I haven't been tempted to buy one of the best 3D printers so far, but every so often someone comes up with a project so ingenious that I start to see the appeal. And this is one of those projects.
A designer has used 3D printing to combine the outstanding computing power of the Mac Studio with an iPad mini. The result is the 'Macintosh Studio', an an iPad mini dock in the shape of Apple's original Macintosh, with room in the base for a Mac Studio plus a rear drawer for external SSDs.
As demonstrated by Scott Yu-Jan in the video above, the Macintosh Studio is one extravagant desk organisation device. The designer used the Shapr3D iPad app and a Bambu Lab P1 3D printer to make what is effectively an extravagant desk tidy. It has pull-out handle for headphones (just the right size for the AirPods Max, and there's even a groove on top where you can place your Apple Pencil.
Yu-Jan's motivation was to move his Mac Studio from under his screen while also creating a dock for an iPad mini so it could be used as a second screen using screen mirroring, while also keeping it charged.
The iPad mini becomes a second screen for the Mac Studio while using screen mirroring (Image credit: Scott Yu-Jan)
The project works so well because the Mac Studio happens to be the same width as the iPad mini, almost as if they were meant to be wed in a homemade 3D printing project. If you want to make your own, Yu-Jan is offering the STL files for this and other projects to subscribers of his membership tiers (from $6 / £4.99 a month).
In the meantime, we're expecting new iPads, including 2024 iPad Pros anytime soon. If you can't wait, see the best prices on the current range below.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
