Programmer Dylan Garrett used to have a dual monitor rig, until he became enlightened in the ways of the UltraWide. Although the extra screen space that comes with having two monitors was an obvious plus, their resolutions were terrible and he decided to throw them both in the trash and adopt the LG 34-inch UltraWide as his sole monitor.
A setup journey of epic magnitude starts with a single step [Setups]
It took web designer Carlos Azaustre a span of three years to piece together his setup. Everything was carefully chosen.
To start off, the Madrid-based front-end engineer has the Samsung 34-inch UltraWide Monitor. He previously had a 24-inch FullHD Monitor but after a few years of wear-and-tear he decided it was time to make a change. So he splurged and went with the Samsung UltraWide. He runs his rig off of a 13-inch 2013 MacBook Pro which sits upon an AmazonBasics Laptop Desk Stand.
Wood, leather and metal are the core elements of this setup [Setups]
Vigo Krumins is a German-based web designer and when it comes to accessories he does not mess around. He collaborates with different high-quality accessory companies to build his dream setup. He says “companies reach out to me and if I like their stuff, we agree that they send me their products and I feature them in my posts giving my honest opinion about them.”
His monitor is a blast from the past. He has an Apple Cinema Display. Even though Apple discontinued them in 2011, the screen quality is still great. The exterior even resembles the Pro XDR display, albeit bulkier. He has the late 2008 version and has no plans to replace it with a newer monitor, unless of course, “Apple will release a cheaper version of the Apple Pro Display XDR.” Keep dreaming Vigo!
This rig streamlines communication [Setups]
Luke Peluso runs a mid-sized IT company from his desk so organization is essential. He has to be in constant communication with his team and his clients. That is why he uses both a MacBook and an iPad: the MacBook for work, and the iPad for communication.
His MacBook is a 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro and he primarily uses it for “agency management type software and few Windows-only apps.” The iPad is the 2019 iPad Pro that he uses with a Brydge Pro+ Wireless Keyboard. The iPad is for “iMessage and Zoom meetings,” Peluso says, and that having “separate large device just for communications is very helpful.”
A dual-monitor rig can still be minimal [Setups]
Jordan Pulmano is a professional cinematographer and photographer so he wanted a desk with style, specifically minimalist style. He has two LG 27-inch FreeSync monitors. He got his first in 2017 and liked it so much he decided to get a new one. They are both held up by a pair of North Bayou Monitor Stands. He thought about getting a dual monitor stand but he rearranges his desk a lot and did not want to remove a monitor and have one arm exposed.
He has both the Magic Mouse and Keyboard. The setup is MacBook-run but he stows his laptop in a VIVO Sliding Laptop Tray. This gives him a convenient place to store his MacBook while freeing up space on his desk.
Look inside a professional wedding photographer’s iMac Pro setup [Setups]
Jake Weisler is a professional wedding photographer and a content creator for Full Time Filmmaker, which produces crash courses about filmmaking. So having lots of storage — a whopping 56 terabytes — is key to his success.
At the center of this setup is the incredible 27-inch iMac Pro. Weisler uses a Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with the additional Numeric Keypad. He also sports an Azio Retro Classic Mouse, which actually has a leather topping for some genuine comfort. As an editor, he needs both a trackpad and a mouse because he uses them simultaneously to scroll, click and swipe.
When you’re a Mac user, you’re a Mac user all the way [Setups]
Designer and photographer Michael Evins’ desk is loaded with Apple gear. Almost everything on this setup was designed by Apple in California.
“I have been using Mac for about 12 years now,” Evins said, “I just like how everything works together in harmony.”
The lifeblood of his rig is the 2015 iMac. For peripherals he, of course, has the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad. An iconic duo.
A gaming setup moonlighting as an office setup [Setups]
YouTuber Jared Busch is a tech reviewer so when it comes to desk setups, he doesn’t mess around. Most of his gear is for gaming — and for making tech reviews on his YouTube channel.
He runs this setup off a 2016 MacBook Pro. He has a testoserone-filled 35-inch Acer Predator Z35P Curved Monitor, which he calls “one of the best 21:9 gaming monitors available right now!” But he might change it because it has a “bit too much of an aggressive look” to it.
Get your macOS 11 Big Sur wallpapers here [Wallpaper Wednesday]
The wallpapers in Apple’s latest macOS Big Sur update look positively stunning. Featuring the iconic Bixby Creek Bridge, the aerial shots highlight the jaw-dropping scenery at different times of the day — from dawn to dusk — and at night.
This place truly is paradise on Earth. And you can load it onto your Mac right now.
Download the groovy new wallpapers in iOS and iPadOS 14 [Wallpaper Wednesday]
There are some fantastic new abstract wallpapers in the new beta OSs for iPhone and iPad, and they can be downloaded right here.
This setup has more wood than you can shake a stick at [Setups]
When accountant and realtor Tausif Hussain built his setup he was looking for wellness and nature themes.
He uses a Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk, which is both eco-friendly and joint-friendly. He also has a Muvmat, an anti-fatigue mat that is also a foot massager. The Muvmat simulates standing in a forest; it is filled with bumps that imitate rocks, branches, and twigs. And pretty much every device rests on top of some wooden accessory or stand.
Humble Thunderbolt dock turns a MacBook into a full-featured setup [Setups]
Ben Boxer is a busy student always on the go, so naturally he has a MacBook setup. “One thing that is really important with any setup is speed and portability,” he said, “that is why everything here is driven off of a laptop.”
All of his gear is connected to a CalDigit TS3 Thunderbolt 3 Dock and it only takes one cord to plug it into his MacBook. He says he has 25 TB of storage connected to it.
In this setup, everything pro, everything smart [Setups]
When tech YouTuber Danny Winget mapped out his dream setup, he was looking to achieve one thing: stark minimalism. He certainly found it. On his desk he has a screen, a keyboard and mouse, and not much else. What makes his desk notable though, is that everything is Pro and everything is smart — even his coffee cup.
This modular iPad setup is overloaded with options [Setups]
iPad setups are often seen as limiting and hard to work with. They require a lot of accessories and peripherals. They do have some advantages though, besides a lower price point. They are more versatile and travel-friendly. And as iPads are getting bigger and more powerful, iPad-based setups are becoming less bohemian.
Photographer Ryszard Sikorski has one of the cleanest setups I have seen. He actually finds an iPad setup quite liberating. “What I like is that I can use [the iPad] how I need it,” he said. “It’s not static.”
This setup will get cinematographers drooling [Setups]
Ben Hess is a professional cinematographer — and he has the gear to prove it. He rocks an iMac Pro that’s hooked up to a 27-inch LG 5K UltraFine Monitor, giving him acres of premium screen real estate.
But the highlight of this rig is not the $5,000 computer or the $1,300 screen. It’s his $27,000 Red Gemini Camera and $5,000 lens. Hess comes to play. The Red Gemini is top-shelf, and an Atlas anamorphic lens gives him the eye of a hawk.
National Parks make for great wallpaper [Wallpaper Wednesday]
In 1983, novelist Wallace Stegner said “the National Parks are the best idea we ever had.” He certainly has a point. National Parks are treasured by pretty much everybody.
Necessity is the mother of all setups [Setups]
Last week, a new job forced Ollie Parker to build his work-from-home setup. No small task, but the British accountant made the most of it and he quickly whipped up a cozy setup great for grinding.
“I just finished the build of it all last week as I started a new job working from home,” he said. “And then I have my Xbox connected and play some Warzone in my spare time.”
The heart of Parker’s setup is a 2019 MacBook Pro attached to a 34-inch LG UltraWide Curved Monitor mounted on a Humanscale MW Monitor Arm.
This setup is as cool as it is symmetrical [Setups]
Jonas Grossecappenberg is a professional filmmaker and photographer so he needs to work with high quality screens. He rocks a two-monitor, MacBook Pro setup. The other laptop is a Dell XPS. Grossecappenberg’s 34-inch LG UltraWide stands below a LG 27-inch UltraFine, giving him lots of premium screen real estate.
He has both the Logitech MX Master Mouse and MX Keys wireless keyboard. A pair of Yamaha Hs8 speakers give him great sound quality.
He also sports a heigh-adjustable Flexispot standing desk to loosen up his joints.
Apollo 11 pictures make great wallpapers [Wallpaper Wednesday]
Apollo 11 is probably best known for being the first manned mission to successfully land on the surface of the moon. But a little over 50 years later, it should now be known as a seemingness endless source of great wallpaper pictures.
The iconic launch that gave mankind its first collection of moon rocks, invaluable data on tidal currents, and a renewed source of scientific belief that led to hallmark environmental reforms, also makes neat wallpapers for both iPhones and iMacs.
Small WFH setups don’t have to suck [Setups]
Tyler Stalman is a professional photographer whose workspace is pretty small, but he manages to make a lot of it.
Stalman’s MacBook Pro-powered setup centers on a 27-inch LG UltraFine 5K Monitor, which finally allows him to process his work in full 4K resolution. He was shooting in 4K but was unable to see his shots in full res until he took the plunge and got himself the UltraFine monitor.
A 49-inch UltraWide is just the beginning of this incredible setup [Setups]
If most UltraWide monitors are impressive, then a 49-inch UltraWide is jaw-dropping. That is just the start of programmer Justin Chau’s amazing setup, which took years to assemble. Above his 49-incher, he has a 32-inch Dell S Series Monitor, which gives him an insane amount of screen real estate.
This minimalist setup packs more than meets the eye [Setups]
At the beginning of the year, the owner of this striking setup decided to start from scratch. He abandoned his two-monitor config and went with something more minimal — the impeccable $6,000, 32-inch Apple Pro Display XDR. Thats why, for him, scaling down to one monitor is actually an upgrade.
This roomy desk is great for getting work done [Setups]
A MacBook Pro runs this triathlete’s setup. Brice Van Der Post is always on the go so it makes sense that he uses a laptop to power his rig, instead of being chained down by a desktop.
The highlight of this desk might actually be the desk itself. Since Van Der Post works for a furniture company, his factory custom-built the desk for him. The 70×30-inch unfinished teak top gives him ample space for his work. It is also a great canvas for all of the tech on it.
He has a 34-inch LG UltraWide Curved Monitor, which continues to make frequent appearances in our ‘Setups’ series, and a Logitech MX Master 2S, which is a multitasker’s dream mouse.
Van Der Post also has a pair of KRK studio monitors for audio, while a M-Audio AIR Hub take the speakers to the next level.
Grab this out-of-this-world SpaceX wallpaper [Wallpaper Wednesday]
Today was supposed to be the day that NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent a manned mission to the International Space Station — the first launch from American soil in nine years, and the first manned rocket launch by a private company.
Instead, due to bad weather, the launch was scrubbed and rescheduled for Saturday afternoon. If it goes off as planned, some striking artwork by Tristan Eaton will accompany astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into space.
The pieces Eaton made are called “Human Kind” and we are highlighting them for Wallpaper Wednesday.
A Mac lover’s ideal setup [Setups]
Busy medical student Zach Hicks spent years developing this mouth-watering, Mac mini-powered setup. His main screen is actually a 43-inch smart TV, which gives him a bunch of screen real estate so he can open up a lot of PowerPoint presentations at once.
To accompany these big screens, he uses an Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. A HomePod pumps out the audio, while two Philips Hue Bloom lamps illuminate everything. And, if you are wondering about the Apple boxes above his desk, they serve as a visual reminder of his journey to build this dream setup.