This week’s roundup of new gear for your Mac brings several accessories made straight from the tree. Plus, new ways to protect your laptop, Thunderbolt-ready accessories, and more.
The $1,400 Artifox Desk 01 is built for today’s tech-equipped worker: The solid hardwood table includes slots to display your iPhone and iPad, plus a dry-erase surface for taking notes and reminding yourself of tasks. It comes in both right- and left-handed models, and its fold-up, picnic-table construction makes it easy to store out of the way.
If you’re tired of reaching under and around your Mac to plug peripherals into the rear-positioned USB ports, this company hears you. The $15 Jimi solves the problem by snapping into a USB port and providing a front-facing USB port that peeks out just beneath the display.
The $30 11″ MacBook Air + iPad Sleeve holds both Apple’s smallest laptop and its largest iPad. The sleeve has a military-styled, canvas exterior, with a soft, padded-neoprene interior to protect your favorite Apple device from bumps and bruises. It comes in three colors.
The $125 Lifta Desk Organizer bills itself as a “minimalist desk organizer.” That means it’s a wood accessory that lifts your Mac or display to a more-ergonomic elevation, with enough room underneath to tuck your keyboard and mouse when you’re not using them.
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual is now available in a $949 10 TB model. As always, the device comes with two Thunderbolt ports, each capable of transmitting up to 10 GB of data per second. You can plug and play the Dual in RAID 0 mode, or configure it in one of several other modes depending on your needs.
The $35 Forecast Laptop Sleeve is surf-inspired, featuring waterproof zippers and air-mesh-padding internal lining, as well as color combinations that would’ve been appropriate in an Annette Funicello movie.
The $500 T4 is a four-channel Thunderbolt audio interface that requires no external power. It includes dual headphone outputs; four combo input jacks for microphones, instruments, and line-level devices; and includes MIDI connectors so the T4 can act as a stable MIDI interface.
The $38 SlateGo Mobile AirDesk provides a stable spot on your lap to place your MacBook, with holes to prevent your computer (and your thighs) from getting overheated. The AirDesk begins shipping June 19, and it weighs just 20 ounces and fits any size laptop.
Sometimes you look at your MacBook Air and think it’s a work of art. TwelveSouth compliments that vision with its new $80 BookArc möd, an new version of the company’s arc-shaped stand that elevates your Air and unclutters your workspace. Use it as simple storage, or to use your MacBook Air in “clamshell mode” with a separate mouse and external display. The new version comes in birch, walnut, or espresso.
If you’re looking to deliver some mail on the Pony Express — or maybe you just want a nice all-weather satchel for carrying your MacBook — the $335 Rough Rider Leather Messenger is ready to do your bidding. It comes in six colors, making you fashion forward as you charge up San Juan Hill.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.