I’ve had my MacBook Pro docking station for a while, but this morning I was thinking that the term “docking station” is a bit vague. Wikipedia doesn’t help much: “Because a wide range of dockable devices—from mobile phones to wireless mouse—have different connectors, power signaling, and uses, docks are unstandardized and are therefore often designed for a specific type of device.”

This is why I couldn’t find a simple “docking station” for my MacBook Pro when I was looking for one about a year ago. It was (and still is) a long list of USB hubs, aluminum brackets, cables, and other things in between.

I found a MacBook stand in the end, which is a simple metal bracket. It’s a nice sturdy stand that holds the MacBook safe next to my PC. Here it is with the MacBook connected to everything I use daily:

The MacBook is connected to a KVM switch, which allows me to switch to my PC (the monster you see in the background) at any moment with a keyboard shortcut. I use it for gaming (Windows) and networking/private browsing/productivity (Linux). The KVM needs HDMI and USB connections, which you can see on the left. There’s also a small case under the HDMI cable to hold it up straight since it’s heavy and needs support in this position.

The MacBook needs to be connected to power to work with its lid closed (docking mode). I was concerned about the battery at the start, growing up at an age where keeping devices with batteries connected to power at all times is a bad idea and even a fire hazard, but the MagSafe connector (lower right) is a sophisticated chip that knows to turn off the power automatically, designed to work like this. This is why the LED is orange: the battery is never full when it’s like this; it keeps the battery at around 75-80 percent. I’ve had the Mac for a year now, and the battery can still hold a charge of about 10 - 12 hours of work.

The MacBook Pro came with USB Cs, and I had a perfectly working USB-A 4-port “dock” (see?), so I’m using a metal USB-A to USB-C converter. On the other side, I have cables for my Android phone if I need to load files on the Mac, and these days, a Wacom tablet for drawing. The charger for my Apple Watch is connected to the remaining USB-C port. I charge the watch daily whenever I take a shower (the Watch can take water no problem, but showers work as a good reminder to charge it)

I use the Mac remotely about once every two weeks. When I do, I carefully remove all the cables and place the Mac in a plastic shell (with stickers, of course) that goes into my backpack. I usually don’t even bother taking the charger with me, even if I’m going to stay overnight.

The MacBook is the best device I’ve ever had for work/life balance. It can run whatever I need for work (these days, it’s mostly Microsoft Edge) while providing me with classical music (IDAGIO), Signal (to chat with friends), WhatsApp (to chat with family, sometimes work), and all the other necessaries, from email to Photoshop, and of course, Emacs to bridge both worlds.