The Best of Both Worlds
Turn your 13" MacBook into a 23" iMac for under $400
You travel a lot. You take your computer to client meetings. You like the freedom of hanging out on the couch while working, or maybe even getting some work done late night or early morning in bed.
You also love the screen real estate of a desktop computer. You often need to have mutliple programs visible on screen at the same time.
So you plunk down a cool $1,400 for a new MacBook Pro and another $1,300 for a new iMac. This is the easiest way to have the best of both worlds after all…right?
Wrong! There is a better and much more affordable way. Welcome to the world of external monitors. This is a vast and often confusing land, but I’m here to help guide you to what (in my opinion) is the best bang for your buck.Behold the Dell UltraSharp 23" LED Monitor, an awesome monitor for about $200. This baby plays nicely with your MacBook with just one additional purchase, a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (goes for about $40). Simply plug the monitor’s included DVI cable into this adapter and the other end of the adapter into your MacBook and you’re good to go!
A bonus feature of this monitor is its ability to rotate into portrait orientation. This is perfect for long coding sessions.
So now you’re hooked up, but it gets better with a few more tweaks. Head on over to Preferences > Displays and check out the settings available. You can optimize your display for the MacBook or the external monitor. You can mirror your MacBook display or go for dual monitors. Choosing dual monitors also allows you to arrange the screens however you choose.
Ready to add the final pieces to this MacBook turned “iMac”? Pick up a Wireless keyboard and Magic Trackpad (or Magic Mouse). I personally prefer the Trackpad over the mouse because it behaves exactly like the MacBook’s trackpad and makes the transition back and forth seamless.
Simply visit Preferences > Bluetooth to get the keyboard and trackpad/mouse hooked up.
Congratulations, you just turned your MacBook into an “iMac” for under $400!
Pro Tip: Apple likes to promote “Closed Clamshell” mode with their MacBooks. However, what I and many others have found is that attempting to use your MacBook on an external display in Closed Clamshell mode severely hinders your WiFi performance. I ran a Speedtest and noticed my download speeds drop from 30 Mb/s to 2Mb/s when closing the MacBook. I highly recommend keeping the MacBook open even when you’re mirroring to an external display. To save battery time make sure to set the MacBook’s screen brightness to zero (thank you to Jeroen for this tip).
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Recently published: Mac Users, Ready to Supercharge Your Productivity? Top Tools for Designers & Developers
Coming soon: If You’re Not Using these Apps You’re Missing Out: A healthy dose of productivity, a dash of social, and a pinch of fun
