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Hi all, received delivery today of my Macbook Pro (After TNT lost the parcel, and then apple couldn't provide proof it had left the warehouse and all that kind of thing.), Mid 2012 model, Decided to go for the 13.3" i5, 2.5Ghz, 8GB RAM and a 750GB HDD.

At first I was very concerned when it first arrived as I couldn't get it to boot, but after realising there was a battery "check" on the side it revealed that the battery was empty, which appeared to me to be a little strange as everyone I had spoke to told me that it usually comes with around 70 - 80% Battery, Once booted and setup I checked the cycles, and discovered it had 4 battery cycles already, strange, ah well.

I am "new" to mac, I had an old 2005/6?? Mac Mini, without Wi-Fi or anything on it for about a week, and then sold it as I just couldn't get it to work for me (This was a year or so ago, I wanted to try OSX and Apple without spending lots) And I think the reason I couldn't get on with it was because I cheaped out and bought the cheapest thing I could to try it.

Now I have it setup and working I can honestly say it is the best purchase I have ever made, And I am glad that I went for this over the new rMPB.

I was wondering if anyone had any kind of "must have" apps, I need some kind of office bundle (I.E Windows Office) But I don't want to pay the earth, I was looking at open office, is that any good?

So, other then that, is there anything anyone would recommend to get, I am looking for a nice case also, so if you know a good one, feel free to share it ;P

Thanks for reading all of it (Only if you did read it all!)
Jack!
 

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If you do a forum search You'll find several threads on this issue. OpenOffice is OK but many find LibreOffice. That will meet most needs. Some users have found it necessary though to spring for Office 2011 for Mac.

My suggestion would be to check out the software already included on your Mac before purchasing additional software. I'm not suggesting TextEdit is a replacement for MS Word just that there is some quality software there.
 
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If you do a forum search You'll find several threads on this issue. OpenOffice is OK but many find LibreOffice. That will meet most needs. Some users have found it necessary though to spring for Office 2011 for Mac.

My suggestion would be to check out the software already included on your Mac before purchasing additional software. I'm not suggesting TextEdit is a replacement for MS Word just that there is some quality software there.


Forum search what? About office or the battery coming flat, not sure what you mean by that :)

Yeah I've looked in to TextEdit, and I was highly considering buying Pages, I have Pages on my iPad and it's a great bit of kit, I was unaware I would have to buy it again for Mac however, Unless I don't, but I can't see anyway to actually download it in the store.

Jack :Blushing:
 

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Should have clarified that. I meant that the question of best apps to have has been addressed several times.

Unfortunately my forum search mojo leaves a lot to be desired today. I did stumble upon this tidbit. Best Mac Apps posted by member louishen
 
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Should have clarified that. I meant that the question of best apps to have has been addressed several times.

Unfortunately my forum search mojo leaves a lot to be desired today. I did stumble upon this tidbit. Best Mac Apps posted by member louishen

Ah, fair enough, it was because you said "issue" it threw me a little, haha.

I'll take a look at that link, thanks!
 
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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any kind of "must have" apps, I need some kind of office bundle (I.E Windows Office) But I don't want to pay the earth, I was looking at open office, is that any good?

Have a look in the App Store iWork is extremely cheep (give away prices), and with pages you really can create stunning stationary etc.
 
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Despite being made by the same company, iOS and OS X are two different operating systems and for most apps that appear on both platforms, you pay separately. This is true of Pages as well (part of the former "iWork suite") but both are priced as oldscribe said at "giveaway" prices by comparison with competitors such as MS Office.

I have LibreOffice and it will do in a pinch, and certainly the price is right, but ... I'm kind of an elegance junkie (that's why I went with Apple in the first place, and why I stick with them today), so to my eyes Pages (etc) simply blows LibreOffice (et al) out of the water. I acknowledge there are other scenarios where the advantages of iWork apps isn't so clear-cut, but for me it's been utterly fabulous and one of the better software values around IMO.
 
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Despite being made by the same company, iOS and OS X are two different operating systems and for most apps that appear on both platforms, you pay separately. This is true of Pages as well (part of the former "iWork suite") but both are priced as oldscribe said at "giveaway" prices by comparison with competitors such as MS Office.

I have LibreOffice and it will do in a pinch, and certainly the price is right, but ... I'm kind of an elegance junkie (that's why I went with Apple in the first place, and why I stick with them today), so to my eyes Pages (etc) simply blows LibreOffice (et al) out of the water. I acknowledge there are other scenarios where the advantages of iWork apps isn't so clear-cut, but for me it's been utterly fabulous and one of the better software values around IMO.

Ah that clears that up a little, thanks :)

I don't know, Currently I think I'll give Open Office a try as its free, and then see how I get on, I really like the iCloud functionality of pages though, ah, I don't know.
 
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Ah that clears that up a little, thanks :)

I don't know, Currently I think I'll give Open Office a try as its free, and then see how I get on, I really like the iCloud functionality of pages though, ah, I don't know.

Hi Jack - congrats on your new acquisition - just got a rMBP a few weeks ago and am really enjoying - having to learn OS X quickly, i.e. just ordered an iMac for a DT replacement of our old Dell - will be mainly my wife's computer, but I'll be her trainer, I guess - :\

Now, I've had an iPad 2 for 2 years w/ the iWork suite (Pages = Word; Numbers = Excel; Keynote = PowerPoint) - also have the same programs installed on my MBP - just much more powerful on Mountain Lion than on iOS, as expected - as already stated, these OS X office apps are really inexpensive for their quality & depth, just $20 each - so if you need a Word and/or Excel equivalent, then a recommended consideration.

As to other apps, search the forum as suggested and also explore what is available as part of the OS package - e.g. I used IrfanView extensively on my PCs for preliminary editing of images (e.g. cropping & resizing) - WELL, do I need another program? Screen capture is easily done w/ CMD-SHIFT 3 or 4 (or Grab) and the Preview app opens an image that can be cropped and resize, SO don't need a replacement. Dave :)
 

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