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NHuskers

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 16, 2009
16
0
I am set to receive my first MBP tomorrow afternoon! (15" 2.66ghz 4gb ram 320gb hd) I was wondering what everyone recommends to do once I get it. Should I drain the battery right away? What are some necessary widgets/programs? Any products that are a must have?(palm guard?)....basically anything that you think will maximize my experience with my first mac. Thanks!
 
I don't think draining the battery is necessary, just use it. Be sure to calibrate every so often. If you're OCD like me, get a cover for your keyboard, a sleeve and you're all set.

Enjoy and be careful with your laptop, the aluminum dents really easy!
 
well right after you unbox it, make sure you wipe the drool from your mouth! ;)

but seriously, just play around with it, set up your accounts in ichat, transfer data, all that stuff
 
Thanks for all the replies! I feel like a 12 yr old on Christmas :D. I bought a Northface Recon backpack and am planning on either getting an incase sleeve or radtech.
 
Enjoy and be careful with your laptop, the aluminum dents really easy!

Too easily... :eek:

Be nice to your battery. After a year (plus a few months) and 646 cycles, mine doesn't last long off-charge.
 
After debating/saving for over a year today I finally decided to break down and order a 15in MacBook Pro before I head off to law school in the fall. With the keyboard moshi clear gaurd, can you feel the plastic on the keys or is it pretty much a natural feel?
 
i like quicksilver a lot. it makes launching anything really quick.

smc fan control is nice to bump the fan speed up

istat is nice to keep track of system resources

maybe try crossover if you want to use windows versions of office

also, gl in law school, I'll be in the same boat come this fall!
 
After debating/saving for over a year today I finally decided to break down and order a 15in MacBook Pro before I head off to law school in the fall. With the keyboard moshi clear gaurd, can you feel the plastic on the keys or is it pretty much a natural feel?

You can feel the plastic a little bit but it's super thin. I did a lot of research and the general consensus was moshi is the way to go.

I couldn't tell the difference until you just mentioned the plastic feel.
 
Firstly. If you install iStat Menu's - don't spend too much time dwelling on fan speeds and CPU temperatures (like many here :rolleyes: - it created to much dull whine). I recommend using your MBP on the factory charged battery until it's run flat then give it a nice full charge :)

Enjoy it. You've purchased a magnificent piece of technology! :cool:
 
Enjoy and be careful with your laptop, the aluminum dents really easy!

Well this certainly caught my eye. Like others here, I'm going to law school this fall. I have ordered my invisible shield and will be getting a sleeve to protect it while i carry it in my messenger bag along with my books. Will a sleeve provide enough protection though, as it will be in my bag along with lots of big, heavy books? Should I just get the white one instead? I had planned to get the 2.26 model with 4gigs. But if it's seriously that fragile then I don't know how I feel about it. I don't want to go to my first class, pull my mbp out of the sleeve, and boom, have the entire case bent or full of dents, etc., etc.

I just need the thing to last for 3 years. I'm hoping it will be reliable, as apples have that reputation. It will be my first ever mac. Been using windows since 3.1. So maybe someone can offer some guidance as to how fragile the mbp case really is. It's a means to an end for me, for 3 years, I just need it to last me that long and do its job well. I really was hoping to get the mbp though... now I'm worried...
 
It's not "fragile" but aluminum in general bend and dent so easily. Keep that in mind. I'm certainly not saying to choose the whitebook over the unibody, just don't be so careless like I was. Short story- I bought this thing 2 weeks ago, babied it, thought it was invincible. I was hustling getting in my car and dinged the back casing against the door. Next thing you know there's a huge dent on the bottom panel.

Just my luck. If this bothers me I guess I'll have to order a replacement case. Nonetheless, I too, am hoping this will get me through my 4 years as an undergraduate.
 
Depends on how you drop it, how high, and at what angle, and against what. Generally, the sleeves will protect against only the slightests of drops. You'd best consider sleeves more of a protector against scratches and such, rather than impact protection. I had my MBA, super light, in an incase sleeve, in a bottom-padded kenneth kole briefcase, drop as I was hunched to get a seat in class (one of those movie theater seats). Didn't even notice it. When I got home, I saw the dent that bent the corners of my top right bend inwards together... I wasn't happy.
 
Wow, ok, so putting a mbp in a neoprene sleeve and then putting that in my messenger bag where there will be big, heavy books that weight a lot... the sleeve won't protect it and my mbp will probably get dented? what do you think? This has taken me to freaking out mode. My invisibleshield is already on the way, I haven't even ordered my mac yet. I ordered the shield for the mbp. Perhaps I should send it back and get the one for the whitebook and just get a sleeve for that and call it a day? This seems rather disappointing. I thought the aluminum was especially advantageous for its build quality. Lots of college kids are getting macs. I would think Apple would design a computer to at least not dent at (what it seems like) every chance. Certainly then one could say the build quality, at least casing wise, of the whitebook is superior, could they not? UGH :(:confused::mad:
 
Wow, ok, so putting a mbp in a neoprene sleeve and then putting that in my messenger bag where there will be big, heavy books that weight a lot... the sleeve won't protect it and my mbp will probably get dented? what do you think? This has taken me to freaking out mode. My invisibleshield is already on the way, I haven't even ordered my mac yet. I ordered the shield for the mbp. Perhaps I should send it back and get the one for the whitebook and just get a sleeve for that and call it a day? This seems rather disappointing. I thought the aluminum was especially advantageous for its build quality. Lots of college kids are getting macs. I would think Apple would design a computer to at least not dent at (what it seems like) every chance. Certainly then one could say the build quality, at least casing wise, of the whitebook is superior, could they not? UGH :(:confused::mad:
Don't freak out, I have a Unibody MacBook, and I've been doing alright lugging it everywhere with just an incase. No dents, no dings.

If you're really worried, a lot of companies (I believe Booq has one) have hard sleeves, and Speck and Incase have hard cases that fit over your MacBook. I just ordered a Speck case because I'm prone to dropping things every second.

Get what you like, just take care of it, don't stress too much, the Unibodies are very, very nice!
 
The most important thing to do after setting up your account is to update your apple software, once you do that I would set up mail and iTunes. Then just start learning and get ready for a lot of late nights enjoying the wonderful world of Mac!!
 
Thanks again for all of the posts! I am currently posting on my new MBP!! It is everything that Imagined:D
 
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