Sunday, February 16, 2025

Improve your Mac setup with these equipment


In the event you’re trying to take your desk setup to the following stage, that is the information for you. Head under for a few of my favourite merchandise that may enhance your working setup, starting from equipment to decorations and extra. The entire issues on this checklist are issues I’ve personally used and might vouch for.

Wi-Fi 6E routers

Wi-Fi is right here, and it provides some substantial efficiency and reliability enhancements. In the event you’re trying to make an improve to your own home setup, now’s a good time to do it. Right here’s a rundown of Apple’s gadgets that assist Wi-Fi 6E:

  • iMac (24-inch, 2023)
  • MacBook Professional (14-inch, Nov 2023)
  • MacBook Professional (16-inch, Nov 2023)
  • MacBook Professional (14-inch, 2023) or MacBook Professional (16-inch, 2023) 
  • Mac mini (2023)
  • Mac Studio (2023)
  • Mac Professional (2023)
  • iPhone 15 Professional or iPhone 15 Professional Max
  • iPad Professional 11-inch (4th technology) or iPad Professional 12.9-inch (sixth technology)

Our favourite Wi-Fi 6E {hardware} comes from Eero, which provides whole-home mesh programs at compelling costs.

Satechi desk mat

Visually, one in every of my favourite upgrades to a work-from-home desk setup is the addition of a pleasant desk mat. My advice on this class comes from Satechi, which provides an eco-leather desk mat in a trio of various colours at a compelling $39.99 value level.

I’ve been utilizing these for some time and discover them to be very sturdy and versatile, because of the dual-sided design. Notably, one of many sides doesn’t characteristic a Satechi brand, which makes it the perfect aspect.

200W USB-C 6-port GaN charger

You’ll be able to by no means have too many USB-C ports for charging your varied equipment and gadgets. Satechi’s USB-C 200W GaN Charger packs six USB-C ports that may cost any of your equipment or gadgets at full velocity.

I’ve grown to love having this factor on my desk, so I all the time have a spot to cost no matter system wants some juice at any given time. It’s dear, however it’s definitely worth the funding.

OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock

One of many extra integral additions to my setup this 12 months was the OWC Thunderbolt Dock, a model we additionally went hands-on with earlier this 12 months

The OWC Thunderbolt Dock I’m utilizing in my setup provides 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports with assist for as much as 40Gb/s switch speeds, 4 USB-A ports, an SD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and gigabit Ethernet. I’ve the dock mounted on the underside of my desk, so it’s hidden and out of the way in which, however its ports are nonetheless accessible.

Laptop computer stands from Twelve South

In the event you or the particular person you’re shopping for for makes use of a MacBook at their desk, the addition of a devoted laptop computer stand could be a appreciable ergonomics enchancment. I’ve been a fan of the Twelve South Curve for over 4 years and might extremely advocate it to MacBook customers.

Twelve South additionally provides the ParcSlope as another choice for MacBook customers, and it even is available in an up to date matte black end that appears smooth on any desk.

Another choice from – you guessed it – Twelve South is the Curve Flex, which you’ll see above. This one contains a premium aluminum construct that’s adjustable. It may be raised or lowered proper to your liking.

Nomad Stand One

Nomad makes a few of my favourite equipment for iPhone, and the corporate’s newest Stand One isn’t any exception. The Stand One is a premium vertical charger with built-in MagSafe assist. It’s made out of aluminum and options an built-in 2-meter braided USB-C cable. It will probably cost your iPhone at as much as 15W speeds.

The Nomad Stand One is offered in two colours: silver/white or carbide.

Whereas the Nomad Stand One is a beautiful iPhone charger, you would possibly want one thing with a 2-in-1 design. My favourite choice right here is the Belkin 2-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Stand with MagSafe, whereas one other extra reasonably priced choice is offered from Satechi.

This stand from Belkin is expensive, nevertheless it contains a sturdy design with an upright MagSafe stand on your iPhone and an built-in spot on your AirPods within the base. It will probably cost your iPhone on the quickest doable MagSafe speeds, as much as 15 watts. It makes use of a single-cable design for powering the MagSafe charger and AirPods charger.

Keychron Q5 mechanical keyboard

I made the leap to a mechanical keyboard this 12 months, and I haven’t regarded again since. I’m personally utilizing the Keychron Q5, which contains a backlit design, a built-in quantity knob, USB-C connectivity, and a customizable design.

Along with these advantages, I’ve discovered my change to the Keychron Q5 to be a major ergonomics enchancment. The elevated design has considerably decreased wrist ache throughout lengthy writing periods compared to one thing like Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

The Keychron Q5 is considerably dear at just below $230, however there are additionally extra reasonably priced mechanical keyboard choices on the market. Considered one of our favorites is the Logitech MX Mechanical wi-fi keyboard, which can also be extra compact than the Keychron choice in addition to wi-fi.

Satechi headphone stand

Satechi’s 2-in-1 Headphone Stand is likely one of the issues on my desk that I get requested about most frequently. It contains a hook design to carry your headphones, with a base that doubles as a Qi charger on your iPhone or AirPods.

On the again of the 2-in-1 Headphone Stand are two separate USB-C ports. Considered one of these is a UBS-C enter port that may be related to energy, whereas the opposite is a USB-C output port. 

The one USB-C enter gives sufficient energy for the Qi charger within the base, in addition to to energy the second USB-C output. The Qi charging pad gives as much as 7.5W of energy and works with any Qi-supported system, together with iPhones, AirPods, and extra. 

Below-desk headphone mount

Another choice for headphone storage comes from Elevation Lab. The Anchor Below-Desk Headphone Stand mounts to the underside of your desk utilizing adhesive and might maintain as much as two pairs of headphones on the similar time.

HomeKit mild strips

For accent lighting, you may by no means go mistaken with some HomeKit mild strips on your desk. Whether or not you place them behind your desk or beneath, they’ll present atmosphere and personalization on your desk setup. HomeKit compatibility means that you can management the brightness and coloration out of your iPhone or utilizing Siri.

HomeKit mild strips have gotten considerably cheaper through the years, with choices now coming in at beneath $50 from dependable producers on Amazon.

Philips Hue Play Mild Bar

A better-end choice for desktop accent lighting comes from Philips Hue and the firm’s Play Mild Bar. These can present some stunning accent lighting on your workplace and desk, both with a stand or by being mounted to the again of your show.

These, nevertheless, are pricier than a primary mild strip, and also you’ll additionally want a Philips Hue Bridge for full performance.

HomeKit desk lamp

Rounding out our deal with lighting is a primary HomeKit-capable desk lamp. You’ll be able to decide up a smooth HomeKit desk lamp from an organization like Meross on Amazon for beneath $50. I’ve personally been utilizing this Meross desk lamp for a very long time and haven’t had any issues with it.

The rationale I’ve included a number of totally different lighting equipment on this information is that I believe having refined and customizable lighting round you may be nice for productiveness. That is very true in case you’re working in a room or workplace with brilliant fluorescent overhead lighting.

Logitech MX Grasp 3S

I’ve been singing the praises of Logitech’s MX lineup of mice for years, and completely nothing has modified. The newest Logitech MX Grasp 3S is a supremely wonderful mouse on your Mac. Ergonomically, I discover it to be considerably higher than one thing like Apple’s Magic Mouse.

The MX Grasp 3S can also be totally customizable utilizing Logitech’s Choices software program on the Mac. You’ll be able to assign the totally different buttons to macOS options, like mission management, expose, the app switcher, and far more.

Below-desk Storage Shelf

Searching for a method to preserve muddle off your desk? This HumanCentric Below Desk Storage Shelf is a superb choice. It attaches to the underside of your desk utilizing adhesive strips and can be utilized to retailer issues like your keys, pockets, AirPods case, and extra.

This may not appear to be probably the most thrilling accent selection, however belief me once I say I’ve beloved including this to my setup.

Ember Temperature Management Good Mug

In the event you’re a espresso drinker who finds themselves getting distracted and letting your espresso get chilly, the Ember Good Mug can assist clear up that downside. There’s a companion app for iPhone that permits you to management the temperature, and the battery contained in the mug can preserve your espresso heat for as much as 80 minutes.

Below $20 WFH upgrades

To spherical out this information, I believed it’d be useful to incorporate some extra reasonably priced desk and work-from-home equipment.

FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.

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