Living my best digital life - my computer
If you’ve been following me for awhile, you will know that I typically go through a lot of technology upgrades around here. Both my husband and I love to keep up on new technology and we are suckers for new iPhones and iPads. My kids have no complaints because they often get our hand-me-downs. We also love that Apple has now made it so much easier to trade in old devices to get store credit. They also make it much smoother to transfer your old data to a new device now. I recently got a new Macbook Pro and it was so easy to switch.
I wasn’t planning to get a new Mac this soon, but I had my son try one and he didn’t like it (gasp!) because he is a gamer. Turns out that PCs are really better for gaming, especially if you use STEAM. So we remain a dual allegiance household. I’m the only Mac user and hubby and son are windows based on PC laptops. We all use iPhones and iPads. When I got thinking about all of this, I realized that I finally feel like I’m living my best digital life. It has taken me decades to reach this point so I figure it’s worth blogging about!
I use a 15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray laptop computer. I love that it can travel with me wherever I go. I have invested a lot into having a Mac laptop, but I used to burn through PC laptops about every two years and so I feel like I’m spending the same that I would have on multiple units of windows operating laptops. I just haven’t had great luck with them. I know some people don’t use laptops or desktop computers as much anymore, but I still use mine every single day. I use it for designing, scrapbooking, writing blog posts, editing photos, and more. I would be lost without it!
For my nerd friends, here are the specs of my machine:
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro15,3
Processor Name: Intel Core i9
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 16 MB
Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled
Memory: 32 GB
Capacity: 1 TB
When I’m at home, I keep my laptop connected to a beautiful 27 inch LG display screen. I just love the big view I get of everything and it’s especially nice for detail work when designing or working on photos. This is a newer model of the screen I currently have now.
When I’m plugged into my big screen, I use this wireless keyboard so I can just shut the lid of my laptop and act like I’m using a desktop computer. No need to bring it when I’m on the road because I just use the built-in keyboard of the laptop when I’m traveling.
I discovered this ergonomic Tecknet mouse a few years ago and I won’t ever switch back to a standard mouse now. This is so much more comfortable to work with and I don’t get the finger pain that I used to suffer from before. I bring this mouse along even when I travel because I have a hard time using the trackpad built-in to the actual laptop. I need an actual mouse.
I also need a wrist brace whenever I work on my laptop. I injured my wrist about 10 years ago when I was tearing fabric strips for a craft project, and have needed this extra support ever since that happened. I don’t have any problems with my wrist as long as I wear this when typing or doing mouse work.
When I’m transporting my laptop, I like to slip it into this felt pouch for extra protection. Then I don’t have to worry about it getting scratched while it’s in my backpack or bag. The smaller pouch that came with it is great storage protection for a mouse or external hard drive.
I love this G-technology external hard drive because it has a USB-C connection that works seamlessly with my Macbook. I’ve noticed that many newer PC laptops are also using USB-C connections. I have a 1TB version because I bought it 3 years ago. I am considering getting a 2TB or even a 4TB because prices have come down so much on them now. This is the first external hard drive I’ve had that has never given me any trouble at all. And yes, I still store everything on an EHD as one of my backup systems. To read more about my other backups, check out this post.
I’ll be sure to blog more about other parts of my “digital life” soon. It’s one of my favorite topics!