Below we are listing down some of the common MacBook Pro problems and its solutions. These possible problem and solutions are applicable for all the MacBook Pro models of MacBook Pro 13″, MacBook Pro 15″, MacBook Pro 17″. We hope this post will give you a brief idea about the most common MacBook Pro problems and possible fixes. Productivity Software Utility Software Mac Compatibility Mac Compatibility. MacBook Air (M1, 2020) MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020). MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012 - 2015).
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What apps should I download for My New MacBook Pro or any other Mac device? Your search ends here as we present you with the list of the best apps for Macbook Pro 2021 or other macOS based devices i.e. Mac PC, Macbook etc. Keep reading to find out the essential apps for Macbook, which will help you in the long run.
What Apps Should I Download For My New MacBook, MacBook Pro?
Supported Systems Name Description Revision Number File Size Release Date Download Link Mac Pro (2019) with Radeon Pro 580x, Radeon Pro Vega II and Radeon Pro W5700X / W5500X MacBook Pro (Retina, 16-inch, 2019) with Radeon Pro 5300M and 5500M MacBook Pro. Global Nav Open Menu Global Nav Close Menu; Apple; Shopping Bag +. Download Apple MacBook Pro Software Update for Mac to patch your MacBook Pro early 2011 model.
Well, we have characterized all the must-have applications for your MacBook Pro and any other MacOS based device, based on different categories like Productivity, Entertainment, Social & other user needs. Check them out & download the ones you find the best apps for new Mac machines.
11 Best Apps For Your New Macbook, Macbook Pro, and other Mac Devices in 2021
1. Duplicate Photos Fixer
Usually, it's advised to keep at least 10% free space from your whole Mac storage to ensure smooth working. If you are on your way to transfer your old photos to your new Mac, then make sure you keep your library duplicate-free. Finding & removing identical & similar images can be a tedious & time-consuming task. But if you use a dedicated duplicate finder utility like Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro, you can organize & declutter your Mac in the easiest way possible.
2. Dropbox or Google Drive
Both the cloud storage services are household names at this point as useful apps for Macbook. The chances are that you already know the merits of Dropbox & Google Drive. Having any cloud storage solutions, you can get quick access to all your files & folder. With Google Drive, you can work on documents, spreadsheets & presentations even without the Internet. With Dropbox, you can synchronize the data of multiple computers at once place. Both of these services are the best free apps for Macbook Pro.
Both the universal cloud storage services have their own set of merits & disadvantages. If you ask us, Google Drive is a compelling choice as it brings 15GB of space along with best-in-class web apps. At the same time, Dropbox is a good choice for users who don't need extra web services other than 2GB cloud storage.
Download Google Drive Or Dropbox.
3. Password
Hate trying to remember every single password for every account you've ever used? Well, 1Password is a must-have app for MacBook Pro when it comes to storing all your passwords at one secured location in an encrypted vault. The vault gets locked with a single master login password for maximum security. The password manager keeps track of your security questions for different sites & helps you auto-fill them for a hassle-free process.
1Password is the best MacBook Pro app to install, as it works fantastically well for randomly generating strong, unique & secure passwords by auditing your existing passwords. This ensures that you don't reuse any of them & keep altering them for better security. 1Password offers a 30-days free trial; after that, you can spend $4 per month to continue using the service.
4. Disk Clean Pro
Disk Clean Pro is an ultimate cleaning tool for your Mac. This will drastically change the way you clean the junk, temporary and redundant files from the storage disk. It works like a charm for the recovering the disk storage space by removing the unwanted files, duplicates, logs and crash reports. It has an advantage over the manual cleaning as the tool serves as the time saver.
It can also clean up the old iPhone backup data, old downloads, partial downloads and large files which are sitting there on your Mac and hogging space. This is also helpful in cleaning the internet browser history and save you from the online trackers. Disk Clean Pro is readily available for download on Mac App Store. Get it from the link given below.
5. VLC Media Player
VLC is another best app for MacBook Pro to install. It works perfectly well with minimal fuss once you start using it. The media player can play almost any audio/video files you throw at it. While most users would probably only use it to watch media, it also offers a decent set of features that most of the advanced users would enjoy. For instance, VLC offers lots of editing tools to help you adjust the file properties & for an enhanced watching experience.
Its interface may sound a bit intimidating to novices, but once a user gets used to it, it is easy to access its various tools. This best free app for MacBook Pro comes packed with a wide range of codecs, making it a universal player. If you are a power user with a huge media collection, VLC is absolutely the best Mac program to give a shot.
6. Time Out – Break Reminders
Several studies show that short bursts of regular movements throughout the day are better for your health than longer workout sessions. But in our busy lives, that's not always an easy proposition to execute. Thankfully, MacBook Pro has some best apps like Time Out – Break Reminders, which help users remember when to take breaks. With Time Out, the app can strategize how long each kind of break would last & the period between each break.
While you are on a break, a progress bar is shown to evaluate how long until it is over. You have the buttons to postpone or skip the break. Additionally, you can choose to display a notification, play a sound, speak some words, or just run a script to remind it's time for a break. This will prove to be one of the good apps for Macbook.
7. Audacity
If you're looking forward to getting started with Podcasting or music recording, then Audacity is a great option to consider. An excellent app for MacBook Pro, Audacity is a free, open-source audio editing software that helps you make your recordings, remove digital noise, chop, combine & mix clips. You can rely on the audio editor to apply special effects, alter frequencies with Equalization, Bass & Treble.
Just install this free app for MacBook Pro, start importing different file formats, and alter the audio files with multi-tracking editing options. Talking about the interface, Audacity features a huge selection of powerful tools to remove vocals for the music track, reduce noise & access other handy wizards for professional results.
8. Flume
Can't get enough of Instagram? Then you should install Flume For Instagram on your machine. It's an excellent app for MacBook Pro that provides a unique social experience. You can upload high-resolution images & videos in square & non-square format. Besides this, you can use it to navigate your Insta feed, like, comment & more, making it the best new Mac apps to have.
To use this best free app for MacBook Pro, just install it > log into your Instagram account & just like your smartphone, you can browse feeds easily. Besides Flume, you can try using Photo Feed, App Insta for Instagram & Uplet to help you browse Instagram directly from your Mac machine.
9. Right Backup
From irreplaceable family pictures to the presentation you're working on, every data is needed to be protected. Without a proper backup system in place, you can lose all those files in a blink of an eye. Fortunately, there are certain top apps for MacBook Pro, like Right Backup, that come with an automatic 12-hour scheduler to update your stored data every 12 hours. Since everything is stored in a secured cloud space, you don't need to worry about protecting your data on Mac.
Right Backup, a useful app for MacBook Pro, comes compatible with multiple platforms; hence you can access your data anytime, anywhere from any device using the same Right Backup account. To get your lost data backup with the utility, all you need to do is log in with your account & start retrieving important files, photos, videos, documents in a few clicks
10. iSkysoft PDF Editor
One of the best & widely used solutions for viewing & editing PDF files is iSkysoft PDF Editor. It's a complete suite of PDF editing tools to help users manipulate texts, images, links & other elements without any hassles. You can use this best app for MacBook Pro to crop, rotate, extract, split, add watermarks, change background colors & do a lot more. Talking about the interface, iSkysoft has a simple & intuitive dashboard that makes editing, organizing, review, converting & protecting super-easy.
Users can download & use the free trial version to try all the features once before they spend money to get the premium version. It promises a 30-day money-back guarantee as well if a user comes unsatisfied. You can read more about this top app for MacBook Pro here!
11. Systweak Anti Malware
Systweak Anti Malware is one of the essential apps for Macbook as we all know no device is safe. One must get a security tool to monitor it at all times, and Systweak Anti Malware can do this the right way. It will easily detect the presence of malware on your computer and remove it. This is one of the best Mac programs as it has an up to date database for malware, which helps scan the latest computer virus.
This must-have app for Macbook Pro comes with different scanning options for convenience. You can schedule scans with this new software for Mac, which is incredibly useful for all users who often forget to scan the system from time to time. Shows you all the threats and infected files with its location in the Quarantine section. You can easily remove all the malicious elements with their help and get rid of them from your Mac.
This is just a small selection of some of the Best Apps For MacBook Pro. There are plenty of other applications & utilities out there for each work. If you've got any Favorites, leave us a note in the comment section below!
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Updated Dec 23. 2020
On November 10th, 2020, Apple revealed details of the M1 chip and announced a few updated computers in the Mac line-up that are built on the new Apple Silicon. What does this mean for Software Developers and Engineers? Should you get one?
Macbook Pro Software Versions
The new models available are:
Ultimately, the best computer for software development is the one that fits the specification for your projects and desired workflow.
Let's take a look at some points to consider when trying to decide if you should upgrade to the new MBP 13″.
Hardware
Depending on the type of development you're doing, your hardware priority may shift. To cover a wide range of development tasks consider the full-stack developer; working on a web app with a backend such as Java, Python, NodeJS, or Dart.
Development Considerations
- SSD Storage
- Memory / RAM
- GPU
- CPU
- Battery life
SSD
While developing for websites, mobile apps, or cross-platform apps, or interacting with files the number one priority is usually a lightning-fast SSD.
According to this post on Macrumors.com, one user noted that the SSD on their new Macbook Air was 2X faster than the SSD in the previous generation 2019 Macbook Air. The write speed increased from 1007MB/s to a 2190MB/s – that's wild!
Considering that the SSD affects literally all parts of the development cycle, updating to the new M1 Mac may be a good choice if you currently use the Macbook Air.
If you assume that these findings scale (even if it's only half as good) across the other models. The SSD that ships with the M1 Mac are not game-changers, but, would be a massive improvement to the QoL for a developer.
GPU and RAM
Next, the GPU and RAM are crazy important if you are manipulating media for the application, designing new screens/icons/images/logos, or rendering video content.
According to Apple, the GPU outperforms many of the competitor PCs in graphics capabilities. However, at this time the M1 architecture does not allow for the use of Apple's eGPU to boost performance. Even without engaging the fans, the new M1 GPU cores outperform the previous generation of Intel graphics.
One issue with the M1 architecture is that it does not allow for connecting an external eGPU. This means that you won't be able to super-charge your graphics performance for rendering or gaming in your off-time. If you wouldn't use an eGPU anyway, then, the upgrade is worth it. Several sources show that the M1 is able to render RAW and 6k images on par with the previous generation 16″ MBP and Mac Pro.
The usability of Memory is very difficult to quantify at this time. With a 16GB maximum for all of the new Mac seems a bit weak. Previous generations of Macbook Pro supported up to 64GB of memory. If having a huge memory stash is important to your workflow, stick with the Intel variations.
Yet, with the new M1 architecture it may be possible for the MBP to use the 8GB more efficiently to achieve the same results a PC with 12GB or 16GB might. Because of the integrated architecture, memory usage with M1 is considerably more efficient. That being said, some have reported that the difference between the 8GB and 16GB M1 Macbooks did not make a significant difference in performance. Very weird.
iPhone users will be quick to point out that the current iPhone 12 has only 4GB of memory and performs just as fast as Android devices with 8GB+.
CPU
The speed of the CPU is important for development and the M1 architecture stands out with some impressive boasts of performance. The first-hand experience says that you can tell the new MBP is snappy while maintaining excellent battery life. Available threads that perform at a variety of speeds is excellent for development.
Macbook Pro Software Download
When comparing the M1 to the i7 1185G7, which is commonly used in PCs with an approximate price range of $1,100-$1,999, the statistics are very intriguing. To get a feel for the differences, take a look at the Cinebench and Geekbench scores.
M1 | Intel i7 1185G7 | |
Single-Core Score | 1,516 | 1,548 |
Multi-Core Score | 7,698 | 6,263 |
Single-Core | 1,778 | 1,518 |
Multi-Core | 7,518 | 6,097 |
Considering that the performance is at least on-par with an industry-leading Intel chip, the M1 should be a solid competitor. oh, wait, one other thing. The M1 didn't even turn on the fan for most of these tests, these results were achieved by using a fraction of the heat and a fraction of the power consumption. In some cases, the consumption was at must as 6x lower than the comparable Intel chip.
Worth the upgrade if you have an older generation Mac.
Battery
According to several reviews of the new MacBook Pro, while under the same conditions, the new generation shows a significant increase in battery life as well as a decrease in the overall temperature. Less energy wasted as heat.
When compared to the Dell 13″ XPS, a similarly powered and sized Pc, the battery life of the M1 MacBook Pro boasted over 16 hours of casual browsing; where the XPS has a decent but underwhelming 11 hours of browsing.
For strictly battery life, this isn't a huge deal if you sit at a desk and plugin for development. But, considering how much cooler and quieter the MacBook runs, the battery is a win in my books.
Memory Revisited – Dual Boot
In some cases you may need to configure your MacBook with Dual-Boot or using Parallels and run Windows alongside MacOS. This is where the memory really becomes a stretch from a hardware perspective.
With optimized apps and Rosetta2 on Mac might make the M1 chip better utilize memory for MacOS like Big Sur, yet, Windows 10 will not have these optimizations. When you boot up into Windows, you've just got a Windows laptop with 8GB of memory…welcome back to 2014.
When using Parallels or VirtualBox vs a true dual-boot you run into even more of a memory issue as the memory needs to be shared between macOS and Windows, evenly splitting the RAM gives you what? …4GB… No thanks.
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If running Windows in a VM is a requirement for your workflow, please, DO NOT GET AN M1 Mac – of any kind.
In the near future, as soon at Spring/Fall of 2021 you can expect that the M1X and M2 chips will become available. Along with this we can expect further improvements to performance as well as large capacities for RAM.
IDE Compatibility
Most existing applications that run on MacOS will continue to run on the new M1 chip, thanks to Rosetta 2. However, in order to get the most out of the new architecture apps need to be re-written into 'Optimized Apps'.
Without being an optimized app, your current apps will – at best – perform the same as they do already. What does this mean for the IDE? Right now, only Xcode12 is optimized. Other IDEs are a work in progress.
VS Code – Optimized App?
As of now, VS Code has a defined outline for the upgrade to an 'optimized app' for Apple silicon and Big Sur. Yet, still accessible through Rosetta 2. You can get a dev build of VS Code if you're into that. Otherwise, you can follow the Github issue where the roadmap is defined.
Eclipse – Optimized App?
No. However, there are discussions within the project about what support for M1 looks like. Be careful because Eclipse does have a release name 'M1' which should not be confused with Apple's M1 chip, it does not imply support.
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IntelliJ – Optimized App?
As of Wednesday November 11th, 2020, the IntelliJ team stated that they are in the process of optimizing the IDE for Apple Silicon. Yet, the IDE works with Rosetta 2.
Conclusion
At this time, I recommend that most developers should consider upgrading to the M1/M1X chips if you are currently due for an upgrade and you don't require Windows.
However, if you're considering getting the new MacBook Pro 13″, Mac Mini, or Macbook Air for software development and you require Windows or you are not in desperate need of an upgrade…don't buy it.Wait for the next iteration of M1 or even M2 to come with the 16″ MacBook Pro.
The current set of devices that are available are a test for Apple. I will personally reconsider the M1 chip once the 16″ MBP, iMac, and Mac Pro are updated.
In order to consider moving to the new Mac line-up Apple would need to do the following:
Macbook Pro Software Programs
- Allow for increased Memory/RAM (minimum 16GB, 32GB+ is preferable)
- Allow for the use of eGPU or seriously upgrade the encoders
- More non-Apple companies start creating builds for the latest Apple architecture