Massachusetts-based David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
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3D games, video editing, a million browser tabs -- how would you try to jam up a MacBook Air M1? Photo: Typical_Andrew@Reddit
If you owned a new MacBook Air with an M1 chip and 16GB of unified memory, how much would you have to do at once for it to freeze, bringing up the spinning beach ball of death?
Jamf excels at Apple Enterprise Management. Photo: Jamf
This Apple Enterprise Management post is presented by Jamf.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic changed how employers and employees operate, remote work had become increasingly prevalent. By 2016, 43% of the U.S. workforce worked from home at least to some extent, according to Gallup. The pandemic added millions more and might tilt the balance toward remote work permanently.
So, now more than ever, organizations large and small must figure out how to manage, connect and secure all devices their staff members use, in workplaces and remotely. For enterprises that prefer to have iPhones, Macs and iPads in the mix, effective Apple Enterprise Management is crucial.
Note the stenography machine in the foreground of this "after" photo. Photo: yyzgal@Reddit
In the before-and-after pics of Reddit user yyzgal’s dual-monitor/MacBook Pro setup, guess which one has the stenography machine? Trick question. They both have it.
And it’s what most Redditors admiring the new-and-improved setup wanted to talk about in the comments section of yyzgal’s setup post. Well, that and the Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Puck hidden behind the laptop in the setup’s “after” photo (above).
Trend Micro's Cleaner One Pro makes disk storage management easy. Image: Trend Micro
This post is brought to you by Trend Micro.
If you ever wished you could easily visualize, manage and free up disk space on your computer — even in just one click — look no further. Trend Micro’s Cleaner One Pro does the job for both Macs and PCs.
This artfully executed setup is supposedly in someone's home, not a design museum. Photo: diotav@Reddit
It’s only Monday, but Dutch videographer, designer and web production artist Dion Tavenier probably wins this week’s award for setup design. Cool, spare, architectural — get the Museum of Modern Setups on the phone!
If only there was such a museum. Or such an award.
What would you add to this setup? Photo: jondajaba@Reddit
Redditor jondajaba recently finished putting together a computer setup and asked in a post for recommendations on what’s missing that he might add. Naturally, setup mavens far and wide who live and breathe this stuff replied with plenty of advice.
Ian Zelbo's previous monitor shows a render of a leaked MacBook Air concept he worked on with Jon Prosser. Photo: Ian Zelbo
It’s not every day you come across a high school student running a successful tech-based business – never mind one whose 3D renderings are routinely seen by thousands of people. But that’s the case with 17-year-old New Yorker Ian Zelbo and his RendersbyIan.
His detailed and realistic renders of leaked tech products, including Macs, get loads of exposure on social media from his clients, the likes of Jon Prosser of @FrontPageTech and Sam Kohl of iupdate.
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.
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.
Adjustable lighting suitable for video calls need not cost much. Photo: Kwipz@Reddit
The big open window shown in the photo above certainly helps keep the place lit for free in bright daylight. But what does Redditor Kwipz do about cheap lighting for the darker hours?
Like your parents used to say, don't sit too close to the TV. Photo: kenneth_powers1@Reddit
These days, lots of folks rock two or three or even four large monitors in their computer setups. But some people go for one huge, mesmerizing display, like kenneth_powers1, among other Redditors — and it’s a TV set, at that.
Powers credits fellow Redditor TerronG for the inspiration to use a Samsung 43-inch TU-8000 series 4K Smart TV with his aging computer. Powers uses it with a 2013 MacBook Pro and a PC he built himself. TerronG runs a similar TU7000 series TV with a 2012 Mac mini upgraded with a newer SSD and additional RAM.
Some rooms just scream "fun," don't they? Photo: andygigante_82@Reddit
Illustrator and graphic designer andygigante_82 knows how to place his computer setup in an entertaining context. The fantastical space is his “Little Hobby Hole” — which he writes with a trademark symbol — as depicted in his Reddit post.
Looking at his photos, you might not notice the computer gear. That’s understandable, given every shot’s explosion of dynamic graphics, colorful action figures, skateboards festooned with his own graphic designs and more.
OK, maybe it’s a tad premature to freak out over couples’ setups being some sort of thing now. After all, the sample size here is just one, and we have no intention of carrying out any kind of exhaustive and exhausting survey or study on the matter.
Redditor thateconomistguy presents a “couples study space” where he and his girlfriend pore over economics research side by side under the frames in which they plan to display their upcoming master’s degree diplomas.
Which keyboard would you suggest for this setup? Photo: KunalBH@Reddit
Redditor KunalBH bought a compact, no-frills Anker keyboard to use with his iPad in 2017. Now he’s asking the universe for help finding a worthy replacement (or additional) keyboard for his MacBook Pro-based setup.
Passionate suggestions are pouring in. See below for some of the leading contenders.
You can get a 20% discount on software activation keys at CdkeySales.com. Photo: CdkeySales
This software keys post is presented by CdkeySales.
In line with previous exclusive sales events, Cult of Mac readers now have another chance to benefit from a special 20% discount on the already-inexpensive software product activation keys available at CdkeySales.com.
This MacBook Pro M1 setup is all about quality audio. Photo: The-deluxe@Reddit
Call it a “nice pile of Schiit.” Or a “Schiit stack.” That’s what admiring commenters said about computer science student and Redditor the-deluxe’s M1 MacBook Pro-centered setup.
“You fulla Schiit,” one audiophile enthused.
Why? Well, people who are into Schiit audio components are really into them. Game recognize game, after all.
Nothing like a big new display and new furniture to put the "set" in "setup." Photo: WRM2@Reddit
After working remotely as a digital marketer for a startup for more than a year, EU-based Redditor WMR2 decided it was time to upgrade the ol’ MacBook Pro-based work/podcasting/gaming setup. Enter new desk, chair and external display.
What, you were expecting a new computer? That’s not always necessary.
It's amazing what some light strips and display wallpaper can do for ambiance. Photo: skylar_schutz@Reddit
Redditor skylar_schutz makes music on keyboard and guitar, but their Mac mini M1’s sound quality doesn’t do it for them. That’s not a huge shock. Many mini owners, past and present — if they’re even close to identifying as audiophiles — use AirPlay 2, Bluetooth or USB-wired speakers with their setups.
“The sound coming out from the M1 mac mini is just so-so … wouldn’t recommend it if you aim to enjoy listening to music from it, more so if you intend to do music production,” skylar_schutz wrote in reply to a question.
Those two "trash cans" at upper left prove core to this setup. Photo: XTJ7@Reddit
Redditor XTJ7, a programmer and photographer based in Germany, knows how to make a setup last and do just what he needs it to do. As his recent post declared, his setup’s core is two “trash can” Mac Pro towers from 2013 plus a racy gaming PC.
Yeah, you heard right: That’s two computers running from 2013 to now. Eight years might as well be a few decades as far as computer performance goes. But he has his reasons to wait on the upgrade.
Two smart monitors with matching light bars easily run off a Mac mini M1. Photo: TimTheEnchanterz@Reddit
You see it every year. Accomplished, vibrant computers that still have a lot to offer are cast aside in favor of hard-charging young upstarts more than willing to take somebody’s job.
In the case of React developer TimTheEnchanterz (on Reddit), a MacBook Pro from just last year lost its job to a bright new Mac mini M1 boasting 16GB of unified memory and effortless connection to two external displays.
Such a shame. It’s not clear from the post, but the poor 2020 MBP probably had to shuffle off in search of a new taskmaster on r/hardwareswap, eBay or — say it ain’t so — Craigslist.
Browsing, remote tech support work, gaming, videoconferencing, podcasting -- this setup does it all. Photo: LincHayes@Reddit
Web developer LincHayes recently showed off the M1 Mac mini-and-PC-based setup he put together to restart a live tech support business and do some podcasting. It did not fail to impress lots of folks on Reddit.
After all, this is LincHayes’ first time as a Mac owner. And a lot of people relate to running both Macs and PCs in a complex, multifunctional setup with a lot of moving parts.
With lockdown savings and a little thrift you can put together a solid setup. Photo: franklinrockz@Reddit
Redditor franklinrockz makes no bones about the minimalist setup he bought with lockdown savings for online classes, calling it “pretty basic” and “nothing fancy.” But it gets the job done and looks good doing it.
A testament to that are the three dozen comments his post had by day two online. Lots of folks liked what franklinrockz did with the workstation and wanted to know about its components.
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.
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.