To remedy this and satiate our appetites for awesome Mac setups, we’ve decided to launch “TMO Workspaces,” a new weekly segment in which we’ll highlight a user’s workspace, provide all information on equipment, and give tips on what is useful and what isn’t. Our goal is to go a bit deeper than what we’ve found elsewhere and to give both TMO staff and readers a chance to brag about their amazing setups.
So if you have a sweet setup that you want to share, send high-quality pictures and descriptions to [email protected] with the subject line “TMO Workspaces” and we’ll be glad to share your creativity with the world!
We’ll start first this week with TMO President and CEO, and Mac Geek Gab host, Dave Hamilton.
Dave decided late last year to switch to a standing desk setup. He was unsure about wanting to stand full time so he purchased the Ergo Depot Medium Duty Adjustable Height Desk, which is motorized to allow the user to change from standing to sitting-level heights. Although it took him a few days to get used to it, Dave now loves standing while he works and has only lowered the desk to sit four times since he received it.
Despite not sitting very often, Dave still recommends an adjustable height desk for users interested in this method of working. With a regular desk, a user can simply adjust the height of their chair to reach a comfortable and ergonomic position. That’s not possible with a standing desk so if you are particularly short or tall, you’ll want to make sure the desk can be adjusted to the proper height.
On top of the desk, from left to right, is the SpeckTone Retro speaker system. While designed to be an iPod dock, Dave has it connected to his iMac for audio output. The sound, while not great, is good enough for general use and, in Dave’s case, encourages him to look left while listening to Skype conference calls, something that keeps him from getting distracted.
Next is the Apple Magic Mouse, which Dave uses interchangeably with the Magic Trackpad to the right of the keyboard. As a drummer, Dave is nearly ambidextrous and can swap between the two devices as necessary.
In the back, next to the iMac, is a Belkin 6-port USB hub for easy access and convenience and in the center is the iMac itself, a 2011 27-inch 3.4GHz Core i7 with 12GB RAM, and Apple-installed 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD internal drives.
In front of the iMac is a Logitech Cordless Keyboard that’s a bit old but has worked solidly for Dave since he purchased it.
Moving on to the right of the iMac is an original Apple 22” Cinema Display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Also long in the tooth, the display has worked great for Dave for many years and he finds that it complements his iMac’s display quite well. The display uses the defunct ADC connection so Dave needed to use an ADC to DVI adapter followed by a DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapter to get the signal from the iMac to the Cinema Display. Complicated, yes, but in Dave’s words: “Hey, it works!”
In front of the Cinema Display is a 2012 iPad in an iFrogz iSummit case. The case is a bit thick for Dave’s preference, but it feels solid and the magnets work well.
As a bonus, below is a picture of Dave’s desk before he committed to purchasing an adjustable height standing desk. For those considering following in Dave’s footsteps, a few well-placed boxes can replicate the standing experience without costing a penny.
Have more questions about Dave’s setup? Ask in the comments below! We’ll bring you another TMO staff member’s setup next week but there aren’t that many of us so please send an email to [email protected] if you’d like your setup featured in the future!