Hands-on: Must-have Mac accessories to streamline your setup [Video]

By: Philippa Axinous | 09.05.2022, 21:55

As I’ve overhauled my setup in the last few weeks in conjunction with the new Mac Studio, I’ve 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.

The best Mac accessories

OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock

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.

The OWC Thunderbolt Dock I’m 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’s hidden and out of the way, but its ports are still accessible.

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.

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

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

If you’re using an Apple Silicon-powered Mac and you haven’t added a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID to your setup, you’re 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.

Of course, this means that you have to be satisfied with the form factor and design of Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which isn’t the case for everyone. I’m still holding out hope that Apple releases a standalone “Magic Button” with Touch ID at some point, but for now, this will have to do.

MagicBridge

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 “one piece control surface, tidying up your workspace.”

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.

Stream Deck

I’ll have another story going more in-depth on this later, but I’ve also recently added a Stream Deck to my Mac’s setup. I’m still learning my way around the world of the Stream Deck, but right now I’m using it for Mac automation and smart home control purposes.

Here are some of the guides I’ve been following as I learn more about Stream Deck:

  • MacStories: ‘Getting Started with Shortcuts for Mac and the Stream Deck’
  • Matthew Cassinelli: ‘How to run Shortcuts via the Stream Deck’
  • Six Colors: Control ‘HomeKit via Stream Deck’

Satechi Leather Desk Mat

Last but not least, and maybe the accessory I get asked about most often when I feature it in product imagery, is the Satechi Eco-Leather Deskmate. This is a purely visual addition to my setup, bringing a leather desk mat to house my keyboard and trackpad. It’s made out of high-quality eco-leather and is designed to protect your desk while also serving as a soft resting place for your wrists and hands.

Joli Leather Sleeves

I’ve been singing the praises of Joli’s handmade leather sleeves for MacBook since 2015, and nothing at all has changed. Whenever I buy a new MacBook, I always make sure to get a Joli leather sleeve to go along with it. The Joli sleeves are handmade from smooth premium Italian leather, using “luxury full grain waxed leather which shows marks as you use it.”

Joli’s leather sleeves come at a premium, with prices starting at around $130 for the new 14-inch design. With their stunning leather material and handmade touches, however, I find them to be well worth the price.

What’s are Jeff Benjamin’s recommendations?

9to5Mac YouTuber Jeff Benjamin went in-depth on some of his favorite Mac accessories, including the desks, an external SSD, and much more.

Here are Jeff’s recommendations for handy Mac accessories to add to your setup:

  • BDI Serif Table
  • BDI Stance (lift desk)
  • OWC Envoy Express
  • Apple Studio Display
  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro
  • OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock

What are some of your favorite Mac accessories right now? Let us know down in the comments!