| Cult of Mac

Best Mac accessories of 2016

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Best Mac accessories 2016
From dongles to docks, these are the year's best Mac accessories.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac We value our Mac computers. Whether on a desk or in a lap, they help us complete many life tasks. But you and your machine wouldn’t make it without reliable accessories — especially now that we live in the USB-C era.

Storage drives, hubs with extra ports, a good pair of headphones, maybe a bag to carry your tech — all these Mac accessories play important roles. They often remain unsung, but sometimes come through to help us avoid a devastating loss of hardware or important work.

So if you are looking to bolster your Mac support team, look no further than this list of some of Cult of Mac’s favorites accessories from 2016 for iMacs, MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

iPad lock defeats ram-raiding thief

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The Maclock device securing an iPad to the counter upended the plans of this thief.
The Maclock device securing an iPad to the counter upended the plans of this thief.
Photo: 7 News Melbourne

When it comes to security and tamper-resistant devices, nothing beats the testimonial of a failed burglary attempt caught on camera.

A robber, who recently rammed his truck into an Australian electronics store, hit a snag when he tried to swipe an iPad encased in a double-lock kiosk made by Maclocks. Security camera footage shows him pulling with all his might and then giving up. With time against him, he wound up leaving the store with empty display boxes.

This Blade is a sharp way to keep your MacBook locked down

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The Blade by Maclocks lets you secure your MacBook in place.
The Blade by Maclocks lets you secure your MacBook in place.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

For my car, I have an anti-theft device called the Club. It is a telescoping device that hooks on each side of the steering wheel and locks in place with a key. Can it be broken? Probably, but the idea is to present a time-consuming obstacle to the thief who relies on speed.

For my MacBook Pro, I have the Blade by Maclocks. The Blade sits inside a bracket that affixes to the bottom of my computer. The Blade folds out from the bracket, providing a slot in which I can attach a lock tethered to a cable.

It is most secure when you loop the cable through an anchored object, like a pole or, in the case of one coffee shop from which I like to work, a table support that is bolted to the floor.

Clever Mac Pro Security Lock Traps Power Cable

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To be honest, you could probably leave your new Mac Pro on the floor next to your desk and any office burglars would just mistake it for a rather small trash can. But if you want a little more security, you might consider adding something Apple didn’t provide for: a Kensington-style lock. A new security bracket from MacLocks features a design as clever as that of the computer it protects.

Maclocks Wedge Lock Bracket: A Retina MacBook Pro Lock Apple Would Be Proud Of [Review]

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A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the Maclocks Lockable Cover for Retina MacBook Pro, and although I had a lot of praise for it, I mentioned it my verdict that there was another Maclocks lock I preferred. That’s the Wedge Lock Bracket, which is the closest you’ll get to an integrated lock for your Retina MacBook Pro.

Wedge Lock Bracket by Maclocks
Category: Locks
Works With: Retina MacBook Pro
Price: $59.95

Older MacBook Pros — those that don’t have a Retina display — have a Kensington lock built-in, but in an effort to save space and make the new models really thin, Apple did away with that, as well as things like FireWire, traditional hard-disk drives, and the optical drive.

That poses a security risk. If you work in a public place, or you frequent to Starbucks to get stuff done while on a caffeine high, then you need a way to prevent your MacBook Pro from being stolen when you leave it unattended.

And I think the Wedge Lock Bracket, which screws into the bottom of your MacBook Pro and almost looks like it’s a part of it, is the best and most elegant solution.

The Maclocks Lockable Cover Solves The Retina MacBook Pro’s Security Problem [Review]

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P1040348

In order to make the Retina MacBook Pro so thin, Apple had to make some sacrifices. One of those was doing away with its optical drive — which is no longer an issue for most in the digital age — and another was using flash storage rather than old-fashion hard-disk drives.

Lockable Cover by Maclocks
Category: Locks
Works With: Retina MacBook Pro
Price: $24-$31

But Apple made another, slightly more subtle change that the average consumer may not have noticed. It did away with the Kensington lock, providing users with no way to secure their device to their workstation to prevent it from being stolen.

Fortunately, Maclocks has a number of solutions to solve this problem, and I’ve been testing two of them over the past few months. First up is the Lockable Cover, a protective case that covers the top and the bottom of your MacBook Pro, and adds a lock to its base that you can plug a universal security cable into.

The Lockable Cover costs $24.71 on its own, or $30.90 if you need the security cable as well. That’s a small price to pay to protect your beloved notebook when you can’t always keep an eye on it, but is the Lockable Cover worth it?

Maclocks Lock For iMac Prevents Your RAM From Being Stolen For Just $50

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Maclocks-security-alert

Apple made it super easy to upgrade the RAM in its latest 27-inch iMac — so easy that hotels, schools, and corporations are now trying to prevent guests from stealing the RAM from their machines. But thanks to the new iMac lock and security kit from Maclocks, it’s no longer an issue.

For just $50, iMac owners can add a protective plate to the back of their machine that prevents the power cord from being removed, which in turn prevents the RAM panel from being ejected from the machine.

The New Maclocks MacBook Pro Security Case Helps You Say Goodbye To The Kensington Lock

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Add a security lock to your new MacBook Pro to ensure it isn't a target for coffee shop conmen.
Add a security lock to your new MacBook Pro to ensure it isn't an easy target for coffee shop con men.

In an effort to create the thinnest, lightest MacBook Pro it has ever released, Apple did away with a number of features that MacBook Pro users have become accustomed to, including the Kensington security lock. That means, of course, that you can no longer secure your $2,800 notebook to a table in Starbucks, and that it could easily be stolen from right under your nose the second you get up to order another cappuccino.

But Maclocks has a solution: the world’s first MacBook Pro security case and lock.