Blogger Basic Apple Guy, whom we’ll call BAG, has been an Apple fan since high school shop class, when he convinced the teacher that making an iMovie on the teacher’s iMac G3 should fit into the curriculum. Now, decades later, BAG’s passion lives on. It showed when he recently shared one of his computer setups, the “kitchen edition.”
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
BAG, a healthcare professional by day who dabbles in design work, explained in a blog post that both he and his wife work from home in a small apartment. With the main work space doing quintuple duty — guest room, gym, library, closet, home office — whichever partner has the less-involved workday planned will toil in the kitchen rather than the office.
Given the kitchen table’s main role in life, “we wanted a setup that was easy to move and clean … [and] we wanted a design that kept things pretty minimal and easy to pack up at the end of the week,” he said.
M1 Pro MacBook: ‘the cornerstone’
BAG called the household’s new 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook “the cornerstone” of the kitchen setup.
“Although this Mac is beyond overpowered for the needs of my 9-to-5 job, the quality of the display and improved camera is a significant quality-of-life improvement as someone who can spend upwards of 7-8 hours per day on Zoom calls,” he said. “It’s after I clock out for the day that the MacBook Pros CPU/GPUs get to really shine during any of the design work that I do.”
As good as the new laptop is, BAG calls the stand the Mac sits on the setup’s “MVP.”
“I’m at an age where a rough night of sleep can kink my neck up for weeks, so I’m in no position to gamble with my posture, especially as someone required to sit at a desk all day,” he said. “The addition of a stand that elevates the center of the display to eye height has done wonders in alleviating neck pain and improving my posture.”
He also loves what the stand sits on: a Satechi Eco-Leather Deskmate mat.
“It’s a beautiful shade of brown (resembling Apple’s Saddle Brown), dense and features excellent stitching around the perimeter of the mat,” he said. “It feels far more premium than’s its $40 price tag suggests and offers enough space for my mouse and keyboard. No issues with it sliding. Five stars!”
Workhorse iPad and perfect peripherals
BAG mentioned that a basic, 9th-gen iPad does “a lot of heavy lifting” at home, crediting it as a music player, TV, cookbook, calendaring and note-taking hub, and more.
“If Apple ever intends on releasing a HomePod-like device with an integrated display, it will have a tough time dethroning this $329 iPad,” he warned.
Regarding peripherals, we often hear about people choosing alternatives to Apple products, like Keychron keyboards. But not here. BAG tried a Keychron K3 mechanical keyboard but found he couldn’t type as quickly or cleanly as he could on the Magic Keyboard.
“As the saying goes: you can’t teach an old dog new keyboards,” he said.
AirPods Max ‘superfan’
If you read BAG’s post, you’ll see how much he adores his Sky Blue AirPods Max headphones.
“I love how they look, I love how they sound, and I love their noise cancellation,” he said, calling himself a “super fan.” He did indeed seem especially over the moon about the noise cancellation, which blocks distractions while he communicates with patients.
But what about comfort, the main point besides high price that some detractors have underlined?
“As for comfort, I can’t complain,” BAG said. “I wear them for an hour at a time but prefer to give my head a 10-15 minute break where possible.”
He mentioned he’d probably also like other headphones, like AirPods Pro, but he “can’t stop crushin’ on these AirPods Max to consider anything else.”
Shop these items now:
- 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook
- Rain Design mStand 360
- iPad (9th generation)
- Magic Keyboard
- Magic Mouse
- Satechi Eco-Leather Deskmate
- AirPods Max (Sky Blue)
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.
