At a glance it doesn't look overly complex, but wait'll you see the diagram. Photo: ReportoDownvoto@Reddit.com
Getting a complex computer setup just-so can be a daunting experience for even seasoned users. Maybe somebody should create a diagram or something? Well, someone did, making a highly capable MacBook Pro-and-PC setup with external display, storage, audio and more look even more complicated than it really is.
The sleekly executed diagram delighted viewers on social media. Check it out below.
Get the 2023 MacBook Pro with a massive $300 discount. Photo: Apple
If you are in the market for a powerful new laptop, it is hard to ignore the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. And with Amazon’s latest deal knocking up to $300 off, Apple’s pro laptops are a no-brainer.
It's pretty much all Apple here, with special appearance by other companies for recording and lighting purposes. Photo: magmamadman@Reddit.com
The only reason today’s featured setup isn’t 100% Apple is that Cupertino doesn’t make its own condenser USB microphones, lighting or desks.
Literally everything else in the setup is from Apple, including a computing “hat trick” of desktop Mac, laptop Mac and Apple tablet, plus a second hat trick for peripherals, with an Apple display, Apple input devices and Apple audio.
The power bank can keep your laptop and other devices juiced up even when you can't find a power outlet. Photo: Baseus
Baseus rolled out its new thin-and-compact battery pack Friday, the Baseus Blade HD Series 100W Power Bank. It provides 100 watts of power delivery from its 20,000mAh battery to keep MacBook, other laptops and various gadgets going. If you’re using this to keep your Mac running, you may also want to check out how to power off Mac for optimal battery management.
You can see a StandBy Mode from the iOS 17 beta on the iPhone's display, which looks like a digital clock. Photo: Dj-Ken@Reddit.com
This year, WWDC delivered an avalanche of new hardware as well as the usual major planned software releases — and the latter is already showing up in computer setups while the hardware hasn’t shipped yet.
Today’s featured setup may be all about its MacBook Pro, iPad and fine external monitor, but you can’t miss the brand-new, unreleased functionality showing up on another screen on display in the photograph.
This is a modern computer setup, but Dalzell also has about 100 vintage machines. Photo: Drew Dalzell
Cutting-edge computer setups are cool. Vintage computer museums are also cool. But do you know what’s super-cool? Both. Together.
Los Angeles-based sound designer Drew Dalzell sent Cult of Mac his M1 MacBook Pro setup this week. As it turns out, it sits in the middle of a vintage computer collection. It includes an Apple IIGS, an Apple II Plus, an Ortrona, a Commodore 64 and more. The space is also his business HQ.
A MacBook Pro and a Lenovo PC laptop rely on a 27-inch Alogic Clarity 4K external monitor. Photo: migueltomas@Reddit.com
Apple’s 5K Studio Display in on the pricey side for many folks, so many less-expensive 4K monitors like the one in today’s featured MacBook Pro and Lenovo laptop setup tend to stand in for it.
But not every big-selling 4K display is designed to look like it belongs in an Apple setup. This one is.
To get a better idea of the screen angles, see the image below. Photo: linkuei-teaparty@Reddit.com
If you’re considering going with two external displays in your computer setup, you might find some inspiration in today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation with two slick gaming displays.
The laptop drives two stacked, ultra-wide, curved displays that are mounted — and even carefully angled — for the best ergonomics, resulting no eye or neck strain.
Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro featuring the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip is down to its cheapest price. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip is down to its lowest-ever price. After a staggering $249.01 discount, you can get Apple’s best MacBook Pro for $2,249.99.
You can get a similar $250 off on the machine’s 1TB and M2 Max configurations.
An M1 MacBook Pro or an older Intel-based Mac drive a 32-inch LG display. Photo: CatalinPCE@Reddit.com
There’s nothing like a straightforward, reasonably up-to-date computer setup that is simply good enough for solid productivity. Today’s featured rig sports newer and older MacBook Pro laptops, an affordable 4K display, a pretty slick mechanical keyboard and homemade laptop stands.
The coder who uses it keeps the older Intel-powered MacBook Pro around despite having an M1 machine for a pretty typical reason, too.
Refurbished and scratch-and-dent MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are on sale now at Woot. Photo: Apple
If you love a good deal more than you love having the latest tech, Amazon deals site Woot! is your friend. It’s selling a variety of MacBooks and the 2019 iPad Air for bargain-basement prices on refurbished and scratch-and-dent models. If you’re specifically looking for arefurbished MacBook Pro 2019 16 inch, there are great options available at competitive prices.
The iPad Air (3rd generation) sale ends in less than a day. The MacBook sale on various models goes on for almost another week.
The 2023 MacBook Pro is very sleek, whether it's the 16-inch or 14-inch variant. Photo: Apple
Apple just began offering refurbished units of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 series processors. These launched in early 2023, and shoppers can save almost $1,000 by choosing a refurb unit.
These are primarily devices that consumers bought then returned so supplies are limited. But these selection is surprisingly broad.
An M2 Max MacBook Pro and a 42-inch OLED display? Yes, please. Photo: Swagdaddy123456@Reddit.com
Oh, what a joy to go computer-setup shopping — when your employer readily agrees to pay for everything. Today’s featured M2 Max MacBook Pro setup, which features a gorgeous 42-inch OLED smart TV as a display, came into being that very way.
Check out the setup’s gear, below, and see if that’s what you’d buy if your boss handed you a blank check.
Protect your MacBook the best way possible while out and about. Photo: SwitchEasy
For this week’s giveaway, we teamed up with SwitchEasy, maker of one of the finest MacBook cases around. Two lucky winners will bag a SwitchEasy Urban MacBook Sleeve.
Made of water-resistant threaded polyester material, these laptop cases will protect a MacBook from scuffs and scrapes. And they look good while doing so!
A Pro Display XDR typically costs about $5,000, but this user got his for quite a bit less. Photo: hungmale420@Reddit.com
In a world of shockingly expensive Apple products, one magnificent items stands supreme — Pro Display XDR. If you’re among the legion of Apple fans who can’t quite crack open their wallets wide enough for a $1,600 Studio Display, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Today’s MacBook Pro setup sports a Pro Display XDR that came at a shocking price, too — shockingly good, that is, all things considered.
The user, a developer, finds a Studio Display paired with an LG DualUp monitor (left) ideal for his work. Photo: ElSigi999@Reddit.com
Any conversation about “perfect” displays might just start and end with Apple’s Pro Display XDR. But not everyone is rich enough to buy one of those 6K monitors, which cost $5,000 or more. So the popular 5K Studio Display might have to do, along with something complementary.
One option graces today’s featured MacBook Pro setup. It recently swapped out ultra-wide and 4K monitors for a Studio Display and and the eccentric LG DualUp. They seem especially well-suited to certain types of workers.
Don't miss this amazing deal on the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Photo: Apple
Update: We hope you jumped on this MacBook Pro deal as soon as we posted it, because it looks like it evaporated.
Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro is down to its lowest price on Amazon. You can get the machine with a discount of as much as $250.
The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro is listed with a $250 discount, bringing its price down to $1,749. This is the cheapest the machine has been available for since its launch earlier this year.
Are those MacBooks at left stripped of their cases?! Nope. Photo: FX2000@Reddit.com
What’s better than having two MacBook Pro laptops in your computer setup? Having the two powerful machines wrapped in cool-looking skins that confound and excite onlookers, of course.
Such is the case with today’s dual-MacBook Pro, dual LG-display workstation that the user depends on for coding and videoconferencing.
A light strip -- in this case one from Nanoleaf -- can make a big difference. Photo: TjDeAdPoOl@Reddit.com
A humble light strip can have a huge impact on a computer setup and even the room it’s in, providing functional lighting as well as setting a mood with white or colored lights at different temperatures (cool, warm, etc.). Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup uses nothing but a Nanoleaf Essentials light strip behind the desk and a Xiaomi monitor lamp to light its way. And they do so to great effect.
Read more about the lighting below, plus the setup’s use of a Sonos Bluetooth speaker for audio and an iPhone with Continuity Camera for effective videoconferencing.
There's plenty going on this "minimal" computer setup. Photo: JVillaPhoto@Reddit.com
People love their “minimal” computer setups, but everyone has a different idea of what that means. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is on the spare side — not to mention beautifully photographed — but it actually has a lot going on.
From the powerful laptop and 4K display to the big-time external storage, backup power and extensive smart lighting, the setup’s more than a match for its owner’s photo editing work.
That's a 42-inch OLED HD TV for a monitor. Photo: FrankyHi5@Reddit.com
New computer displays tend to get not just better over time, but bigger — within reason. Unlike TVs, they’re designed to be viewed from just a few feet away at most. But increasingly, we see people using smart TVs as external monitors to get that extra size into their desktop setups.
Today’s featured setup sports an M2 MacBook Pro driving a 42-inch LG OLED smart TV that the user describes as “perfect.”
Get a flat $150 discount on Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro lineup. Photo: Apple
Apple’s 2023 MacBook Pro lineup is available with a massive $150 discount on Amazon. The deal applies to all configurations of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
This fantastic deal is unlikely to last long, so buy the MacBook you want before stocks run out.
The stormtrooper hemet is custom-made and the Stream Deck uses customized shortcuts. Photo: thethomasedarby@Reddit.com
Attractive or fun decor can really give a computer setup an edge. Real plants. Vintage Apple gear. Epic Lego sets. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup sports a detailed replica stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars.
It overlooks a Darth Vader-worthy 49-inch Samsung curved gaming display and an Elgato Stream Deck, which is associated with video streaming tasks but can also do a lot for productivity in general through shortcuts.
You can get a good deal on a 2021 24-inch 4.5K iMac, plus other iMacs and MacBooks. Photo: Apple
Amazon bargain site Woot! is pushing M1 Macs at low prices through April 3. You can get up to 46% off some machines, which include MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac from 2020 and 2021, plus a handful of Intel-powered Macs.