I recently changed out just about all of my computer equipment. Nothing dramatic like #davegoeswindows, but all new gear within my relative comfort-zone. It was the first time since late 2013, and now it’s going on 2017, so I figured it was time.
No surprise: I’m an Apple guy. I have been for a couple of decades now. I was pretty excited about the new MacBook Pro’s and ordered one within a few days of them coming out. Coinciding with all that, I’ve also changed out my mouse, keyboard, and monitor. None of those accessories are Apple. Partly because they’ve stopped making them (monitors), or the ones they do make kind of suck (mice, keyboards).
I figured I’d review my new setup since it’s on my mind.
15-inch MacBook Pro

Like I said, I hadn’t upgraded in three years. I’d like to get another three years or more out of this one, so I went kinda all-out on the specs.
- Upgraded to 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor
- Upgraded to 2TB PCIe-based SSD
- Upgraded to Radeon Pro 460 with 4GB memory
I wanted to feel something, dammit.
I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. It’s fine. It doesn’t feel all that different from my 2013 MacBook Pro.
It doesn’t feel all that much faster. It doesn’t start up any quicker and has a weird quirk where the screen gets all distorted and then goes all black except for the start up progress bar. It doesn’t seem to last on a charge any longer. Transferring data to it from a Time Capsule was rough, as it did about 90% of it over 12 hours before failing and being unable to continue. It’s worst characteristic is that it freezes with more frequency than my last laptop.
I think the Touch Bar is fun, but it doesn’t affect my productivity or do anything mind-blowingly useful. I do enjoy Touch ID instead of having to type a password sometimes. I’ve had the Touch Bar freeze on me a few times, though, which hurt productivity, because as expected, it’s a little annoying not having that escape key. Seems to me the Touch Bar could still be there even if there was a hardware escape key on the upper left. Or at least allows some way to restart the Touch Bar. Ascii shrug.
LG Electronics WQHD IPS Curved 34-Inch LED-Lit Monitor

My monitor was actually the first thing I replaced. My Cinema Display was exhibiting bad behavior. It would just go black randomly, and require lots of fidgeting with the connector to get it to come back, which became untenable.
I went with one of those super wide 21:9 34″ LG monitors. Specifically: LG Electronics WQHD IPS Curved 34-Inch LED-Lit Monitor (34UC97-S). At the time I bought it, I just found one for sale and bought it, not realizing LG sold 19 different versions of it. 😳. It works of course, but I still don’t know if I bought the best one for me.
Thoughts:
- I got a curved one, which feels like a cheezy gimmick. I’d prefer a non-curved one, especially considering they are less expensive.
- It’s far less vibrant and bright than the Cinema Display was, or the laptop screen. It feels a bit dingy.
- I don’t like having hardware controls for adjusting the look of the screen. I can change a single setting, like the “Color Temp”, and have it be drastically different. It makes me think there is no possible way I have all these settings exactly correct, especially in conjunction with the color profiles settable through System Preferences.
- It’s a 1x display. I think I’m ready to leave those days behind.
- It has built-in speakers (not very good), which at least don’t require any additional cables since it connects via HDMI.
- The new laptop, of course, doesn’t have HDMI, so it actually connects via dongle. It’s an obnoxious dongle too, the “Multiport Adapter”, which is the only one Apple sells that has HDMI on it. I figured that was the one to trust, but in a not-so-shocking twist, I gave a presentation through a projector the other day that was also HDMI, and the Apple dongle didn’t work with it. They happened to have a cheap-looking third-party USB-C to HDMI dongle, and it worked great.
- It does not have a camera or microphone. So, because I need that for video conferencing, I had to get a Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920. That’s USB, so it has to go into my USB 3.0 hub. I was looking forward to this, thinking a highly-rated third-party add-on camera would be an upgrade. Sadly I don’t think it’s as nice of quality as the old built-in iSight.
- I get that “banding” effect fairly often. Apparently, these super wide monitors are essentially two monitors seamlessly aligned next to each other. Although seamlessly is the wrong word, as you can see the seam if you, for example, put a web browser right in the middle and scroll down. You’ll see one side scrolling faster than the other. It doesn’t happen all the time, and unplugging-and-plugging-back-in seems to solve it most of the time.
- The 21:9 size is pretty nice. I could see using one even a bit bigger. At first, I was leaving my laptop open as well, but I’ve stopped doing that. I think I prefer just looking straight at one monitor rather than kinda sideways at two. Plus, it might just be in my head, but I feel like I get better performance generally with the laptop closed. I do wish I could just plug in the monitor into a closed laptop and have it wake up, but I find I have to open the laptop to wake up, then close it again once the monitor has kicked on.
- The huge weird size of it does make screen sharing with other folks a little awkward. Fortunately, most screen sharing software allows you to just share one window.
Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard
I was almost more excited about the Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard (Amazon.com, Microsoft.com) than I was about the laptop. It’s an evolution of the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard (which only had a detached number pad and was wireless-only), which was an evolution of the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 (bulky, wired-only).
I mean just look at this beauty:

It even had an Apple-like hype video:
It’s straight up beautiful. The nicest looking keyboard I’ve ever owned. It’s just as nice in real life. It’s comfortable. They keys are low-profile but not too-low-profile, and nice springy. The shape and feel is really nice.
Thoughts:
- I don’t love that it is Bluetooth only. I have a theory that my body gives off Bluetooth obstructing rays. Bluetooth never works flawlessly for me, and this keyboard is no exception. Several times I’ve had to go through the whole pairing process again since the connection seemed entirely forgotten.
- When there is Bluetooth trouble, I also wonder about battery strength. It uses AAA batteries. It comes with “alkaline” batteries and claims up to 12 months of battery life. I had to replace them once, or at least I thought I had to because of connection trouble. I’m not entirely clear on what the best possible battery is for a device like this, so I bought the expensive lithium ones. They seem to be working, but maybe they are the cause of connection pains? There also seems to be no way to check the battery level.
- The most pronounced problem with they keyboard is that it falls asleep. If you leave it alone for even a few minutes, it loses active connection. You can’t just start typing, as you’ll lose whatever you type. You need to press a key, wait a few seconds, then start typing. It doesn’t try to catch up with whatever you’ve started typing.
- I’m so damn torn. I’m trying to get over my dislike of Bluetooth because it sure is nice not having so many wires around. On the other hand, if they just sold a wired version of it, it would solve all these problems and be just about a perfect keyboard.
- Many reviews complain there is no backlighting. I don’t care about that.
I miiiight end up going back to the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 just because it’s wired and I get tired to smurfing around with wireless.
Key mapping
There aren’t many third-party keyboards that are Mac-specific. They don’t need to be because for the most part they work fine on Macs. But if want your keyboard to feel similar to the keyboard on the laptop itself, in regards to modifier key position, you’ll need to remap them. Specifically, putting the command key next to the spacebar.
Normally, you can do this right in System Settings:

Like the caption says, this doesn’t work with this keyboard. I hear this is just a “Bluetooth keyboard” thing, not specific to this keyboard. Still a bummer.
Fortunately, Karabiner-Elements handles the remapping just fine.

I’ve heard serious warnings from friends about Karabiner (like: YOU WILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THIS), but so far so good for me.
Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse

For a long time, I was a ball-mouse guy. I was totally in love with the Kensington Expert Trackball Mouse. I forced myself to stop using it a few years ago. I was so attached to using it that anything else felt very awkward. It wasn’t very practical to travel with, so if I opted not to bring it, I was in awkwardville until I got home. That was no good. For practicality, I switched to “normal” mice when at my desk, and went full-trackpad when traveling. The transition is complete, and now I’m all good with that.
I’ve long chosen wired mice, because as I mentioned, I think my body gives off anti-Bluetooth rays. Some mice have little USB dongle things, which are better but are extremely easy to lose.
My wired mouse, for years, was the Logitech Corded Mouse (M500), which is a perfectly decent inexpensive mouse.
I decided to go for the Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse though, because:
- My current wired mouse was acting up. It didn’t seem to track or scroll very nicely anymore.
- The new keyboard is wireless, so I thought I’d take a crack at going full wireless.
- I figured I could go for a kind of “premium”, well-reviewed mouse since I really wanted a mouse that would track and scroll smoothly.
The verdict:
- It works either with Bluetooth or a dongle. I use the dongle because I trust it more, and it seems to be more reliable. I don’t have the near the connectivity issues I do with the keyboard.
- I just leave the dongle in a USB 3.0 hub I’m still using. I wonder if I should get a better hub. This Arc Hub looks nice.
- Sometimes it’s super smooth, sometimes it all goes to crap. Tracking is choppy. Scrolling is choppy. It doesn’t seem to be logical when it happens. I worry about the USB dongle: it’s in a USB 3.0 Hub, which is connected via yet another dongle to the USB-C port. I wonder if that bottlenecks somehow.

It’s tempting to go back to a corded mouse, but none are as well-reviewed as this one is and I already know the corded mouse I have isn’t any better.
More Thoughts
- I’m a little bummed that there isn’t a single piece of computer equipment I’m currently using that I actually really love. Every single thing has problems. Fortunately, none of those problems are bad enough to hurt productivity too badly. Although as I say that, as I woke up this morning to publish this blog post, the laptop froze while plugging in the monitor. After restarting, the keyboard wouldn’t connect until I jiggled the batteries, and mouse was choppy until I unplugged/replugged the hub. ☹️. Update: froze everything again fiddling with some monitor settings.
- It’s tempting to go back to a fully wired setup. I didn’t mention this above, but I went for Bluetooth headphones as well, but I find myself using my wired ones more often because I’m afraid I’ll be in the middle of a podcast or something and have them drop off because of my anti-Bluetooth rays (it happens). For the love of god, I just want smooth, fast accessories. I want them to work the instant I start using them and never fail. It’s actually a little tempting to get rid of all the accessories and just use only the laptop.
- I wish Apple would make a monitor again. I really liked the Cinema Displays.
- It seems like Apple is really pushing the LG UltraFine 5K Display. It’s about the same price as a Cinema Display was, at $974. It’s USB-C, so not needing a dongle would be nice, plus it charges the laptop, so that frees up an additional port. Plus, it’s a USB-C hub. Plus, it’s got a built-in camera and mic. Most importantly, it looks like a huge and beautiful pixel-dense display. Crap I think I just talked myself into it. Buy my book, lol.
I’m confused about why if you were changing out all of your equipment you would get the new MacBook Pro but then go for a monitor that doesn’t take advantage of the new MacBook Pro. For instance, I have two of the new 5k monitors ordered and they’ll be here in January. Two cables to connect two external displays, my keyboard, my speakers, and all of my accessories — and they charge the laptop.
Another point, just so there’s no confusion for any readers. The 5k monitors are not USB-C. They’re Thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 3 offers 4x the bandwidth of USB-C (40Gbps vs 10Gbps).
I bought the monitor a few months before the laptop. At the time, I knew nothing about USB-C and all that business. As I mention at the end of the article, I’m also pretty interested in this LG 5k monitor. It does seem pretty compelling.
I’m just learning now that Thunderbolt 3 is the same exact connector as USB-C. Is that correct?
Yes, same connector. Just like Thunderbolt 1 and 2 ran over Mini DisplayPort. The direction Apple is going is one port to rule them all. Essentially this was the direction the industry was heading, you’d see a USB-C port here, a Thunderbolt 3 port there, but nobody went full-in. Now that Apple has put four Thunderbolt 3 ports on the new MacBook Pros we can expect to see a lot more devices support it out of the gate. What was about 5 to 10 years out is now probably only a few years out. So far I’ve only needed to buy USB-B to USB-C and Micro-USB to USB-C cables, which I don’t consider to be any different than buying whatever to USB-A cables — it’s just that most peripherals don’t include the USB-C cables yet (my new DJI Mavic Drone is the first thing I’ve bought that includes a USB-C cable).
One thing that’s important to note is that the USB-C ports on the back of the 5K monitors are just that — USB-C, no Thunderbolt 3. You can’t daisy chain the 5K monitors. The 4K monitors Apple is selling now actually are USB-C all around and can be daisy chained (at least I believe they can) so you can power your laptop and connect two external displays and get the hub all with one cable.
There were actually 5K monitors for sale prior to Thunderbolt 3, but they required two Mini DisplayPort cables to run. Say you wanted to power your laptop and run one 5K monitor — you’d need three cables! Now with Thunderbolt 3 you only need one cable. And that cable additionally brings you the hub / docking capabilities, the webcam, etc etc.
Also, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can use the USB-C charging cable to plug your MacBook Pro into itself. It’ll make the charging chime and then complain about an accessory using too much power.
Wow. That’s an awful lot of money spent on an awful lot of “mediocre” / buggy tech.
Yep. I was about to buy one of the new MBPs, then realized there were a couple reasons it was a bad investment:
very expensive (2TB SSD adds a ton of $)
no connectivity to devices when I don’t have a dongle laying around (say, when traveling or when transferring files from someone else’s external HD). this is a bigger problem than most people are admitting. PC manufacturers are at least intelligent enough to include both USB-C and USB-A ports, to smooth the transition.
not as future-proof with clock speed (no Kaby Lake …yet)
RAM capped at 16GB
currently thinking of buying a refurbished 2015 Macbook Pro and just upgrading the SSD, but it looks like a lot of people have that idea too (supplies are depleted as soon as they’re restocked on Apple’s website).
That’s the only non-problem on Macbook. Heck, those are laptops, not web servers. How much RAM do you need to work?
So I’ve been using the MX Master Mouse for a few months now with a Mac Book Pro, Windows Desktop and Raspberry Pi via a Belkin USB Changer for both work and games and I haven’t had any of the issues you’ve mentioned. I’m really loving it. I did install the Logitech software for the mouse on both my Mac and Windows machines though.
Got your book, you’re a few dollars closer to the new setup ;-)
Just wanted to say I really appreciate what you’ve done for the web, what you do at CSS-Tricks, hope you had an amazing Christmas and will have a prosperous new year!
I’d return any computer that keeps freezing on me. That is unacceptable. As for mice, I’d recommend that you try a Logitech G502. Also, have you tried the Logitech K740 wired keyboard?
I remember you switched to Surface for a while, what happened to that?
Hey Chris,
I have the same mouse, and a few wireless USB mice. I also had this problem when I upgraded my lack of monitor to a Dell 27″ IPS 4k display, which had a built-in USB 3 hub, which I used. Most of my peripherals worked fine, but my mouse behavior was similar to yours.
It turns out that USB 3 can cause some wireless interference. To work around this, I got a really cheap USB 2 hub off of Amazon and plugged that into the USB 3 hub, then plugged my peripherals into the USB 2 hub. All of my wireless USB stuff (mouse, keyboard) started working immediately and have ever since. Having a bit of trail (a short 3ft cable should be fine, i’d be even 1ft would be fine) will give you some distance from the USB 3 hub, eliminating the interference.
Good lead! The Multiport Adapter actually has a USB on it as well, so I’ll move the mouse-dongle onto that as a test.
Update: a week or so later after moving the mouse nubber away from the USB 3 hub, all seems well.
I’m glad I’m not the only one having ‘random choppy scrolling’ issues with MX Mouse, I thought it was because of a glitch with hackintosh USB port. It seems to be better when I place the logitech dongle closer to the mouse but still freezes up from time to time. Otherwise, it’s the best mouse out there. Hopefully there is a firmware fix in the future…
I feel like the new MacBook is just a little buggier than my old 2013 Air, even though it was getting pretty buggy itself. Just weird things like turning off the Capslock won’t stick after a restart and the sound randomly turning itself off and requiring a restart. As noted above, the USB-C connector can have wireless issues. Whenever I plug my little backup drive in, the wi-fi on my machine instantly dies.
First for the first time in a very long. I disagree with getting an macbook pro. I went down the xps 13. I7 with 512ssd and 16ram. So far so awesome for the price of a basic mac. All of us have different needs though
I looked into that same mouse. It could be that I’m used to the older one, but I found the last-gen Logitech Performance MX (http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/performance-mouse-mx) to still be better (no connectivity issues whatsoever). It doesn’t have the side-mounted horizontal scroll wheel, and the side-mounted back and forward buttons are separate enough so you won’t click one when you meant the other. Good luck with all that kit!
Remapping doesn’t work even original Apple keyboard. It is not caused by Microsoft keyboard. Apple doesn’t allow it anymore. Bummer.
Anders Norén:
I have a Logitech M705 paired with my Mac via the USB “unifying receiver” – and every single time I close Chrome, the mouse stops tracking. The clicks still work, the scroll wheel still works, but I have to unplug the USB dongle to get tracking to start up again.
Happens to me at home with my lower end Logitech mouse too.
Does it happen with the Master? Anyone else run into this?
About the choice of a mouse.
When I had to replace my old corded Logitech mouse, the computer shop advised me to buy a game mouse. Why?, I asked, because I’m not a gamer at all. Because it’s more ergonomic, more precise than ‘office’ mouses was his answer. So I bought a corded Razer Abyssus mouse (this one: http://www.razerzone.com/eu-en/store/razer-abyssus). It’s the best mouse I ever had. Just feels … right. Just a hint if you need to replace your mouse.
I am sorry you are not fully happy. I got a Linux machine (i7 intel nuc) with 8gb ram, 256 SSD, Dell Ultrasharp (high end 27 inch) monitor and everything wired. It is BLAZING fast, colors are amazing and the whole setup is ultra-stable. I will never work on anything else, except for my Toshiba Chromebook2, with full HD (super nice) screen and 4gb ram. PS. I got rid of my (expensive) wireless keyboard and mouse after connectivity problems. Best decision ever.
I know this is a long-winded comment, but I love hardware and spend way too much time researching everything. I liked hearing about your experiences. Hopefully you find stuff you love. Maybe my recommendations will help.
I recently got a new MacBook 13″ w/ Touch Bar. The speakers are impressive! I like the clicky keyboard, but it will take some getting used to. The screen is great! Brightness, black level, colors are more vibrant (but not overwhelmingly like OLED). I have noticed a tad more motion blur though. I really considered getting a Windows ultrabook instead. However, the taller aspect ratio of the MacBook Pro with retina screen, speakers, and build quality won me over even though it is about $1000 more. Being able to replicate my work laptop’s dev environment on my personal laptop is also a huge bonus versus relearning how to do everything in Windows. I thought I’d like the Touch ID, but I got an Apple Watch for Christmas and that signs me into my laptop automagically lol. I wish Touch ID would be implemented into more apps, like how it is on the iPhone.
In the past I’ve used the MX Revolution mouse and really liked it. I now have the MX Master and think it’s great. I prefer the wired full num Mac keyboard on macOS. Plugging the Logitech USB receiver for the mouse in the the keyboard’s USB I haven’t had any lag/issues, probably because it’s so close to the mouse. If I use Bluetooth only then there is a delay just about every second. You can easily tell by moving the mouse in circles and watch it hiccup.
I’m super picky with my monitors. Years ago I bought a Dell U2713H for my PC because it was supposedly the same panel used in the Thunderbolt display, and has “Premier Color” (more color support). Huge mistake. Even after calibrating it the colors were always way different than other monitors especially Apple displays. The refresh rate/motion blur is awful with its pixel inversion.
I recently purchased an Acer Predator XB271HU. It’s amazing! Mainly a gaming monitor, as it has G-sync and a 144Hz refresh rate, but the colors and sharpness are great. Black level and IPS glow could be better, but not a huge deal.
You mentioned getting a Bluetooth headphones, I just picked up a pair too. I got the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless and love them. I’ve noticed the Bluetooth is sketchy, they need to be in line-of-sight of the Bluetooth USB adapter I bought for them to have a stable connection. Maybe the adapter I got is just crap? I’ve been using them wired mainly though playing a bunch of Overwatch. I bought the BoomPro mic with them and it seems good. These headphones have more pronounced bass which I’m a fan of. I have Bose QuietComfort 25 (wired) and also enjoy those. I’ve only heard good things about the wireless version too.
What I would have recommended for you would have been that you buy a 27″ iMac Retina. Use that in your office, and keep your older MacBook Pro when you’re on the go. The 27″ iMac screen is stunning. Unfortunately, mine does have a yellowish tint on the bottom half. It’s not that noticeable, I’m just that picky. The CPU is pretty dang fast. The GPU isn’t great, but it has no problems with WebGL apps, or simple games. Pair that with the full num Mac keyboard and MX Master mouse, Audioengine A2+ speakers, and the V-Moda Crossfade wireless headphones w/BoomPro mic and you’d have a great setup.
Few app recommendations for you:
– Better Window Manager, keeps apps/windows in the location and size you want with multi-monitor support.
– Boom 2, improves audio for cheaper headphones and speakers.
It would make me really upset having spent all that money for a less comfortable setup.
I recently upgraded my MPBR’s (Mid 2014) SSD after I saw, what they had done to MBP lineup.
– The battery life is worse.
– The TouchBar is pointless, everything it offers, can be done faster with a shortcut or trackpad gesture.
– I really don’t like the new short key travel keyboard.
– The bandwidth of 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports is awesome, however it is too early to get rid of USB type A connectors. The scenario of someone handing my a USB flash drive and not being able to plug it in before looking for the right dongle would drive my crazy :)
Last year I tricked myself into buying a LG WQHD Display as well. Its size was really impressive at first, but sadly after 2 month I sold it again. It simply didn’t improve my work flow. Managing windows on that thing is a mess and my eyes got tired when using it for a few hours without a break. I replaced it with 2 UHD Displays (Dell U2715H), which solved all my problems :)
As for the Logitech MX Master it is a really nice mouse, but sadly the scroll wheel is its weakness. I broke two during the course of this year. I switched back to my old Logitech G602, it doesn’t have the nice smooth scrolling, but it at least it doesn’t break.
Thank you for posting, especially the bad, which are the parts that help others avoid bad purchases.
I currently have the previous mbpro retina 13″ and will keep it for a while (until accessories catch up), we visit clients regularly and present design in different screens and i find the hdmi port a must have. I just use the laptop keyboard and leave it open in front of me with the bigger screen higher up, it allows me to use camera and mic during skype calls. Also use the magic mouse, not ergonomic at all, but i find myself using gestures and spaces a lot.
I am really interest in a good screen and it seems the lg 5k ultrafine is the best choice (just hope they cut down price on these as they get more popular).
Thanks again for sharing
The LG 34UC98-W is a really really good curved one. Two friends of mine have it. But no retina. The same display is also available in 38″ instead of 34″. The LG 38UC99-W. Another friend has this one. He is also very happy with it.
I personally am still using the 27″ Cinema Display, not even the Thunderbolt one. But it starts to act up. I also have a 24″ Gaming Monitor on my Windows PC.
Ah, forgot, I have the same mouse as you. I’m using the usb dongle, too. Don’t have any problems and think it’s a really great mouse. I use CursorSense to adjust the acceleration, or rather, get rid of it. Feels much better now and it’s much more consistent because you can built up muscle memory. Something I’m used to because of gaming.
Your mouse problems sound like issues with the wireless dongle. While better than just about any other wireless micro-dongle out there, the logitech unified receivers are still touchy. If you don’t have line-of-sight between the mouse and receiver over just a few feet then you’re going to start getting dropped signal. If you stick it behind another electronic like a monitor or your laptop (i.e. your mouse is on the right side of your laptop but your receiver is on the left) forget about it, you’ll be in problems-ville. I wish companies would bring back the thumbdrive sized receivers that had a decent antenna in them.
I thought the new Macbook Pro would be more faster. In contrast, I’m a Windows fan and the new HP Spectre x360 is as good as the Macbook.
Nice review – I love the LG monitor.
I also bought a new MacBook Pro 2016, to replace my mid 2012…
I agree on all your points you made, and I also bought to many adapters, especially the one for my old (mini display port Display) was hard to find…
I didn’t (so glad) use an old Time Machine backup (from 2010-2016) to place my data, I organised well and it was actually a breeze…
I’m amazed you didn’t mention the new keyboard, the feel and sound of it … I can’t get used to it and I don’t understand really why they changed it so dramatically…
Mechanical keyboards are the way to go :)
I find my typing speed and accuracy with them has jumped drastically.
Here’s what I have: https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Keyboard-Keycaps-Cherry-Mx-Blue/dp/B00W02J4DA/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1483107283&sr=1-3&keywords=vortex+pok3r
Das keyboard has a great mechanical key keyboard for Mac — http://www.daskeyboard.com/products/mechanical-keyboards/
I too have the Bluetooth buggy ray, can relate.
Jesus this was a depressing article for a guy who has an aging Macbook haha.
I am not really particular about hardware, so long as it works I’m happy. My bluetooth headphones are great (Jaybird something-or-others), as long as you don’t care that you need to juggle them between your iPhone/Macbook/iMac/whatever ;)
I still use the Apple Magic Mouse and love it. I have 3 random monitors hooked into my Mac. Utilitarian over here I guess.
But ya… depressing article for someone who may need to do some upgrading and whatnot in the next year seeing as not one thing you bought worked out as you’d have liked. Perhaps I’ve misread things.
Really enjoyed this. I’m running a similar setup. I also bought the new MBP 15 with Touch Bar. Quite happy overall, though have also had some issues: https://hackernoon.com/a-week-with-the-new-macbook-pro-with-touch-pad-126eebb89ac#.qocbxhosq.
I’d suggest trying the Sculpt keyboard instead. It comes with a dongle, is reliable, and has the same keys. I love it. Another win: The number pad is separate, so you can place your mouse closer.
Regarding mouse, I’m surprised you don’t like the Magic Trackpad 2. It’s reliable and the gestures are awesome. And my workflow doesn’t change when I go mobile and use the laptop directly.
I swear by the Logitech Performance MX mouse. No problems at all. I also like the Logitech easy switch keyboard k811, although I had one of these bugout on me and Logitech replaced it for free. No problems with bluetooth. Swear by these. I also go with iMac for the computer. Laptops just don’t last as long. The last iMac I had lasted me 7 years and I sold it for a decent price. Screen is great, hi res etc.
It’s not logical, it’s Logitech. :P Actually, it’s about macOS and Logitech. This happens to me with the Logitech T620 mouse as well: if I use it on macOS sometimes it lags like hell (my Logitech keyboard does, too), if I reboot and use a serious OS (like Fedora or Ubuntu) then it works perfectly.
I’m talking about the same mouse with the same Unifying receiver plugged in the exact same port. Clearly we have to blame the OS which doesn’t provide acceptable support for that mouse even when you install the (useless) Logitech software just to be sure you have all the drivers right. Conversely, Linux makes those mice run perfectly without messing with any driver.
BTW, it’s kinda interesting to see how things vary between countries. According to the links you provided, you spent around 3-4 months of normal wage for a software developer in my country, one of which only for a monitor. I guess things are different there in the USA, because I can’t imagine doing that in Italy every 3 years. :D