Show All Running Apps On Mac Using Force Quit Applications Manager. Another method to check all the Running apps and programs on your Mac is through the Force Quit applications manager on Mac. Click on the Apple icon in the top menu bar of your Mac and then click on Force Quit Application in the drop-down menu (See image below).
The MacBook Pro comes with a software bundle that includes OS X Lion, their newest operating system, and a suite of software for organizing, socializing, creating and editing media, and browsing the web.
Since Apple released its new Lion operating system earlier this year, all of the new MacBook Pros come with it. Lion has received mixed reviews. Critics complain that the software didn't make enough improvements over its predecessor, Snow Leopard, and some even compare it to Windows Vista, Microsoft's notoriously buggy OS. While others are saying that Lion doesn't offer as many big improvements as Apple's normally includes with upgraded operating systems, Lion is still worth the upgrade [source: Siracusa].
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All new MacBook Pros come with Mail and iCal to help keep your emails and schedule organized. Mail is built-in email software -- sort of similar to Microsoft Outlook -- that lets you download and organize emails. Apple's iCal is a calendar program where you can keep track of appointments. Users that have other Apple devices, like the iPad and iPhone can synch iCal with the phone or the tablet to keep appointment information handy on the go. You can also synch iCal with Google calendar, if you prefer using that to keep track of events.
The MacBook Pro also comes with the iLife suite of software, so media buffs can create music in GarageBand, do some simple video editing in iMovie, and organize and edit photos using iPhoto. With iTunes you can organize your music library and download music and podcasts easily.
The new MacBook Pro also includes FaceTime, a video chat software, that works with the built-in FaceTime HD Camera (more on the camera on the next page). You can use FaceTime to video chat with friends, family, and co-workers, provided they are also on a MacBook, iPhone, or iPad. Some users complain that this is a drawback to the software, since it limits who you can chat with [source: Perez].
Of course, other software is available for sale. For instance, iWork, Mac's suite of office software, is available. MacBook Pro's Time Machine, which helps back up your computer automatically, is also available. You can also use Time Machine with the Apple Time Capsule, which is a router with a hard drive built into it. Either way, Time Machine saves your old files and remembers what your computer's setup was in the past. That means that if something starts to act buggy, you can restore your machine to the settings it had before it started acting up [source: Apple].
Up next, we'll take a look at the accessories Apple offers to deck out the new MacBook Pros.
(Updated on 11/6/2017)So, here’s a quick question: how long does it take for your Mac to start up? A minute? Two minutes? Five? Or just too long? One possible reason your Mac may be slow out of the blocks is that it’s trying to launch a slew of programs all at the same time.
Now, some of these programs might be actually be ones that you do want to launch automatically, such as the Safari web browser, or Apple Mail. But other, not-so-necessary programs may be piling up in your Mac’s “login items” list, too—ones that set themselves to launch automatically without asking first.
Another factor that may be slowing down your system is the Mac’s “Resume” feature, which re-opens any and all apps you had running when you shut down your Mac. That could lead to a crush of apps all trying to launch themselves at startup.
Last but not least, you may have specific programs on your Mac with “Launch at Startup” settings that you’ll need to find and disable.
Now, if you’re the patient type, waiting a little longer for your Mac to boot up so that your programs appear just as you left them might be a fair trade-off.
But if you’d rather shave a few seconds—or even minutes—off the time it takes for your Mac to settle down after hitting the power button, read on.
Your Mac launches a series of programs each and every time it starts up. Some of these programs are critical for the smooth operation of your system; others, not so much.
To see a list of all the programs your Mac opens automatically, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, select System Preferences, click the “User & Groups” icon (it’s under the “System” heading), pick a user (you, most likely), and finally click the “Login Items” tab.
You should now see a list of everything your Mac is launching (or trying to launch, anyway) whenever it starts up.
Some of the items will be easy to identify—in my case, I’ve got Dropbox and Google Drive (the handy file-sharing apps) listed, as well as something called an “Eye-Fi Helper” (an app that lets my Mac receive wireless images from my digital camera) and “AirPort Base Station Agent” (which keeps tabs on my AirPort Wi-Fi base station).
To delete these or other startup items from the list (but not from your Mac, mind you), just select them and click the “-” button at the bottom of the list.
Don’t get me wrong—”Resume” is one of the handiest Mac features, especially for those of us who like to pick up in Safari or the Calendar app right where we left off.
But if you don’t want Resume relentlessly re-launching all the apps you had open when you last shut down your Mac, you can stop it from doing so.
The next time you select Shut Down or Restart from the Apple menu, take a closer look at the window that pops up; in addition to the “Cancel” and “Shut Down” or “Restart” buttons, you’ll also see a checkbox labeled “Reopen windows when logging back in.”
Click the box to clear out the checkmark, and the only apps that’ll re-launch the next time your power on your Mac are those listed in the Login Items menu.
So, you emptied the “Login Items” list and turned off the Resume feature, but there’s still a program that’s launching itself at startup. What gives? Well, it could be that the stubborn program has its own “Launch at Startup” setting.
Open the program, make sure it’s the active app on your desktop (just click its window if it isn’t), then find its Preferences menu; generally speaking, you’ll find it under its main menu in the Mac menu bar (like “Spotify” in the case of Spotify).
Once you’ve opened the program’s Preferences menu, look around for a “Launch at Startup” setting. If there are lots of different Preferences categories, start with “General,” then try “Advanced.” (In Spotify’s case, I found a “Open Spotify automatically after you log into the computer” setting under its “Advanced” settings.)
Found the “Launch at Startup” (or the equivalent) setting? Go ahead and disable it, then rinse and repeat for any other programs that are still launching themselves when you turn on your Mac.