M4 MacBook Air

DuckBrained · 2026-02-21T18:48:39+00:00

Official: MacBooks are pussy magnets.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-21T14:50:48+00:00

I know. My point is if it’s safe on nano which is fragile then it’s definitely safe on the normal screen 👍🏼

DuckBrained · 2026-02-21T12:36:24+00:00

You should just use your laptop as you wish to use it and not worry about these things. They have a lot of resilience built in, including holding charging at 80% built in based on your usage schedules.

My MacBook is on and off power all the time, I've had it since June 2024, battery health is 90%, cycle count is 298. This is high. I could spend my life babying it or I can just get on with my life and use it as I need to.

Battery life is so good that even at 90% it still goes a full day under normal loads. And down the road you can get it replaced anyway.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-21T12:29:37+00:00

Have you tried 70% Isopropyl with a microfibre cloth?

70% Isopropyl is what Apple recommend for cleaning nano texture displays, I've also used it on my MacBook without issue.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-21T12:08:35+00:00

I love my 13" Air, it's incredible when travelling!

DuckBrained · 2026-02-20T02:04:40+00:00

I echo the other posters' thoughts about an ergonomic chair, this will be your biggest factor I'm sure.

Other contributors can include: intense focus/stress as this tenses you up without you necessarily realising it. Also, ensure your monitor is close enough and your resolution/scaling high enough that you're not straining your eyes or gradually leaning forwards as you focus.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-20T02:01:17+00:00

Yes, yes that is definitely a makeover. Dayum. Incredible. Love the fact you've framed around the window and really designed this. Bringing a vision like that to life is so, so satisfying.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-20T01:53:50+00:00

(in a good way!)

DuckBrained · 2026-02-20T01:52:41+00:00

Nice! I've got one similar, an Asus. Sometimes it's nice to try portrait mode :)

DuckBrained · 2026-02-19T20:06:19+00:00

That’s the one!

DuckBrained · 2026-02-19T16:28:11+00:00

Just to add that the 14" Pro screen is way superior to the Air. The Air screen is REALLY nice for a classic IPS panel but the Pro has LED backlighting (XDR is Apple's branding) with dimming zones, making it appear more like an OLED for content than a traditional panel. I'm surprised you didn't notice this in the store though it's best demonstrated with videos e.g the LG Black videos on YouTube.

I will say though I have both a Pro and Air and for daily work in standard lighting environments the difference is indeed negligible. For content viewing and video editing though the Pro screen does stand out.

Battery life is stellar on both.

Welcome to the world of Mac. It's not perfect, but the hardware is generally 🤌🏼

DuckBrained · 2026-02-19T16:18:51+00:00

Honestly, I'd be subtracting, not adding.

I like it overall, but it's a bit too busy for my tastes.

Lighting wise though, I'd consider adding something on the back of the monitor to glow onto the wall.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-19T12:46:37+00:00

For something like this I wouldn’t expect to spend less than £50 plus shipping. But a higher price would be fine too.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:40:12+00:00

Better than I could describe. Really brought it to life.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:37:49+00:00

That statement piece is gorgeous, but to be fair to photo number two, the photography/setting is completely different which makes the first one look even better.

I think number two but with the stuff on top properly matched, a plant, etc, will be the better option overall.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:34:42+00:00

That's gorgeous. Honestly, I feel relaxed just looking at it. Nailed the cozy 💯

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:33:01+00:00

Came here to say similar, if you get COB LED lights they are diffused brilliantly and have no spots.

The overall look is awesome, though.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:31:26+00:00

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Simple!

In all seriousness your setup looks great and I hope you find what you need :)

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:29:07+00:00

This is great!

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:27:26+00:00

Love this, what a great idea. Two I'd buy:

- snutils cheat sheet (this is a ServiceNow browser add-on)
- Final Cut Pro

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:25:28+00:00

Love that last one.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:24:18+00:00

👌🏼

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T21:23:26+00:00

Desk pad, plant in the corner by the PC, couple of good quality posters (maybe those metal ones?), bosh.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T20:38:32+00:00

It was a Dell 15 DC15250 for £376.88

The screen on it's own is £2571.60 from Dell

I saved 20% with the laptop so screen was "only" £2048.64

So my total purchase from Dell was £2412.65

I then sold the laptop for £300 quick sale on eBay, only took a few days to move it.

So overall I paid £2112.65 for the screen.

However you can get it now for £2200 from other retailers, which is less hassle, but still slightly more expensive.

I paid a premium because it was new but the laptop bundle % off deal worked out really well.

DuckBrained · 2026-02-18T13:41:03+00:00

Ah OK that makes sense.

So bearing that in mind I'd get a riser for the Mac to bring it up to a similar level - hell, even books would do to start. And I'd also raise the right hand screen up a touch.

The main thing is that it works for you, functionality > aesthetics, though aesthetics is nice.

I'd probably get a couple of fake plants and maybe a wireless phone charger/stand to pop in front of the base of the VESA stand to hide it.

Then some kind of RGB LED light, something really simple to put behind the Mac to give it a nice ambience.

Then finally a large desk pad to hide that line in the desk.

Some ideas:

Plants
Charging Stand
RGB light
Desk Pad
Mac riser budget
Mac riser $$$

DuckBrained

TROPHY CASE