{"id":4755,"date":"2022-05-09T20:55:08","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T18:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pr.gagadget.com\/hands-on-must-have-mac-accessories-to-streamline-your-setup-video\/"},"modified":"2022-05-09T20:55:08","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T18:55:08","slug":"hands-on-must-have-mac-accessories-to-streamline-your-setup-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pr.gagadget.com\/en\/hands-on-must-have-mac-accessories-to-streamline-your-setup-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-on: Must-have Mac accessories to streamline your setup [Video]"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hands-on: Must-have Mac accessories to streamline your setup [Video]<\/div>\n
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As I\u2019ve overhauled my setup in the last few weeks in conjunction with the new Mac Studio, I\u2019ve used this as an opportunity to add some new accessories as well. This includes a new OWC Thunderbolt Dock, a nifty Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad accessory from Twelve South, and more. Head below for the details. <\/p>\n

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The best Mac accessories<\/h2>\n

OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock <\/h2>\n

One of the more integral additions to my setup is the OWC Thunderbolt Dock, a version of which my colleague Jeff Benjamin went hands-on with earlier this year. <\/p>\n

The OWC Thunderbolt Dock I\u2019m using in my setup offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for up to 40Gb\/s transfer speeds, four USB-A ports, an SD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and gigabit ethernet. I have the dock mounted on the underside of my desk so it\u2019s hidden and out of the way, but its ports are still accessible. <\/p>\n

The OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock is admittedly not quite as useful with the new Mac Studio as it was when I was using my 14-inch MacBook Pro in clamshell mode. This is because the Mac Studio offers its own versatile selection of ports.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re looking for a way to free up the ports on the Mac Studio itself, however, this OWC dock is a great option. It\u2019s also nice for cleaning up your desk and having as few cables as possible snaking from the back of the Mac Studio. If you\u2019re placing an order from OWC, I can also highly recommend the company\u2019s Thunderbolt 4 cable, which is significantly cheaper than Apple\u2019s. <\/p>\n

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID <\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re using an Apple Silicon-powered Mac and you haven\u2019t added a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID to your setup, you\u2019re seriously missing out. Finally being able to use Touch ID with a desktop Mac is a game changer. This includes Apple Pay authentication, accessing password managers, and making App Store purchases. <\/p>\n

Of course, this means that you have to be satisfied with the form factor and design of Apple\u2019s Magic Keyboard, which isn\u2019t the case for everyone. I\u2019m still holding out hope that Apple releases a standalone \u201cMagic Button\u201d with Touch ID at some point, but for now, this will have to do. <\/p>\n

MagicBridge<\/h2>\n
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Speaking of the Magic Keyboard, if you use the Magic Keyboard alongside a Magic Trackpad, the popular accessory maker Twelve South offers a really nifty MagicBridge accessory. The MagicBridge turns the standalone Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad into a \u201cone piece control surface, tidying up your workspace.\u201d <\/p>\n

You do lose some of the flexibility of being about to move your trackpad around on your desk, but in my setup, I much prefer the single piece design. I use a Logitech MX Master alongside my Magic Trackpad, so I can move the MX Master around as needed, and have a clean setup that combines my Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad thanks to the Magic Bridge. <\/p>\n

Stream Deck<\/h2>\n
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I\u2019ll have another story going more in-depth on this later, but I\u2019ve also recently added a Stream Deck to my Mac\u2019s setup. I\u2019m still learning my way around the world of the Stream Deck, but right now I\u2019m using it for Mac automation and smart home control purposes. <\/p>\n

Here are some of the guides I\u2019ve been following as I learn more about Stream Deck: <\/p>\n