Twelve South’s new 2-in-1 Butterfly MagSafe Charger folds into a tiny footprint, fast-charges MagSafe iPhones and Apple Watches, and can serve as a kickstand for your handset, as well.
The cool gadget, which you can get directly from Twelve South or Apple, looks like a winner and is priced as such, at a steep $129.95.
Some computer setups look “clean” and “minimal” because they’re, well, empty. Under-equipped. Not all there. But today’s featured M2 MacBook Air setup with Studio Display actually brings enough gear, it just does so in a beautifully clean way that has the rest of us slobs drooling with envy.
Hell, our setup is practically a waste dump half the time, compared to this thing.
These days, MacBook laptops are more than powerful enough to handle most users’ computing needs. So if you don’t need an even brawnier desktop Mac, why not build your laptop into a full workstation with a few peripherals and accessories?
Today’s setup gets by with a 3-year-old MacBook Pro hooked up to a CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 dock and a nice LG 4K display, plus Logitech input devices and a few other items. It’s a complete workstation whether or not the user ever takes the MacBook Pro to go.
With the iPhone 15 series and new Apple Watches now out, the accessories floodgates are open. One of the first products through is an updated Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe charging stand. And it’s made for MagSafe and ideal for iOS 17’s Standby Mode.
So you can turn your iPhone into a classic bedside alarm clock or smart display with various widgets. And you can charge it alongside Apple Watch and AirPods.
The Twelve South Curve SE stand holds up a MacBook so the screen is at eye level, making the laptop part of a desktop setup. It’s ergonomic and also cools the computer.
It’s a premium laptop stand made of aluminum but costs substantially less than the company’s other stands.
Many computer setups go heavy on the Apple hardware, but not many of them could be mistaken for Apple advertisements. Some, though, like today’s Mac Studio workstation, manage to hit that mark — or close enough.
If the app developer who uses it fancied things up a bit more, the rig might seem too staged and on-the-nose-Apple to feature.
Computer setups aren’t all about the main machine and displays that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Plenty of smaller, less-expensive items turn out to be crucial — like gadget stands, USB-C hubs, the perfect mouse, smart light strips, desk mats and much more.
Today’s featured setup is a tribute to all the little things that make a difference — even double-sided tape.
★★★★☆
The Twelve South Forté turns Apple’s MagSafe iPhone charging puck into a stand. So rather than your handset lying flat on a table, it’s held up so you can more easily see the display. And the elevated charging mat swivels so you can pick your viewing angle for watching video or making FaceTime calls.
I put the Forté to use in my home office. Here’s what it’s like to use in real life.
Accessories maker Twelve South introduced a successor to its original HiRise stand for MacBook released about a decade ago — the new HiRise Pro for MacBook. You can watch the video below.
You can adjust its height for almost any use, it matches Apple’s Pro accessories in color and finish, and it features a spot in the base where you can insert a MagSafe charger to juice up your iPhone and other gadgets.
Among the everlasting truths about computer setups, first comes “a setup is never finished.” And the second might be, “A setup can always be improved.” The user behind today’s featured setup certainly found out about No. 2 when he asked for advice on how to improve his M1 Max MacBook Pro and dual-Studio Display workstation.
Find all the advice below — jokes ‘n’ all — as well as all of the setup’s excellent gear.
