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Necessary things to buy with Mac?

M

.MacGirl.

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 20, 2010
5
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I know I'm getting the thirteen inch MacBook Pro, and I know I'm getting Microsoft Office with it. This will be my first Pro but I love Macs. I'm on a pretty tight budget right now, but I want what all of you think is really necessary to buy with the Mac. AppleCare? MobileMe? What do you think is really necessary for a student?

Thanks!
 
An external hard drive for backups. You don't want to lose your precious data because of HD failure. AppleCare you can get right before your original warranty ends, no reason to get it now
 
Helpful Information for Any Mac User

You don't have to buy AppleCare immediately. You can buy it any time before the 1 year warranty expires.

You may want, but don't need MobileMe. You may want a case to protect your MBP. The booq Vyper is the best protection I've ever seen in a notebook sleeve. In my opinion, it offers far better protection than any neoprene case, the zippers never come into contact with your MBP, and it looks great!
VYP4s.jpg
 
Hellhammer said:
An external hard drive for backups. You don't want to lose your precious data because of HD failure. AppleCare you can get right before your original warranty ends, no reason to get it now
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree. You need a backup strategy.
I would partition the HD and use Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner both
Each has their advantages

Everything else is either cool or cosmetic
Just remember, data storage is always cheaper than data recovery
 
Things to buy for your Mac...

You already got some good suggestions but one item that will be necessary is protecting your MBP from the usual elements: scratches, marring, sweat, oily hands/fingers, etc.

Get ZAGG Invisibleshield and some sort of trackpad protector. Or something similar.

I have and installed the ZAGG full body Invisibleshield and it looks and works very well. Easy cleanup if you get it soiled. Installation is a challenge but doable. I'm picky. I didn't like the ZAGG trackpad film that came with the package. Too much resistance for my taste, fingers didn't glide over the surface very well. So, I picked up the 13" version of PowerSupport (PS) film and cut it to size to fit my MBP track pad and it's fantastic: very smooth and effortless. It cost a bit for the ZAGG and PS but very well worth it considering all the elements that can degrade your MPB.

Mel
 
you can sign up for a 60 day free trial of mobileme to see how it works too before you buy
 
Drinks...

Good advice from others.

Don't be a statistic! Keep drinks away from your mac. And don't complain here that you accidentally spilled stuff on your mac and expect Apple to fix it. For free. JK. But you won't let it happen, one would hope. :)
 
Don't forget to buy some iKlear cleaner. It comes with a chamois. Keep that new Mac clean so you can properly show it off. I personally don't like shields, guards, etc. Just a good, protective case and obsessive care for its appearance.
 
Thank you for the suggestions, everybody! I'll definitely check out a keyboard cover and an external hard drive. Thanks for letting me know about AppleCare. Can the exteral hard drive be purchased when customizing your Mac on the Apple website?

And I will definitely keep food and drink away from my Mac. I was always taught to do that with any computer so it's an automatic thing, I just don't do it.

Thanks again!
 
You can buy an external drive from Apple, but you'll pay a premium.
Other World Computing (macsales.com) is a very reliable source for Mac products and accessories.

I just bought an external drive from them, and have it partitioned for Time Machine & a bootable backup (using Superduper). It works great, all in the background.
 
.MacGirl. said:
I know I'm getting the thirteen inch MacBook Pro, and I know I'm getting Microsoft Office with it. This will be my first Pro but I love Macs. I'm on a pretty tight budget right now, but I want what all of you think is really necessary to buy with the Mac. AppleCare? MobileMe? What do you think is really necessary for a student?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Unless you really need Office go with NeoOffice and save the $$ and spend it on AppleCare.

As others have suggested , an external HD for backup is critical, another option is a MOZY account at $5/month and backup over the internet.
 
nizmoz said:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TV901LL/A

This is a better keyboard protector. It's clear vs the one above.
Click to expand...

I've used a lot of laptops (and desktop macs), and I've found that the best way to keep a laptop safe is to:

A: Not drink while using your laptop at all.
B: Don't have your laptop on the same level as the drink.
C: Be very careful, and stop using your computer to have a sip :)
 
Depending on undergrad vs grad program, and depending on what the other students have, it might be best to have Microsoft Office. It of course depends on the school and the amount of group project work you would be doing.

To that end, if you decide to go with Microsoft Office Mac 2011, skip the Student Teacher version and get the less advertised Academic version. It's something like $100 direct from Microsoft in the US, likely less if your school has a MS Select Agreement you can access -- I paid $57 for my copy.
 
deeddawg said:
Depending on undergrad vs grad program, and depending on what the other students have, it might be best to have Microsoft Office. It of course depends on the school and the amount of group project work you would be doing.

To that end, if you decide to go with Microsoft Office Mac 2011, skip the Student Teacher version and get the less advertised Academic version. It's something like $100 direct from Microsoft in the US, likely less if your school has a MS Select Agreement you can access -- I paid $57 for my copy.
Click to expand...

You know that iWork can open MS Word documents ah?
 
mrsir2009 said:
You know that iWork can open MS Word documents ah?
Click to expand...

iWork (with student discount) is only slightly cheaper than the Office Academic version in the UK and may be likewise in the US. Without going into a iWork vs OpenOffice vs MS Office debate, I'd have more confidence in submitting an academic paper using MS Word in case of any formatting issues.
 
Microsoft Office is really what I need. I've looked into iWork and other programs, but I need Microsoft Office. Thanks for the suggestions, though!
 
things that i bought immediately after I ordered my mbp a month ago.

1. keyboard cover (moshi or marware: silicone + clear)
2. case (booq, incase: I prefer booq)
3. external HD (already have one)

Contemplated on wrapsol & a trackpad protector but figured I won't really need it as long as I'm careful. Plus the trackpad cover is glass...doubt that would fade / wear and tear in a couple years time.

Enjoy your new mbp!
 
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