Magic Mouse - page 3

Ancient iBook, The Cult of Mac hardcover, Lego cars — what’s not to like? [Setups]

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Spot the old iBook on the shelf to the right and The Cult of Mac hardcover under the display.
Spot the old iBook on the shelf to the right and The Cult of Mac hardcover under the display.
Photo: 17parkc@Reddit.com

We last saw Redditor 17parkc after they took delivery of their lovely new blue 24-inch iMac in May. Now it looks like they moved to a new studio apartment with a few new toys. Actually, in one case, an old toy — an iBook from back in the day, sometime around the turn of this century.

M1 Mac mini usurps Mac Pro and tops MBP in super-widescreen rig [Setups]

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A Mac mini usurped a 16-inch MacBook Pro in this super-widescreen setup.
A Mac mini usurped a 16-inch MacBook Pro in this super-widescreen setup.
Photo: OSJdesigns@Reddit

A lot of folks eagerly await new MacBook Pro models, preferably with updated M1 chips. You know, the ones not introduced at WWDC as predicted? In the meantime, plenty of people are snapping up the affordable and reportedly fabulous M1 Mac mini. We’ve seen it over and over again in our far-flung travels among Setups online.

Confessions of a former Mac hater [Setups]

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Ignore the electric guitars and amps. Thisis about Macs replacing PCs.
Ignore the electric guitars and amps. This is about Macs replacing PCs.
Photo: gnophy@Reddit

Sure, it may be overstating things to call Redditor gnophy a former “Mac hater.” After all, he only said he used to be “anti-Mac” and he “couldn’t get along with the OS.”

Well, good news for Apple. He’s finally been assimilated. And it only took many, many years to subdue the software engineer and musician.

Here come the new M1 iMacs [Setups]

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A pretty blue M1 iMac makes a great first impression.
A pretty blue M1 iMac makes a great first impression.
Photo: 17parkc@Reddit

It’s Christmas in May, June and July. Many people are taking delivery on the colorful new M1 iMacs. Others are jealously awaiting delivery while drooling over photographic evidence on social media of others’ recent shipments.

And computer setups everywhere are being refreshed with the dazzling new all-in-one machines (see Cult of Mac’s M1 iMac review roundup). Redditor 17parkc is just one example, sporting a brand-spanking-new blue iMac. They even posted a video showing off the upgrade.

What good are monitor light bars? [Setups]

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What good is a monitor light bar? Time to shed some light on the matter.
What good is a monitor light bar? Time to shed some light on the matter.
Photo: Strigga@Reddit

When you look at lots of computer setups people pimp out on social media, you see the same questions cropping up among the comments. One common query: What good are monitor light bars? And what are they for, exactly?

It came up again the other day when Redditor Strigga posted about their MacBook Pro-based setup. Almost at the same time, we saw it again in Maize-Calm’s post about finishing up a setup with, guess what, a light bar.

24 years later, Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh still serves [Setups]

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Pictured to the right of a nice modern iMac, the once-glorious flop still gives pretty good sound.
Pictured to the right of a nice modern iMac, the once-glorious flop still gives pretty good sound.
Photo: Cbaltz2@Reddit

By the time of its release in March 1997, the over-the-top-shelf powerhouse known as the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh had seen its initial price of $9,000 cut to $7,499, or about $12,000 in today’s dollars.

The interesting-but-still-hopelessly unaffordable system — for a time delivered door-to-door and set up by tuxedoed concierges — failed in the marketplace. It went on to become a collector’s item.

These days, a Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, or TAM, often sells for around $1,500. So Redditor Cbaltz2 kind of scored when he picked one up a while back on eBay for $800. And remarkably, he found a good use for it in the here and now.

New iMacs look great, but why didn’t Apple fix the Magic Mouse’s charging port?

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better touch tool magic mouse
Charging the Magic Mouse 2 remains a headache.
Photo: Harpal Singh/Unsplash

When it comes to new tech, the focus understandably falls on what’s changed, not what stayed the same.

That’s absolutely the case for the new iMac, which Apple unveiled Tuesday at its “Spring Loaded” event. Plenty of attention is (rightly) being lavished on the iMac’s beautiful redesign. And the fun splash of color for the first time in years. And the debut of Apple’s M1 chip in an iMac.

However, one thing that stayed the same largely fell under the radar. That one thing is Apple’s terrible mouse — or, more specifically, the ridiculous location of the charging port on the Magic Mouse 2.

Should you use both a MacBook and an iPad? Well, duh. [Setups]

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Do you really need both a MacBook and an iPad? Of course you do. Don't ask silly questions.
Do you really need both a MacBook and an iPad? Of course you do. Don't ask silly questions.
Photo: BasicAppleGuy@Reddit

The setup showcased in a recent Reddit post consists of just a MacBook Air, an iPad, an iPhone and some peripherals and accessories, but it brings up a puzzling conundrum: Should you use both a MacBook and an iPad, even though their functionality overlaps to a great extent?

According to most of the comments, the answer is yes — even if it makes you feel like a sucker.

Small desk plus small room does not equal small setup [Setups]

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A small desk and a small room need not necessarily mean a small setup.
A small desk and a small room need not necessarily mean a small setup.
Photo: vostok91@Reddit

After toiling for many months to get it right, Southeast Asia-based Redditor vostok91 finally finished fitting a vibrant computer setup on a small desk in a small room. The result may be a small setup compared to some, but that doesn’t make it a “small setup.” It’s plenty feisty.

A 15-inch MacBook Pro paired with an LG 32UL950 Ultrafine 4K LED Monitor make up the setup’s core.

Cloud architect builds man shed to beat all man sheds [Setups]

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This man shed sports multiple screens.
This man shed sports multiple screens.
Photo: CourseEcstatic6202@Reddit

Sometimes a setup promoted on social media stops you dead in your tracks, and it’s not because you’re excited about the hardware. Sometimes it’s the amazing, hand-built “man shed” where the setup lives that stuns you.

Such is the case with CourseEcstatic6202’s offering on Reddit. The cloud architect — let’s just call him “CE” — works in Amazon Web Services on California’s central coast. He designed and built a beautiful little house for his MacBook Pro-based setup in his back yard.

‘Magic’ peripherals and M1 Mac mini take dual curved screens to the max [Setups]

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Dual curved displays and Apple keyboard, trackpad and mouse make the setup for Russ Hicks.
Dual curved displays and magic Apple peripherals make this setup sing.
Photo: Russ Hicks

With the recent arrival of a dual-monitor stand, Oxford, England-based Russ Hicks completed an overhaul of the setup that powers the one-man business he has run for 25 years: Genesis Marketing Services.

He specializes in printing equipment suppliers and packaging services. And his business now runs on a Mac mini M1 and dual curved screens.

Multiple sclerosis has made Hicks’ work more challenging recently, but Apple products have helped him deal with it.

30-inch Apple Cinema Display of yore still dazzles [Setups]

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Even at 10 or 15 years of age, a 30-inch Apple Cinema Display can still be insanely great.
Even at 10 or 15 years of age, a 30-inch Apple Cinema Display can still be insanely great.
Photo: brazzy2010@Reddit

Redditor brazzy2010 has a super-simple setup with a tremendous asset to go along with an M1-powered MacBook Air. It’s a 30-inch Apple Cinema Display from more than a decade ago. Its exact age is unknown, but it could be up to 16 years old.

Not only does the elderly display still work — with the right connectors, it still dazzles.

Working from home? These 11 essential upgrades will save your sanity.

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Any of these 11 heavily discounted products will have a profound impact on your WFH experience
Any of these 11 products will have a profound impact on your WFH experience.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

In theory, you only need a laptop and a table to work from home. But as the months pass, a subpar setup will take its toll on your productivity — and your body. A few choice upgrades can make all the difference.

From dedicated desks to ergonomic mice, here are 11 products that can improve your WFH experience — now on sale for up to 39% off MSRP.

College freshman sees upside of hunkering down in his parents’ house [Setups]

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Shad Ahmad's straightforward setup centers on a MacBook Pro and 32-inch monitor.
Shad Ahmad's straightforward setup centers on a MacBook Pro and 32-inch monitor.
Photo: Shahid Ahmad

Shad Ahmad was a hard-studying freshman majoring in biology and minoring in history at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Going home to continue classes for a semester remotely from his parents’ house in Wisconsin may not have been ideal, but Ahmad found a comforting upside. Integrated smart technology makes his life easier, he told Cult of Mac.

Working from home means building his setup on his terms [Setups]

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Wilcox's setup centers on a 27-inch 5K iMac with 28-inch Samsung monitors on either side of it.
David Wilcox's setup centers on a 27-inch 5K iMac with 28-inch Samsung monitors on either side of it.
Photo: David Wilcox

David Wilcox is an IT consultant working from home in Bristol, England. His remote work situation means he gets to tweak his setup just as he likes, he told Cult of Mac.

Wilcox’s central command is a 27-inch 5K iMac from 2019. Humming along with it are two 28-inch U2HE850 monitors paired and run together via a Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort Adapter.

With that much screen real estate and a plethora of networking gear, he gets a lot done.

“My first computer was a Sinclair [Research] ZX81,” he said, referring to a machine made by Timex Corp. in the United Kingdom starting in 1981. “So this setup is just about a home-computing Nirvana!”

Desk space and a monster monitor are keys to this magician’s productivity [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
A big desk, an enormous screen, and a minimalist philosophy make for a productive setup.
Photo: Allan Hagen

Allan Hagen is a New York-based professional magician and amateur photographer with a serious setup. His favorite part of the setup is the big, stunning Antoccino Desk by RH Modern, which helps him concentrate.

“A big desk with a fairly minimalist setup really lends itself to focusing on the tasks at hand,” he said.

This setup will make Luddites want to scream [Setups]

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Mac Pro Setup
Anthony Ivanovsky's setup features a Mac Pro for work and a gaming PC under the desk.
Photo: Anthony Ivanovsky

Anthony Ivanovsky is a Toronto-based marketing expert and IT manager who has a knack for gadgets, both big and small. In his setup, an MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34-inch UltraWide Curved Gaming Monitor immediately draws the eye. And at $500, it costs considerably less than other ultrawides on the market.

On the left-hand side of his desk, standing like a monument, is the commanding Mac Pro. He uses this beast of a machine for video editing, photo editing and for his day job working for a tech startup. Aside from the base Radeon 580X, he also has two additional Radeon VII graphic cards, which may seem like overkill until you learn that he also runs three different YouTube channels.

When you want a desk done well, build it yourself [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
That's how you build a desk on a budget.
Photo: @alexknollphoto

Alex Knoll is a professional photographer with some serious carpentry skills. When he couldn’t find a desk he liked that matched his budget, he decided to just build one himself. He sketched a plan on his iPad with the Procreate app and bought himself a few long slabs of pine and got to work. With a set of $100 table legs he bought from TableLegs.com, the total cost of the materials came out to roughly $300.

A Renaissance setup for a Renaissance man [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
This setup can handle any task you throw at it.
Photo: Mark Davis

Mark Davis is somewhat of a Renaissance man. He is an author of four novels, an entrepreneur, an engineer and a scientist. He is between startups right now but recently sold a data analytics platform to Dell. In order to perform all of his duties, he needs a setup that can match his tempo. Naturally, he has a dual-monitor setup.

His main monitor is a Samsung U28E590D 28-inch 4k UHD which has a one-millisecond response time that obliterates latency. He pairs it up with a LG 27-inch IPS Monitor which he mainly runs off of his 2018 iPad Pro. A 13-inch MacBook Pro is the backbone of the setup. It is covertly hidden on a Twelve South BookArc behind the monitors. His MacBook is specced out with 16GB of RAM storage, which is important to him “so I can run multiple virtual machines in parallel when needed,” he said.