The essentials?

[TJaames]

Hey guys.
I apologize if this has been asked before, but I'm a first-time mac owner with no experience with OS or anything of the sort. I received my 17" i5 MBP Friday night, and I had to send it back to Apple to be repaired today.

I'm just curious, being a new and first-time owner, what are essential programs, accessories (internal and external), and other things that are absolutely a must have for MBP.

I have the 17" i5 hi-res glossy machine, and the only things I own right now for it are Microsoft office business edition and AppleCare.
I don't plan on doing anything too crazy with the computer. I'm a pretty bare-bones user. I'll be listening to music, internet, skype/ichat, possibly WoW if I decide to immerse myself back into it, etc.

Thank you in advanced for all your help.

 

[miles01110]

You can get by with the default software just fine. It's usually better to determine what kind of program you need and then search for a solution- different things work for different people.

Bookmark Mroogle- you'll be able to find your answers on the forum a lot faster that way.

 

[Fuzzy14]

Unless you want to use it for anything specific, it probably comes with all you need. But try this list anyway.

Oh, and VLC is a must.

 

[elpmas]

I think there's a thread somewhere below this one that says something about "Applications I love...". It pretty much has programs that users, just like yourself, likes to use on a daily basis. Hope this helps :]

 

[bigjobby]

MS Office Business Edition? I might be wrong but don't you mean Office 2008 for Mac? BE I thought was distinctly for Windows.

 

[TJaames]

Nope BE 2008 for Mac.

Thank you guys for the lists! I also want to know about things like the best cases, mice, etc. !

 

[ECUpirate44]

As far as a case goes, i recommend this http://store.apple.com/us/product/H0376ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA2Ng&mco=MTczMTA1MzA

I bought one for my 15' and i love it.

The magic mouse is the way to go. Also, click free is a good backup HD. not too expensive either! Sorry to hear about your 17 inch already failing. Faulty logic board or Hard Drive i would think.. Let us know!

Matt

 

[RELOAD911]

I would recommend coconutBattery for monitoring your battery life condition and The Unarchiver for various types of archives extraction. Oh, and Perian instead of VLC but that's a matter of taste AND you'll still need VLC if you want to watch anything in MKV.