How the MacBook Pro Works

Apple offers a number of accessories to go along with the MacBook Pro. A few come bundled with the computer. You can purchase others as upgrades from the Apple website or store, or other online outlets like Amazon.

Bundled Accessories

You can purchase an external mouse for the MacBook Pro, but the machine comes equipped with a trackpad. Users control the cursor with "gestures" for intuitive scrolling and tapping instead of clicking. For example, instead of using the arrow keys or clicking and dragging to scroll, you can move your first two fingers up or down the trackpad to scroll through a screen.

Another handy accessory that comes with all MacBook Pros is the MagSafe power connector. Instead of plugging the power cord into a port on your MacBook Pro, it attaches via a magnetic connection. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you've ever tripped over your power cord, knocking your laptop onto the floor, you can understand why the MagSafe was a great innovation. The gentle magnetic connection easily pulls away when you jostle the power cord.

Probably the most exciting accessory that comes with new MacBook Pros is the built in FaceTime HD camera. The camera is built right into the machine, and the pinhole-sized lens is located right above the screen. The high-resolution camera lets you take HD video and to FaceTime chat with other MacBook Pro users and with iPhone 4 and iPad2 users [source: Patterson].

Apple Accessories

Like most computers on the market, Apple offers a number of cables and adapters for the MacBook Pro, but there are a few Apple accessories that stand out.

If the 17-inch (43 centimeter) screen is still too small for your taste, you can upgrade to the 27-inch (69 centimeters) Thunderbolt Display for $999 [source: Apple]. This external monitor also has a built-in FaceTime HD camera, so there's no need to go back to your laptop to video chat. Like the name implies, this display uses Thunderbolt technology to transfer data faster, which is especially handy if you use multiple monitors together [source: Vatto].

Need more storage space? The External Thunderbolt Storage is basically an external hard drive, but it uses Thunderbolt to transfer your data much more quickly than with a USB or FireWire external drive. You can use this external drive with the Time Machine software to back up your computer or just to add space if you max out the memory on your MacBook Pro [source: Apple].

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