Filed under: Accessories, Analysis / Opinion, Tips and tricks, Apple
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.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mark M said 2:12PM on 12-25-2006
"All desktop Macs now come with the Mighty Mouse..."
Just so you know - the mac mini is a desktop mac that has no included mouse... but I'm just nitpicking.
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Schlaeps said 2:14PM on 12-25-2006
That first part about the mouse is stupid.
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Scott McNulty said 2:34PM on 12-25-2006
Mark M, you're right! The Mac mini slipped my mind because of the holidaze I am in. Fixed that section.
Schlaeps, a Merry Christmas to you too!
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Thomas said 2:48PM on 12-25-2006
I just got my first Mighty Mouse with my new iMac, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. I'm not using it but that's because I'm a trackball man.
Also, if you're running quicksilver then why do you need your applications folder in your dock?
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Duke said 2:52PM on 12-25-2006
In stead of dragging your apps folder into the dock, go download Quicksilver, which is free and much more useful and elegant
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Scott McNulty said 2:52PM on 12-25-2006
The Mighty Mouse, in my experience, is a pain to use as a multibutton mouse. It is cool but I hate having to lift my left finger off the mouse to right click. And the trackball annoys me as well.
Quicksilver is a great way to launch apps, but sometimes I want to see what I have in my apps folder and by moving it to the Dock I can! :)
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Scott McNulty said 2:55PM on 12-25-2006
Duke, why do I get the feeling that some people don't actually read these posts before they comment?
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Andre said 3:05PM on 12-25-2006
If your system came with a Mighty Mouse, don't bother to spend ~$100 on a new one. Just keep it and use it; it works fine. If the scroll wheel gets dirty or it stops working in some other way, just give Apple a call and demand a replacement. Works every time, assuming you got AppleCare. You did get AppleCare, right?
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Patrick Gibson said 3:12PM on 12-25-2006
I happen to really like the Mighty Mouse. Unless you are filthy and never wash your hands, you really won't have problems with the ball, and it moves so much better than any one-dimension wheel out there. I hate using non-Mighty Mouse mice!
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Karen Winkler said 3:18PM on 12-25-2006
It's not just for the noobs. I hadn't heard about Quicksilver.
In addition to the Application Folder on the Dock, I keep my Documents Folder there, too; so even when there are no open windows I'm only a click away.
For Those with Cluttered Desktops
Most power users know that the Desktop is nothing more than a dynamic folder, constantly monitored by the Mac. Therefore, when there is a lot of clutter there, your peppy Mac can actually get a bit sluggish as it keeps a constant watch on all those dozens of icons . . . just in case.
Inside my Documents Folder, is a folder I call " A Faux Cluttered" (Awful Cluttered) Please notice the leading space in the folder name. Put an alias of this folder on the Desktop. View by Icon. Put a kewl background on the window.
With this window always open, I have a faux Desktop that doesn't slow down my Mac, I can clutter it to my heart's content, it's really in my Documents folder where all those files should be anyhow, and my backup util can save them.
--Knotty
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Steve said 3:24PM on 12-25-2006
Yep, another Mighty Mouse advocate here. I like it, and would probably not use Expose at all without it. It may look like a one button mouse, but you actually have a four button mouse with the standard 3 plus the "squeeze" button. I've been using the one that came with my iMac for almost a year without issue, and at this point I really like it.
Quicksilver is cool but for non-power users it's just wasted resources - Spotlight accomplishes what most people need search for.
The rest, of course, are great hints - especially reading TUAW.
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Dan Frieber said 3:53PM on 12-25-2006
the only good point you have is the tabbed browsing in safari, everything else is just a preference.
i work with apple and i can tell you the mighty mouse is one of the best mice on the market, wireless or not. why go out and spend 100 dollars on a mouse with no better functions when you're already paying for the one that comes with the mac? and do you SERIOUSLY recommend a mouse that complicated to brand new mac users trying to figure out the stuff for the first time?
i dont like the applications folder in the dock- i simply dont like the look of folders there, and also, if you're advocating quicksilver, then why throw a folder down there too?
furthermore, ill be the first to tell you macs are the easiest, but most people today are completely overwhelmed by the whole transfer process, so to immediately suggest 3rd party applications to download is definately not a good idea. on top of that, you will never really understand the benefit of software like that until you've dealt with the default settings for a while and found their process too cumbersome.
as for those apple battery tips, they are just there so they can say yea we told you so. just charge it when you need to....as if you wouldnt anyways. the nature of the lithium ion battery technology as a whole is that they just do not last forever. yea those tips will keep your stuff lasting longer, but if you dont, you've got about 3 years to save up for a new battery.
advice to read tuaw, although another preference, is still some good advice - this site is usually great....especially since every post allows for a nice little comments area. :)
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Chris Mt.P said 5:20PM on 12-25-2006
Great tips. I have been looking for ideas on what to tell my friends who have been following my lead into a Mac experience. Having sold 3 or 4 friends on the idea and having helped them set up new iMacs I was lost as to where to begin. Now I also have these suggestions. Do a full software update before you go too far. You will have firmware updates and reboots to do and trying to do that while exploring your new machine can be seriously irritating. Also some of those updates, especially to iTunes, actually update the look and feel of your new machine. Some may take a while since I a few will come down the pipe topping 200mb.
Next I have a question and a comment. Karen... my desktop was flogged with beautiful icons and folders which did dog my system a bit. I followed your tip but what's the purpose of the space b4 the "a" in the folder name.
As for the mighty mouse. I have noticed many new switchers took to it just fine, especially liking the 360 degree roll on the ball. Also, as said b4 I think expose' is so much easier to use and show a new user with the side buttons. All have stuck with it so far. But I personally have had to replace 2 now because of jammed track balls. Having 3 kids on the iMac with dirty fingers probably doesn't help. But that's what Apple Care is for! They have replaced both without a hitch with free overnight shipping!
Lastly, I strongly suggest installing Flock or Firefox for those "IE only" websites that will come up kind of funky in Safari.
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Schlaeps said 5:55PM on 12-25-2006
My apologies for such a brief post. Christmas only allows for so much time to reply to posts.
In my experience, the Mighty Mouse is excellent, especially for new users (I happen to have a couple friends who have gotten new Macs within the last few weeks).
Merry Christmas to you too.
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Mr. Krinkle said 6:20PM on 12-25-2006
Good stuff Scott! I agree with you about the Mighty Mouse. It is the first mouse in I've ever used (dating back to 1984--my first PC) that has ever caused me extreme physical pain in my hand and wrist. I replaced it with the MX Revolution, the Ferrari of all mice!
I gave my gal a new Macbook and Red Nano for Christmas today as a replacement for her 12" iBook.
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Jason Davis said 6:25PM on 12-25-2006
As with many of the other readers I have to disagree with the mouse comment. As a matter of fact, one of the presents under my tree this year was a wireless Mighty Mouse for use with my MBP. I've used many other mice, including quite a few Logitech, and I prefer the mighty mouse over almost all of them. Besides being beautiful (like any Mac accessory should be) it works great! I've never had any real problems with my old wired Mighty Mouse.
Besides, who wants a mouse that looks like it is the demon spawn of some sci-fi alien?
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bungalooo said 6:30PM on 12-25-2006
#12, I almost agree with you except... Tabbed browsing is just a preference too. And I hate it.
I do keep my Applications folder in my dock, and I do read TUAW. Don't do anything else on the list. Love Mighty Mouse, hate Quicksilver, hate Growl, hate tabbed browsing. TUAW makes me happy though.
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Thomas said 6:40PM on 12-25-2006
About tabbed browsing. I loved it when I was on Windows, but since I had a Mac, I hate the idea. I just feel with Exposé, there is no need for tabbed browsing. But then again, just a general preference.
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kdmaster said 8:29PM on 12-25-2006
everthing is nice acept the thing about the mouse and the applications folder
i dont like the mouse because non-apple mice usually have an ugly dongle that you have to plug in your laptop
and spotlight eliminates the need for a applications folder in dock and you realy install 5 apps a day that you need an app folder in the dock and besides, it creates an ugly windows like menu of boring lists that go from left to right jus like the windows programs
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Jason said 9:36AM on 12-26-2006
I love tabbed browsing, especially with Firefox on the mac. I can keep pop-ups in tabs and control everything without leaving a single window. It's very valuable. Expose is never used here.
As for the mighty mouse - it feels cheap, especially the scroll ball. I like the idea behind it, but it's not for my hands. But like anything, try it out for a while before you write it off.
I'm up in the air about quicksilver. It's not the quickest loading program on start up and has a few hick-ups now and again, but I find it very useful for very quick app launching. Much better than the apps folder in the dock, though I can see why this was on the list, too. I sometimes have to think what an app's name is when using QS, which sort of slows things down more than opening the finder. :P
Growl is awesome, especially coupled with hardware growler, growl mail, and quicksilver's iTunes notifications. Try those before writing this one off, too.
I always will read TUAW. It's informative and well produced. Keep up the good work, guys. :)
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