MacBook For Dummies

Part 1

Tie Myself Down with a Desktop? Preposterous!

IN THIS PART …

Tour the features of your MacBook and macOS High Sierra.

Compare the different MacBook models.

Unpack and set up your MacBook.

Maintain your laptop’s battery the right way.

Familiarize yourself with the basics of macOS.

Chapter 1

Hey, It Really Does Have Everything I Need

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Identifying the important parts of your Mac laptop

check Comparing the different MacBook models

check Finding the best location for your computer

check Unpacking, plugging in stuff, and getting hooked up

check Playing with your bundled software

check Buying additional stuff you might need

Most action films have one scene in common: I call it gearing up, because the good guys strap on their equipment in preparation for battle. (The era doesn’t matter: You see gearing up scenes in Gladiator, Aliens, and virtually every movie Arnold has made.) You’re sure to see lots of clicking straps and equipping of offensive weapons (and sometimes even a dash of war paint). The process usually takes a minute or so, all told with whiplash camera work and stirring martial music in the background.

Well, fellow Mac road warrior, it takes only two seconds and one move — closing the lid — for you to gear up. That’s because your MacBook is a self-contained world, providing virtually all the essentials you’ll find on a desktop iMac or Mac mini. This is indeed the second decade of the laptop, meshing nicely with your smartphone and that wireless connection at your local coffee shop. You have selected the right companion for the open road.

Unlike Apple’s other designs, such as the Mac mini, the Mac Pro and the iMac, your MacBook looks like a PC laptop running Windows. (In fact, an Intel-based Mac laptop can run Windows if you absolutely must.) But your laptop holds a number of pleasant surprises that no PC laptop or tablet can offer — and, with the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, you’ll lose pounds and inches from your chassis! In this chapter, I introduce you to the hardware and all the major parts of the machine. You even find out how to unpack and connect your computer. And, as frosting on the cake, I preview the software of which Apple is so proud, as well as the accessories you should buy now rather than later.

Welcome to your Mac laptop, good reader. Gear up!

An Overview of Your Mac Laptop

Sure, your MacBook Pro might be about half an inch thin (a MacBook is even more svelte than that — I get to that later in the chapter), but a lot of superb design lives inside. You encounter the same parts you’d find in a desktop machine. In the following sections, I discuss those important parts — both the stuff you can see and the stuff shoehorned within.

FEELING OUTDATED? NEVER!

Are you using an older MacBook? It seems that Apple’s product line changes every time you tear a page from your 12-month calendar. In addition, every new generation of laptops includes new whiz-bang features. Sometimes you can add those features separately to your older machine, such as an external video camera, but you can’t update some things, such as your MacBook’s motherboard. Sigh.

Here’s my take on this situation: If your older laptop does what you need at a pace you can accept, there’s no need to upgrade it.

Skeptical? Here’s the proof: Before my upgrade to a MacBook Air, yours truly was lugging around a pristine iBook G3, which booted macOS Tiger and did absolutely everything I demanded. (A little more patience was required, certainly, but technology authors are simply brimming with patience.) The moral: Avoid upgrade fever unless you really need a new companion.

If you’re the proud owner of an older MacBook, as long as it can run macOSmacOS High Sierra you can still enjoy this book and discover new tips and tricks from it. Unless the current breed of Intel-based Mac laptops has a feature you absolutely can’t use on your mature MacBook (such as Thunderbolt 3 support), you can sail on with your current computer, fiercely proud of The Bitten Apple that appears on the cover. (In fact, older MacBooks have features that no longer appear on some current models, such as Firewire ports, optical drives, and built-in Ethernet ports.) Although this book was written with the current MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air lines in mind, virtually everything you read here still applies to your older laptop. Unless it’s steam-powered, of course.

The parts you probably recognize

Every laptop requires some of the same gizmos. Figure 1-1 helps you track them down. Of course, as you’d expect, a computer has a body of sorts in which all the innards and brains are stored, a display screen, a keyboard, a trackpad or other pointing device, and ports for powering and exchanging data with outside toys.

FIGURE 1-1: The charismatic form of a typical Mac laptop.

That magnificent screen

What a view you have! Today’s Mac laptops feature a 12-, 13-, or 15-inch LED display. LED screens use far less electricity than their antique CRT ancestors, and they emit practically no radiation.

Apple’s laptop screens offer a widescreen aspect ratio (the screen is considerably wider than it is tall), which augurs well for those who enjoy watching movies. (A favorite editor of mine loves it when I use the antique word augur, meaning to predict or foretell.)

tip That reminds me: Throw away your printed dictionary! You won’t need it, because macOS High Sierra includes the fantastic Dictionary widget. It uses the Internet to retrieve definitions from the online Oxford American Dictionary site (and, yes, it does contain augur). More on widgets in general in Chapter 3.

The keyboard and trackpad

Hey, here’s something novel for your laptop. Unlike the external input devices on a standard desktop computer, your MacBook has a built-in keyboard and trackpad (which does the job of a mouse). The illuminated keyboard is a particular favorite of mine, offering special keys for activing all sorts of features within macOS High Sierra (as well as keys for adjusting brightness and volume).

The latest crop of Mac laptops feature a great trackpad design as well. The Force Touch trackpad can sense the amount of pressure you apply with your fingers, activating features in macOS High Sierra that used to require a right-click (like displaying the definition of a word in a Pages document, or displaying a map of an address in Contacts). The Force Touch trackpad can even provide tactile feedback to your fingertips while you’re using some applications!

remember The MacBook, MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro do not have an internal optical drive (more on all three models later in this chapter). You can use the CD & DVD Sharing feature in High Sierra to read discs remotely (from another Mac or PC on your network), or you can pick up an external optical drive from Apple for about $80. (Such is the price you pay for super-thin and super-light.)

Food for your ears

A machine this nice had better have great sound, and the Mac doesn’t disappoint. You have a couple of options for Mac laptop audio:

All Mac laptops sport built-in stereo speakers and two microphones to boot (the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar even has three microphones).

Use the built-in headphone jack to connect your Mac’s audio to a pair of headphones, a more powerful (and expensive) external speaker system, or a home stereo system. (There are also portable USB and Bluetooth speaker systems that can provide better-quality audio.)

The power cable

Sorry, you can’t get a wireless power system — yet. (Apple’s working hard on this one.) However, the MacBook Pro was the first major release of a laptop with a magnetic power connector; the MacBook Air followed suit soon after. The MagSafe 2 connector on the MacBook Air reduces the chances of your pride and joy being yanked off a desk when someone trips over the power cord, because the magnetic closure pops off under significant strain. Now that’s sassy.

When you connect your power cable, an amber light on the cable connector indicates that your battery is charging; a green light indicates that the battery is fully charged.

The MacBook Pro and MacBook use a different connector, called a USB-C, as a power cable. The USB-C cable also does double-duty as a port for Thunderbolt and USB-C compatible devices.

remember Many MacBook owners ask me whether they should disconnect the power after the battery is fully charged or leave it connected. I leave the cable connected. It won’t cause any damage to your MacBook, and you can continue to use your laptop while it’s charging. (Oh, and road warriors prefer a laptop battery that’s always topped off when it’s time to go mobile!)

The power button

The latest MacBook Pro with Touch Bar actually turns on whenever you open it – to turn this model off, you press and hold the Touch ID button at the far right side of the Touch Bar.

Owners of the MacBook and MacBook Air, you still have a power button. It’s at the upper-right corner of the keyboard, bearing the familiar circle with a vertical line logo.

The FaceTime HD camera

Check out that tiny square lens above your screen. That’s a built-in FaceTime HD camera, which allows you to chat with others in a videoconferencing environment by using the Messages and FaceTime applications that come with High Sierra. You can even take photos with the camera, using the Photo Booth software that comes with your laptop, or set up a travelin’ webcam. (If you need a higher-resolution camera — or one that can be easily turned or tilted — check out the discussion of a favorite of mine later in this chapter.)

tip Note that a green light appears next to the lens when the camera is on — handy information that could prevent visual embarrassment! As my Technical Editor points out, you can also cover the lens for guaranteed privacy. (Some companies even offer plastic clips especially designed for covering the lens.)

The battery

All of Apple’s current laptop computers do not include user-replaceable batteries. The battery is sealed inside the case and can be replaced only by an Apple technician. However, you should get several years of trouble-free operation from your MacBook’s battery.

The holes called ports

The next stop on your tour of Planet Laptop is Port Central — those rows of holes on the sides of your computer. Each port connects a different type of cable or device, allowing you to easily add all sorts of functionality to your computer.

Each of these stellar holes has an icon to help you identify it. Here’s a list of what you’ll find and a quick rundown of what these ports do.

The following connections are used for external devices and networking:

Thunderbolt/Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt 3 port: The Thunderbolt port (and its faster descendents, Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 3) is the expansion racehorse of today’s MacBooks. It offers the fastest data transfer rates and the ability to add all sorts of peripherals, from external hard drives to monitors to wired Ethernet connections. (A peripheral is another silly techno-nerd term that means a separate device you connect to your computer.) Thunderbolt 3 devices are somewhat more expensive than their Thunderbolt 2 and USB cousins, but prices are dropping as more Thunderbolt 3 peripherals arrive on the market.

tip Although Thunderbolt-compatible monitors are available, they’re significantly more expensive than a standard display. Luckily, you can also buy an adapter for this port that allows you to send the video signal from your laptop to another VGA, DVI, or HDMI monitor.

USB port(s): Short for universal serial bus, the familiar USB port is the jack-of-all-trades in today’s world of computer add-ons. Most external devices you want to connect to your laptop (such as portable hard drives, scanners, and digital cameras) use a USB port, including the iPod. (Today’s PCs also include USB ports, allowing you to share external USB peripherals like optical drives and scanners between your MacBook and your desktop PC.) USB 3.0 connections are much faster than the old USB 2.0 standard, but they still accept USB 2.0 devices running at the slower speed.

tip Get the lowdown on Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt 2 and 3, and USB ports in Chapter 21.

remember The MacBook and the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar use a unique USB-C port that allows you to charge the laptop, connect a Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.0 device, or connect an external monitor or projector — all from one port! However, to make the USB 3.0 connection you’ll need a USB-C to USB adapter (about $20), and a USB-C AV Multiport adapter (about $70) to connect an external display.

Ethernet port: Older MacBook Pro laptops include a standard gigabit (10/100/1000) Ethernet port, so the laptop is ready to join your existing wired Ethernet network. (Alternatively, you can go wireless for your network connection; more on that in the next section and in Chapter 12.) Because today’s MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro are designed to be completely wireless, they don’t have a built-in wired Ethernet port. If a wired connection is a necessity, you can add a Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit-Ethernet (or USB-to-Gigabit Ethernet) adapter to add a wired network port to your laptop. (Apple sells one for about $35.) Or you can invest in a laptop dock with a wired Ethernet port (which I discuss at the end of this chapter).

SD/SDXC card slot: The MacBook Air includes an SD (Secure Digital) or SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) card slot, allowing you to plug SD or SDXC memory cards from digital cameras, cellphones, and portable devices directly into your laptop.

Headphone/optical output port: Last (but certainly not least), you can send the high-quality audio from your rectangular beast to a set of standard headphones or an optical digital audio device such as a high-end home theater system.

Don’t forget the parts you can’t see

When you bought your new digital pride and joy, you probably noticed a number of subtle differences between the MacBook, MacBook Air and the pricier MacBook Pro models. I call these differences the Important Hidden Stuff (or IHS, if you’re addicted to acronyms). They’re just as important as the parts and ports you can see.

Internal storage devices are as follows:

CPU: Today’s Mac laptops feature the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. Of course, the faster the processor, the better. (Definitely not rocket science.)

Storage: Today’s MacBook models are equipped with solid-state drives that use memory chips. The drive capacities are different across the entire MacBook product line.

Solid-state drives have a number of advantages over traditional magnetic hard drives: You’ll find no moving parts in a solid-state drive, and it offers better performance than a standard hard drive. Think of the solid-state drive as an internal USB flash drive that uses RAM chips rather than magnetic platters to hold your data.

Wireless communications devices include the following:

Wireless Ethernet: Look, Ma, no wires! As mentioned earlier, you can connect your laptop to an existing wireless Ethernet network. All current Mac laptops have built-in AirPort Extreme hardware. With wireless connectivity, you can share documents with another computer in another room, share a single high-speed Internet connection between several computers, or enjoy wireless printing. Truly sassy!

tip Although Apple would want you to build your wireless wonderland with an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station or an AirPort Time Capsule unit — go figure — you can use your Mac with any standard 802.11b/g/n/ac wireless network. And, yes, PCs and Macs can intermingle on the same wireless network without a hitch. (Scandalous, ain’t it?)

Bluetooth: Let’s get the old digital pirate joke out of the way: Arrgh, matey, I needs me a wireless parrot. (Engineers again … sheesh.) Although strangely named, Bluetooth is another form of wireless connectivity. This time, however, the standard was designed for accessories such as your keyboard and mouse and devices like wireless headphones and your smartphone. (The latest Macs support version 4.2 Bluetooth hardware.)

Here’s the hidden display device:

Video card: The standard Intel video hardware that’s built in to today’s MacBooks is fine for typical home and business laptop applications. However, if your applications rely heavily on high-speed 3D graphics or digital video, you’ll be pleased as punch to discover that today’s 15-inch MacBook Pro model can be ordered with the muscle-bound AMD Radeon Pro 560. This card is well suited to high-end mobile 3D modeling, video editing on the road, and, well, honestly, blasting the latest video game enemies into small smoking pieces with aplomb.

Meet the MacBooks

So far in this chapter, I’ve discussed the common hardware shared by today’s MacBook models. Now it’s time to compare the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro with an eye toward selecting the right one for you. (Unless you decide to pick up one of each. Certainly an elegant choice, but not everyone has that option!)

For example, consider the least expensive MacBook: The MacBook Air, shown in Figure 1-2, is unique for both its size and weight. And yet the Air is just like the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Well, mostly.

FIGURE 1-2: Behold the MacBook Air.

Hold on, Mark. How can it be so singular and yet share so much with its road warrior siblings? I answer that question in the following sections, which discuss the many similarities and the handful of striking differences between the three laptop models in the MacBook line. If you’re considering buying an Apple laptop, these sections can help you decide whether you’d like to go ultra-thin or stick with the more traditional (and slightly thicker) laptop crowd.

One thing’s for sure: Apple never creates a mundane design!

Comparing the MacBooks

Do you remember when Apple introduced the first iMacs? Although they shared the same basic components as any computer — a monitor, keyboard, ports, speakers, and cables — the iMac was revolutionary because it was completely self-contained. And it came in colors. And it didn’t have a floppy drive. In fact, Apple had redesigned the common computer with the focus on style and ease of use and had scrapped the floppy drive (and rightly so, seeing as how floppies had become practically useless and were unreliable to boot).

I consider the MacBook, MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro to be extensions of the iMac revolution. With these designs, Apple has focused this time on physical dimensions and weight and has tossed out anything that isn’t absolutely necessary for the lecture hall, boardroom, or city park. However, I’m happy to note that these ultra-light MacBooks are neither toys nor bare-bones netbooks. In fact, both the MacBook and the MacBook Air share some of the features of the high-end MacBook Pro.

What are the similarities?

Consider the similarities between the different models:

Widescreen display: Each model sports a widescreen LED backlit display. The MacBook sports a 12-inch display, the MacBook Air offers a 13-inch display, and the MacBook Pro is the star of the show, with the highest resolution available on any Apple laptop. (It’s available in a 13-inch or 15-inch display.)

Intel processor power: All three models can be ordered from Apple with Core i5 or i7 power, while the MacBook also offers a lower-cost Intel Core m3 processor option.

Keyboard and trackpad: All three MacBook models offer a backlit keyboard. The MacBook and MacBook Pro offer the Force Touch trackpad, while the MacBook Air features the older Multi-Touch trackpad. The new Touch Bar available on the MacBook Pro offers a number of nifty features within your favorite applications. (Read more about Multi-Touch and the Touch Bar in Chapter 3.)

High Sierra: All current laptops from Apple naturally run the latest version of macOS with aplomb.

FaceTime: Every MacBook is video ready, using a built-in FaceTime camera. You can record audio with the built-in microphones as well.

Sealed battery: You can’t swap batteries with any of Apple’s current MacBook line, because the battery is sealed inside. (Think iPad and iPhone.)

Wireless support: The MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro each have built in the latest AirPort Extreme hardware (802.11ac). All three models feature built-in Bluetooth hardware. (Read more about AirPort Extreme in Chapter 11.)

I think most Apple laptop owners would agree that these major MacBook features show there’s no underpowered pushover in the lineup!

So what’s so flippin’ radical?

I’m glad you asked! Here’s the checklist of striking differences that set the MacBook and MacBook Air apart from the MacBook Pro:

Physical dimensions: You need a thin laptop? You’ve come to the right place! The current Air laptop measures a mere 0.68 inches in height (at its tallest point) when closed. (If you think that’s mind-blowing, the MacBook is even thinner, measuring just 0.52 inches in height when closed!) Oh, and hold on to your chair for this one: The MacBook is also the lightweight champ at 2.03 pounds! (That’s a couple of pounds you won’t be carrying around all day at that convention expo. Take it from this traveler: You will feel the refreshing difference in just an hour or two.) By comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Pro weighs 3.02 pounds, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro is a (comparatively) hefty 4.02 pounds.

Cost: At the time of this writing, an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air will set you back $999. The 12-inch MacBook is slightly more expensive at $1299. By comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is $1499, while the 15-inch MacBook Pro model starts pricier at $2399.

Ports: As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, the MacBook offers only two ports, the USB-C (which requires adapters for use as a USB 3.0 and external video port) and a headphone jack. The MacBook Air offers two conventional USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack, a SDXC card slot, and a Thunderbolt 2 port for connecting an external monitor or high-speed drive. The MacBook Pro includes either two or four USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack.

remember As I mentioned earlier, all current MacBooks lack a wired Ethernet port. The latter two models can use a Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit Ethernet adapter from Apple, while the MacBook will require a USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet adapter. (Rats.)

Sealed case: You can’t add or replace RAM modules on the MacBook, MacBook Air, or the MacBook Pro. If you haven’t ordered your laptop yet, it’s a very good idea to configure your MacBook with the maximum RAM it can carry, because you won’t be able to add more in the future.

No built-in optical drive:Whoa, Nellie! This difference is a big one, and it applies to all current MacBook models. Apple decided that owners of these slimmer, trimmer laptops are likely to use a wireless connection for transferring files and media. But what if you have to reinstall applications available only on disc? If you need to read or burn discs, you can buy a separate external USB SuperDrive for about $80, or you can use the Remote Disc feature and share the drive on another computer. (More on Remote Disc in the later section "Sharing a CD or DVD drive.")

As you can see, these striking differences make the choice between a MacBook, MacBook Air, and a MacBook Pro easy indeed. To wit:

The MacBook and MacBook Air models are designed for the traveler who appreciates minimum weight and size. These folks see a laptop as a race car: nimble, with reduced weight and no unnecessary frills. (Think of a typical NASCAR entry: Who needs an expensive stereo or air conditioning?)

The MacBook Pro is all about the brilliant Retina display, of course, and it’s considerably faster than either the MacBook or the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro appeals to presenters, graphics professionals, and video editors, who appreciate the higher-resolution display and the better performance.

Look, Ma, no moving parts!

You’re probably familiar with the common species of usbius flashimus, more commonly called the USB Flash drive. With one of these tiny devices, you get the equivalent of a 4–512GB hard drive that plugs into a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port, allowing you to carry your data with you as you jet across the continents. But have you ever asked yourself, Self, why don’t they make internal drives that use this same technology?

Actually, dear reader, solid-state drives have been around for a number of years (think iPod shuffle and iPod nano). Unfortunately, however, the solid-state memory used in today’s flash drives gets pretty expensive as capacity increases. In fact, cost has been the limiting factor, because a solid-state drive offers a number of advantages that set it apart from a conventional magnetic hard drive:

No moving parts: Unlike a typical magnetic hard drive, you find no read-write heads and no magnetic platter — just gobs of happy silicon memory chips. In effect, a solid-state drive works along the same lines as your MacBook’s system RAM. Unlike your Mac’s RAM, though, a solid-state drive doesn’t lose the data it stores when you turn off your laptop. As you can imagine, no moving parts on a computer in motion is superior on two levels:

The solid-state drive never wears out or needs replacing.

If your laptop is accidentally abused (gets knocked off your desk), it’s far less likely that you’ll lose a hard drive’s worth of priceless data when it hits the ground.

Speed: Oh my goodness, is this thing fast! Your MacBook will boot, restart, or awaken in far less time, and everything you do on your laptop will benefit from the speed boost. A solid-state drive can read data far faster than a conventional magnetic hard drive.

Power usage: Forget your hard drive spinning up from sleep mode. The solid-state drive uses far less power than a conventional hard drive, resulting in significantly longer battery life.

Blessed silence: The solid-state drive is completely silent. (No more of that gargling noise while the disk is accessed. Sweet.)

What if I need that pesky optical drive?

Can a laptop survive in the jungle that is Real Life without a DVD drive? The terse answer is no. I’ll be honest: Ripping an audio CD or watching a DVD movie without an optical drive is impossible. (Rather like a cheap sports car.) And the wonders of digital media are a big part of the iWorld. So what was Apple thinking?

First, a bit of explanation. Today’s DVD drives are thin, but not MacBook thin. To create these stunning designs with truly revolutionary dimensions, Apple engineers had to leave out the drive. However, if you own a current Mac laptop, you have two choices when it comes to reading the contents of a CD or DVD: Go external, or find out how to share.

The external USB route

I have no problem toting around an external USB DVD burner with a MacBook Air. Heck, half the time you’re likely to leave it at home, because you don’t install software every day. The folks at Cupertino want you to download your movies from the iTunes Store and your software from the App Store, so if you follow the Apple Path, you still don’t need an optical drive!

A USB SuperDrive from Apple costs a mere $80, and it can read and write DVDs as well as any built-in drive.

You can also use any third-party USB DVD drive that’s compatible with Apple’s laptops and macOS High Sierra.

Sharing a CD or DVD drive

The other option for installing software or reading a DVD on your MacBook is the CD/DVD Sharing feature within High Sierra. Sharing is an option if you have a wired or wireless network (see Chapter 11) with at least one of the following computers available:

A Mac running OS X Tiger or later

A PC running Windows 7 through Windows 10 (and a Windows application supplied by Apple with your MacBook)

warning You can only read from a shared optical drive. You can’t write data to the remote drive, even if that drive is a DVD recorder.

On the Mac computer with the optical drive, open System Preferences, click the Sharing icon, and select the DVD or CD Sharing check box. Note that you can set whether the Mac will request your permission when another computer attempts to share the drive.

On a PC, display the Control Panel, click the DVD or CD Sharing icon, and then select the Enable DVD or CD Sharing check box. Again, you can specify that permission is required if security is a concern.

After you set up the shared drive, just load the disc and select the Remote Disc item in any Finder sidebar. (Remote Disc appears under the Devices heading in the sidebar.) Now you can access the drive as if it were directly connected to your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro. Ah, technology!

Location, Location, Location!

If you choose the wrong spot to park your new laptop, I guarantee you’ll regret it. Some domiciles and office cubicles don’t offer a choice. You have one desk at work, for example, and nobody will hand over another one. But if you can select a home for your MacBook, consider the important placement points in this section:

Keep things cool. Your new laptop is silent, but that super-fast Intel processor generates heat. Make sure that the location you choose is far from heating vents and shielded from direct sunlight. I also recommend a laptop cooling pad, which elevates the base of your laptop to allow air to circulate underneath (some are even equipped with their own fans). Although you can stow your MacBook in the close confines of a bag or backpack while it’s in Sleep mode, avoid putting that laptop away while it’s hot! Let your MacBook Pro cool off first.

Outlets are key! Your computer needs at least one nearby outlet, and perhaps as many as two:

A standard AC outlet (using a current adapter if you’re traveling abroad, if necessary)

A nearby Ethernet jack (if you use a built-in Ethernet port for connecting to a wired Ethernet network, or an Ethernet adapter)

tip If you prefer to send your data over the airwaves, consider wireless networking for your Mac. I discuss everything you need to know in Chapter 11.

Don’t forget the lighting. Let me act as your mom. (I know that’s a stretch, but bear with me.) She’d say, You can’t possibly expect to work without decent lighting! You’ll go blind! She’s right, you know. You need a desk lamp or floor lamp at a minimum if you need to refer to books or documents often in your work.

Plan to expand. If your laptop hangs out on a desk, allow an additional foot of space on each side. That way, you have room for external peripherals, more powerful speakers, and an external keyboard and mouse if you need one.

tip If you want to keep an external keyboard handy, consider using a laptop shelf. These Plexiglas or metal stands elevate your laptop several inches above the desk, putting the screen at a better ergonomic position and allowing you to park your keyboard and external mouse underneath.

Unpacking and Connecting Your Laptop

You’ll love the following sections. They’re short and sweet because configuring a laptop on your desktop is a piece of cake. (Sorry about the cliché overload, but this really is easy.)

Unpacking for the road warrior

Follow these guidelines when unpacking your system:

Check for damage. I’ve never had a box arrive from Apple with shipping damage, but I’ve heard horror stories from others (who claim that King Kong must have been working for That Shipping Company).

tip Check all sides of the box before you open it. If you find significant damage, take a photograph (just in case).

Search for all the parts. When you’re removing those chunks o’ foam, make certain that you’ve checked all sides of each foam block for parts snuggled therein or taped for shipment.

Keep all packing materials. Do not put the box and packing materials in the trash. Keep the box and all packing materials for at least a year, until the standard Apple warranty runs out. If you have to ship your laptop to an Apple service center, the box and the original packing are the only way for your machine to fly.

And now, a dramatic Mark’s Maxim about cardboard containers:

marksmaxim Smart computer owners keep their boxes far longer than a year. If you sell your laptop or move across the country, for example, you’ll want that box. Trust me on this one.™

Store the invoice for safekeeping. Your invoice is a valuable piece of paper.

remember Save your original invoice in a plastic bag, along with your computer’s manuals, original software, and other assorted hoo-hah. Keep the bag on a shelf or stored safely in your desk, and enjoy a little peace of mind.

Read the Mac’s manual. Hey, wait a minute, Mark. Why do I have to read the manual from Apple along with this tome? Good question, and here’s the answer: The documentation from Apple might contain new and updated instructions that override what I tell you here. (For example, "Never cut the red wire. Cut the blue wire instead." Or something to that effect.) Besides, Apple manuals are rarely thicker than a restaurant menu.

tip You can always download the latest updated manuals for Apple computers in electronic format from Apple’s website. (Adobe’s PDF format is the standard for reading documents on your computer. You can open and display any PDF document in High Sierra by using the Preview application or the Quick Look feature.) I always keep a copy of the PDF manual for my MacBook Air on my drive, just in case.

Connecting Cables 101

Your laptop makes all its connections simple, but your computer depends on you to get the outside wires and thingamabobs where they go.

The absolutely essential connection

After your new Mac is resting comfortably in its assigned spot (I assume that’s a desktop), you need to make just one required connection: the power cable. First plug the cable into the corresponding MagSafe 2 or USB-C port on the MacBook, and then plug ’er into that handy AC outlet. After your battery is completely charged, you can go mobile at a moment’s notice.

Adding the Internet to the mix

If you have high-speed Internet service, or if you’re in an office or school with a local computer network, you can probably connect through your older MacBook’s built-in Ethernet port (or by using an adapter with your Thunderbolt or USB-C port). You make two connections:

Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port (or the adapter on a current MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro).

Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port from your network.

Your network port is probably one of the following: an Ethernet wall jack, an Ethernet hub or switch, or a cable or DSL Internet router (or sharing device).

tip Will you be joining a wireless network? If so, you can find the information you need about configuring High Sierra for wireless networking in Chapter 11.

Great, a Lecture about Handling My Laptop

Proper handling of your laptop is important, so take a moment to read the Rules of Proper Laptop Deportment. Okay, perhaps I’m lecturing a bit, but a little common sense goes a long way when handling any computer equipment, and your laptop is no different. (Scolding mode off.)

Keep these rules in mind while opening and carrying your laptop:

The cover is your friend. Open your laptop’s cover slowly, without jerking or bending it.

Close it before you move it. By closing your laptop, you put your macOS operating system into sleep mode, and (if your older MacBook uses a magnetic hard drive for storage) the hard drive automatically spins down, making it safer to move. The laptop is still on; it will spring back to life after you open the cover.

Don’t stack stuff on your laptop. You’d be surprised how many horror stories I’ve heard about laptop owners piling a stack of books or other heavy stuff on their computers. Remember that LED display? Made of glass?

Be nice to your keyboard. Don’t press those keys too hard! Use the same amount of