What should I do with my new Macbook pro retina??

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Congratulations.

I think a lot of people buy their machines so they can run benchmarks and look for faults - or issues - so you could try that if you like

Personally I suggest you just start using it - go through the system preferences and look at each one individually you will find some things that are handy. Same for applications - look at the preferences under the application menu.

You'll find lots of good advice on this forum though so come back and ask when you have any issues.

 

I don't mean to be rude, but why did you buy a $3000+ machine if you don't know what you need it for? iTunes, downloading, and internet searching can all be done with a $500 machine without any issue, $1000 if you want a Mac. "some video and picture editing" is very vague and makes me think you won't need much more than iPhoto and iMovie either...

All judgments aside, you should use the machine. Do with it what it does best. Don't do anything to try and keep it in tip-top performance; it's meant to be used. Push FCPX with some HD editing and play with After Effects. Render something with Rhino. Or maybe just play Crysis. Then you'll see what the machine is capable of.

 

There we go. I apologize for jumping to conclusions. I guess you were just asking how to keep the computer maintained? I still stand by my opinion that you shouldn't worry about it. Just use the computer. Maybe if you want to keep the battery healthy, do a full discharge every month or so. The SSD will maintain itself with TRIM. Everything else (under normal usage) will work just fine 4-5 years down the line without any issue.

 

Mitchel, welcome to your macbook. I hope it brings you a lot of joy. Final cut pro is a lot of fun, very easy to use. theres a lot of online tutorials for it. Spend a week or so poking around on your mac and learning the basics of navigation. Go on into any apple store an have them give you a rundown on the ins and outs if need be, thats what theyre there for.

Congrats and have fun!

 

Good one. You really made a relevant point here, I am impressed.

There is no "compared to..." here. Spending $3000 on a computer and then coming to ask "How should I use this machine?" speaks volumes to my point.

The OP is free to spend their money on whatever they like, but coming to determine how to use something after your purchase (while also listing off silly tasks that a 13" MBP could handle) is plain silly.

 

doubt it. not a common occurrence in patients with illusory superiority

 

should be fast enough (at least for now)

 

What program are you currently using to edit video?

 

If you are serious about photography, you should probably look into Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. However, neither of these products have been updated to work with the Retina display. The only way to avoid pixel-doubled representations of your photos on screen, you need to install SwitchResX and run your RMBP in full 2880x1800 resolution when you are using either of those two products. Your icons will be very small, but your artwork will display in full Retina glory. If you are using an external display, this will not be an issue.

I've queried a lot of professional photographers, the vast majority of them laugh when you mention Aperture and advise switching to Lightroom instead.

 

SwitchResX is a pretty necessary app at this point since only apple really have their apps running properly for the res. With SwitchresX you can set it to switch resolution based on the application you are using. So if you are using an app where you need 1:1 pixel depth you can have it switch to 2880x1800 (non-scaled) and get a perfect image. Then you can set things like your browser and mail to whatever scaled mode you like, so when you switch around it will quickly adapt the resolution to your needs.

I also recommend gfxCardStatus...just to keep an eye on what your computer is doing, and also so you can set a better battery profile (integrated only on battery/discreet only on power)

Scroll Reverser is kind of a general mac thing...not a retina thing. But its really nice to use a real mouse with regular scrolling while also using the trackpad with "natural" scrolling.

Those are the basic utilities I would recommend.

 

Do you need other people to tell you how to enjoy your life?

 

Since you just posted that you weren't impressed with the retina MacBook Pro, you aren't qualified to tell him how to enjoy his life with one anyway.

 

Yes, I often check reviews for movies so I make sure I enjoy them. Same goes for millions of people who take advice on where to travel and things to do. Nothing wrong with asking for advice on how to use the rMBP to its fullest capabilities.

Man, I miss the down vote.

 

So nobody has ever recommended anything to you to entertain yourself? Interesting life you've got there squire.

 

Where does it say that please?

He asked a question... and got an answer.

 

i already posted it. you said you tried it and werent impressed. if you dont own one you cant give advice on what he should or shouldnt buy. I thought it made sense no?

 

Make a "Will it blend?" video.