Steve O'HearInterview
Tech journalist (TechCrunch)
Adapted from Steve O'Hear's interview on Uses This, published 14 June 2018. The kit is drawn from their answers and each reason is an excerpt, lightly edited. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full interview ↗
Is this you? Claim this kit →Hardware
At the heart of everything I do is a MacBook Pro (2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with Retina display) in Space Grey.
Most recently I added an Avantone MixCube Active mono speaker.
I also have an analogue drum machine with a step sequencer that I bought in a sale and have hardly touched since (Korg volca beats).
The other crucial tool for my day job is my trusty iPhone SE.
Communication
The MacBook is also my writing tool of choice in my job as a journalist, although, apart from the need to run Skype and a few other bits of software, I could happily get away with a Chromebook or any laptop that can run a modern browser.
LinkedIn is also quite useful when researching people or reaching out for comment.
Productivity
Artificial Intelligence
I've also recently invested in a Gemini PDA, a new smartphone with a keyboard that is inspired by original devices by Psion.
Media
However, I've always preferred Macs -- even sticking with Apple through the mid 90s when things weren't good -- and my home recording studio is built around the music software Logic Pro X, meaning I'm somewhat locked into Apple hardware.
And Spotify keeps me company throughout my working day.
I also purchased Native Instruments Komplete 10 a while back, mostly for the acoustic piano virtual instruments and to compose horn parts.
Other
Most recently I added Toontrack Superior Drummer 3, which is hands-down the best software for powering an electronic drum kit or programming your own natural-sounding drum parts (honestly, it sounds amazing).