Upgrade your work: Premium office tech for South Africans
Stuff writer
Okay, we’re back at the office, what now? Some believe that a clean slate may be the next step – an early spring clean, if you will. Some may find it comforting to move their office around, and make it feel ‘new’. We stand by the third option – upgrade your professional life with the latest and greatest tech. If you can afford it, of course.
Not everyone will have the means to, but whether you receive a significant business supplement to buy yourself new gear, or use it as a tax write-off for the home office, there are ways to acquire the newest tech.
That means you can look past the price tag – sometimes it is worth looking at the price tag. But not this time. We’ll look at a variety of gadgets and office tech that will either streamline your workflow or make you look like the coolest minion in the rat race. Things like the full Adobe Acrobat Pro – for what? If you’re not a designer, it’s still worth having access to Adobe Acrobat to sign documents.
We’ll look at the most ergonomic peripherals, desks and even top-of-the-line laptops. So locate your wallet and ready your driveway for deliveries. It’s about to get techy.
PDFs are the unsung heroes of the digital world, but editing them can feel like navigating a labyrinth. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC comes in at a whopping R5,260 for a year’s access but allows you to create, edit, review, and secure your PDFs with unmatched power. If you’re hunting for a cheap way to do a similar thing – check out Canva. But we’re in a spending mood.
For those battling the glare of screens and squinting through the haze of reflections, the Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar is your eye-friendly saviour. Priced around R1,060, this device clips onto your monitor, saving precious desk space while illuminating your workspace and saving your eyes. This isn’t essential for a desk setup, but if you’re splurging, definitely opt for one of these.
For the sedentary souls glued to their chairs, meet the Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk – a true game-changer. Priced at R10,000, this desk isn’t just a pretty frame with a bamboo top; it’s the height-adjustable standing desk your body craves. Bid farewell to back pain and embrace the freedom to work standing or sitting. Your body will thank you for this, trust us.
In the realm of laptops, the MacBook Pro is widely regarded as supreme. Priced around R56,000, this powerhouse is armed with an M2 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. It’s not just a workhorse; it’s a sleek companion for your daily tasks. From word processing to web browsing and basic tasks, to more power-hungry tasks like design or rendering, you’re sorted. You won’t really get anything better for your money if you’re after a do-all workhorse.
We’ve all seen these vertical peripherals and wondered ‘does it work?’ Well, why not try it out with the Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse? These guys are designed with natural hand shapes in mind to keep your hands and wrists happy and healthy. It connects via wireless, Bluetooth or something called the Logi Bolt USB receiver. For R1,600 you get quiet clicks, 4 buttons, and hopefully the most comfortable mouse you’ve ever used.
If you’re after ergonomics, why not go all out? This keyboard is only available as a grey import but offers probably the most ergonomic experience on a keyboard ever. Or that’s what we hope. Here you’re getting a split keyboard design, along with an included wrist rest that claims to offer “over 54% wrist support and reduces wrist flexion by 25%”.
If you’re going to wear over-ear headphones for the serenity and calm, you may as well look cool while doing it. There really isn’t a more stylish set of over-ears than the Apple Airpods Max. Thanks to active noise cancellation and Apple’s custom-built driver, you’re getting great audio quality that’ll make your subordinates come through loud and clear during video calls. They also feature Apple’s head-tracking spatial audio for even more immersion, serenity, and calm.
