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What accessories would you recommend for a Macbook Pro 13''?

wordoflife

wordoflife

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 6, 2009
7,564
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What accessories would you recommend for a 13'' Macbook Pro?
Cases, keyboard covers, mice, chill pads (I know people say they don't do much especially to Macs, but what is your view?), etc?

Any advice is welcomed. :)
 
Logitech Performance Mouse MX, Logitech DiNovo Mac Edition keyboard (or Apple BT if you don't mind not having a number pad), Some kind of a stand rather than a chill pad (I have a Griffin something or other and it matches in aluminum color and generally looks nice), definitely a Time Machine backup drive (at least 2x the size of the drive in your computer), Airport Extreme (if you have the money), some kind of a sleeve case or a hardshell (I use both).

For my 13" MBP, I use everything I mentioned above and for cases an Incase sleeve and Incase Hardshell (though you may be able to find a Speck more easily). 1 year of use and it still looks good as new. If you need a router I HIGHLY recommend the Airport Extreme. I have sold at least 3 family/friends on them and have two currently in my house (as well as an Express) and have heard absolutely no complaints about ease of configuration, signal strength, or anything else for that matter aside from some missing wireless printing drivers on a PC.
 
Magic Mouse, Apple Wireless Keyboard. Griffin Elevator or mStand for a "chill pad". Moshi ClearGuard for keyboard cover and maybe an Incase sleeve for a case.
 
wordoflife said:
What accessories would you recommend for a 13'' Macbook Pro?
Cases, keyboard covers, mice, chill pads (I know people say they don't do much especially to Macs, but what is your view?), etc?

Any advice is welcomed. :)
Click to expand...

• no mouse - they have negative effects on your carpal tunnel.
learn Mac keyboard shortcuts and the niceties of the trackpad and you'll never look back.

• STM Neoprene Glove for protection - hands down the best made and best value for money.
http://www.stmbags.com.au/catalog/neoprene-sleeves/

• STM Alley 13" Shoulder Bag
http://www.stmbags.com.au/catalog/macbook-bag-13-inch/
http://www.stmbags.com.au/catalog/macbook-bag-13-inch/armour-small-hard-shell-laptop-sleeve/

[You can buy from Apple Store in Australia - not sure about Apple US Store]

• Apple Remote

• mini-display port to VGA display adaptor

•*these are pretty cool too - no pun intended
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/elevator
 
Cases, keyboard covers, mice, chill pads

Case? Hardcase? Incase over speck.

Keyboard covers? Moshii or iSkin, they are both good.

Mice? Logitech MX Revolution.

Chill Pads? Don't use them, use a stand or something like the Cool Feet by Blue Lounge. They key with keeping cool is to keep the ports open. Additional fans can be bad because they tend to just blow warm air and other stuff back up the vents and generally don't work.
 
Here is what I have for my MacBook Pro:

 Magic Mouse
 BT Keyboard
MDP -> VGA adapter
VGA cable (would prefer two of these, but one is sufficient)
320 GB HD with two partitions, one set to HFS+(mac-formatted), the other FAT formatted
17" Monitor
32" TV
Speakers
Wacom Tablet

Sorta over-kill, but I like it. I have 4 different ways of using my laptop:

Portable - just the laptop, possibly headphones
Portable Station - laptop with keyboard and mouse, possibly HDD
Work Station - Laptop with keyboard and mouse with external monitor, speakers, tablet, and HDD
Media Centre - Laptop + TV and keyboard/mouse . I plug vga cable into TV, as well as 1/8" audio cable

What I do is possibly overkill, but I am very happy that I can do all this with my MBP. I would recommend at least part of this if you would like to use your MBP with a TV.
 
keyboard guard is vital

In my experience the moshi keyboard cover is the one vital accessory because it keeps food, whiskers, dust, water droplets from getting down in your keyboard. The moshi fits tight too.

Since you bought a 13" I would skip all the other accessories like a mouse and keyboard UNLESS you are going to buy an external monitor for your desk space. I have the 24 inch LED display a keyboard and magic mouse at home but often miss the feel of that giant glass trackpad when using my desk setup.

Other than the moshi, you'll want a protective sleeve for your backpack in case you fall down (or off your bike) and to keep sand etc. out. Personally I think those speck cases that snap on are ****. Who cares about a small scratch every now and again. It's better to view your aluminum glory without all that plastic crap.
 
FuNGi said:
In my experience the moshi keyboard cover is the one vital accessory because it keeps food, whiskers, dust, water droplets from getting down in your keyboard. The moshi fits tight too.

Since you bought a 13" I would skip all the other accessories like a mouse and keyboard UNLESS you are going to buy an external monitor for your desk space. I have the 24 inch LED display a keyboard and magic mouse at home but often miss the feel of that giant glass trackpad when using my desk setup.

Other than the moshi, you'll want a protective sleeve for your backpack in case you fall down (or off your bike) and to keep sand etc. out. Personally I think those speck cases that snap on are ****. Who cares about a small scratch every now and again. It's better to view your aluminum glory without all that plastic crap.
Click to expand...

I have to agree you. I don't think I will need a mouse at all or an external keyboard for that matter. To be honest, I've never preferred using a mouse on a laptop. I think I'll probably just buy the keyboard cover, but I'm not sure if it's worth dropping $25 on that.

Any other thoughts on keyboard covers?
 
I've never tried any of the made-for-mac keyboard covers, but I love the way the apple keyboards feel. I just hate the idea of having something on top of the keyboard. Every couple of days, I use a rocket blower to blow the dust out of my keyboards.

This is my (probably excessive) setup for my mbp 15:

At home:
HP w2207h (not bad considering when I got it and how much I paid)
Griffin elevator stand (great to keep your computer cool and free up desk space)
Apple wireless keyboard
Logitech MX Revolution wireless mouse
Harman Kardon Soundsticks II (love these)
Wacom Intuos3

Class:
normal iPhone headphones
Microsoft Explorer mini (love this mouse, it's very portable)
North Face Hot Shot SE backpack OR medium Timbuk2 Covert messenger bag
*Currently on the market for a sleeve

Other:
Bose QC2s (use for travel or sometimes at home)
Targus for mac 4-port USB hub
8gb Cruzer Contour (this thing is blazing fast, plus it looks sweet)

I'm also thinking of getting a Shaggymac screen protector/cleaning cloth, as my blackbook screen got a little messed up from keyboard marks
 
wordoflife said:
I have to agree you. I don't think I will need a mouse at all or an external keyboard for that matter. To be honest, I've never preferred using a mouse on a laptop. I think I'll probably just buy the keyboard cover, but I'm not sure if it's worth dropping $25 on that.

Any other thoughts on keyboard covers?
Click to expand...

keep it naked and clean it regularly.
(damp cloth, buff dry with lint free towel)
mine's 1 year + old and looks and feels like new :D
 
FuNGi said:
In my experience the moshi keyboard cover is the one vital accessory because it keeps food, whiskers, dust, water droplets from getting down in your keyboard. The moshi fits tight too.

Since you bought a 13" I would skip all the other accessories like a mouse and keyboard UNLESS you are going to buy an external monitor for your desk space. I have the 24 inch LED display a keyboard and magic mouse at home but often miss the feel of that giant glass trackpad when using my desk setup.

Other than the moshi, you'll want a protective sleeve for your backpack in case you fall down (or off your bike) and to keep sand etc. out. Personally I think those speck cases that snap on are ****. Who cares about a small scratch every now and again. It's better to view your aluminum glory without all that plastic crap.
Click to expand...

THIS. Your keyboard will be the first place you'll see wear and tear (from the oils on your fingers). Protect them asap with the Moshi clearguard
 
halledise said:
keep it naked and clean it regularly.
(damp cloth, buff dry with lint free towel)
mine's 1 year + old and looks and feels like new :D
Click to expand...

Yeah. I agree with you.
Even though I'm going to buy a $3 keyboard cover, I'm probably not going to use it often - just when I'm eating or something. Nothing beats the feel of the real Apple keyboard.
 
I have an InCase nylon case for mine, its great.. Much better than a sleeve in my opinion as it can also carry the power adaptor and other accessories, and also has an excellent handle and optional strap to carry it by!
signature_silverapple.jpg
 
Thanks for all the advice!
I got my Macbook Pro last night and have been using it since.
It's a very nice computer!
 
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