Now that the holiday shopping season is officially in full swing, you still have a few weeks to get out and get gifts for everyone on your list. If you're reading this site, chances are you know at least one person who is obsessed with everything Apple (or you are that person yourself). Gifts that fit someone's personality and existing gadget collection are often a great way to say 'happy holidays.'
News, Info, and Opinion by Mac users, for Mac users. Target is giving $10 back with every $100 Apple Gift Card purchase. Bluetooth speakers and true wireless earbuds hit all-time low prices. 10 great gifts for Apple iPhone users A quick and easy guide to some of the best iPhone-related accessories you can get for the Apple user in your life this season.
Here are 10 great holiday gifts perfect for the Apple fan in your life. These gifts run the gamut from stuff that touts an Apple fan's devotion to those just add a little bit of flair to an existing Mac.
Macify a Workspace
Know someone who just got a new Mac or needs a little help making their workspace more, well, workable? Check out some of these awesome workspace additions for Macs of all kinds and sizes.
BookArc — Twelve South makes some really spectacular stuff to accompany your Mac. The Book Arc is one of those perfect items for the user who always has their MacBook or MacBook Pro connected to an external monitor and keyboard. The stand fits all MacBooks, holds the laptop securely and can save a ton of space or just freshen up how an office looks.
Twelve South sent us one to review and we're now using it with a MacBook hooked up to an external monitor as a secondary computer on the same desk as a 27' iMac.
BackPack — The BackPack is also from Twelve South and it is a great addition to any iMac or Apple Cinema Display user's desktop. It's a shelf that fits easily onto the back stand of the iMac or Cinema Display and can easily hold an external hard drive, a caddy of pens, a bobble head, you name it. For Mac users that keep an external drive connected for Time Machine, this is a great way to keep the drive out of the way.
BassJump — Twelve South just introduced the BassJump, and for MacBook and MacBook Pro users looking for a nice, portable way to boost the sound that comes out of the Mac, it's pretty ingenious. The BassJump connects to an Apple portable via USB and acts as a subwoofer, adding a richer, more enhanced sound.
Testing the BassJump with my MacBook, I was impressed at how much better the system sounded when it was turned on. Rock and pop music especially was much more lush, less tinny, and had more definition. At $79.99, it's not a bad option for someone who works in a small office or dorm room and wants a sound solution that is portable (it comes with its own neoprene case).
Slimkey V2 — Macessity makes some really nice Mac-centric accessories, but the Slimkey V2 really takes the cake. It's a stand for your computer (you can use it with a monitor, a laptop, or with an iMac) that also contains a side-accessible USB hub. This is great because the USB ports on the back of the iMac can often be hard to access and this makes it easy to connect items without having to reach around, which can be really helpful for users who keep their Macs on a desk with a hutch.
Fashionable Cases and Bags
The Apple-addict in your life probably already has a case for their laptop or iPhone, but it probably isn't as nice as some of these.
Lacoste Messenger Bag — Designed to hold up to a 15.4' MacBook Pro, this messenger bag was made by Lacoste specifically for Apple computers. It has a pocket for cables, accessories, and even an iPod or iPhone (with holes for earphones). It's also waterproof so it's good for the Mac user who has to trek around in all kinds of weather.
Vaja Leather Products — Vaja cases for the iPhone or Mac portables can be pricey — everything is handmade — but the quality is impeccable and the design aesthetic just flat-out rocks. Some of the custom styles can take 25 days to make so they won't be ready by Christmas, but Vaja does have some models already made and ready to buy.
Vogue Leather Collection — If Vaja is out of your price range, check out the Vogue Leather Collection from More-Thing.com. Good looking and affordable.
Apparel and Toys
Apple has a Company Store at their Cupertino campus that sells lots of official Apple merchandise and apparel. Unfortunately, you can't buy that stuff anywhere except for the Company Store (although a few places sell some of the items online). That doesn't mean you can't still get Mac-centric clothing and toys from other places.
Some favorite spots:
Insanely Great Tees — Insanely Great Tees has a variety of shirts for guys and girls that celebrate the fun, artistic, and geeky side of Mac life. They are printed on American Apparel shirts and hold up extremely well. I have shirts that are two years old that still look brand new.
The Iconfactory — The Iconfactory makes apps and icons for the Mac and the iPhone. They're the geniuses behind Twitterrific (one of the very first Twitter apps EVER), and their icon 'Ollie' is probably as well known as the official Twitter logo. The Iconfactory sells t-shirts featuring their app icons (see above photo) and will soon be offering vinyl toy Ollies - perfect for a Mac lover's stocking.
If you want to get something really cool and contribute to a great cause, you can bid on a set of four Ollie prototypes. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go to the American Cancer Society, with Iconfactory matching the winning bid up to $500.00
Throwboy — You can get the Mac lover in your life pillow versions of their favorite Mac OS X dock icons. These pillows from Throwboy are handmade and extremely cool.
Photo courtesy of Nik Fletcher
More holiday shopping resources from Mashable:
- 10 Gift Suggestion Sites for Hapless Holiday Shoppers - 10 Unique Gifts You Can Make with Help from the Web - HOW TO: Use Social Media to Find Deals This Holiday Season - 10 New Sites for Socially Responsible Shopping
Moving to a new Mac? Before taking these steps, you can use Migration Assistant to move your files from the old Mac to your new Mac.
Create a backup
Make sure that you have a current backup of your important files. Learn how to back up your Mac.
Sign out of iTunes in macOS Mojave or earlier
If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes. From the menu bar at the top of the screen or iTunes window, choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer. Then enter your Apple ID and password and click Deauthorize.
Learn more about deauthorizing computers used with your iTunes account.
Sign out of iCloud
If you're using macOS Catalina or later, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Apple ID. Select Overview in the sidebar, then click Sign Out.
If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Sign Out.
You will be asked whether to keep a copy of your iCloud data on this Mac. You can click Keep a Copy, because you're erasing your Mac later. Your iCloud data remains in iCloud and on any other devices that are signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
Sign out of iMessage
If you're using OS X Mountain Lion or later, open the Messages app, then choose Messages > Preferences from the menu bar. Click iMessage, then click Sign Out.
Reset NVRAM
Presents For Mac Users Download
Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. Release the keys after about 20 seconds. This clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered.
Gifts For Mac Users
Learn more about resetting NVRAM or PRAM.
Optional: Unpair Bluetooth devices that you’re keeping
If your Mac is paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or other Bluetooth device that you plan to keep, you can unpair it. This optional step prevents accidental input when the Mac and device have separate owners but remain in Bluetooth range of each other.
Mac User Guide
If you're unpairing Bluetooth input devices from a desktop computer such as an iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro, you must plug in a USB keyboard and mouse to complete the remaining steps in this article.
To unpair a Bluetooth device, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth. Move your pointer over the device that you want to unpair, then click the remove (x) button next to the device name.
Erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS
The best way to restore your Mac to factory settings is to erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS.
After macOS installation is complete, the Mac restarts to a setup assistant that asks you to choose a country or region. To leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue setup. Instead, press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac, the setup assistant guides them through the setup process.
Presents For Mac Users Software
No matter the model or condition, we can turn your device into something good for you and good for the planet: Learn how to trade in or recycle your Mac with Apple Trade In.