Mac+iPad: My Desk Setup
I often get asked about my at-home desk setup, so I’ll explain it in this post.
Mac for work, iPad for personal
There was a time when I had no qualms using my work Mac for personal activities on occasion. I’ve always had a personal device in addition to my work laptop, but it wasn’t convenient to carry both.
Within the past decade or so, employers have taken more control of their devices little by little, mainly for cybersecurity and liability reasons (which are totally valid). As a consequence I have migrated my personal computing off of my work Mac to my iPad.
Mac setup
My MacBook Pro is connected to the Apple Studio Display in the center. I keep my chat apps (Teams and Slack) open on the laptop to my right, while the truly productive apps enjoy the full 5K glory of the Studio Display.
I do use Spaces on the Studio Display, with one dedicated to Outlook and the 2nd for all of the real work apps. These include (but are not limited to):
- IntelliJ
- Visual Studio Code
- Chrome
- Terminal
Yes I use both IntelliJ and VS Code. The former still works better for me for Java development while the latter tends to be better at most other things and has a richer ecosystem of plugins.
I use Chrome begrudgingly as I prefer Safari, but there are so many internal sites that I encounter that only work well with Chrome.
iPad setup
When the iPad gained the ability use an external monitor, I pulled my LG 5K Display out of storage (which had been replaced by the Studio Display). I use Messages and Music on the iPad itself, with any other personal computing (mainly Mail, Fantastical and Safari) on the 5K.
Meetings
When I’m in a meeting I turn on the ring light. I’m not terribly concerned with how I look, but there’s a window behind me so without a light in front of me my face is in shadow. I have an Anker external webcam because the Studio Display’s built-in webcam is godawful.
Keyboards and trackpads
The keyboard and trackpad closest to me are for the Mac, while the set right behind those are for the iPad. There is a small wood board underneath the secondary set to elevate them, which feels much better when reaching over the primary set.
I tried Universal Control when that became available to see if I could get by with a single keyboard and trackpad, and discovered that it works great unless my Mac is connected to a corporate network (which is basically all the time), in which case the devices can’t see each other.
This setup would be too compact if I used a mouse, but I switched to an external trackpad 13 years ago and have never looked back.
What’s with the toys?
I’m a nerd and a Star Trek fan. I have these three small ships, the Enterprise-A, -D and -E (which are my favorite of the Star Trek hero ship designs), to keep me company while I work.
