2020 Macbook Air: Setup

So I have a new M1 MacBook Air as my writing machine, and I am setting this up to be both a mobile solution along with a comfortable base station hooked to a 4K monitor.

Why the Air and not the Pro? Honestly, the low front bezel and typing comfort, plus the silent operation. I know the pro has brightness, but I don't even set the air up to maximum so what I have is fine. The weight is about the same, but the Air feels much more portable and usable when I begin to travel again.

Especially if I have to take more than one laptop on a trip, I want light. If I want to take my work on the road, this is the way to go.

Software

I was trying MS Word, and that has a lot of nice grammar-checking features built-in, but Scrivener is my first and only love. If I need to grammar check, copy and paste into Word as a final proofread step.

Scrivener is pure organizational and writing love. I can seamlessly break a chapter into sub-chapters, set a word target for each, jump to any part of my story quickly, and fluff backwards as I write forward. I do like writing that way, focusing on the core story and action in my leading-edge parts, and then going back and adding detail, sensory information, and atmosphere later as I revise and review.

I can take notes as I go too in a dedicated notes area of the document, which is beautiful.

 

The Right Keyboard

So problem number one, a keyboard for the home station. I chose the Macally Backlit Mechanical Keyboard for Mac since it meets my requirements:

• Mechanical keyboard
• Mac interface
• Clean design
• Backlit
  

Why do a mechanical? I have a dedicated writing room, so no one is being bothered by the noise. And I love the noise of typing and the click-clack of keys. It is just such a primal, beautiful noise which makes me addicted to being creative and expressing myself in words.

 

If I can hear myself think when I type then I am suffering in silence. The sounds of keys clacking away is both therapeutic and nightly enjoyable to me, much like being given bubble-wrap and it is my job to sit there and pop it all day. And I can fly on a mechanical keyboard. My all-time record for word-count is 20,000 words in a day on a all day key banger, and that was on a mechanical gaming keyboard that I loved.

Mechanical keyboards and me? A match made in writer's heaven.

 

Connecting a Monitor

Problem number two, the giant 4K monitor. With a standard USB-3 hub, those do 4K at 30hz, which gives me interlacing and just an not-great experience. Not for this much money and this nice a monitor. I was worried that the Air could not do 60hz, but according to the Apple site it can.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MUF82AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter

I was just using the wrong cable and connector. So I got the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter which says this is possible, but only using an adapter like this:

3840x2160 at 60Hz on:

iPad Pro 11-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017 and later), MacBook Pro (13-inch, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2020), MacBook Air (2020), iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017 and later), iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017 and later), and iMacPro (2018)

So I can get 4K at 60hz. I am getting a 4K monitor HDMI cable as well so that should not be a bottleneck.

Other Connections

The 4K monitor has a USB connector, so that is going to plug into the single USB connection on the A/V adapter, and from there I can connect the keyboard and mouse. Power goes in the adapter's USB-C slot. I do have a hub in case I need more connections, but I want to keep cable-light on the desk.

The Final Outcome?

The keyboard? Nice, but not height adjustable and had to put a low book under it (I spilled water and the book got wet, ugh). With a lower desk or keyboard drawer it would be fine, so I am not returning it. I know, pay that much and get what you want, but I have other desks this would be perfect at and it may end up there instead of on a tabletop where the angle isn't right for my hands. This is made for sliding keyboard drawers at a lower height. The book is fine for now and it does not affect stability or my typing at all. In fact I would rather put something under it rather than have legs with only one height, so only one star off.

The adapter for 60hz? Works great and my 30hz refresh rate issue and the interlacing is gone. Thank you full 60hz! The USB connector goes to the monitor and fans out the keyboard and mouse, though I would like a standalone trackpad instead.

The 43" 4K monitor I use is beautiful, just stunning and fun to work on. I have to scale it right, but my work floats in a window and I can jump all around to different apps in their own places. It makes a world of difference between typing full-screen and in my own little place. I love having a window with my work in it, and a giant free place to open up reference, browsers, music players, or any other app without overlapping.

I am doing 6,000 words on a full day's work, so the setup is working great for me. More as I finish this up and get myself primed and ready for some serious writing work.