air to monitor.
“I don’t know about you but I had some issues with my monitor connected to my MBP via dongle. And I have the same exact dongle from Anker. I then got a USB-C to HDMI cable and it worked fine from then on. Looks also cleaner with just one cable.”
Jondajaba agreed, saying his connection hasn’t been super-reliable and it takes a long time for an image to appear on the monitor upon waking the laptop.
What would you add? See the setup’s current gear and suggested additions below.
Shop these items now:
Computer and peripherals:
- MacBook Air
- Samsung 32-inch WQHD Monitor
- Amazon Basics Premium Single Monitor Stand
- Logitech M720 Wireless Triathlon Mouse
- Logitech Speaker System
- Anker USB-C Hub
Suggested additions:
- Keychron Mechanical Keyboard
- Magic Keyboard 2
- Magic Trackpad 2
- Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones
- Cable Boom Microphone
- Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam
- Uni USB-C to HDMI cable
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.
