Just got my MPB 16 Max and now I am sort of lost what to do...

[KPOM]

To the OP, since your dad was kind enough to spend his money on your absolute beast of a Mac (I have the M3 Pro version with 18GB which is more than enough for me), consider using some of the money you were thinking of spending on some nice complementary hardware or software:

- The Apple Studio display is great. Ignore the controversy over the webcam. It works. The display is gorgeous and the speakers are great. And you can always use your iPhone if you don’t like the webcam. macOS really is better in 5K because of the way it scales. Get the VESA mount version as it’s the same price as the non-adjustable tilt version and the only one that easily permits using portrait mode. It is also adds 3 USB-C ports that might obviate the need for a hub. If you want to save a little money Samsung also makes an excellent 5K display. LG also makes an older 5K model that was Apple’s “official” solution before they introduced the Apple Studio Display.

- A Network Attached Storage (NAS) unit lets you set up Time Machine to back up automatically every hour without having to think about it or attach a physical drive. You can also set up a network drive to share files between your Mac and your Windows drives, though OneDrive with your Microsoft 365 subscription may be more convenient.

- If your iPad Pro is older and not compatible with Sidecar I would recommend a newer one. It is a really useful feature and gives you some touch functionality that macOS lacks on its own.

- While VMWare has a free version for personal use, Parallels Desktop is much more polished if you do decide to run a Windows ARM virtual machine. With 36GB of unified memory on your M3 Max you can easily dedicate 8GB or even 12GB of memory to the VM and run your favorite Windows apps. It’s an annual subscription which is annoying but it works well. It’s relatively easy to find gray market Windows 11 license keys for about $30 and the Apple rumor sites also frequently advertise “official” sites for purchasing Windows 11 licenses at cut-rate prices, which makes Parallels’ annual fee of about $100 a bit more palatable.

- Final Cut Pro is popular among YouTubers and has a version compatible with M1/M2 iPads now. Davinci Resolve is another popular app for that purpose. But ask iJustine for better advice as I’m not a professional YouTuber and she is. ☺️

 

[Alex Cai]

So I am a Windows girl through and through(Yes, I even loved Windows 8 lol) and have been an Avid Surface fan since the beginning.

I had already planned to buy myself a Mac for Christmas an "I deserve it for nearly completing Grad school" (I grduate in may but christmas was a good excuse to spend the money for it) but my dad actually surprised me today with my very own Macbook Pro. I sort of expected it but i was not expecting him to buy a model that costs nearly $4,000 either. It's probably weird ro be annoyed by that but kind of am lol.

Anyway, what is the first thing I should do/install coming from Windows? What is the easiest way to sort of migrate all my files and stuff from my Surface Studio to the Mac.

I am definitely excited at being more deeper into the Apple ecoystem now than I was before BUT i also want to make my transition from windows to Mac as seamless as possible.

If you are using Microhard surface previously, a Macbook Pro is a definite overkill.

 

[Alex Cai]

Could not disagree more with this

Pages and numbers are junk

Excel and word are the only things where Microsoft can’t be beat

iWork is easier to use and looks more modern, but I use word because I want to work with other people.

 

[Alex Cai]

Mac Apps I use
Aldente--only and ultimate battery protector (mentioned above)
Bartender--hide and arrange the top left menu bar stuff
Downie--directly download videos from any website
iShot--probably the best screenshot app (there are many alternatives as well)
Structured--day planner
Encrypto--lock and encrypt secret files and set a password
Arc--use this instead of Chrome, its 1000000% better, I promise.
TG Pro -- temperature and fan monitor
Clean My Mac X -- worth the price, clean junk and spot large files
App Cleaner and Uninstaller -- completely uninstall and clean an App (only moving the app in the trash leaves all the configuration files behind)
Universe -- create your own website for free

 

[brgjoe]

Since I am a long time MS-Wintel user (I go back to DOS 3.3), I am also most likely picking up a Macbook Pro sometime in the near future. So this thread is going to be most valuable to me as well.

And congrats, OP! Hope your Macbook treats you well. And congratulations on finishing grad school as well!

 

[AlmightyKang]

Odd. Neither the Mac nor Linux versions do that.

That's just one of numerous issues. The point is mostly that when you do trip over one, don't even think it'll ever be fixed.

 

[scorpio vega]

If you are using Microhard surface previously, a Macbook Pro is a definite overkill.

I disagree. I love my surface products and still plan to use them. But I am also looking to dive deeper into the Apple ecosystem and go all in and just really embrace it. I am also big with creating and editing media and I am looking forward to doing so with my new MBP.

And congratulations on finishing grad school as well!

Thank you

 

[scouser75]

The battery health charging on MacOS like it is on iOS is somewhat erratic. You can set it to 80% and it'll still charge to 100% sometimes.

How do we set it to 80%?

 

[scorpio vega]

Congrats on getting a new Mac. Like with any new system, do not download software on it that you do not need. There is no added utility that Macs needs out of the box. They can bog down your system and can affect the stability.

THank you. I have only downlaoded a few apps. I have been doing as many have suggested and simply learning the mac and letting it b. Trying to lose some of my windows ways and just learn macOs. It also in turn is teaching me more about my iPhone, Watch and Ipad which I am excited can be used with sidecar.

I’d get 1Blocker (the safari equivalent of ublock origin), and of course, 1Password.

I am not the biggest fan of things like 1blocker. I used them in my dark android days but i always hate the idea of my passwords being managed by a third party. is Icloud keychain not enough?

Congrats on finishing grad school, many or most schools will have a free software page that often has Microsoft Office for free, not to mention some Adobe software. I would look into that since you are still a student. Having at least Word on your machine when you can get it for free is a good idea, just my opinion of course. Like one or more others said you don't need any certain software. enjoy!!

Oh yeah we have 365 free until like 2027(long after i graduate) so no worries there but i am curious to at least try Apple's suite of apps so I am going to definitely try and see how it goes with that.

 

[scorpio vega]

- Final Cut Pro is popular among YouTubers and has a version compatible with M1/M2 iPads now. Davinci Resolve is another popular app for that purpose. But ask iJustine for better advice as I’m not a professional YouTuber and she is. ☺️

Yes, i have heard great things about Final cut pro so i am looking forward to definitely diving into it (and Lightroom) as the new year begins for my projects.

- While VMWare has a free version for personal use, Parallels Desktop is much more polished if you do decide to run a Windows ARM virtual machine. With 36GB of unified memory on your M3 Max you can easily dedicate 8GB or even 12GB of memory to the VM and run your favorite Windows apps. It’s an annual subscription which is annoying but it works well. It’s relatively easy to find gray market Windows 11 license keys for about $30 and the Apple rumor sites also frequently advertise “official” sites for purchasing Windows 11 licenses at cut-rate prices, which makes Parallels’ annual fee of about $100 a bit more palatable.

I do definitely want to run Windows at some point on my Mac(since i have more than enough power for it). but definitely after a few months of learning the Mac.

I still have my Surface devices to play with <3 (i kind of miss my surface keybaord lol)

- If your iPad Pro is older and not compatible with Sidecar I would recommend a newer one. It is a really useful feature and gives you some touch functionality that macOS lacks on its own.

I have an M2 iPad pro i got last year. That should work with Sidecar right?

To the OP, since your dad was kind enough to spend his money on your absolute beast of a Mac (I have the M3 Pro version with 18GB which is more than enough for me), consider using some of the money you were thinking of spending on some nice complementary hardware or software:

Mama is taking herself to Vegas lol I need a vacation haha

 

[orbital~debris]

THank you for this. this will be a godsend.

Is there something similar for iPhone?

Check out Tot (https://tot.rocks) – it's available in the App Store.

 

[Mike Boreham]

And I disagree. Mac OS takes good care of Macs w/o adding freeware. Best protocol is to avoid adding freeware of any kind. Your Mac will just work.

This is good advice, provided the built in Apple tools actually work for you. OBC (optimised battery charging) has never worked for me so I have always used Al Dente or Energiza. My 17 month old M2 MBA is still at 100% condition (the Apple number).

So yes give the Apple "it just works" utilities a good chance (a few weeks) before getting 3rd party options.

 

[smirking]

How do we set it to 80%?

Go to System Preferences > Battery and click on the (I) next to Battery Health.

This will bring up an option for Optimized Battery Charging which will analyze your usage patterns and automatically make charging decisions based on your patterns. It's supposed to limit your charge to 80% at times when it doesn't think you'll need 100%.

I've had my M1 Pro for 2 years now. It kinda worked the first week I owned it, but since then I can count the number of times it stopped at 80% on one hand. I use AlDente and manually control my charge limit like everyone else.

 

[h.gilbert]

There is no added utility that Macs needs out of the box.

There's one thing for me that it really needs, that's a clipboard manager. I use flycut and couldn't imagine not using it. It saves your clipboard history so when you need to paste anything you copied earlier just hold option-cmd-v and use the arrows to cycle through and hit enter. Even android phones have a clipboard built it, so not having it on a computer for 'real work' is odd.

 

[aevan]

But to preserve the life of the battery Al Dente is very good freeware and I find necessary.

I use Al Dente, it does prolong battery lifespan and I really like it, but I wouldn’t call it “necessary”. It’s just nice - but it depends on multiple factors (I keep my Mac mostly plugged in, so keeping it at 70% is great, but it may be restrictive to some).

I don’t think OP should bother with it. Her battery will last a long time either way.

 

[aevan]

iShot--probably the best screenshot app (there are many alternatives as well)

For most users, built-in screenshots are just fine, but for advanced users I prefer CleanShot X to iShot and other apps like this. I tried a lot of them.

 

[aevan]

There's one thing for me that it really needs, that's a clipboard manager. I use flycut and couldn't imagine not using it. It saves your clipboard history so when you need to paste anything you copied earlier just hold option-cmd-v and use the arrows to cycle through and hit enter. Even android phones have a clipboard built it, so not having it on a computer for 'real work' is odd.

I agree, and I just read a similar article recently. Clipboard managers are just so useful.

I recommend Paste https://pasteapp.io/

 

[scorpio vega]

Check out Tot (https://tot.rocks) – it's available in the App Store.

yikes lol
i guess it is true that IOS users will pay more for apps haha. I wish there was a trial before jumping in $20

 

[smithdr]

I use Al Dente, it does prolong battery lifespan and I really like it, but I wouldn’t call it “necessary”. It’s just nice - but it depends on multiple factors (I keep my Mac mostly plugged in, so keeping it at 70% is great, but it may be restrictive to some).

I don’t think OP should bother with it. Her battery will last a long time either way.

Batteries in all of my MBPs have had a tendency to drop below 80% in less than two years with about 500 charges. With my late 2021 MBP16 Max at the 23 month mark I am at 91% with 364 cycles. That is about 75% fewer cycles for the same workload.

I have used Al Dente on this Mac to charge of 80% from almost the beginning and I may actually make 3 years. I am attributing this to Al Dente. But it could be these M1 Macs just have better battery life expectancy. But I am still never going to last 1000 cycles.

 

[chrfr]

Batteries in all of my MBPs have had a tendency to drop below 80% in less than two years with about 500 charges. With my late 2021 MBP16 Max at the 23 month mark I am at 91% with 364 cycles. That is about 75% fewer cycles for the same workload.

I have used Al Dente on this Mac to charge of 80% from almost the beginning and I may actually make 3 years. I am attributing this to Al Dente. But it could be these M1 Macs just have better battery life expectancy. But I am still never going to last 1000 cycles.

It's likely that the major factor here is that the dramatically improved battery life on Apple Silicon Macs just means that you aren't putting as many cycles on the battery. That the AS Macs tend to run quite a bit cooler than similar Intel Macs doesn't hurt, either.

 

[smithdr]

Could be. I know that my charge count is about 75% for the same amount of work load.

 

[orbital~debris]

yikes lol
i guess it is true that IOS users will pay more for apps haha. I wish there was a trial before jumping in $20

Haha, yeah! But it is from a heritage Mac developer and is high quality.

Try the macOS app first - it’s free and should give you an idea of the functionality.

 

[chrfr]

yikes lol
i guess it is true that IOS users will pay more for apps haha. I wish there was a trial before jumping in $20

Try Apple's built-in Notes and its Quick Note functionality before deciding to buy a 3rd party app. In general if you're new to Mac it makes sense to explore the apps that come with the computer before going to find 3rd party alternatives. Many of Apple's apps, including Notes, are actually pretty good.

 

[Darren.h]

ONE Plus going for you is that AVID software works on both Macand Windows

Been using Pro Tools on Mac since the os9 classic operating system. started on a digidesign Audiomedia 3 sound card. 16 bit.

I also use Avid Media Composer.

 

[mrmister]

I am not the biggest fan of things like 1blocker. I used them in my dark android days but i always hate the idea of my passwords being managed by a third party. is Icloud keychain not enough?

1blocker blocks ads, doesn't manage passwords.