standing desks

Sitting at a computer for eight or 10 hours a day will eventually catch up with you. Stiff necks, sore wrists, aching backs, eye strain — the toll of a poorly designed workstation is real. And the Cult of Mac Setups archive is peppered with users who know it firsthand. But it also shows an increasingly thoughtful community that  does something about it. Here are 10 of the best ergonomic Mac setups from the past several years.

What’s the biggest upgrade a computer setup can undergo other than a new computer, external display(s) or a massive audio boost? It’s the very platform the setup sits on — usually a desk. In my case, it’s an Uplift Standing Desk V3, which I reviewed recently (five stars, btw).

It’s a huge upgrade aesthetically and functionally. And it changes how I mount and use my gear, too. 

With my history of back trouble, I relied on standing desks and kneeling chairs way back when you hardly ever saw such things in offices. But since then standing desks have become essential in the modern workspace, offering flexibility and health benefits for anyone who spends long hours at a computer. This Uplift Standing Desk V3 review looks at the latest in Uplift’s well-regarded line of adjustable workstations, released Wednesday. 

In a nutshell, if you can afford it, this thing rocks. And the base version is actually pretty affordable. It’ll lift up any Mac setup in more ways than one. 

With computer setups we often talk about placing gear properly for healthy, ergonomically correct usage to avoid problems like neck pain. But some folks viewing today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation said they suffered neck pain just looking at the photo.

That’s because the setup’s dual Studio Displays sit on a mount that spreads them out, leaving a big gap in the middle unless the displays are pulled far forward toward the user.

On Friday we mentioned dual-Studio Display setups seem relatively rare, but now we can hardly glance at social media without seeing one, or even several.

Today’s featured Mac Studio setup fits the bill with two Studio Display perched on 3D-printed stands. You can’t see the computer in the photo above. That’s because it’s mounted under the standing desk.

Maybe you’ve got back pain, or maybe your rear end falls asleep too much when you sit for long periods. Whatever the case, you, like many Apple fans, can benefit from a standing desk in your computer setup.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup features an affordable sit-stand desk, but there are many options. We’ll go over some of them 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.

 People who show off their computer setups often go for a clean, spare look without much, if any, clutter — from cables or anything else. But few have as clean and spacious a look as today’s featured MacBook Pro setup with two Studio Displays. To learn more about this setup, check out the details here.

There are many ways of making a setup minimalistic without simply leaving out the crucial gear. In this case, it has a lot to do with a very cool desk with some interesting features.

In a world of ever-increasing monitor sizes (and weights), you need a pretty tough, supportive desk — especially if it’s a motorized one for sitting or standing. Otherwise, the whole thing might wobble all over the place under the combined, imbalanced weight of your fabulous gear.

Today’s featured Mac mini computer setup copes with an electric desk that struggles under the weight of a behemoth of a curved ultra-wide monitor.

There’s plenty of ways you can improve your productivity this year — from sharpening your focus and time-management skills, to changing your workflow with a bunch of time-saving apps.

But have you considered changing your workspace to make sure it’s optimized to help you be efficient and comfortable at the same time? An easy addition might be swapping your traditional desk for this EC1 Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk.

Until very recently, I never spent a lot of mental energy thinking about the desk I worked at. As long as there was enough space for whatever I was doing, and it wasn’t getting in the way, I was pretty flexible.

As I’ve started spending more time working and taking meetings from home, I have started to notice when certain “desks” don’t work as well. Sitting on the couch, standing at the bar in our kitchen, or working from the dining table are all OK from time to time, but none are particularly comfortable long-term. Some of this comes down to having a desk at the proper height, and some of it is the lack of flexibility I get in those situations.

That why, when the folks at Autonomous asked if I wanted to check out their SmartDesk 2 adjustable standing desk, I saw it as an opportunity to see if the hype about standing desks is all it’s cracked up to be.

Many of us spend tons of time at the computer. That’s bad for your neck, back, wrists — pretty much every part of your body — so it’s no wonder standing desks are catching on. Unfortunately, they often prove super-expensive. However, there’s another way.

Every employee at Apple Park works from a standing desk, according to Tim Cook. The reason? Because, as Apple’s CEO previously noted, “sitting is the new cancer.”

Cook shared the factoid during a recently interview with the Carlyle Group’s David Rubenstein, published this week.

Your postal carrier doesn’t usually ask about the contents of a package he’s dropping off, but I couldn’t blame him for being curious about a long box with a logo that said ZestDesk.

I explained to him it was a kind of standing desk and that I would be reviewing it. The man who is on his feet for his entire work day asked me what I did for a living and I said, “I sit at a computer, mostly, and write.”

To be clear, I sit on a couch or a comfy chair at a coffee shop with a MacBook Pro on my lap or belly and do not miss the cubicle life. A standing desk sounds so Type A and I worked hard to get further down the alphabet.

Spending countless hours sitting in front of a computer every day is bad for your body. Not only do you have to worry about bad posture when sitting for extended periods, but also the fact that you’re probably going to die faster (according to some studies).

A standing desk is a great way to alleviate some of these problems and keep your body active during a long day in the office. And with the Varidesk Pro Plus 48, you can turn almost any standard desk into a height-adjustable standing desk in a snap.

This particular desk is one of the largest models offered by Varidesk, which makes it ideal for multi-monitor setups and those who need plenty of room. It’s also pretty pricey at $495 — but is it worth that price tag?