new-mac
Latest
Leopard to come packed with all new Macs on Friday?
If you listened to the TUAW Talkcast last night (which should be available for download later this week, I'm told), not only did you hear that I have an atrocious backup plan, I burn a DVD every other year or so and write the date on it with a Sharpie, but you also heard about a very interesting strategy to get Leopard a little early. Mat told us that Apple plans not to sell computers with Leopard installed on them next Friday, but instead pull the computers out of the backstock, and just throw a Leopard box in the bag when you leave.Considering that I'm planning on buying a Mini with Leopard on it rather than Leopard itself, that's a very interesting plan. And now we've all but got corroboration-- reader Bren sent a tip that says he was hanging around the Apple Store this weekend, and was told by an employee that when the Apple Stores receive their shipments on Friday around 11am or noon, they'll start attaching copies of Leopard to the new computers right away.I find it hard to believe that they would do that and then still require people who were just buying Leopard itself to wait until 6pm, but you never know. Even if not, you can always do the up-to-date thing, or just wait until later in the evening to buy your new computer-- after the release at 6pm, it's almost guaranteed you'll get a new copy of Leopard with your purchase. But if you're planning to buy a new Mac this Friday anyway, you might try calling ahead (or showing up early) to see if you can get Leopard early with your machine.Update: An anonymous Apple employee tells us that employees will be working overnight to pack the boxes of new Macs with discs. No word on if Macs sold earlier in the day will have these discs or not.
Getting started with your new Mac
Someone must love you, since there was a shiny new Mac waiting under the tree for you this morning. I know you're excited to get it up and running, and it'll be easier than you think. There are some tips I would like to share with you, oh newly inducted acolyte to the Cult of Mac, that should make your Mac adventure even more fun. Toss aside the included mouse: All desktop Macs now come with the Mighty Mouse (except the Mac mini, of course), which is a multibutton mouse that pretends to be a one button mouse. Toss it aside and get yourself a real mouse (the Logitech MX Revolution Wireless Laser Mouse is currently my favorite mouse of all time). If you received a portable Mac you should also pick yourself up a mouse. The included Trackpad is nice, but a mouse is much nicer. Download Quicksilver and Growl: You might not get why Quicksilver and Growl are awesome. You might not get it for awhile, but when it clicks your Mac experience will become even better. Trust me, would a blogger lie to you? Enable Tabbed Browsing in Safari: Launch Safari, go to 'Preferences,' 'Tabs,' and check the 'Enable Tabbed Browsing.' You might also want to check out many of the Mac only variants of web browsers: Omniweb, Optimized Firefox, Camino (which is still my personal favorite), and Shiira. Drag your Applications folder to the Dock: I wrote a post, about a year ago, detailing how to move your hard disk into the Dock for easy access. I have since amended my setup to include only the Applications Folder in the Dock, since that is where I needed to go most of the time anyway. Follow the instructions in my previous post, but just drag the Applications Folder in the Dock instead of the entire hard disk. Charge the battery, but not too much: If you found a MacBook or MacBook Pro under the tree make sure that you plug it in the first time you use it. Apple has a list of tips for maximizing the battery life of portables, give it a read to ensure many happy cycles on your battery. Read TUAW: I admit that I am a little biased, but we here at TUAW strive to be that Mac geek friend of yours that knows where to find all the cool Mac stuff on the web. Our knowledgeable bloggers (and me!) are always ready with new tips, tricks, and news to share so make sure you come back often.
