Here's the gear.

2022 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch

• M2 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU)
• 24GB
• 1TB

The first MacBook Air I owned was a 2012 model. It was lightweight, had great battery life, and enough power for most tasks. Since then, the only Apple laptops I used were MacBook Pro models. In getting my latest machine, however, I decided to opt for a MacBook Air. I love the size of the machine and prefer it to even 14-inch MacBook Pro models for portability. Battery life is the best I've experienced in a laptop, and the power is nearly always capable enough. There are some tasks that push the processing to its limits, but I'll take the trade-off for all of the other upsides. Absolutely would recommend this computer.

2020 Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch

• 2 GHz 4-core Intel Core i5
• 32GB (3733 MHz, LPDDR4X)
• 512GB

This is a backup computer in the event that something happens to the M2 MacBook Air. While performance is acceptable most of the time, it reaches unusably hot temperatures too often and has a relatively short battery life - making it a machine I don't recommend. Luckily, the most recent generation of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (with M1 and M1 Pro/M1 Max chips, respectively) models are much better in the heat and battery life category. Having used Apple laptops for over 20 years (dating back to a 333MHz PowerBook G3 Lombard), this is the first one that has disappointed me.

• 1.6 GHz 4-core Intel Celeron N3150
• 4GB (1600 MHz, DDR3L)
• 32GB

Originally purchased with the intention of being an air-gapped, cold storage wallet for cryptocurrency, I now use this Chromebook for responsive UI and performance tests. The limited specifications make it more representative of an average consumer, and ideal for ensuring users aren't encountering poor experiences. Plus, the 2-in-1 tablet functionality makes it a nice, dual-purpose device. The R11 is an older model now, but there are updates from Acer that look to have even more features, such as the Spin 3.

• 2.2GHz 4-core Intel Core i7
• 16GB (1600 MHz, DDR3L)
• 256GB

This was my primary work computer for several years, but, since purchasing the 2020 MacBook Pro and 2022 MacBook Air, has since been designated as an additional test/backup computer. I love that it has a selection of HDMI, SDXC, USB and Thunderbolt ports. The performance was acceptable for tasks at the time, but has fallen behind my workflow in terms of being a daily usage machine.

• A17 Pro (6-core CPU, 6-core GPU)
• 256GB

My current primary phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max provides a great test environment as it currently provides the largest screen size for any iPhone model (shares the same resolution as the 14 Pro Max), and supports landscape orientation in select Apple apps. The cameras are fantastic, especially the 5x optical zoom, and USB-C charging (a long overdue feature) makes for one less cable when traveling.

• A17 Pro (6-core CPU, 6-core GPU)
• 512GB

While the 15 Pro Max is my primary device, I still like being able to test websites and applications on the smaller 14 Pro. A more common size for typical users, it's screen resolution more closely resembles what will be seen by the majority of the audiences for whom I'm designing.

• M2 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU)
• 256GB

The iPad is a great addition to the setup, especially when traveling. It serves as a platform for testing iPadOS/iOS applications, creating illustrations and as a secondary display. I also like being able to compare iPadOS applications to their iOS, tvOS, and web application counterparts, as a way to reverse engineer the best UX principles employed by each. The best products have consistent features between these platforms, but there is a good deal of discrepancy that I discover by regularly using iPadOS applications and then try the other platforms.

• A14 (6-core CPU, 4-core GPU)
• 128GB

A backup test phone these days, the iPhone 12 Pro is a great device. The battery life is fantastic, and the HDR screen provides a great range of brightness and color support. The physical size of the device, being larger than the XS but smaller than the 8 Plus, makes for a nice middle-ground when testing reachability of select UI elements.