I love my 13" 2017 MBP but its keyboard sends me into fits of despair. The keys feel so unresponsive it feels like I'm typing on a dummy keyboard, and the trackpad is so huge I'm constantly grazing it with my thumbs and f*cking up what I'm typing.
If only the MBP had a 360 hinge or a detachable screen, I could easily use it in display mode with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Alas, the alternatives aren't very attractive: either a bulky (i.e. non-portable) laptop stand or just setting the keyboard in front of the MBP and having that sh*tty internal keyboard/trackpad in my constant field of view, the screen uncomfortably far away.
After looking longingly at all PC and Android laptops and tablet computers that have detachable/flippable screens, I had to accept that I just can't ditch MacOS. (Apple, why, why are your laptop designs so stubbornly far behind?) What I need at this point is either:
1. A simple, reliable way to use my iPad as a remote display for my Mac that works seamlessly with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Ideally this would allow me to leave my Mac closed and plugged in, and access it across the room. Duet Display requires a wired connection, and Astropad doesn't support a mouse. Jump Desktop is a contender I guess, but it seems to have been designed more for remote access so I don't know how well it would work for my needs.
-or-
2. A non-ugly way to somehow put the external keyboard on top of the internal keyboard/trackpad. The best option I've found so far is the Kid Lid but it doesn't look like the MBP could be completely closed with it on, so I'd have to slide it on and off for each use. Plus, it would mean having my keyboard raised a bit too high for comfort.
Know what would be cool? Some kind of rigid case with a diagonal slot for the bottom half of the MBP to slide in, raising the display a couple inches and providing a nice flat, slightly sloped surface for a keyboard. A girl can dream, right?
Does anyone have any brilliant suggestions for a streamlined laptop + external keyboard/mouse setup?
If only the MBP had a 360 hinge or a detachable screen, I could easily use it in display mode with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Alas, the alternatives aren't very attractive: either a bulky (i.e. non-portable) laptop stand or just setting the keyboard in front of the MBP and having that sh*tty internal keyboard/trackpad in my constant field of view, the screen uncomfortably far away.
After looking longingly at all PC and Android laptops and tablet computers that have detachable/flippable screens, I had to accept that I just can't ditch MacOS. (Apple, why, why are your laptop designs so stubbornly far behind?) What I need at this point is either:
1. A simple, reliable way to use my iPad as a remote display for my Mac that works seamlessly with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Ideally this would allow me to leave my Mac closed and plugged in, and access it across the room. Duet Display requires a wired connection, and Astropad doesn't support a mouse. Jump Desktop is a contender I guess, but it seems to have been designed more for remote access so I don't know how well it would work for my needs.
-or-
2. A non-ugly way to somehow put the external keyboard on top of the internal keyboard/trackpad. The best option I've found so far is the Kid Lid but it doesn't look like the MBP could be completely closed with it on, so I'd have to slide it on and off for each use. Plus, it would mean having my keyboard raised a bit too high for comfort.
Know what would be cool? Some kind of rigid case with a diagonal slot for the bottom half of the MBP to slide in, raising the display a couple inches and providing a nice flat, slightly sloped surface for a keyboard. A girl can dream, right?
Does anyone have any brilliant suggestions for a streamlined laptop + external keyboard/mouse setup?
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