Everything Apple (the Mac heads thread)

Good lord. Do you have a back fan also? I recently switched to a side fan but it's still not enough, and a pain to adjust. (I'll get a pole nearby to push it around)

I always wondered if it's possible (or worth it) to actually work while you're pedaling, and your setup desk looks like it might make it possible. Nowadays most of my work life is either maintaining software or telling people -politely- how they're doing stuff wrong on Slack, with very little "new" work that needs 100% attention.

Made the desk top myself

That's a damn nice set up... that smaller monitor still is a little bit more than I would like, I"m seeking more a secondary monitor alongside the MacBook Pro, rather than a single large one.

What's the sit/stand desk that you have? It looks really good.

Also love mine. Tried another LG 4K and it was crap in comparison.

The sit stand base is a Flexispot E5.

The top I hand made:

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Top doesn't look that smooth in the final pic, personally I'd bin it all and start again ...

I'm actually wondering whether buying the largest iPad and using sidecar is plausible... has anyone done that?

I have a Macbook Air 2020 and iPad Pro 11 inch. Works well enough.
See my pro produced video below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkl60RQqqeM

Also used it as a 2nd screen for my PC (wired) using Duet

that's surprisingly good. I plan to use the 2nd monitor for predominantly displaying a web browser without video. I figure the MBP primary display will do all video stuff and what I need is just something with a screen resolution and colour as similar to the MBP as possible, and that can allow me to open a document or a dashboard of graphs, alongside my MBP screen.

A 12.9" iPad Pro would make an almost identically sized external monitor... and all I'd need do is find a stable stand for it.

I mean... if there were a 20" it would be even better, but 13" is still good.

Wouldn't it be a neater solution to just use the MacBook Pro in clamshell mode and have one big screen that displays all your stuff?

I use a mirrorless camera as a webcam. I want it to feel to the viewer like I am looking at them.

The larger the display is, the further away from my line of sight the camera is.

I love the small MBP display as I can place the large camera just above the webcam, and when I'm in a meeting the small screen places the persons face directly below the camera... and they feel like I'm looking at them directly, and it does make the meetings more engaging.

So that's my primary setup... and sometimes I want a 2nd display for documents, web pages, data. But not so large that it unbalances the use of the MBP display.

My absolute ideal would be something of equal resolution and colour control as the MBP, twice the size of the MBP screen, in portrait mode beside the MBP screen (the MBP is on a stand so would be halfway up the screen), that also looked good... and hey if I'm dreaming then a USB-C connector and smart stuff so that adjusting brightness worked on both displays at once.

The larger the display is, the further away from my line of sight the camera is.
I love the small MBP display as I can place the large camera just above the webcam, and when I'm in a meeting the small screen places the persons face directly below the camera... and they feel like I'm looking at them directly, and it does make the meetings more engaging.

Yea, that makes sense!

absolute ideal would be something of equal resolution and colour control as the MBP, twice the size of the MBP screen, in portrait mode beside the MBP screen

..get an iMac and put it on its side?
Jokes aside looking at EIZO ColorEdge series might be worthwile..

I’ve just got the MBP 13” and a 12.9” iPad Pro to use as a second monitor while I’m working from home. And it works really well for me.

I’ve found virtual meetings really good, using the MBP as the main screen for the meeting and then the iPad Pro for documents. And I work between two documents regularly, hence the second screen. Sidecar seems pretty robust and I haven’t had major any issues yet.

And the Magic keyboard for the iPad Pro really makes it into very workable device by itself.

This sells it for me then.

Just as you were writing that I was reading that others are using the iPad with Google Jamboard app to create an incredible whiteboarding setup too.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23272054

I should ask... are you using a stand for the iPad?

Took delivery of an iMac last week and today I got a note from our postman saying “you weren’t in, we tried to deliver a parcel with the dimensions x,y and z, you can collect it at your nearest post office on Monday”

The sender is the company I bought the iMac from and the dimensions matches the iMac box perfectly. Wonder if they sent me a second one by mistake!

I got a little stand from Amazon and then I got the Magic Keyboard when it was released. I alternate depending on what I'm doing, as there's a few things I need the iPad in portrait mode for, mainly Zoom meetings where I'm dealing with lots of papers (this doesn't work with Sidecar yet).

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dibs!

Nice.

I use an external keyboard and mouse and have my MBP on a stand... I am wondering if the place to put the iPad Pro is simply on top of the keyboard and trackpad of the MBP so that it feels in use like the MBP is a dual-screen clam shell.

Looking up the dimensions... I think this could work perfectly:

• MacBook Pro 13" 2020: 11.97 inches x 8.36 inches
  
• iPad Pro 11": 9.74 inches inches inches x 7.02 inches
  
• iPad Pro 12.9": 11.04 inches inches x 8.46 inches
  
  

Side by side the 12.9" is probably better, but on top of the keyboard the 11" looks perfect.

I think with the iPad Pro 11" over the keyboard the speakers on the MBP would still have clearance on the sides but the touch bar will be covered (but it would fit the depth even accounting for the feet of the stand curled over the bottom of the MBP in the photo).

All I would do is buy adhesive feet for the iPad Pro https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adhesive-Rubber-Bumper-Furniture-Protectors/dp/B07MCXY9F7/ and put them at the corner to ensure I didn't scratch the MBP or push any keys down when it's resting on top, plus it would mean that any airflow that exists in the MBP via the keyboard would still work.

i.e. in this photo... for the iPad 11" to cover the keyboard.

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This would work. Here’s how the 12.9” would look, it fits the keyboard area perfectly, leaving the MBP speakers clear. And the iPad replicates the Touchbar with Sidecar, in the photo you can just about see it at the bottom, so you can still see and use it.

The only drawback I could see is within the display settings, you can only arrange the iPad in the left or the right.

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I just about convince myself that an iPad Pro 11" is the second display I need... and then I research an iPad and find:

• Firefox and Chrome are actually Safari
  
• You can't install adblockers and NoScript even on Firefox on iPadOS
  
• Changing DNS to adblock is to effectively run a VPN, but this is shit as then you can't run a VPN whilst adblocking via DNS
  
  

Ugh... well this is putting me off this idea quite quickly. £1.6k for this solution and thinking that as I'd have gained a great 2nd device it's worth it... but then discovering that the 2nd device is the price of a laptop without the control a laptop offers.

Hah... back to just dreaming of what the solution may be. Probably just a small high quality external monitor.

Ha, I liked the idea as crazy as it sounded at first - yet, Firefox / AdBlock etc. aside I guess what @Muppetteer said would actually be the primary dealbreaker for me

display settings, you can only arrange the iPad in the left or the right.

The only drawback I could see is within the display settings, you can only arrange the iPad in the left or the right.

u wot m8?

also,

You can't install adblockers

I've definitely got some content blockers going in Safari, not sure if they work system wide though.

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Content blockers from Disconnect.me work system wide, but as @Velocio said they work as a VPN, so you can’t run another VPN on the iOS device as well.

MacBook Air with 11inch iPad pro on the keyboard...

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If you want the best, NEC Spectraview.
Eizos also ok but not quite as good.
Some people will inevitably disagree, but I have tested a large sample set extensively and the spectras always on top.

You can't install adblockers

Edge browser (on iOS) seems to have an ad blocker.
And that's chromium these days. But then likely actually Safari too

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