Do I need any accessories?

[financeguy]

I got a good deal on a MBA rev B ($980 total), which I'm really happy with. The only accessory bought was a case.

From your experiences do you guys recommend that I get the super drive (=10% of MBA cost), the extended Apple Care (=20% of MBA cost), or maybe another accessory I'm not mentioning?

I'm just not sure if they're worth the extra cost.

 

[MWPULSE]

depends what your gonna be doing with the machine i guess, and how your going to use it. If you feel like your gonna put some CDs on there then maybe you need the drive, but then again, that depends. If you already have a drive, then you might not need it.

PTP

 

[GoCubsGo]

I have the SD. I used it four times in one week when I didn't have my other machine and have used it one time since then. I've had my MB Air since December.

 

[MacDawg]

If you don't have a current backup strategy, I would recommend investing in an external drive for Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner or both. You may not consider it an accessory, but HD space is always cheaper than data recovery.

If you have a backup strategy, then disregard

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[adamjackson]

I purchased this for the Macbook Air. It's more than Apple's but works exactly the same and I can plug it into my PC and read Blu-Ray disks.

http://fastmac.com/blurayext



I purchased this case for my air that keeps it scratch free for a while

http://www.speckproducts.com/products/seethru/macbook-air/132


I got the MacBook Air applecare warranty too. It's so much cheaper on eBay. I've bought it on eBay for my past 4 macs and had no problems when it came time to do repairs.

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_tr...cbook+air+applecare&_sacat=See-All-Categories


Finally, I got the Apple Mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter because there's going to be a situation where you need it and no one will have the adapter.


yeah an external HD is a good idea but I just got a Time Capsule since we have three laptops in the house that are all macs.

 

[financeguy]

I got the MacBook Air applecare warranty too. It's so much cheaper on eBay. I've bought it on eBay for my past 4 macs and had no problems when it came time to do repairs.

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_tr...cbook+air+applecare&_sacat=See-All-Categories

That is a lot cheaper. I might get the Apple Care after all then.

Thanks a lot.

 

[entatlrg]

- a usb hub if you'll need more than one port

- SD card reader if you'll use it with a digi cam

They're cheap and lightweight so I carry both in my bag, both come in handy once in a while.


3G internet stick is nice too if you're out of wifi range.

Enjoy your MBA !!

 

[adamjackson]

That is a lot cheaper. I might get the Apple Care after all then.

Thanks a lot.

totally! just be careful. make sure they hvae 100% positive and that they've sold at least a few hundred Applecare packages. it's easy to find a good seller. they'll send you a code that you register online. it's very easy.

 

[adamjackson]

- a usb hub if you'll need more than one port

- SD card reader if you'll use it with a digi cam

They're cheap and lightweight so I carry both in my bag, both come in handy once in a while.


3G internet stick is nice too if you're out of wifi range.

Enjoy your MBA !!

it turns out though that my SD Card Reader and AT&T 3G card don't fit in my Macbook air so I had to get a USB extension cord like this

http://www.amazon.com/Inch-Fully-Rated-Extension-Cable/dp/B000E5CYW8

for those to work. it's a good thing to have anyway on any MacBook you own. Even my 17" MacBook Pro can't support my SD Reader OR AT&T Card and still allow me to plug in a keyboard and iPhone.

 

[financeguy]

totally! just be careful. make sure they hvae 100% positive and that they've sold at least a few hundred Applecare packages.

I can't find any sellers with 100% feedback and over 100 sales, most have 99.8% or something. Additionally I came across this message, which really scared me:

http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-APPLECARE-APPLE-CARE-A-warning-to-buyers_W0QQugidZ10000000011731235

Can you recommend a particular seller?

 

[adamjackson]

I can't find any sellers with 100% feedback and over 100 sales, most have 99.8% or something. Additionally I came across this message, which really scared me:

http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-APPLECARE-APPLE-CARE-A-warning-to-buyers_W0QQugidZ10000000011731235

Can you recommend a particular seller?

Yeah I read that before and just made sure to call AppleCare and verify they were ok. I've used it on 4 Laptops and 2 iPhones.

2 of the notebooks have been sent in for service and all has been okay. there are many threads on the other forums about this so just do some more research.

 

[jdechko]

I purchased this for the Macbook Air. It's more than Apple's but works exactly the same and I can plug it into my PC and read Blu-Ray disks.

http://fastmac.com/blurayext

Single USB for data & power? Will it burn a DVD off of (single) USB power?

Just wondering.

(And I'd probably hold off anyway to see if Apple releases an external BD drive)

 

[MacModMachine]

Single USB for data & power? Will it burn a DVD off of (single) USB power?

Just wondering.

(And I'd probably hold off anyway to see if Apple releases an external BD drive)

yea...i have one...

burns and plays from usb....no external power needed.

 

[adamjackson]

Single USB for data & power? Will it burn a DVD off of (single) USB power?

Just wondering.

(And I'd probably hold off anyway to see if Apple releases an external BD drive)

yep works just fine. The $20 premium isn't bad if you have a Windows machine or use Bootcamp because playing Blu-ray disks is a nice addition. The drive is black plastic so it's not as beautiful as Apple's superdrive.

 

[jdechko]

yea...i have one...

burns and plays from usb....no external power needed.

yep works just fine. The $20 premium isn't bad if you have a Windows machine or use Bootcamp because playing Blu-ray disks is a nice addition. The drive is black plastic so it's not as beautiful as Apple's superdrive.

Thanks to the both of you. I believe I had asked FastMac this question earlier and got a negative response from them, but I was looking for a little more personal experience.

You're right, the $20 premium wouldn't be bad at all. I'm thinking about picking up Win 7, but I also have a copy of Vista Ultimate that I could use in BootCamp. I'm also thinking about doing some rips as well. Of course, we will also have to see what happens with iTunes 9, too.

 

[financeguy]

What about the Time Capsule? I saw the 500GB version on eBay for $175. Is it really worth it or is it better to get a cheap external harddrive and just use Time Machine on that?

 

[Doju]

What about the Time Capsule? I saw the 500GB version on eBay for $175. Is it really worth it or is it better to get a cheap external harddrive and just use Time Machine on that?

Airport Extreme is an incredible router, and the Time Capsule is it and a 500GB hard drive added for not much more.

I was considering Airport Extreme + external HDD but it was cheaper to just go Time Capsule.

It works really nice, backups are really short and I don't even know they're happening. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[melissarae]

I purchased this for the Macbook Air. It's more than Apple's but works exactly the same and I can plug it into my PC and read Blu-Ray disks.

http://fastmac.com/blurayext


I purchased this case for my air that keeps it scratch free for a while

http://www.speckproducts.com/products/seethru/macbook-air/132

thanks for posting both of these... the MBA specks are on sale for $14.95 right now so i just ordered one

also seriously considering the fastmac... on the website it says it'll connect to your tv... this would be awesome to have to hook up in our bedroom since our only Blu-ray player is in our living room.

 

[Joe323]

also seriously considering the fastmac... on the website it says it'll connect to your tv... this would be awesome to have to hook up in our bedroom since our only Blu-ray player is in our living room.

Their products don't seem to be made of the highest quality in my experience. I'd look into another 3rd party brand or wait for an Apple solution as someone else suggested.

 

[melissarae]

yeah i read a little more into it and you have to run it on windows on your mac... dumb.