There’s nothing like working with windows — floor-to-ceiling ones with epic views of a world-class city, that is, not Microsoft’s OS software.
In today’s featured computer setup, a MacBook Pro and a Surface 8 laptop vie over a nice Dell 4K display overlooking Sydney, Australia.
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Setup’s 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro drives Dell 4K display in the sky
Sydney-based Redditor nathansreddit (“Nate”) showcased the setup-in-the-sky in a post entitled, “Mac + (actual) Windows setup.”
Look at the sweet view in the photograph. Yeah, those are clearly floor-to-ceiling windows of the actual-glass variety, not the OS software for PCs.
Nate runs what he called an “OG” 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro from 2020 in vertical laptop stand. And behind that sits a Microsoft Surface Pro 8 that he said he uses for work.
Display mount doesn’t hinder view much
The machines drive a 32-inch Dell 4K display mounted on an arm that attaches to the desk at back left. The mount doesn’t interfere much with the view of Sydney’s scenery.
“Nice job hiding the monitor arm for the maximized view!” exclaimed one commenter.
“How do you switch your inputs on display and peripherals between the two?” asked another.
“Mouse is via a USB dongle and plugged into the monitor,” Nate replied. “So when USB-C is swapped to Surface, it brings mouse (and separate keyboard in drawer) connection over.”
“It’s a bit of a faff but not too bad,” added. UK slang term “faff,” by the way, means to waste time doing very little or make a fuss over nothing.
Logitech and Apple input devices
For input devices, Nate’s got a Magic Keyboard, a Magic Trackpad and a Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse.
“Not a fan of the MX master or Magic Mouse,” he mentioned, citing one extremely popular mouse apiece from Logitech and Apple.
Regarding the other items on the desk, Apple audio accounts for them — a HomePod mini and an AirPods case.
And as far as the handsome desk itself goes, he didn’t ID it despite multiple commenters’ queries about it — other than to say it’s the “only part of the setup (MacBook not included) that isn’t super budget.”
On top of the desk, though, sits a big felt desk mat, and he recommended it (or one like it).
what’s the big mat called? also does your mouse glide easily over it?
“The mat is actually a cheapo felt mat from Amazon. I’ve spent stupid amounts on leather/vegan leather options but found this to be the best in both function and form. It was like 15 bucks ha!” he said.
Dealing with sunlight on video calls
Nate keeps an iPhone mount for Continuity Camera calls on top of his display.
“How do you find the light from windows flooding video conf calls?” a commenter asked.
“It’s actually never really a problem!” Nate claimed replied. “There’s only about one hour in the morning where it’s direct sunlight … but because the windows are floor to ceiling the light hits everything the same — iPhone HDR is able to figure out the rest.”
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Photo: nathansreddit@Reddit.com
Computers:
Display:
- Dell 32-inch 4K display on arm
Input devices:
Audio and accessories:
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, challenges and plans for new additions.
The M1 MacBook Air offers a price-to-performance ratio that other laptops in this range cannot match. This is a 13-inch laptop with an M1 chip and Retina display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, backlit keyboard, FaceTime HD camera and Touch ID.
