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Getting my Macbook Friday; anything I need to know?

J

jnick

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 22, 2008
107
8
NY
I finally ordered my Macbook this past weekend and will be getting it this Friday! I was just wondering is there anything I need to know before I start using it? Any procedure I should take for battery conditioning or any settings I should immediately change?

Thanks!
 
Hmm...here are a few of the things I did as soon as I got my MB (few weeks back)

1) RAM...I suggest upgrading to 4 gigs...it's too cheap not to

2) 2 Finger Right Click...self explanatory, you'll find this option in the Mouse settings

3) Check out the MR guides...extremely helpful, especially when looking for new apps to download for your new machine...

Have fun...if you need any help, you know where to look

Edit:

4) If you dont use it...turn off bluetooth...big time difference in battery time, at least in my experiences
 
I like to know what my computer is doing. Especially Temp, Fan speed, and memory usage.

I use istatmenus. I find it to be a great app. It displays the stats you want it to in the menu bar and even has one-click access to the activity monitor.
 

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Keep it away from water. A few ounces can ruin it forever.

Get smcfancontrol to set fan speeds and regulate heat.
 
iMacBook said:
Not a very good idea. I used it and my fans are all funky now.

Just use the iStat Widget. It tells you everything.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Unless you seriously know what you're doing as far as fan control goes...I'd stay away from it...too many horror stories.
 
The guides are very helpful for shortcuts, but I really liked the iStat widget. Tells you everything you would like to know.

Enjoy your new Mac!
 
Thanks guys! This is my first Mac, too. My colleague has the black MB and I have been exposed to it a few times. I absolutely loved it and couldn't resist getting one :).

Thanks again guys!
 
Don't be one of those anal people that put every kind of piece of protection on your laptop.
 
Don't be afraid to use it. And if you are that anal about the keyboard get an iskin for it.
 
I feel bad saying this, but be prepared for it to crack. Hopefully apple will replace the top case under warranty though. Then you'll be good for another 6 months. :)
 
Just don't slam it shut all the time and you'll be fine. Remember, the pages and pages of faults and problems you read about here are really from the vocal minority. Hundreds of thousands of Macs are sold each quarter and most of them are peachy. My MBP is almost a year old and it's completely defect free. :)
 
^ The case cracking defect doesn't affect the Macbook Pros; nothing to do with how well you care for those. :D
 
No, I realise that cracking is peculiar to the MacBook and not the MBP. But a lot of the damage seen on these forums appears to be caused by impact damage.

Although I don't have a MacBook, I do have a MBP which is an example of an Apple product that hasn't been to the genius bar 27 times, hasn't been priority shipped across the US to rectify a yellowing LCD, hasn't required surgery for a moo'ing fan, or any of the other ailments which crop up here time after time. Perhaps I'm just lucky, but I'd prefer to believe that contrary to the feeling you might get from reading these forums, Apple actually do a pretty decent job and the vast majority of their wares are up to spec. :)
 
KingYaba said:
I am weary of hardware control applications like the fan control. Unless you plan on doing some serious gaming (Macbook purchase I would assume you're not) you don't need to mess with it.

Be sure to calibrate your battery. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86284
Click to expand...
I never really totally understood the point of this.

It isn't like you have to calibrate it or you die or something. I've only done it once and it didn't really do anything for me. I see it as a pointless thing that a bunch of people get all bunched up about.
 
Spongey817 said:
Hmm...here are a few of the things I did as soon as I got my MB (few weeks back)

1) RAM...I suggest upgrading to 4 gigs...it's too cheap not to

2) 2 Finger Right Click...self explanatory, you'll find this option in the Mouse settings

3) Check out the MR guides...extremely helpful, especially when looking for new apps to download for your new machine...

Have fun...if you need any help, you know where to look

Edit:

4) If you dont use it...turn off bluetooth...big time difference in battery time, at least in my experiences
Click to expand...



macbooks only take 3 gig of ram
 
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