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When it comes to computing, I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and when it comes to Macs, I'm usually quite adamant in using Apple's own accessories. I'm all about getting the feel right when using a computer — right for me, that is. Naturally, Apple delivers a hand-tailored experience, one that I thought was unrivaled, much less for a cheaper price. 

But, then Macally proved me wrong.

When the Apple-made keyboard and mouse I use with my MacBook Pro began to wear down after several years of use, I wanted to see whether I could save some cash rather than drop upwards of $200 on a replacement set. I came across a brand known as Macally on Amazon, which produces Mac- and- Windows-compatible computing accessories on the cheap.

The word "cheap" has a lot of connotations attached to it, but in this case the word only pertains to price. The $50 keyboard and mouse combo I picked up for less than half the price that Apple would charge (about $180) feels just like the real thing.

You can tell this by the inclusion of the Function, Control, Option, and Command keys at the lower left side of the keyboard, but the Command key also doubles as the "Windows" key on modern PC keyboards. 

Further to the point, what's more commonly known as the Enter key on PC is listed here as the "Return" key — just like on Mac. Same goes for the Delete key, which would read as "Backspace" on a Windows keyboard. (It even includes an "eject" key for a disc drive your Mac definitely doesn't have — how cute.)

All of the usual, Mac-first function keys are represented here, and the controls for brightness and volume work without issue, just as they do on an Apple keyboard.

With an appropriate palm rest, typing on this keyboard feels just like typing on a Mac keyboard to me. Macally claims to use scissor switches here, just like Apple does on its latest MacBook keyboards.

Typing is quiet yet the feedback from the keys is strong enough to keep my fingers bouncing about the keys without looking. I don't generally focus on my words per minute rating, because it's relatively low usually (around the low 60s), but I don't feel any slower on this keyboard than I've been on Apple-made products.

To get the same relative feeling and typing speed for less than half the price of Apple's current wireless products, Macally seems well worth the buy to save some cash.

I was looking for something as close as possible to Apple's old wired Magic Mouse with the 360-degree scrolling wheel, and this is it, sadly. I'm a hopelessly nostalgic person, but it's almost impossible to find that relic of a pointer these days for less than eBay's gouging.

The result is something that looks exactly like as much as it should cost, a white mouse with a red LED inside that lights up through the bidirectional scroll wheel as you move it, and two click buttons. There's a clear-ish band of plastic on the mouse's backside that looks like it should light up, but it doesn't.

This mouse is extremely comfortable to use, though I do miss the singular button with two click zones that the classic, wired Apple Magic Mouse has. 

However, I miss the 360-degree scrolling wheel even more.

This Macally scroll wheel is firm and accurate to its settings with macOS's System app, but is tough to scroll while you're clicking and dragging content, which I happen to do sometimes working with text. It seems to get caught against the side(s) of the click buttons.

I also work quite often in a productivity environment known as Trello that uses horizontal scrolling prominently, hence why I miss that classic mouse so dearly. All told, this Macally mouse gets me through the basics, and it beats spending nearly $100 on a new, wireless-only Apple Magic Mouse that I would have to worry about recharging.

Given that modern Macs dropped that form of USB connectivity years ago for the faster, more versatile USB-C standard (known commonly as Thunderbolt on Macs), you're going to need a USB-C hub if you don't already have one. 

We recommend an array of affordable models in our USB-C hub buying guide, but just remember you'll need one with at least two USB-A ports. I've been using the Aukey 6-in-1 USB-C hub that tops our buying guide for more than a year now without issue.

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