Mac Pro Finally a part of the family.

[Robbinhoodz25]

Hey guys I've been a member on here for like a year or 2 and I thought my
Parents were going to gift me a brand new MacBook Pro for college and that didn't happen(no surprise). But recently It finally was written in the stars for me to purchase my own Macky and I did just that.
I am now a proud owner of a brand new(refurbished) MacBook Pro.. Wait for it...... RETINA!
I'm very excited for this computing power because I have been computer less more than 2 years and I have recently found my calling in life as for in career wise and that is music production.

But this is not a life story but a simple request from people who more than likely already own a Macky..

What are some programs I should install to insure my book a long and healthy life along with some useful tips and tricks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.




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[Europa]

Congrats! That's a really nice laptop. Is this your first Mac?

 

[Robbinhoodz25]

Yes it is! And I'm very happy with it.. Well but I don't seem like I'm getting anywhere near the 7 hour battery life I hear its suppose to have though but that's just a small thing to me.

You have any tips on how to keep it running healthy or suggestions on apps I should get.


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[acosmichippo]

Depends on what you do with it, but here are some good apps for anyone to have:

- MplayerX: plays any video format out there, and has really nice UI
- BetterTouchTool: allows you to set custom trackpad gestures and much more
- f.lux: changes LCD hue based on time of day. really good for people who work late at night.

 

[chris]

Congratulations! If you are off to college, you'll need an Office suite. You could pick up Microsoft Office, Teacher & Student Edition or a less expensive option is the iWorks suite. I misplaced my Office codes during a recent move, which forced me to start using Pages, Numbers as of late. They work great and more than sufficient for me. They are also inexpensive via the Mac App Store.

Probably the best advice is to setup a backup plan, which could be an external drive that you would use with Time Machine.

 

[Europa]

Here are some Mac basics to get you started: http://www.apple.com/support/macbasics/

Keyboard shortcuts are really handy and useful. Here's a list: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1343

I agree with Chris; setting up Time Machine is the best advice we can give you. It's included for free and it's one of the best features on Macs. It's really easy to set it up after you get a backup drive. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427

Stuffit Expander does the same thing as WinRar on a PC. I like to use VLC for video playback. I also recommend HandBrake, iTeleport, Air Video and DropBox. If you have a wireless printer that isn't one of the apple-supported AirPrint printers, you can use handyPrint to enable Air Print from your iPhone or iPad.

 

[chris]

Stuffit Expander does the same thing as WinRar on a PC. I like to use VLC for video playback. I also recommend HandBrake, iTeleport, Air Video and DropBox. If you have a wireless printer that isn't one of the apple-supported AirPrint printers, you can use handyPrint to enable Air Print from your iPhone or iPad.

Not a big fan of Stuffit Expander. It was great back in the day (during .sit), but it's no longer needed, since Archive Utility is included. I also like The Unarchiver.

 

[Europa]

Not a big fan of Stuffit Expander. It was great back in the day (during .sit), but it's no longer needed, since Archive Utility is included. I also like The Unarchiver.

I so rarely use it anymore. Come to think of it, Archive Utility may have opened automatically the last time I used it. I'll have to watch to see what opens next time I extract files.

 

[chris]

I so rarely use it anymore. Come to think of it, Archive Utility may have opened automatically the last time I used it. I'll have to watch to see what opens next time I extract files.

Or right-click (control-click) to see your options.

 

[Robbinhoodz25]

Thanks so much for the advice guys! Are there any apps that I can use to insure my SSD running smoothly?

 

[Europa]

Thanks so much for the advice guys! Are there any apps that I can use to insure my SSD running smoothly?

You don't really need to monitor anything there, but you can check the drive health by typing "Disk Utility" into Spotlight, selecting the drive and then checking to make sure it says "Verified" next to S.M.A.R.T. status. Of course, a drive can fail at any time, but this will verify that it's working properly at the time.

 

[Robbinhoodz25]

I think it's time to invest in a external drive. Thank you so much friends!

And please keep the suggestions coming.


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[Europa]

Also, be sure to log into iCloud on your MBP. It will sync all your bookmarks, notes, reminders and calendars with your iPhone. I can't think of anything else right now, so just ask questions here when you have them.

 

[Robbinhoodz25]

Thanks and will do.

Also, be sure to log into iCloud on your MBP. It will sync all your bookmarks, notes, reminders and calendars with your iPhone. I can't think of anything else right now, so just ask questions here when you have them.

 

[hmfc-1874]

I got mines in November/December 2012, never looked back!



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