Getting a MacBook Pro

Hey guys,

this is my first post here and I am getting a MacBook Pro 13 inch, I have compiled a list of applications from reading threads in this site and was curious as to whether anyone had alternatives to the ones listed. I would also like to ask would it be better to get a sleeve or a hard case?

Here is the list of apps and the reason I need them

iProcrastinate - Keep track of college tasks (also install on iPhone and sync with Dropbox)
Self Control - Blocks YouTube, Game Sites, Twitter, Facebook etc. when doing tasks)
Dropbox - Use to upload School files and sync iProcrastinate
iWorks or Microsoft Office - Not sure which is better yet but for basic college work
Skype - Because communication is key
Delocalizer - Remove 200mb of space from unused languages
VLC - Due to it supporting so many vide file types
Synergy - Listen to music and change track etc. in the menu rather than opening iTunes
xCode - For Programming
AppZapper - For removing apps
Adobe Photoshop - For graphic design
Adobe Illustrator - Also for graphic design
Adobe Dreamweaver - For website development
Maya - For 3D design

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Dave Braine said:

Perian: will allow most video formats to be played using Quicktime. Although development has stopped, it's still available. Scroll down the page:
http://perian.org/

iWork is great, but you may have problems with some MS docs. Instead of MS Office, have a look at OpenOffice, NeoOffice and LibreOffice. All free and all based around the same source code:
http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

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Awesome thanks for the help will take a look at the 3 open source ones you suggested in my current Windows laptop while I wait for the MacBook to arrive and.figure out which i like best

takeshi74 said:

Have you used any of the apps above? What preferences do you have that would help narrow it down to one option or the other?

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I have used MS Office my whole life but realise that there are probably other apps that are similar but run much better on Mac, I have also used all of the Adobe programs and AutoDesk before. Also the apps I said that were not MS Office and iWorks or Adobe, I will be using because I have read/watched reviews of the apps and think they will be very useful for what I need them for

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DoctorCrap said:

Firstly,
Hard case. Because a Mac is densed and when it's a Macbook Pro. Quite densed
so...

Applications like
Adobe... You may want to use Apple applications such as Aperture, Final Cut Pro.
For Adobe Dreamweaver, if you are not a user of the split design view, you may want to consider Coda 2. It is an amazing coding application.

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I am getting the Adobe ones due to about 3 years of experience with them and I feel comfortable using them