David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
Memory and storage provider OWC rolled out its new Accelsior 8M2 PCIe solid state drive (SSD), calling it the “world’s fastest and highest capacity” storage system of its kind for your 2019 Mac Pro, or any Windows, Linux or PCIe expansion system.
The new Amazon Prime Video app for Mac means you don't have to use a browser for viewing. Photo: Amazon
Amazon introduced a native macOS app for its Amazon Prime Video service Monday, offering another option for Mac owners who previously relied on a browser to watch. They can get the app in the App Store.
The new Mac app provides access to all Amazon Prime streaming content. Prime Video subscribers can use the app to stream content or download content on Macs for offline viewing.
Tripp Lite's new Thunderbolt 4 hub supports dual 4K displays. Photo: Tripp Lite
Tripp Lite, known for its power strips and surge protectors, released its new Thunderbolt 4 hub, the MTB4-Hub3-01. Capable of 8K video support, it can run two 4K displays in addition to other devices and power your computer.
A portable monitor is mounted over the MacBook Pro's keyboard and an ortholinear-layout keyboard is the main input device. Photo: [email protected]
We see a lot of dual- and multi-display workstations here at Setups Central, but we can’t recall seeing a “dual-display laptop” or a “laptop monitor stack.” Those are terms we made up for a second portable display mounted under a laptop’s screen and on top of its keyboard, as in today’s featured setup.
Only six known examples features the koa wood case. Photo: John Moran Auctioneers
Lots of Apple fans know the company’s first product was the Apple-1 personal computer. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs initially put the machines together in a garage in 1976. Now one unit in their early run of 200, known as the “Chaffey College Apple-1” because its first owner taught there, has sold at auction for $500,000.
The M1 Mac mini is paired with a 32-inch Samsung 4K monitor, a Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard and a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse. Photo: PJ Flordeliz
Sometimes you see a workstation and you can pretty much tell by the gear what its owner does for a living. Today’s featured setup has an M1 Mac mini, a 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro and an Acer laptop, plus a custom mechanical keyboard, a network switch and a huge external hard drive. That led me to guess the person might be a IT staffer or a software developer. And I was right.
The Anker 310 Magnetic Ring turns your regular iPhone 12 or 13 case into a MagSafe-compatible one for $8. Photo: Anker
Is your regular iPhone 12 or 13 case keeping you from enjoying Apple’s MagSafe technology? Anker now offers an inexpensive fix for your case — the Anker 310 Magnetic Ring — so you don’t have to buy a new, MagSafe-compatible one. The ring is $8, whereas a new case would probably cost you well over $20.
You can control the new Zigma Aerio 300 Wi-Fi Air Purifier with the Siri voice assistant. Photo: Zigma
Smart home technology provider Zigma launched its Smart Aerio 300 Wi-Fi Air Purifier. The company said the device can analyze air in a home or office in three minutes and clean air in spaces up to 1,580 square feet in an hour.
The new Keychron M1 Mouse is billed as slim, lightweight and customizable. Photo: Keychron
Over the past several years, Keychron has gained justifiable fame for its affordable mechanical keyboards, which appeal to a variety of users. Now it plans to release its first mouse, the M1 (not to be confused with Apple’s world-beating Silicon chipset).
Keychron said its M1 mouse comes with the “strongest, most competitive grade” sensor chip available — as well as a raft of RGB light effects.
The Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat now works with HomeKit and Siri. Photo: Residio
After a couple of years of promises, one of the first consumer smart thermostats to support remote temperature and humidity sensors, the Honeywell Home T9, finally features support for Apple HomeKit and Siri voice control.
BEFORE: A fine Dell Inspiron laptop perched atop a mess. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Not long ago I sold, gave away or trashed most of my possessions and moved across the U.S. Soon after arrival, I found my computer unresponsive. The ol’ HP Pavilion laptop stopped powering on reliably. So I borrowed a perfectly good Dell laptop from my brother and kept on writing, mainly for Cult of Mac. I just happened to be “between Macs” at the time. But now I have a brand new 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook.
Thanks to the swanky new Apple laptop plus a few other bits and pieces I quickly acquired, as of today I no longer wallow in a PC laptop pigsty (yeah, the photo above is genuine, though I swear it wasn’t always quite that messy). I’ve got a proper Mac computer setup for the first time in a while.
The new Apple Business Essentials service brings device management, support and storage into one subscription for small businesses. Photo: Apple
Apple launched a new service aimed at small businesses Wednesday. Now in beta, Apple Business Essentials bundles device management, Apple support and iCloud storage into flexible subscription plans for companies with up to 500 employees.
Cupertino also unveiled an app for the service that enables employees to install apps for work and request support.
Apple’s entrance into comprehensive small business tech services by subscription could spell trouble for companies already in the space, such as Jamf and Hexnode.
Redditors show you can make an Apple Watch charging dock out of Lego bricks rather than buying one. Photo: [email protected]
Once you get an Apple Watch, you may be tempted to buy a charging dock for it. But folks on Reddit.com are happy to show off how they saved some money by constructing charging docks out of their beloved Lego building bricks.
All you need is the USB charging cable and puck that came with your Apple Watch and the imagination to make something that hides it while charging the wearable.
Ergonomic furniture and peripherals plus pleasing decor equal comfy setup. Photo: [email protected]
Coincidentally, our last Setups post concerned itself with proper ergonomics, and today’s sticks with the theme. On Friday we wrote about a person making a comfortable and productive workstation out of little more than a laptop. This time, someone has gone “ergo everything” on an M1 MacBook Pro rig with a big external monitor and a nice set of peripherals, furniture and accessories.
The new Rode AI-Micro turns your iPhone, iPad or MacBook into an audio recording studio. Photo: Rode
Popular audio gear maker Rode just launched the affordable AI-Micro, a compact, dual-channel interface for recording to a mobile device or computer. Using the small gadget, one or two mini microphones, headphones and a choice of apps, your iPhone, iPad or MacBook becomes a mobile audio recording studio.
The new Twelve South ActionBand is a full-on sweatband. Photo: Twelve South
If you sweat a lot when you work out — and if your Apple Watch bands barely stand up to the torrent — rejoice. Twelve South rolled out its new ActionBand Thursday. The company designed the soft, absorbent, wide band to keep up with the hardest workouts and resulting perspiration.
It may look complete, but this M1 MacBook Pro setup is waiting for a big secondary display. Photo: [email protected]
From time to time, as you work on making your computer setup all it can be, you order new equipment. And maybe it takes a long time to arrive. Perhaps “supply chain” issues intervene. And if that piece of equipment is your workstation’s visual centerpiece — the magnificent display, placed just so for graphical and ergonomic bliss — then what do you do, when you have no external monitor?
Do you hunch over your laptop until your neck and your back and everything else hurts? Not necessarily.
Now on iOS: FarmVille 3 lets you raise baby animals and keep some as companions. Photo: Zynga
Game maker Zynga launched FarmVille 3 on iOS and Android Thursday. It’s the newest version in the strategy simulation game series, which first broke out as a hit on Facebook in 2009 with FarmVille and then expanded with mobile FarmVille 2 versions in 2016 and 2018.
The High Six compact charging cable and adapter set is also a bottle opener -- all on a keychain. Photo: Vonmählen
German accessory designer Vonmählen is rolling out a 6-in-1 keychain pocket tool called the High Six – which it said is “the world’s most compact key chain charging cable.” In addition to its various adapters for your charging and data-transfer needs, it has a bottle opener. You know, for your refreshment needs.
The aluminum build gives the Zens Magnetic + Watch Wireless Charger a sense of premium quality. Photo: David Snow / Cult of Mac
The Zens Magnetic + Watch Wireless Charger stands in the ranks of MagSafe-compatible chargers designed to be your go-to device for juicing up multiple pieces of Apple gear — and the sleek and compact 4-in-1 device does it in style. But not with a huge amount of charging power.
A puck on a dark metallic stem holds a MagSafe iPhone (12 or 13 series) firmly in place, horizontally or vertically. The surface underneath charges an AirPods case or any Qi-enabled device. A USB-A charging stick lets you top off an Apple Watch in Sleep mode. And a USB-A port on the side powers up something else, like an iPad.
Razer quieted down the keys for its new Pro Type Ultra mechanical keyboard. Photo: Razer
Previously all about gaming gear, Razer began rolling out new productivity accessories last year. Now it’s back with three new items for work at home or in the office — the quiet Pro Type Ultra mechanical keyboard, the Pro Click Mini mouse and the Pro Glide XXL mouse mat.
People choose sides in a fight between a Magic Keyboard and a Logitech MX Master Keys. Photo: [email protected]
In a knock-down, drag-out fight between an Apple Magic Keyboard and one of its most popular alternatives, the Logitech MX Keys wireless keyboard, which would win? Actually, it might be more of a minor dust-up than a brawl. Maybe just a slightly heated discussion among proudly opinionated nerds, even.
Manage your company's devices across the workforce and various platforms with Desktop Central. Image: ManageEngine
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That’s where ManageEngine’s Desktop Central comes in. Its unified endpoint management system is affordable, feature-rich and easy to use, thanks to a clean, intuitive design.
You'll be able to travel far and wide with actor Eugene Levy via Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ said Monday that Emmy Award-winning comedy actor Eugene Levy will host and executive produce a new travel series called The Reluctant Traveler.
You may know Eugene Levy from the recent hit comedy Schitt’s Creek. Or, much earlier in the 74-year-old Canadian’s career, from Second City Television. Or from the American Pie movies.
The point is, the man and his impressively bushy eyebrows have been there and done that. But they’ve never hosted a travel series. Until now.
The MG20 gaming headset costs $450. Photo: Master & Dynamic
Premium audio brand Master & Dynamic adds gamers to its client list with the release of its first-ever headset for e-sports, the MG20 Wireless Gaming Headphones. Of course, being good for gamers almost certainly makes these cans a solid choice for anyone wanting high-quality noise-cancelling headphones for music and communication, too.