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M1 MacBook Air knows how to have fun [Setups]

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Lots of toys live in this MacBook Air and gaming PC rig.
Lots of toys live in this MacBook Air and gaming PC rig.
Photo: [email protected]

Some setups are no-nonsense, just the facts, ma’am — strictly utilitarian. Others are fanciful and full of toys. Today’s featured setup leans toward the latter, with its burgeoning population of Transformer figures crowding the shelf above the display and even related wall art.

And there’s plenty of gaming going on there, too, via a custom gaming PC and Nintendo Switch OLED in addition to an M1 MacBook Air and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Oh, and it has one of the coolest speaker systems ever made, too.

Keep the iPad front and center or ditch it? [Setups]

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Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that?
Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that?
Photo: [email protected]

Some people like a lot screens in their computer setup, others like to be glued to one and one only. In today’s featured computer setup, the user wrestles with the question of whether to keep his iPad Pro front and center, right in front of the external display, or just leave it out. Meanwhile, a MacBook Pro sits off to the side in clamshell mode.

Because the user asked for opinions on social media, he got them. Lots of them. But it proved to be a tricky question to answer definitively.

MacBook Pro drives dynamic, well-mounted displays [Setups]

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A 34-inch ultra-wide display in landscape mode and a 24-inch monitor in portrait mode make a good combo.
A 34-inch ultra-wide display in landscape mode and a 24-inch monitor in portrait mode make a good combo.
Photo: [email protected]

Powerful MacBook Pro — check. Extremely capable USB dock — check. Dazzling displays properly mounted in different orientations — check. Two of the best input devices you can buy — check.

Today’s featured computer setup seems to have it all without going overboard, and it all rests easily on a solid standing desk from New Zealand.

And the user even recommends deals on truly stellar noise-canceling headphones. Read on for more and don’t miss the gear list at the bottom of the page.

Apple gear finds stout home on custom maple standing desk and monitor riser [Setups]

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Both the standing desk and monitor shelf sport 3-inch-thick maple.
Both the standing desk and monitor shelf sport 3-inch-thick maple.
Photo: [email protected]

A great computer setup starts with a solid desk — preferably a standing desk, so you can sit or stand as your aching body requires. Today’s featured setup finds a MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Studio Display and Dell 4K monitor resting easy on a stout maple standing desk and monitor riser.

Wherever you see wood in the photograph, know that it’s 3 inches thick. That’s one way to reduce monitor wobbling.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to get an ultra-wide display [Setups]

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The ultra-wide 1440p display shown here can be had for about $300.
The ultra-wide 1440p display shown here can be had for about $300.
Photo: [email protected]

Once you shell out a couple thousand bucks or more for a marvelous Mac Studio desktop machine, how do you add an ultra-wide display without running up your already-tortured credit cards?

Today’s featured dual-monitor Mac Studio setup solved the problem by going back in time. Its owner added an ultra-wide display — and much of the other gear in the workstation — from a few years ago.

Try this simple trick for a cleaner workstation [Setups]

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See the cables? It's pretty easy to neaten those up by putting the dock under the desk.
See the cables? It's pretty easy to neaten those up by putting the dock under the desk.
Photo: [email protected]

Maybe you can’t be bothered to fuss over cable management. But some tricks for a cleaner-looking computer setup are so easy anybody can pull them off with minimal effort. Take today’s featured MacBook Pro setup, for example.

Its owner is primarily concerned about replacing aging dual displays, and we’ll cover some advice on that. But he also gets a valuable lesson about how to present a cleaner workstation by making one simple change.

Sleek, dual-display MacBook Pro rig gives off serious Tron vibes [Setups]

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This is how you take a picture of a setup if you want people to think it's an ad.
This is how you take a picture of a setup if you want people to think it's an ad.
Photo: [email protected]

When you look at a lot of computer setups showcased on social media, it’s not difficult to see that many of them are staged. They’re so well put together and photographed, you just can’t see normal slobs owning them.

But sometimes the internet tricks you with a surprisingly slick photograph of a real person’s setup. That seems to be the case in today’s featured dual-display MacBook Pro setup, photographs in a cool-gray wash.

“This looks like a render advertising the mouse or something,” one commenter said. “Tron vibes,” added another, referring to the 1982 sci-fi film known for its then-cutting-edge computer animation.

Dell’s fancy new webcam isn’t as pricey as the last one

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The new Dell Pro Webcam features a built-in, noise-cancelling microphone.
The new Dell Pro Webcam features a built-in, noise-cancelling microphone.
Photo: Dell

Dell rolled out its new Dell Pro Webcam over the weekend, offering a less-expensive alternative to the UltraSharp 4K webcam it brought to market last year.

The new one shares some high-end features but also lets go of some others to get the price down.

Mac Studio workstation makeover enhances whole room [Setups]

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In an
In an "after" picture, one larger monitor on a desk shelf instead of two on the desk opens up the space nicely.
Photo: [email protected]

With so many people working from home these days, a whole lot of them spend much of their life in one room — wherever the computer setup is, that is. And that’s all the more the case in apartments and small homes. So improving the setup can have a pretty big impact.

In today’s featured Mac Studio setup, swapping out two smaller displays for one bigger one, adding a desk shelf and making a few other changes made quite a difference in enhancing the workspace.

Supply chain problems hurt Mac and entire PC industry

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Some MacBook Pro wait times already stretch nearly to Christmas
Apple's inability to keep up with demand for MacBook Pro and other Mac models hurt the company in Q2 2022.
Photo: Apple

Mac shipments dropped a whopping 20% in the June quarter, according to a market-research firm. But it wasn’t just Apple struggling – shipments of all the top PC-makers declined.

COVID lockdowns in China this spring hurt production for all these companies, lowering the number of computers they could ship to consumers.

Cable management doesn’t have to be a horrible chore [Setups]

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"Cables? What cables?" asked one commenter.
Photo: [email protected]

Sometimes you see a pristine computer setup flaunted on social media and you think, how is that even real? Is it staged? Is it a render? At the very least, it looks like they left out all the cables for the photograph. But that’s not necessarily the case.

A lot of us live with messy setups, in part due to cable clutter. But neatening things up doesn’t have to be next-to impossible, as today’s featured Mac mini setup demonstrates.

If you’re anti-mouse and anti-trackpad, what device can you use? [Setups]

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That thing in the foreground is a Wacom Intuos Pro M tablet.
That thing in the foreground is a Wacom Intuos Pro M tablet.
Photo: happy_haircut

Some people dislike using a mouse. Others can’t fathom a trackpad. And believe it or not, some folks hate both. So what do they do to get their brilliant thoughts onto the computer screen?

Knowing it’s hard to get by in life on just a keyboard, what input device can they use in addition to it? As today’s featured computer setup illustrates, they might try using a certain tablet like it’s a cross between a trackpad and a mouse.

This is how you power a home-automation station [Setups]

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An M1 Max MacBook Pro and Raspberry Pi help make this a home-automation station.
An M1 Max MacBook Pro and Raspberry Pi help make this a home-automation station.
Photo: [email protected]

Most of the time, when we talk about home automation, we’re talking about Apple’s HomeKit system. But today’s featured computer setup, which relies on a formidable M1 Max MacBook Pro and dual displays, goes another route.

The homeowner runs a Raspberry Pi with open-source software to achieve about 50 automations, including Siri integration.

Mac mini rig’s monster monitor pushes standing desk to limit [Setups]

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That 38-inch monitor is almost too much for the standing desk to handle.
That 38-inch monitor is almost too much for the standing desk to handle.
Photo: [email protected]

In a world of ever-increasing monitor sizes (and weights), you need a pretty tough, supportive desk — especially if it’s a motorized one for sitting or standing. Otherwise, the whole thing might wobble all over the place under the combined, imbalanced weight of your fabulous gear.

Today’s featured Mac mini computer setup copes with an electric desk that struggles under the weight of a behemoth of a curved ultra-wide monitor.

Telling a marvelous Mac mini workstation story in pictures [Setups]

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The computer setup was updated this month and it couldn't be much nicer.
The computer setup was updated this month and it couldn't be much nicer.
Photo: [email protected]

A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. So today’s M1 Mac mini-driven computer setup, with eight smashing photos, must be roughly equivalent to 8,000 words. But instead of burying you in a horrible cascade of text, we’ll let the pictures tell most of the elegant rig’s story.

The newly updated setup has some exceedingly nice touches. Each of the photos below includes a little commentary.

Which monitor gets the boot when the new Studio Display shows up? [Setups]

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One of these two displays is not long for this setup.
One of these two displays is not long for this setup.
Photo: [email protected]

The Mac Studio desktop computer and Studio Display came out on March 18 to (mostly) good reviews. And they’re showing up all over the place in people’s computer setups — especially the displays, according to our unscientific observations, as we scour the internets for interesting gear.

Today’s featured setup is a dual-display workstation. The owner said he’s expecting a new Studio Display to arrive soon. Sounds like it already shipped.

He said he’s going to stick with two screens, so which one of his current monitors is going bye-bye?

New Mac Studio pairs with imposing 5K display in pristine rig [Setups]

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One wonders how often this setup looks this pristine.
One wonders how often this setup looks this pristine.
Photo: casey_the_casey

Some computer setups just say “slick.” They declare, in their perfection, “I might actually be staged.” They suggest, without a trace of shyness, much less humility, “There’s no way I look this clean all the damn time.”

Neither a speck of dust nor a stray cable to be seen.

But then again, some workstations are cleaned up with the arrival of a major new addition and made ready for the one photo where they’ll look their Sunday best. That’s likely the case with today’s featured setup, with its dark-stained woods and its lights just so. After all, it just got a brand new Mac Studio.

Here come the Mac Studio-powered workstations [Setups]

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A new Mac Studio desktop and Studio Display anchor this setup.
A new Mac Studio desktop and Studio Display anchor this setup.
Photo: [email protected]

With Apple’s big “Peek Performance” event only just past and deliveries of newly release products in progress, we see computer setups with new Mac Studio desktops and Studio Display monitors cropping up on social media sites.

Checking in with real people and their first impressions about the gear — and their answers to others’ questions about it — can be a pretty good early look at how things are going with Apple’s latest products.

Let’s take our workstation outside today [Setups]

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Working al fresco can be refreshing. Except for the downpours. And the lizards.
Working al fresco can be refreshing. Except for the downpours. And the lizards.
Photo: [email protected]

There’s nothing like taking your work outside on a nice day, especially if it’s a Friday — if you live somewhere that allows it, weather-wise. The sounds of the birds. The feel of the breeze. The smell of exhaust fumes from nearby traffic.

But sometimes it’s not about half-playing hooky while working on your tan and pretending to work. Today’s featured setup, looking quite complete and perfectly productive, was driven out of the house by renovations.

Maximum mood indigo: Go crazy with the lighting [Setups]

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Feel like you're drowning or freezing to death? It could be the lighting.
Feel like you're drowning or freezing to death? It could be the lighting.
Photo: [email protected]

Ever wonder how people get crazy-cool mood lighting in and around their computer setups? You see it all the time in folks’ photos on social media sites. The hardware — computer, displays, peripherals, other gear — may be fabulous in its own right, but the lighting just takes it to another level.

Or not. Sometimes lighting ends up being too flashy — as in, on the verge of fit-inducing. And sometimes it’s just too much of one thing. Today’s featured setup shows a cool blue wash that might just drown productivity. Or maybe it’s just for off-duty hours.

Whatever your preferences, an increasing array of products can help you get your setup light show on.

Should every workstation have a 3D printer? [Setups]

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The 3D printer at left helped make other parts of this computer setup.
The 3D printer at left helped make other parts of this computer setup.
Photo: [email protected]

You still rarely see a computer setup with a 3D printer in it. Today’s featured setup is an exception. You can see the printer against the wall on the left in the photo above.

Probably more workstations in the near future will have them. Why? Not only are they becoming more affordable, you can use them to make parts of the setup!

Can you get work done while using an under-desk treadmill? [Setups]

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Two items that set this setup apart are the iPad stand and the elevated Edifier speakers.
Two items that set this setup apart are the iPad stand and the elevated Edifier speakers.
Photo: [email protected]

When you spend loads of time at a desk, it’s natural to wonder how you might remain chained to it but still somehow get exercise. That’s why under-desk treadmills exist, of course. But can you really get things done while walking in place?

Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup answers the question and offers up a couple of other tantalizing tidbits, like a killer iPad stand and affordable bookshelf speakers with isolation pads.

Dell’s new 4K USB-C monitors are first to use LG’s high-contrast ‘IPS Black’ tech

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Dell's new 27-inch and 32-inch UltraSharp monitors are the first to use LG's IPS Black Technology.
Dell's new 27-inch and 32-inch UltraSharp monitors are the first to use LG's IPS Black Technology.
Photo: Dell

Dell said it has started shipping two new monitors that are the first on the market using LG’s new IPS Black Technology, rolled out at CES in January. IPS Black promises 35% deeper blacks than typical 4K displays, which tend to have poor contrast in favor of other benefits (mainly brighter colors). That’s effectively doubles the usual contrast ratio to 2000:1.

If you depend on your display for the best possible image — say, like a designer does — the new monitors could offer the great color IPS displays are known for, but with solid contrast, too.

Pristine design workstation’s keys to clean cable management [Setups]

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Does this look like a designer's setup, or does this look like a designer's setup.
Does this look like a designer's setup, or does this look like a designer's setup.
Photo: [email protected]

Leave it to a digital product designer to work their magic in a tastefully pristine workstation with an absolute minimum of cable clutter. “Cable management gets a 10 out of 10,” one person said of today’s featured computer setup. And all that walnut wood doesn’t hurt, either.

But how did they manage to tame the cable monster?