In our never-ending search for interesting computer setups, we love stumbling upon good do-it-yourself (“DIY”) hacks. Today’s featured setup mounts an M1 MacBook Air on the wall in a most-unusual way. It involves a pegboard, a strap and a tablet stand designed for use in the kitchen.
In addition, the setup features a rarely seen mechanical keyboard worth checking out.
We recently talked about what a boon to computer setups stands and mounts usually are — but not when they cause problems. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is an interesting example. The bass player who runs it said the gas-powered arm of the mount where the laptop sits is so hair-trigger it can “randomly launch it into the air.”
That’s not ideal when you have $2,000 laptop not designed for flight. The user also has a PC laptop for work, a massive 4K display and a compact mechanical keyboard and badass speakers we haven’t seen elsewhere.
At Cult of Mac, we’re no strangers to looking at computer setups loaded with displays — even as many as six. But we’re less used to seeing certain orientations, like in today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro and custom PC setup.
The workstation seems to reach for the ceiling with four 5K displays. Two stack horizontally in landscape mode and two stand tall, shoulder-to-shoulder in portrait mode.
How refreshing it must be to make over your computer setup and, while you’re at it, gut and refresh your whole home office. That’s what Michael De Jong did recently. And he shared his transition with Cult of Mac.
First, he tinkered with the setup, going with dual displays and adding a soundbar and a slick gaming chair. Later he gutted the whole office and added a whole raft of upgrades. Take a look at his photos and gear, new and old, below.
When the eccentric LG DualUp display came out, its nearly square, 16:18 aspect ratio raised eyebrows. But the monitor is kind of like two displays in one, so it’s making inroads into computer setups like today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation.
The user wanted a Studio Display, but he finds the DualUp an economical alternative and then some.
Sure, you only need a MacBook Air or Pro to get things done almost anywhere. Or maybe an iPad with a stand and keyboard. But if you want to be more comfortable (and productive), wouldn’t you want a fuller computer setup? Today’s incredibly spare featured setup gets the job done.
The user is a journalist who takes their work on the road, like the fast-food joint in the photo above. They use just an M1 MacBook Air on a stand, a mini mechanical wireless keyboard and mouse, and sometimes a clamp-on light and iPhone mount to handle quality video calls via Continuity Camera.
A room is what you make of it, and today’s featured computer setup finds a home in a room only a computer science student could make. He may have to live in a windowless attic, but he brings a lot of computing power and light to it, making it look and feel larger than it is.
Check out all the gear in the M1 Max MacBook, custom PC and triple-display outfit below.
“How many external displays can I easily run with my Mac and how” is a common question, and some Macs make it much easier to run more than one external monitor than others.
In today’s featured computer setup, a software developer went out and bought a new M2 Mac mini specifically for its generosity in that regard. It really helped his highly portable setup, which features a Studio Display and an LG 4K screen.
To the age-old question “Is a computer setup ever really done?” the answer is obviously “no.” There’s always something to add or something to fix, and once you do that it’s time to update something else (even if you don’t technically “need” the latest thing).
Today’s well-laid MacBook Pro setup has a nice curved monitor, but its user “craves” a Studio Display like he sees in other setups. And for that matter, how about a quieter mechanical keyboard and some plants that won’t die immediately, too.
Aspects of Apple silicon chips replacing Intel processors in Macs that you don’t always hear about are how quiet and cool the M1 and M2 machines are by comparison. In today’s featured computer setup, an IT engineer sings his M1 Pro MacBook Pro’s praises in that regard, not to mention its habit of sipping battery power rather than gulping it.
And he’s also got a popular dual-display configuration going. In this case it’s a Studio Display in landscape mode and a Dell 4K display in portrait mode.