Must have Mac accessories you can't live without?

[SW3029]

I travel internationally a lot. About to buy the new MacBook Air and I am excited about its size and weight and long battery life -- perfect for long flights.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for obvious accessories--or little-known accessories--that are useful to have for your Mac if you travel a lot?

No accessory is too niche!

 

[kschendel]

AC plug adapter is the obvious one. I can't really think of anything else I need specifically for international travel. Other must-haves would be a couple USB-C to USB-A port adapter cables, and a wired ethernet dongle.

 

[phrehdd]

For travel with your MB Air -
*Noise cancelling headset whether airpod or full earphones
*Travel case for the MB Air that may or may not include space for accessories - depending on how you what access during travel (or not).
*Power Bank (Battery sourced charger) for at least iPhone, headset and ideally MB Air.
*At least one external SSD for backups. If your MB Air gets damaged or stolen, you will want this.
*Airtags or similar

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Wacom Intuos 3 Small with the Wacom mouse. Absolute coordinates, fully programmable menus & buttons & touch surfaces per app. Without it i am nothing. Or maybe the mac is nothing. Anyway it's something.

Intuos 4/5/pro isn't quite as nice. They look sleek & the removable cord is better, but the S size tablet is much bigger & less convenient, and the mice position more buttons in better places, but feel flimsier and wear out quicker.

 

[DaveEcc]

On desktop, a non-magic mouse.

 

[avro707]

For desktop definitely Logitech MX Master 3S - Apple magic mouse is really horrible.

A decent protective case for the computer.

 

[Juicy Box]

A non-Apple mouse. Usual Logitech with a USB wireless transmitter

The older Apple “plastic” wired USB Keyboard.

 

[Juicy Box]

Apple magic mouse is really horrible.

Never liked it.

Although, I do like the wired Mighty Mouse Apple mouse. I feel like the accuracy of starting and stopping was unmatched.

Just when the trackball part of it got dirty, it was near impossible to do a good cleaning, unless you try to take it apart and risk breaking it. I got tired of dealing with it, and just started using Logitech.

If Apple re-released them, I would probably buy another.

 

[wyrdness]

USB-C hub with a variety of ports (USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, sd-card etc.) is pretty much essential. For travelling, a USB-C PD power bank that can charge a MacBook is really useful. I also have a small, flat Anker charger that has USB-C and USB-A ports - this is great for travelling and can easily power and charge my MacBook Air, though it can't cope with the demands of my M2 Pro. And, as has been mentioned above, a decent case to protect it.

I never take a mouse when travelling with my MacBook. Every Apple mouse prior to the Magic Mouse has been awful. The Magic Mouse is the first Apple mouse that I've really liked, though it's still not perfect, though its only major flaw is the upside-down charging. But, for me, a mouse is only essential when working at a desk with an external monitor.

 

[G5isAlive]

I travel internationally a lot. About to buy the new MacBook Air and I am excited about its size and weight and long battery life -- perfect for long flights.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for obvious accessories--or little-known accessories--that are useful to have for your Mac if you travel a lot?

No accessory is too niche!

MagSafe Duo Charger. It's no longer being made by Apple but you can still find them. Overpriced? Maybe, but they work really well and are well made for the traveller. compact and sturdy.

 

[Timpetus]

I'll also contribute to the must-have accessories: USB-C to A adapters, a small dock, a thin microfiber clotch to protect my screen from keyboard marks (they got really bad on my 2016 15" MBP!), and some sort of comfortable gaming mouse, not picky on the brand just needs to be relatively ergonomic and work well on couch fabric because I'm not also going to set up a mouse pad!

 

[jdb8167]

For work, Ethernet 2.5 Gbps USB-C. At home, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. I like my Magic Trackpad but it is less essential.

 

[iAppleOrchard]

I usually just bring my MacBook around and that's it.

I guess if you want fast charging, get a 95w adapter, and if you want good headphones to use with it, bring AirPods, Pros are going for $189 on Amazon lately.

And if you want more storage, Samsung T7 or T9 SSD, depending if you need it faster or not. T9 if you do.

The other 2 accessories I use at home are:
- MX Master 3S (Mac Edition)
- A cheap acer 1080p monitor

 

[DaveEcc]

As other have said, we're entitled to our opinion, and you to yours. Don't call mine FUD. My opinion is not based on a forum post. My iMac came with a Magic Mouse. I gave it at least a year, but I simply couldn't get used to it. I replaced it with the cheapest Microsoft wired mouse I could find, and I'm still using that 10 years later.

1. Every time I reached for it, there was a 10% change it would interpret my grabbing the mouse as a gesture, often a page-back swipe, losing whatever info I had typed into a website.

2. The smooth scroll was not optional, and not every app could deal with it. For years Google Maps, and many other map websites would quickly go between fully zoomed and fully unzoomed. Minecraft inventory selection was near impossible. There was no option to generate legacy click-wheel style events.

3. Mine was v1, with AAs rather than the ridiculous bottom cable. It drained batteries rather fast, and it was far too picky about batteries... I had so much trouble getting Eneloop rechargeable AA's to work.

So yes, I disliked a mouse that caused random data-loss, didn't work correctly on popular websites and applications, and cost a fortune in time and money to feed. I'm glad you like yours. I truly despised mine.

 

[avro707]

Evidently it’s okay to have an opinion, so long as it is in favour of the fancy Apple products. For me the Magic Mouse is uncomfortable / painful to use. So although it is small I prefer to take the Logitech one everywhere.

I have spent many tens of thousands of $$$ on Apple stuff over the recent year so I should be able to criticise what for me doesn’t work well.

Now let’s all rage rate each others replies shall we?

 

[phrehdd]

As other have said, we're entitled to our opinion, and you to yours. Don't call mine FUD. My opinion is not based on a forum post. My iMac came with a Magic Mouse. I gave it at least a year, but I simply couldn't get used to it. I replaced it with the cheapest Microsoft wired mouse I could find, and I'm still using that 10 years later.

1. Every time I reached for it, there was a 10% change it would interpret my grabbing the mouse as a gesture, often a page-back swipe, losing whatever info I had typed into a website.

2. The smooth scroll was not optional, and not every app could deal with it. For years Google Maps, and many other map websites would quickly go between fully zoomed and fully unzoomed. Minecraft inventory selection was near impossible. There was no option to generate legacy click-wheel style events.

3. Mine was v1, with AAs rather than the ridiculous bottom cable. It drained batteries rather fast, and it was far too picky about batteries... I had so much trouble getting Eneloop rechargeable AA's to work.

So yes, I disliked a mouse that caused random data-loss, didn't work correctly on popular websites and applications, and cost a fortune in time and money to feed. I'm glad you like yours. I truly despised mine.

I have not liked any Mac Mice. For years I used a trackball and at times one of the finer ego mice made by a popular 3rd party. For years I found the Kensington Trackball to be ideal for me and in the ender, nearly everything I do is with the Apple Magic Touchpad (trackpad?). The latter would be great if it came with the fingerprint log in.

 

[mk313]

My #1 travel accessory for my MacBook is an extra long ultra thin HMDI cable. I have an 8 footer, although those seem to be Discontinued or at least really hard to find. 6 footers seem readily available. I use it to turn the hotel TV into an external monitor. It’s not as good as a traditional screen, butit’s way batter than trying to do everything on one 12-16” monitor.

 

[Unami]

A non-Apple mouse. Usual Logitech with a USB wireless transmitter

The older Apple “plastic” wired USB Keyboard.

Why not just buy a bluetooth mouse without the additional usb-transmitter?

Agreeing with most others that apple mice are pretty bad. Apart from obvious design flaws in the usability department, they give me cramps. I still can remember Craig Fedherigi struggling with an apple mouse on stage.

 

[Juicy Box]

Why not just buy a bluetooth mouse

I can reverse that question by asking why use a Bluetooth mouse when the USB transmitter mice work well and are cheaper? I guess I’d be saving a USB port, but that’s not an issue for my set up.

I’ve had issues in the past with Bluetooth, disconnect issues, battery life issues, etc., so I avoid potential Bluetooth issues by using a solution that has never given me issues, the USB transmitter mouse.

Even the cheap $5 USB wireless ones work well.

I am not knocking anyone wanting to use a Bluetooth mouse, it just hasn't been the best experience for me.

 

[jchap]

These.

I find that laptop props are extremely useful both in and out of the home/office for getting my MacBook Air or Pro up to a decent typing angle that won't tire my hands. These happen to be made by a company called Aiyujiwu (or maybe that's just the brand name), but I'm sure you can find similar products anywhere online. These particular props have a rubber top to help protect the laptop bottom, and you unscrew them to adjust the height. Some people prefer stands, but these are far more compact 😁

 

[jchap]

I can reverse that question by asking why use a Bluetooth mouse when the USB transmitter mice work well and are cheaper? I guess I’d be saving a USB port, but that’s not an issue for my set up.

I don't use mice that require a USB transmitter dongle, but I am curious: do those transmitters work on the same frequency bands as Bluetooth, or do they use some other band? I always thought that they were used for computers that didn't have a Bluetooth transceiver onboard (which is kind of a rarity nowadays for laptops, anyway) to enable Bluetooth communication with external peripherals like mice, but maybe I was mistaken and the USB dongles function differently.

 

[MasterHowl]

MacBook Air: a 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter. Means I can charge my iPhone and MacBook at the same time with one wall plug. (I like travelling light and simple.)

Mac mini: honestly, my Apple keyboard. I've been down the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole and, whilst they're fun, I much prefer the Apple keyboards to type on. (I'm a writer and so I spend most of my day typing!)

 

[HDFan]

do those transmitters work on the same frequency bands as Bluetooth,

In Logitech's case they both use the 2.4 GHz band. Use it on my Studio.

 

[Alameda]

I travel internationally a lot. About to buy the new MacBook Air and I am excited about its size and weight and long battery life -- perfect for long flights.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for obvious accessories--or little-known accessories--that are useful to have for your Mac if you travel a lot?

No accessory is too niche!

On the road, I have a leather backpack instead of a briefcase. I travel with Bose noise canceling headphones and a pair of AirPods. I find the AirPods are ok for a call but not nearly as good for flights.

I keep my cables organized in a case… the phone cable, watch cable, and the laptop cable. A second phone, old-style USB cable for the rental car. I also carry a 12V car adapter, but I haven’t needed it for the past year. They do charge the phones faster.

At home, I have a 27” display, the Logitech MX keyboard/mouse, and an OWC Thunderbolt 3 hub, which connects everything together. I just plug one cable into my laptop and all of the accessories attach… the SSD drive, the USB dongle for the keyboard/mouse, and Ethernet. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 are the same speed, by the way.

 

[ignatius345]

These.

View attachment 2369029

I find that laptop props are extremely useful both in and out of the home/office for getting my MacBook Air or Pro up to a decent typing angle that won't tire my hands. These happen to be made by a company called Aiyujiwu (or maybe that's just the brand name), but I'm sure you can find similar products anywhere online. These particular props have a rubber top to help protect the laptop bottom, and you unscrew them to adjust the height. Some people prefer stands, but these are far more compact 😁

What's the idea here? That you jack up the back of the laptop and then use the keyboard at a crazy angle with your wrists bent upwards? That runs counter to every ergonomic best practice you'll find, and is not a "decent typing angle" in any way. (Unless by some chance you mean jacking up the front of the machine, which would be better on your wrists but with the screen at a very awkward angle IMO)

The better way to do this is to raise your laptop as close to eye level as practical (a stack of books will do just fine), and then use an external keyboard and mouse/trackpad down at desk level. This lets you minimize neck and wrist strain, and as a bonus gives you a much better camera angle for Zoom calls.