Swad Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 It’s a moment that’s not easy for a geek to forget. For days you’ve been anxiously tracking your new Mac as it makes its way through the FedEx/UPS/DHL labyrinth. Finally, the day arrives - your Macintosh is here. If you’ve never owned a Mac, cutting open the packing tape brings an unsettling reminder... you’ve... uh... never actually used one of these things before... For all you Switchers, converted OSx86 “Homebrew” users, or pre-OS X users, I present a few thoughts from my experience with my new MacBook which I hope will guide you along as you start using your new Mac. Before Buying 1. Set out a budget (especially for laptops). It’s quite easy to justify the purchase of a new computer when you just look at the price of the unit itself. Once you start adding RAM upgrades, cases/bags, bluetooth accessories, etc... the actual price you’re paying for the computer can jump quicker than OJ Simpson’s lawyer fees. Make sure that you set aside enough money for all these things. 2. Check around for prices on RAM. Apple knows that they can gauge users on RAM upgrades, so be sure to hunt around for better deals on RAM. By the time you buy RAM elsewhere and sell the stock sticks on eBay, you will have saved quite a bit of cash. The exception to this rule is Mac Pro RAM, which is specialized enough that your safest bet is to buy from Apple. Third party stores are beginning to stock it, however. It’s also worth noting that as I bought my iMac a few days ago, I discovered that the 2 GB upgrade was competitively priced... within a few dollars of a Newegg upgrade. 3. Always buy more RAM when possible. The more RAM you throw at OS X, the happier you’ll be. Trust me. 1 GB should really be the minimum for casual usage or 2 GB if you're a power user. 4. Check eBay. Ah, eBay - the nirvana of geeks, insomniacs, and closet QVC watchers (you know who you are). If you’re patient and careful, it’s here that you can find some simply amazing deals. I recently purchased the 2.0 Ghz MacBook I’m typing on now for $1150 (shipped), including 3 year Applecare coverage. That’s a huge savings over the retail price. The key to eBay is never feeling pressured to buy anything and always checking the seller. Investigate the product early, bid late. After Buying 1. Enjoy removing your new Mac from its packaging. There’s a ritual we Mac lovers go through after each new Apple product introduction: we wait until some lucky so-and-so actually gets said product and posts pictures of unpacking his new toy. Why? Because Apple puts a lot of effort into good packaging and presentation. Savor each piece of styrofoam you remove. 2. Don’t worry about an immediate reinstall. If you’re like me, one of the first things you did with a new Windows PC was to make sure it booted and then promptly wipe the hard drive to remove all the free trials you didn’t need. With OS X, that’s not necessary. If you need to remove the preinstalled software, use AppZapper to help cleanse your hard drive. Monolingual will also help reclaim some hard drive space taken by extra languages you won’t use. 3. Install Apple software updates. Before you get too carried away installing new applications, go ahead and install all the updates found in Software Update. To get there, click on the blue Apple at the top left of your screen and go to “Software Update.” Install all the recommended updates. Restart. Go back to Software Update and see if there are any more. Rinse. Restart. Repeat as necessary. 4. Install essential applications. Digg is constantly filled with Top 10 lists of “must have OS X applications.” These lists are inherently subjective, but here’s a list of the first apps I install on any new Mac. Essential AppZapper - Fully deletes applications Adium - Great open-source instant messaging app iWork - The only Universal office suite at the moment Path Finder - Absolutely essential Finder replacement Quicksilver - Application launcher and so much more (I’d have its children if I could) Onyx - Ultimate tweaking utility for OS X Saft - If you’re going to stick with Safari, do yourself a favor and grab Saft. Toast Titanium - CD/DVD burning app Growl - Pleasant messages to let you know what your Mac is doing Recommended Flip4Mac - Integrates WMV files into Quicktime Monolingual - Reclaim hard drive space from default installation Senuti - Copy/backup music from your iPod (in case you need to change from Windows fomatting) NetNewsWire - Powerful RSS reader Jumpcut - Menubar clipboard collector Menuet - Great menubar iTunes app Candybar - Change icons to make OS X your own Dockstar and Mail.appetizer - Two small apps to help make Mail.app more accessible Parallels - Enjoy the eery experience of running Windows on your Mac MenuMeters - Keep track of your Mac through the Menubar WeatherDock - Free (highly customizable) weather app that will keep you well-informed 5. Make the Mac yours. Take the time to make the computer your own. Change the desktop by using some of the great images found at InterfaceLIFT. Swap out some icons with Candybar. Sort through the System Preferences and customize the feel of your computer. One of the first things I do is change the drag-and-drop behavior in OS X. It’s a quick fix that makes the experience what it should be. You’ll find many more hints like this in our Forum. 6. Play You deserve it. See how far and how fast your new Mac will take you. I have the feeling you’ll be impressed. 7. Share If you’ve found other great things to do with your new Mac, share them with others! Our Forum is a great place to start. We love to hear your ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_4e Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Great story and advice. Well written. I personally really really dislike growl, but i'm sure if you know how to tweak it, it's a very great app. Almost every app on there is a must have, especially iWork, adium, and onyx. iWork does take some getting used to but it really puts office in the dust. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaberSHO Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Very nice article Mash! thanks for the tip about MonoLinqual...its running right now! keep the awesome articles coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mofo-X Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Wow, It's almost hard to compare apples to arrows lol Regards, {censored}-X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macjason Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Nice, story MASH, Can't wait till i get a new mac when i get it don't know but i can already tell its gonna be awesome i love os x so much i know im gonna love my new macbook or anything i get macjason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Takuro Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Very nice review! So now you've owned a G4, an iMac and a MacBook? Or did you get the MacBook instead of the new iMac? I just have two things to mention though: Synergy kicks Menuet's butt, hand's down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thekyle Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 that was the best post in a while... i downloaded quite a few of the apps you listed and i had never heard of thanks....oh and yes synergy is awesome i agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted September 9, 2006 Author Share Posted September 9, 2006 Synergy is cool. Menuet has some great features too, like the album art finder, etc. Takuro - My grandma bought a G3, my dad bought a Power Mac G5, and I've got a Macbook and an iMac on the way. I'm gradually converting my family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtm3dd Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Mash - Fantastic advice I have just bought a new MacBook and your advice is being put to good use, even though I am a seasoned Mac Geek! Oh and the packaging: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrupted Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Did you forget to include ShapeShifter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaberSHO Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Be careful using Monolingual. It says that you should not strip the system frameworks, but it does it without asking anyway. Now i having problems compiling various apps in XCode!!! on another note, I now need someone to send me their entire frameworks folder! {censored}....unless someone knows a way of extracting it from the install DVD? any help would be greatly appreciated, and if someone could possibly send me their frameworks folder, please PM me...thanks! EDIT: doh, well, never mind on the request...my system is borked...im just gonna do a full reinstall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted September 9, 2006 Author Share Posted September 9, 2006 Sorry to hear that, SaberSHO! Keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applemacman Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I'm surprised no one has mentioned UNO. Mac's ununified gui is really my biggest complain about the os, and uno takes care of that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandmanfvrga Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Mash, what {censored}-X is getting at, if you say to click on the "blue arrow" then software updates. It is a blue apple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 Haha. What? You guys didn't get the "Apple to Arrow" iAnnoyance app? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Nonny Moose Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Be careful about removing other languages. It could cause some major problems with applications. Also, use TrimTheFat to remove code from universal Applications you don't need (Firefox for Mac is a major culprit of this, as about half the app is removed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 BTW, one reason I forgot to mention that Menuet is great is because it also has Growl notifications, which are pimp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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