How Much Extra Junk Do You Have On Your Mac?

I’m a gadget and junkaholic. My Mac carries more utilities, tools, accessories than exist in some nations of the European Union.

Housecleaning? Why bother? Organize cables? I don’t think so. Add a new gadget to my Mac? Yes, I jump at the opportunity to make myself more productive.

At least, that’s the excuse I use. I’m more productive when I have more stuff attached to my Mac. I’m more secure, more comfortable, and, usually, more poor.

After awhile, I’m time poor, too, because all those extra gadgets I added to my Mac(s) have to be maintained, updated, upgraded, cared for, right? Not only am I out the money, I’m out the time, as well.

The problem is that we live in an age of instant gratification, and nothing is more gratifying than buying something that will enhance our lives and make us more productive and efficient-- all at the same time.

Check out the Apple Store online. The first page just screams “Buy Me!!” There’s the all new iMac. I want one. I’m sure I need it. There’s the iPhone. Sorry, I got one already. But I’d love to give mine away to my husband as soon as a new model is available.

iPods? I have an iPod nano, an iPod shuffle, and an iPod with video. Do I need another? Yes, I cry! A thousand times “yes!!” Why? Because, uh, well, it’ll be easier to flip through music and music videos and TV shows.

Hey, that old iPod with video is just sooooooo.... 2006!

That’s just the main Apple attractions. There’s much more where that came from. Did you see that Incase molded rubber case for the iPhone? That is soooo cool. I wonder if it’ll fit over the leather case I already have. See? I’m justifying that which isn’t really justifiable. Mostly.

I bought the new aluminum keyboard. It’s better, therefore, more efficient and productive, because I’m typing more accurately (really, it’s true… I think...).

I bought a pair of the Sennheiser PX100 headphones. What’s wrong with the iPod earphones? They’re actually too large for my ears, so they’re uncomfortable, so I’m less inclined to be productive and efficient (unlike how I am when I listen to music on my iPod while trying to work). I’m like about 5 foot 12 inches tall. You’d think God would have given me ears to match, instead of an appetite for gadgets.

One of my favorite pages on the Apple Store is the accessories. There’s always something new. For example, I bought the M-Audio Keystation 61es. I can’t play a note, except the ones that come out when I press a key. But I want to learn, and all it requires is an extra USB port. And four feet of desk space.

What do I have connected to my Mac? Probably too much, but I can’t imagine unplugging something, anything. I have a nifty Shure microphone that cost me $50. I thought it might be good to sing along with my keyboarding. My husband says that with a little improvement and eight or 10 years of practice, and I would be almost as good as those women on The Singing Bee. Almost (have you heard those people try to sing?).

I have a PowerMate USB volume control, two printers (one Canon PIXMA MP600, and one HP DeskJet). I have a power strip that everything plugs into, including another power strip because everything didn’t really plug into the first one.

In a drawer nearby is Apple’s World Travel Adapter Kit. I travel, therefore, my Mac comes along. I have an iSight Firewire camera on top my Cinema Display. An iPod dock. An iPhone dock. A USB cable for my Canon digital camera.

See the problem? It’s worse than you think. There’s a NewerTech external Firewire/USB drive for backups. There’s the Crucial Gizmo! 1 gig USB flash drive plugged into it.

I’ve got a car charger for my iPod, and the Monster iCarPlay cassette adapter for the car. Did I mention that I watch television on my Mac? No? Well, that requires Elgato’s EyeTV 200. My husband bought me the Turbo.264 to speed up that stupid conversion process.

Can anyone explain to me why the Mac records TV in MPEG-2 from such devices, then has to convert the video to M4V? Why not just do it the right way the first time?

Housecleaning has been suggested by friends, relatives, nosy neighbors, and the neighborhood bored board, but if I paid for it, I have a right to use, don’t you think? It’s the American Way. Why else would a country go to war except to use all the bombs and tanks and helicopters it has collected through the years?

Wait. I’m not done. There’s the aforementioned new aluminum keyboard for my main Mac (I’d surely be more productive and efficient with a new aluminum iMac to match, but no one else who lives with me is buying that as the reason). And the Mighty Mouse. If Apple made an aluminum Mightier Mouse, I’d buy that, too.

I have an Airport Extreme, and AppleTV, a tripod for my video camera which connects to my Mac, and extra batteries for everything electrical except my MacBook Pro. That’s just an oversight. Surely I’ll be more productive while safe in the knowledge that I have enough hours on the Mac’s battery to type for a whole day.

There’s a speaker system that’s plugged into my main Mac, too. I haven’t made that wireless, but I have an Airport Express which would make it easy to set up.

I have the Kensington Combo Saver Lock for my MacBook but I never use it. Why? I can’t remember the combination so I’m afraid to take it with me.

All in all, I have more money tied up in the extras that I added to my Macs than the Macs cost in the first place.

Are you similarly blessed with Mac gadgets beyond just the Mac? How many? Why kind? Do they make you more productive and efficient and give you both instant gratification and peace of mind (not to mention contributing to world peace)?

Off Topic Note: Here’s a few questions for Mac users: (1) What’s the world’s fastest browser? (2) What’s the best notebook for Mac users? (3) What’s a good back up strategy for your Mac?