| Cult of Mac

Dell’s new 6K display costs $1,800 less than Pro Display XDR

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Dell's new 32-inch 6K display packs a lot of features for productivity.
Dell's new 32-inch 6K display packs a lot of features for productivity.
Photo: Dell

Dell, which first showed off its new UltraSharp 32 6K monitor at CES 2023 in January, started selling the well-equipped display Thursday for $3,199.99 — a solid $1,800 below the cost of Apple’s similar 6K Pro Display XDR ($4,999).

The new Dell has high resolution and plenty of features. But it’s not equivalent to Apple’s top display for a few reasons.

Mac mini drives 3 displays in wild winged formation [Setups]

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That's not a display configuration you see every day.
That's not a display configuration you see every day.

Just when you thought you’d seen every arrangement of displays known to computer setups, something comes along to surprise you. Today’s featured M2 Pro Mac mini setup puts a portrait-mode display at center and two landscape-mode displays sticking out like wings on either side of it. It’s kind of odd how rarely seen it actually is.

Another rarity is the user’s amazing assortment of audio components, including an unusually big “Schiit stack.”

‘Mac setup in a box’ is a dual-Mac Studio powerhouse [Setups]

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The cabinet on the right holds the computers and more.
The cabinet on the right holds the computers and more.
Photo: XTJ7@Reddit.com

We enjoy a lot of variety in our computer setups coverage, from the ultra-minimalist to the mega-maximalist. Today’s featured rig sports two pumped-up Mac Studios, two old Mac Pro “trash cans,” a gaming PC, dual displays and a tremendous array of audio gear.

It falls in the latter category, obviously (“mega”). The lengthy gear list below doesn’t even cover everything in the powerhouse workstation, but it covers all the key elements.

Dual-display outfit splits the keyboard and goes mouse-free [Setups]

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How do you navigate without a mouse?
How do you navigate without a mouse?
Photo: gdeLopata@Reddit.com

Do you dream of ditching your mouse? Maybe you have the wrong one. Or maybe you’re onto something, like the software developer who works sans rodent with today’s featured M2 MacBook Pro setup featuring dual external displays in different orientations.

Instead of a mouse for input, she relies on a radically split keyboard with a trackball, plus a macropad. See those and all of the other gear in the cool setup below.

3 loaded iMacs and a PC pump up 8-display workstation [Setups]

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Three of the displays are iMacs and five are Dell 4K monitors.
Three of the displays are iMacs and five are Dell 4K monitors.
Photo: Hoa Mai

In Monday’s featured computer setup we showcased four tall displays and mentioned we sometimes see six-display setups. But how about eight displays in one setup? That’s today’s outfit.

Hoa Mai, who works in post production on documentary films in Los Angeles, sent Cult of Mac his massive setup. It features three iMacs, a PC and five Dell 4K monitors. Talk about Mission Control.

3 Macs and KVM switch keep remote worker out of trouble [Setups]

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Three Macs and a KVM switch with a big external monitor can be the perfect solution.
Three Macs and a KVM switch with a big external monitor can be the perfect solution.
Photo: gregcoit@Reddit.com

Today’s featured computer setup employs three separate Macs — MacBook Pro, M1 MacBook Air and M1 Mac mini — connecting two of them to a big external monitor using a KVM docking station.

KVM switches are handy when you don’t want to switch cables from different computers using the same monitor and input devices. But there’s another reason the user, Greg Coit, chose the method.

IT engineer’s MacBook Pro and Studio Display quietly get the job done [Setups]

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One in landscape, one in portrait. It's what the cool kids do with displays.
One in landscape, one in portrait. It's what the cool kids do with displays.
Photo: endiespie@Reddit.com

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.

New Apple headset leaks make our heads explode [The CultCast]

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A manipulated image of a person wearing a virtual reality headset, used to illustrate the contents of The CultCast, our weekly Apple podcast.
Are we the only ones standing around with slack jaws wondering how Apple can make this headset desirable?
Photo: Original photo: Uriel Soberanes/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The more we hear about Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset, the more we’re perplexed about who is actually going to buy one. We take a long, hard look at the latest leaks — and come up shaking our heads.

Also on The CultCast:

  • We might get a raft of exciting new Macs — including the first Mac Pro powered by Apple silicon — at a March event.
  • Apple’s Pro Display XDR and Studio Display get some high-end competition.
  • Sorry, voice actors. AI narrators look like the future of audiobooks (and Apple leads the charge).
  • Our final best-of-2022 picks.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

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Mac mini and MacBook Pro trade off in student rig [Setups]

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Both a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini drive this setup.
Both a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini drive this setup.
Photo: hyqmavericks@Reddit.com

Back in our day — when we walked 5 miles uphill to school both ways — students were lucky to have plywood on cinderblocks for a desk and a laptop weighing, oh, let’s say 25 pounds (we’re too old to remember things).

Nowadays, these kids have pretty swanky computer setups with desktop machines you could toss in a knapsack. Today’s featured item boasts a Mac mini, a MacBook Pro, a 4K display, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2 and a Lego building set to die for.

Dual Mac minis and Xbox play in gamer’s workstation [Setups]

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Two Mac minis and an Xbox provide the fun in this gaming setup.
Two Mac minis and an Xbox provide the fun in this gaming setup.
Photo: jjsson@Reddit.com

To a lot of people, “home for the holidays” may mean even more massive amounts of gameplay than usual. That could be the case with the owner of today’s featured computer setup. In addition to two Mac minis, the workstation sports an Xbox Series S with a couple of special-edition controllers.

And two of the three displays in the setup are curved gaming monitors. The other’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro mounted on a stand.