My handle online is BasicAppleGuy, or Guy for short.
This moniker started as a passion project in 2020 as a way for me to connect with the broader Apple community.
By day my life is very different, I work in healthcare, supporting the mental health of people in my community, so there’s no overlap between my 9-5 and anything I post about on my website and social media.
My work as BasicAppleGuy started as a creative outlet during the pandemic. I’ve always been enamoured with Apple going as far back as I can remember, long before I could afford a single product from them.
A minimalist aesthetic is based on the principle of “less is more”. It was the motto of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, an architect who advocated for minimalism
Their approach to both hardware and software design had a level of care and character that didn’t, & still often doesn’t, exist on the market.
The second I saved up enough I bought my first iPod, and shortly after, my first PowerBook. After that, I was all Apple all the time, & I never looked back.
But despite being a massive fan of Apple and the community, though oddly enough, I never took steps to make a creative presence for myself in the community.
BasicAppleGuy became my way, through my Twitter and website primarily, to make my stamp amongst a sea of incredibly creative, passionate, and delightful individuals.
My workstation is in our townhome’s second room, in a small 10×10′ room that now serves four prominent roles: office, reading nook, guest-room, and, thanks to COVID, impromptu gym.
As the pandemic spread through 2020, my in-office role shifted to working remotely to minimise staff and patient contact as much as possible.
Overnight, a desk that was used exclusively in the evenings and weekends for hobby projects & browsing became converted into an area where I spent 10-12 hours a day connecting with patients over the phone, doing paperwork, & conducting Zoom meetings and online workshops.
Cables are hidden behind the desk. They are guided by 3M clips down one of the legs to keep them discrete and eliminate the visual clutter
Keeping the minimal setup fit with my design aesthetic and allowed much of the office to be packed up, or for accessories to be swapped or moved around to adapt to this space’s shifting needs.
My current setup starts with a 140 cm desk from the Canadian furniture chain Structube & an Eames style patchwork armchair from Wazo Furniture, with the legs of both stained walnut to match the other furniture in the space.
This patchwork chair is a modern interpretation of the legendary checkered armchair designed by Charles & Ray Eames. A piece of furniture like this adds a bit of personality to any room
Some of the other items on the desk include a HomePod mini, an iPhone dock (handy when you are making 6-7 hour-long phone calls per day), iPad Air, & a headphone stand.
I didn’t realise I had stumbled across such a hot commodity with the K3 keyboard until I kept getting asked about it.
Having always used Apple’s Magic Keyboards, I had wanted to try a Keychron keyboard for some time after seeing them pop up online, but I felt the models available were taller & bulkier than I wanted.
Guy uses a Keychron K3 keyboard with the Gateron red optical switches. They provide minimal resistance when pressing the keys. As a result, inexperienced users may accidentally press the wrong keys due to the lack of feedback
When the K3 was announced in mid-2020, I instantly backed the project as it had the low profile that I was looking for.
Having used Apple’s Magic & Butterfly keyboards for years, the initial adjustment to the height and key travel of the Keychron took a few weeks until I felt as fast and fluid as I am on an Apple keyboard. Still, since then, the experience has been enjoyable.
