Rupesh R. Mahalle’s Mac and iPhone setup

September 26, 2016

Every week we post a new interview with someone about what software they use on their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We do these interviews because not only are they fun, but a glimpse into what tools someone uses and how they use those tools can spark our imagination and give us an idea or insight into how we can do things better.

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Who are you and what do you do?

I am Rupesh R. Mahalle. I am a 25-year-old Portfolio Manager and start-up investor. I manage my investors’ capital for the stock market and work on devices almost 6 to 8 hours every day as I feel technology is the tool to make your life simple and organized.

What is your current setup?

Since July 2015, I’ve used a 13″ Retina MacBook Pro. I have it connected to a Dell U2414H 24” Full HD monitor, which I find great for my office workspace. The MacBook is connected to an external mechanical keyboard (TVS E—Bharat Electronics) and a Logitech G300s gaming mouse. I find these external devices to be an essential convenience for the office workspace.

On the go, The MacBook alone is great. As a small note, I like an uncluttered desk, as you can see in the photo. I tend to clean it every day in morning as a routine (it takes only 2 minutes).

Where can we find your OS X wallpaper?

I use FreshBackMac as a tool to have great wallpapers twice daily.

What software do you use and for what do you use it?

Software is a great tool for simplifying and organizing my work. I use software purposely and extensively. For example, I have an Automator script for opening multiple apps in the morning so that I won’t have to open them individually.

Safari — Safari is the only web browser I use extensively. It’s very stable and simple for my purposes. As a Portfolio Manager, I need to read a lot of articles. Most of the time at the start of the day, I have around 50 tabs open to read during the day, and Safari handles them nicely.
Reeder — I am a big fan of Reeder. I use the latest version. Reeder keeps me updated on my RSS feeds. I start my day with it, and love the interface and simplicity.
Tweetbot — Tweetbot is my go—to Twitter client. I need to stay updated for my profession, and Tweetbot ensures this. Tweetbot is sleek, reliable, and simple.
Lightroom/Photoshop — I occasionally try my hand at photography, and I use Lightroom and Photoshop for the purpose of making my photos look their best.
Evernote — Evernote makes my work neat and simplified. It is a great tool for note taking, reminders, and assorted brain—storming. It also syncs, and that is great.
Numbers — There is really nothing like Numbers. I find it very useful for my stock market valuations. It is simple, sleek, and contains no nonsense. I use it extensively as it is related and required for my field.
Bartender 2 — Bartender is really a great app for keeping the menu bar neat and tidy.
BetterTouchTools — I cannot live without BetterTouchTools. I programmed my gaming mouse for various actions like opening new tabs, open in new tab, change tab, retweet, open in safari (in Reeder), etc. I have nearly 50 different macros for different apps.
VOX Player — VOX is my go—to client for playing FLAC Music. It’s easy to use and sounds great.
Slack — Slack is a great app for business messaging. We use it extensively in my business.
WhatsApp — WhatsApp on desktop is a pretty comfortable experience. It’s not that sleek, but it is easy to use on a big screen.
Telegram Desktop — Telegram is my personal go-to client for my family only. We do all our family communications on Telegram.
Copy’em Paste — Copy’em Paste is a great clipboard manager. It simplifies my work.
Aware — I use a little app named Aware that lets me know how much time I’ve been working on the Mac. It is great for taking breaks.
Day-O — Day-O is a great tool by Shaun Inman for using a menu bar calendar.

How would your ideal setup look and function?

I feel that I am using an ideal setup now. It took me a year to make it as good as it is now, and it will evolve more in the future as well. Simplicity is the top most priority for my setup. I feel that as Steve Jobs always said, “It should just work.” I can proudly say that Mac and iOS just works. I am happy and satisfied with my setup.

What iPhone do you have?

I use an iPhone SE in silver. I love it because it’s more handy and useful because of the small size. It still features the iconic design, is as powerful as the bigger ones, but still small. The camera is great and it is a great tool for traveling and quick updates. I use it as a secondary workspace as I mostly try to work on my Mac.

What apps do you use most, and why?

The iPhone is a really great no nonsense phone. It is fast and snappy. I use it for the phone feature and quick updates only. The apps I use are as follows.

Inbox — Inbox is great for checking mail on the go and replying quickly. It ensures zeroing out your mail. It is simple and smooth.
Twitter — A great tool for checking my Twitter feed on the go.
Slack — This is a really great tool for business communication. We as a team use it extensively.
EZ Financial Calculator — This is the only calculator app I find useful as my work involve various financial calculations.
Evernote — Evernote is a great tool for the iPhone as it ensures your notes and reminders are available while away from your desk, and it syncs between devices.
Lightroom — Lightroom for iPhone is really a smart tool for taking travel pictures and editing on the go.
WhatsApp and Telegram — Same reasons as above in the Mac section, but the iPhone makes it easy to communicate quickly while away from my desk.

Which app could you not live without?

I cannot live without Inbox, Slack, Twitter, EZ Financial Calculator because of how much convenience they add to my everyday work.

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