Still using your Mac’s original keyboard and mouse--only now they’re covered by a thin layer of finger grime? That display starting to look a little dingy and dull? Is your external hard drive running out of room for all your cat photos, or are you interested in stepping up to a network drive so you can access your files from anywhere?
Upgrading your Mac’s accessories and peripherals is a no-brainer--after all, they’re such an integral part of the Mac experience. Plus, unlike when upgrading internal components, you won’t have to dig around inside your Mac’s case or fumble with a bunch of screws that seem as small as the period at the end of this sentence. Really, the shopping is the hardest part.
As always, we’re here to make it easier with our picks for the best keyboards, mice, all-in-one printers, displays, external hard drives, and network storage. Each category has budget, midrange, and high-end options because as much as we love our Macs, we all still gotta eat.
To get your ideas on paper or to scan papers into your Mac, a jack-of-all-trades printer is just the thing.
Who says inkjet owners need to lust after laser printers? The Officejet Pro 8500 might invert that expectation with its speedy 35-page-per-minute black and 34-page-per-minute color prints. With up to 1,200 dpi (dots per inch) for black and 4,800 dpi for color, the crisp results stand up to family scrutiny or business presentations. You can even reach it over an Ethernet or Wi-Fi network, like a typical laser printer. But a typical laser lacks the Officejet’s individual color cartridges, which let you replace each color as it runs out. Advantage: inkjet all-in-one.
HP · $399.99 · hp.com
You got your photo printer in my fax machine! You got your scanner in my copier! This budget printer touches many categories, all great for a home office. There’s a 30-sheet feeder to queue up copies, scans, and faxes, and from your Mac, you can decide whether to print over USB 2.0 or Wi-Fi. You can even print photos from an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, or iPod touch through Wi-Fi. You got your printer in my party trick!
Canon · $99.99 · canon.com
Like other inkjet all-in-one printers, the Artisan 810 (5 out of 5 stars, Dec/09) prints, scans, faxes, and more. Built-in Ethernet and Wi-Fi networking interfaces let anyone in your household print, even directly onto inkjet DVDs. You can also print from an iPhone over Wi-Fi through the free Epson iPrint app, and the touchscreen panel directly allows printing and copying too. The Artisan is versatile enough for working from home or for doing homework, producing great-looking text and copies.
Epson · $299.99 · epson.com
lukeforester1
April 24, 2010 at 8:47am
You wrote that there was a 14" Apple cinema display, I got really excited. Then I went to Apple's website to go look at it and it wasn't there. It then occurred to me that 1 and 2 are right next to each other on the keyboard. You might want to fix that. Other than that, loved the article!
