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New mbp owner

H

highr0lla

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 17, 2010
11
0
Hey guys, just got back from the apple store with my new 13" mbp. I was wondering if you guys could answer a few Qs for me.

First I was wondering what you guys use to protect your mbp. I'm split between getting a sleeve or a hard shell.

Secondly, can you guys recommend some programs/apps for me? Since I'm new to macs I'm really not sure what and where to download stuff.

Thanks!
 
2. Links to Software Recommendation Threads





Also have a look at the following links to learn more about Mac OS X:




1. Using MRoogle will yield many results on what cases are recommended to protect your MBP, as this is an often asked question.

4561230714_d6e9a40397_o.jpg

 
sleeve!...
the apps that i use the most are already on there. the only one that isn't is adium, only reason i use it is because my friends for some reason decided to use msn?...
 
Thanks!
And ya I was leaning towards the sleeve since I like the look of the mbp. But then again i think the hard shell is more practical in protecting it. Thanks for the quick responses!
 
Oh and one more thing. I used Google Chrome on windows so I downloaded it here too but what browser do you guys use? Is safari better in any ways?
 
Accessories:
Wrapsol - to cover your macbook with a skin (the matte looks sweet!)
Radtech Screensavrz - to cover your keyboard and prevent oil marks on your screen. (if you use a mouse, consider a moshi shieldpad)
Moshi Clearguard - protect your keyboard from the grime on your fingers
Moshi Palmguard - protect the beautiful exterior of your palmrest area.

Sleeve or Hardshell - I use a beautiful handwoven Fabrix Case from fabrixcases.com (you can consider Waterfields from sfbags.com)

If you want a hardshell, i highly recommend you wrapsol/phantomskinz your macbook first to prevent trapped dirt from scratching your mac.

Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad - a great addition to your MBP, it'll be happy to have a partner!

Software:
coconut battery - to check the status of your battery
gfxcardstatus - to select which graphics card your system will operate on
movit - a great alternative to VLC
Adium - an excellent messenger
bettertouchtools - for adding more gestures to your trackpad/mouse
Dropbox - cloud storage goodness
Growl - fancy notifications for a number of supported programs
Smartsleep - should you want to remove the 4GB sleep file
Handbrake - for transcoding etc into formats for portable use etc
Carbon Copy Cloner - for you to do a nice backup of your drive

that is pretty much what i have done with my beloved MBP
 
highr0lla said:
Oh and one more thing. I used Google Chrome on windows so I downloaded it here too but what browser do you guys use? Is safari better in any ways?
Click to expand...

I think Chrome's still the best and quickest at loading pages, but I like the way Safari handles PDFs, so I use that. Firefox blows on Mac, but it's my main browser on Windows.
 
Sleeve vs hardshell....
Not really the same thing, considering you can double up and use both.
But sleeves are cool I guess (until you take it off).
Hardshells go on and stay on, save for the monthly/biweekly cleaning. Have used them for 3 years with no I'll effects.
 
Eddyisgreat said:
Sleeve vs hardshell....
Not really the same thing, considering you can double up and use both.
But sleeves are cool I guess (until you take it off).
Hardshells go on and stay on, save for the monthly/biweekly cleaning. Have used them for 3 years with no I'll effects.
Click to expand...

Some people have seen some scratches due to dirt or something getting trapped inside the hardshell, though. Which hardshell do you use? Maybe it could help OP out on what to decide.
 
No1nfoProvided said:
Some people have seen some scratches due to dirt or something getting trapped inside the hardshell, though. Which hardshell do you use? Maybe it could help OP out on what to decide.
Click to expand...

For the MBP, i've used both the speck and the incase. I like the incase slightly better because the top case design is slightly different, and I like incase's implementation. However my new 2010 incase is incredibly tight around the edges on both the bottom and top pieces, and allows the screen to tilt to a great range. I've never had an issue with dirt/crumbs actually scratching the unit in a protected area. The only reason i've had to clean it is because a small amount of dust would accumulate in the slits on the underside. I'd also clean it whenever it'd have to go to Apple for service.
 
Ya I've also been hearing about scratching due to hard cases. Also, I understand I can get both but I would rather make one good decision and get just one. So you would recommend the incase and not speck?
 
Slow closing keynote icon mbp 15 2010 i7

Hey ! I am new inside mac world, and i bought a new i7 macbook pro 15 one week ago and i installed iWok 09 and i works perfect but when i close it in dock bar the icon of keynote application closes slowly so i hope some one can response....and giveme some help !! thank every one ohhh by the way when i close parallels icon closes slowly too... just with intel hd video card

Notes: Whe i use a Nvidia 330M every application close fast... no matter what application i use
 
Eddyisgreat said:
For the MBP, i've used both the speck and the incase. I like the incase slightly better because the top case design is slightly different, and I like incase's implementation. However my new 2010 incase is incredibly tight around the edges on both the bottom and top pieces, and allows the screen to tilt to a great range. I've never had an issue with dirt/crumbs actually scratching the unit in a protected area. The only reason i've had to clean it is because a small amount of dust would accumulate in the slits on the underside. I'd also clean it whenever it'd have to go to Apple for service.
Click to expand...

Maybe I should have gone with a hard case because after 4.5 years, my MBP is pretty beat up. It has a couple dents and a few scratches. I used a sleeve for a while, but after the scratches I just stuck the thing in my Targus backpack whenever I wanted to take it somewhere. I also don't like the way those hard cases look on the MBP, but I dunno.
 
highr0lla said:
Ya I've also been hearing about scratching due to hard cases. Also, I understand I can get both but I would rather make one good decision and get just one. So you would recommend the incase and not speck?
Click to expand...

Either works. Just go for whichever one has a color/style you like. I like clear, so I got the speck.
 
highr0lla said:
Oh and one more thing. I used Google Chrome on windows so I downloaded it here too but what browser do you guys use? Is safari better in any ways?
Click to expand...

Switched to Safari (from FF) about 3 months ago and never looked back. Safari is faster and has a more integrated look/feel. JMO.

Never tried Chrome............... won't go with the evil empire.

congrats on the new computer
JohnG
 
Chrome is the best browser in my opinion...and it depends whether you want it protected during storage and use or just storage(sleeve). I personally have a Tuscano Second Skin for mine and I love it but I would never get a sleeve because I dont want to change the actual look and feel of the macbook
 
check amazon for the hardcases and sleeves got myself a speck hardshell for my 13"MBP and the pixel slevee shipped for $65 almost as much as the price of the case from best buy or the speck website
 
ugh. just kinda scratched the edge of wrapsol. -kinda crushed together a small minute bit- OCD OCD
 
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