Today’s MacBook Pro setup so excels at saving space it fits more into its little nook under a staircase than many people, including me, fit in setups without that constraint. In addition to the usual, they’ve even got multiple game systems, two printers and a book collection in there. And the user still rocks a version of my previous laptop, the great M1 Pro MacBook Pro. No doubt it’s still good for a few more years.
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Saving space: Tidy MacBook Pro setup is incredibly efficient
This solid Apple laptop from late 2021 rocks an M1 Pro chip,16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory and a huge 1TB SSD. In silver.
- Gorgeous display
- Long battery life
- Neither latest nor greatest
Redditor valent_ex showed off the compact but complete MacBook Pro workstation in a post entitled “Little office under the stairs.” I’m amazed what he packs into it. On an Ikea desk slipped under a staircase, his M1 Pro MacBook Pro drives a compact, 28-inch Huawei MateView monitor with a BenQ Screenbar Halo light and a Logitech StreamCam webcam mounted on top. The display sits on a Balolo desk shelf. And he runs two docks — a Satechi Thunderbolt 4 dock and an Ascrono MacBook Docking Station. But all that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
Valent is a big gamer. So their headphones are actually a headset — the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset, which they really like. And they’ve got Valve Steam Deck, which they said connects to the monitor as a “potato gaming station” (potato is slang for an underperforming PC). They also see action on PlayStation Portal and the cool little retro Playdate console (with hand crank!) that I wrote about a few years ago. The Playdate sits own little 3D-printed dock.
And speaking of “3D printed,” did I mention the workstation manages to not only fit in an HP laser printer, but a Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer, as well. Hell, there’s even a small library of books stacked on a shelf above the laptop and headset (which actually seems a little risky; I hope that shelf is sturdy).
And they keep the cables tidy with some under-desk cable management, courtesy of Flexispot Cable Management Mesh, a flexible version of a tray sometimes recommended for standing desks.
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This solid Apple laptop from late 2021 rocks an M1 Pro chip,16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory and a huge 1TB SSD. In silver.
- Gorgeous display
- Long battery life
- Neither latest nor greatest
Computer and docks:
Gaming:
Display, webcam and light bar:
- 27-inch Huawei Mateview monitor
- Logitech for Creators StreamCam webcam
- BenQ Screenbar Halo LED Monitor Light
Input devices:
Audio:
Printers:
Accessories:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually work fine). 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.
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.
