The Challenge

You had been dreaming about what it would be like to work from home for years, until suddenly you (and virtually every other office worker) were ordered to stay home to minimize the risks associated with the current pandemic. While working remotely certainly has its perks, there are definite disadvantages if you are not able to carve out a designated workspace in your home and you don’t have the same equipment you are accustomed to using in your office. For portability, you have been working from your Macbook, but the environment can often feel very limiting. You need a bigger virtual workspace but are not quite ready to invest in an iMac.

With a modest investment in a few select accessories, Mac Zen helps you to adapt your existing Macbook into a more robust desktop environment, enabling you to up your productivity, expand your virtual workspace, and be more organized as you work from home.

This Pro-Build Solution, packaged and tailored for you, includes:

• 27” View Sonic Ultra HD 4K Docking Monitor to create an expanded multi-screen desktop in high-resolution, ideal for working with design apps, for gaming, or for maintaining your productivity while communicating with co-workers and family
• Brydge Stone II Multiport Hub to connect multiple devices via USB-C, USB-A HDMI and ethernet, for a streamlined, all-in-one solution for your adaptable desktop
• Apple Extended Keyboard with Numeric Keypad to optimize your productivity, featuring document navigation controls, full-sized arrows for gaming, and built-in long-lasting rechargeable battery
• Apple Magic Track Pad 2 features force sensors that enable you to increase the sensitivity and functionality at your fingertips, so that you can navigate your digital workspace more productively and intuitively
• Macally Aluminum Laptop Stand is an essential accessory that raises your laptop up to 6”/15cm to reduce neck strain and improve your posture as you work
• 30 minutes of expert Apple IT support from Mac Zen to ensure all accessories are set up to your preferences

Why did we create this Pro-Build?

The solution above is a suite of hardware that we have installed many times for our clients. It has a great balance of value and adaptability, and allows you to be able to move about freely in your home, or anywhere you may decide to work outside, knowing that when you’re ready to get back to the desk you have a productive workstation waiting for you.

Productivity is the key for us on solutions like this. We find it very difficult to consistently work on just one screen. Many companies that have over time acquiesced to their staff’s needs for extra screen real estate, have always been thankful for the ease with which a simple setup like this has changed the way that their team has been able to get more done.

For those with 15.4” or 16” MacBook Pro’s, adding a 27” 4K variation on the solution might be more along their budget and requirements, as they are likely to be doing more video and more design production. This solution below with a 24” is more complimentary to 13” MacBook user, such as those with an Air or a Pro.

In both cases, we’ve taken the hardware and positioned them so that the MacBook is raised, and configured to extend the desktop, as opposed to acting as a mirror of your MacBook’s screen.