Just ordered MBP

[graln1k]

This is my very first Mac and I went all out and ordered the 17". What are the first things that I should know right out of the box (how to charge the battery the first time etc). Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[_kim]

Well, since I just received my new 17"MBP Glossy screen on yesterday (Mon) - wasnt expecting it until Wednesday - so it was here a full 2 days early... I got out of work early (suddenly got a terrible headache ) so I could go home and check it out.

Enjoy the thrill of opening such a beautiful machine. I took mine right out of the box - followed the instruction booklet about connecting the power adapter, etc - went through the set up assistant. All in all, I believe it took 15 min to start it up, configure it on my wifi network and i was good to go.

It is pretty basic - hope that helps.

 

[graln1k]

Did you let the battery die all the way before you charged it? Is that even necessary with Macs?

 

[_kim]

I charged the battery then surfed a bit - not too long. Unplugged the mac. Had to take a friend to the airport and when I came home ran the battery all the way down that evening.

 

[richard4339]

This thread has more information on things you should do with your battery.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/255878/

 

[graln1k]

Can anyone recommend any must download or must buy programs?

 

[richard4339]

If you're wanting to run Windows, get Parallels. If you use IM, get Adium. If you're a programmer, TextMate is a must have. Otherwise, there's not too much I can recommend.

 

[uaaerospace]

Can anyone recommend any must download or must buy programs?

Since this is your first Mac, I'd play around with the programs that come with it before going wild with 3rd party replacement apps. Give iChat a try. After a couple of days, you may decide it just doesn't cut it. Then try Adium as richard4339 recommended (I recommend it too). Give xCode a try before installing a third party programming tool. Again, it may not satisfy your needs (may be to complicated, etc), but at least give it a glance.

Congratulations and good luck waiting...I'm about to go crazy waiting on my Macbook.