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Essential purchases!

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Philuk84

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 7, 2013
52
0
With my imminent purchase of a rMBP I've been looking at some of the add ons you can buy.

The Super Drive and Time Capsule products seem to have caught my eye.

Are there any essential purchases that make your life easier? Are the ones I mentioned worth it?

Thanks.
 
Are you waiting for the release of updated models at WWDC? Will you buy it even if no updated are announced/released?

I don't think you really need any additional purchases. Nothing is really essential. If you really need an optical drive, you may buy the Super Drive, or you may settle with any other external drive, and you may find cheaper ones. As for Time Capsule, I've never used it, can't say a thing about it.
 
Philuk84 said:
With my imminent purchase of a rMBP I've been looking at some of the add ons you can buy.

The Super Drive and Time Capsule products seem to have caught my eye.

Are there any essential purchases that make your life easier? Are the ones I mentioned worth it?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

You're just like me :D
My list includes:

* Magic mouse - immediate buy
* Possibly an optical drive - would hold off until the last minute for this - as in - the day I really need it, I'll go out to purchase it.
* Pen drive - each time I buy a device, I tend to buy the latest portable memory solution.
* ethernet adapter - I have wireless set up at home and I'm good, but since I travel for work, I might have to get one if the job site does not have wireless.

In the meantime, I got a hold of Pogue's book as I'll be a total newbie to the mac world.

Share your list so I can increase mine. :p
 
There are no essential purchases. At this point, you're just looking for extra things to spend your money on.

Would you actually use a DVD drive or a Time Capsule? I wouldn't. I'd buy external speakers or something if I had to get something.

It all depends on what you yourself are actually going to use, not someone else.
 
I would say an external HDD is essential for backups. Way too many people don't backup at all and then come here "how do I recover critical files I deleted and do not have backup?"

An external HDD can be bought cheaply and is necessary insurance in my book.
 
I'm asking what people have found essential to their experience.

Like with my PC, I found a better mouse and keyboard made everything easier, with macro and function buttons. A better CPU fan kept everything cooler. It wasn't until I used my friends PC with a high speed r/w ssd that I realised how much better it was to have one.

I'm not looking to spend my money on anything, I'm looking for things that I might find essential, stuff that I may not know about. There may not be anything I need, but there are many 3rd party products that I just have no idea about.

Save your lecture on frugality, Dad, and show me some cool ****. :)

----------

Yeah I've got a hdd, it's kinda old but I guess it's the same as the Power Drive thing then?

Does iCloud work like Dropbox? You need to have the stuff on your machine too? It's not like an external hdd in the cloud is it?
 
It all depends on what you need. I burn a lot of CDs so the superdrive made sense for me to buy. If you're looking for a great mouse that's crazy comfortable, go with the Razer Deathadder. I have one I got for gaming a long time ago and now I use it for work all the time.
 
.:Aleph:. said:
Skaertus, where do you people from Brazil buy Apple hardware?
Click to expand...

It depends on the hardware. People in Brazil usually don't buy Apple hardware, as it's very expensive. Market share of the iPhone and of Macs is pretty low here due to the high prices.

iMacs are usually bought at retail stores (such as Fast Shop or Fnac). MacBooks and iPads are usually bought at retail stores or when people travel to the US. iPhones are usually bought at the carriers (TIM, Vivo, Claro, Oi) or abroad. Accessories such as keyboards, mouses, Time Capsules, Super Drives, Thunderbolt Displays, etc., are usually not bought, and replaced by cheaper accessories.
 
Accessories I've bought for my rMBP:

32gb usb flash drive (try and find a nice USB 3.0 drive)
Zipper sleeve case (great for traveling)
Plastic outer snap-on shell (like Speck, Incase, etc)
External mouse (I got a Logitech as it is much cheaper than the Magic Mouse)
4-port USB hub
 
c: Well if you want to know what I find essential... [but I'm a girl, so we may think differently];

-A sleeve to put my rMBP in...
-A External HDD [500GB] to backup my important files.
[This also includes Dropbox on both my iMac and rMBP.]
-A Magic Mouse
-Parallels [for my needs anyway!]

And I'm debating to buy an Apple TV since I heard you can mirror your MBP screen through the device. But I'm not 100 % sure if I'll actually use that on a daily basis. :eek:
 
+1. I always think I don't need spending another $$$ for accessories, since I already 'bought' it in the MBA price :)
For magic mouse: try before buy; some people do prefer conventional mouse

iPoopeh said:
c: Well if you want to know what I find essential... [but I'm a girl, so we may think differently];

-A sleeve to put my rMBP in...
-A External HDD [500GB] to backup my important files.
[This also includes Dropbox on both my iMac and rMBP.]
-A Magic Mouse
-Parallels [for my needs anyway!]

And I'm debating to buy an Apple TV since I heard you can mirror your MBP screen through the device. But I'm not 100 % sure if I'll actually use that on a daily basis. :eek:
Click to expand...
 
Isamilis said:
+1. I always think I don't need spending another $$$ for accessories, since I already 'bought' it in the MBA price :)
For magic mouse: try before buy; some people do prefer conventional mouse
Click to expand...

In the beginning, all I will get is a sleeve. I find that the most important accessory for anyone. Later on, I shall buy a HDD, Parallels, etc.

And actually, I already have a Magic mouse for my iMac, so I will most likely use it for my rMBP if I find the need for it. I like the feel of the touchpad, but we'll see once I actually get the darn thing. :D
 
Philuk84 said:
With my imminent purchase of a rMBP I've been looking at some of the add ons you can buy.

The Super Drive and Time Capsule products seem to have caught my eye.

Are there any essential purchases that make your life easier? Are the ones I mentioned worth it?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have a Seagate "Time Capsule" and while it's not essential, having a wireless hard drive to back up and stream videos is much worth the price and quite convenient. Streaming and backing up is only local.
 
Hardshell case - gonna try moshi iglaze, as ive used icnase and speck before
moshi keyboard cover
the ethernet adapter
moshi palmguard


i already have a magic mouse and time capsule

honestly, only reason i got the time capsule was i got 75 bucks off. but if your only looking for backpack, buy a WD mypassport 1tb. smaller and easier to carry. i hate the size of the timecapsule, takes up so much desk space XD
 
You asked. This list was essential for me but this Mac is being used as a business system.

Hardware:
Apple keyboard (BT)
Apple trackpad
TB/DP adapters (DVI/VGA/Ethernet)
TB cable
Belkin TB Dock
Maclock bracket
WD USB3 1TB drive for CCC
USB3 thumbdrive (64gb)
MagicWand for Mac

Software:
Carbon Copy Cloner
MS Office for Mac Business
VMWare Fusion
Windows 7 Pro

I already have an external display and superdrive. There is additional software on the system but it's specific to the company.
 
Definitely a sleeve like Incase or something like that. Also a Western Digital MyPassport or the desktop model (forget what it's called at the moment) for backups. Time Capsule is overpriced. MS Office for Mac 2011 or even 2008. They're still compatible with the new Mac models! Unless you get sold on 365 which I think is Mac compatible. I had a USB mouse and then never used it. Personal preference on that. Hard cases are also personal preference. I've never used one, and I only have a few minor scratches on mine. Other than those, the MBP is pretty awesome on its own without extra stuff.
 
time capsule would be cool. But I didn't buy anything when I bought my MBP apart from a magic mouse.
 
This:
  • USB SuperDrive or (better yet) external DVD/BluRay writer for legacy stuff (ripping CDs and DVDs into iTunes, installing Windows or other programs from a DVD)
  • Sleeve to protect the MacBook while traveling
  • USB Hub because 2 ports aren't enough
  • Start saving for AppleCare before year 1 is up
Everything else is gravy.
 
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