You may think the internal mic in your MacBook Air or Pro 'sounds okay' for the most part. And for casual use maybe that's good enough. But if you were to listen to and compare the fidelity to any external, quality USB computer microphone plugged into your MacBook, you'd be surprised - and pleased by the difference in sound reproduction quality. Apple's internal microphones are far, far from studio grade.

Blue Tiki USB Condenser Mic

Dual Mode : Speech Or Music

Samson Go-Mic Portable USB

Cardioid or Omnidirectional Patterns

For a wide variety of recommended USB microphones for Mac desktop and MacBook laptop use, visit this site dedicated to better sounding audio capture and speech recognition on your Macintosh: http://www.mac-microphones.com

If you were stranded on an island and only had one iOS handheld gadget and Mac compatible keyboard to choose from, Logitech's OSX and iOS friendly solar-rechargeable Bluetooth keyboard would be an excellent choice.

Mac Logitech Solar Keyboard

Bluetooth Mac - iPad - iPhone Connectivity

• Explicitly designed for Apple folk : Compact aluminum finish with familiar Mac layout.
• Solar charging even from indoor lighting to eliminate battery changing hassles.
• The keyboard includes a USB cable to recharge it, even while its in use.
• Bluetooth wireless technology for typing within a 30 foot (maximum) range.
• Easy-Switch Bluetooth for 1-button toggles between typing on an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
• Quiet and comfortable typing in a slim and minimalist keyboard design.
• For Mac OSX 10.5+ or iOS 4.0 or later.

While some Apple iPad users might prefer an integrated iPad folio / cover and keyboard combo for travel -- At home or the office, this versatile Apple compatible keyboard from Logitech has distinct and superior advantages over Apple's own Bluetooth keyboard - at a lower cost.

With several million new Apple computer owners joining the Macintosh family every quarter, there's more demand than ever for the best Mac tax software to help you with filing your Federal and State income taxes. Unless you're lucky enough to only have to fill out a 1040EZ Federal form, you'll need all the help you can get to prepare your 2013 taxes on a Mac with accuracy and ease.

TurboTax Mac 2013 Deluxe

Federal eFile + State Edition

H and R Block Tax Software 2013

At Home - Deluxe Fed + State

The two main apps for Mac tax preparation are Intuit's insanely popular TurboTax and H&R Block TaxCut which is now called 'At Home'. Both become available around Thanksgiving to let you get a jump start on your 2013 taxes. You can download the Fed version now, and later get your State version when it's released (usually in January.) The 'Deluxe' version of the Apple tax prep programs listed here generally include State and Federal + eFilie options. Depending on you state of residency you may want a more basic version - or a higher end Premium / Business version if you have rental income, complex investments, LLC or Corporate business.

Low-Cost USB 3.0 Mac Backup Drive : More affordable than ever, laptop drive prices have become ridiculously cheap and capacities up to 2 Terabytes are now possible in a 2.5" laptop backup drive mechanism. Western-Digital continues to deliver the #1 best-selling Apple backup drive in it's Passport series which also offers a few red, blue, silver and black color options for those who might want a bit more eye-candy in their backup solution. These days many Apple laptop backup products start around $55 - quite affordable for this must-have Mac accessory.

The transition from USB 2.0 to SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interfaces on newly released storage products has been swift and (unlike ThunderBolt) hasn't added one cent to the cost of manufacturing a drive that's USB3 capable - and still backward compatible with legacy USB 2.0 and even 1.x computers. Although the latency of a mechanical storage device is still a peak performance bottleneck, at least USB 3 offers other technical advantages for less CPU intensive and more efficient bi-directional data transfers, more current to power the drive via USB, and more intelligent power management from a MacBook's usable battery life.

Although Western-Digital, Seagate, LaCie and others offer 'Mac-Specific' models of external backup drives for Apple users, usually they're priced at a $10-or-more premium when all you really need to do when you get the drive is simply reformat it from Windows to Mac OSX. That can be done with Apple's Disk Utility in less than 1 minute to make it optimal for Mac file transfers and data backups.

For some other Apple desktop and MacBook external USB 3.0 backup drive options visit mac-backup-drives.com for a sampling of Mac compatible data storage solutions.

Logitech's Premium USB Headset for Mac is a great all-around performer for affordable but quality online chat, Apple Dictation and OSX speech recognition services, and audio and music enjoyment. For around $35-40 this headset with mic offers:

• High-performance earpiece drivers and built-in EQ
• Simple USB connection with rich digital stereo sound
• Rotating microphone boom flips up and away when not needed
• Background noise reduction mic for clear speech recognition
• On-ear volume and mute controls, Mute LED on cable
• Comfortable, soft, leatherette padded ear pieces and headband

Koss Multimedia USB Headset w/Mic - Gamers and music loving rockers might prefer this USB headset from Koss which offers many of the audio characteristics of their classic stereo headphone line. It also offers a longer, 8 foot USB cord for those who like to roam around their desk a bit.

For more Apple compatible USB headsets with built-in mic for online chat, VOIP, Mac Skype and Apple Dictation and Speech Recognition services check out this page at www.mac-microphones.com

Cheap HD Webcam For Mac - This under-$20 web cam is a great bargain for any Macintosh user wanting camera placement versatility that an external USB 2.0 Mac compatible video chat camera can provide. Particularly for owners of an Apple Mac mini desktop computer; this 720P HD auto-focus webcam with built-in mic can also provide the dual features of an iSight camera substitute as well as an external microphone which the Mac mini (and Macintosh Pro tower) lacks.



For other premium and budget Apple compatible webcam choices with a built-in microphone check out www.mac-microphones.com for Mac Pro and Mac mini desktop video capture, conferencing and sound recording needs.

Stereo Bluetooth Speakerphone For iPhone - iPad - Mac - The Photive Cyren wireless speaker is a great companion for your Apple iOS tablet, gadget or phone - as well as your MacBook. For a third the price, the Cyren gives the long-popular and best-selling JawBone JamBox speakerphone a serious run for the money. Featuring stereo 40mm drivers, top-mounted volume, playback and call-management controls, aux input jack and quick-charge, long-lasting LiOn battery it matches feature for feature. Like many portable speaker systems nowadays, its also available in a great range of bright colors from purple to orange to black to red and blue to suit your style, decor and taste.

1-Piece Bluetooth Portable Speaker like the HDMX Jam Plus travel speaker also comes in a rainbow hue of brushed aluminum enclosures for a compact, wireless speaker with handsfree microphone built-in, and easy to access music and call management buttons.

FYI: The ability of Bluetooth audio devices to stream a STEREO signal in reasonably high fidelity is still somewhat recent. Originally, Bluetooth audio was initially designed for a MONOPHONIC earpieces and the narrow frequency of human voice for cell phone calls. A2DP stereo audio streaming and speakers and headsets for music came much later. Now days theres a huge range of stereo wireless speakers using Bluetooth for nearly any budget.

Find other great sounding portable and home Bluetooth wireless speaker systems at mac-bluetooth-speakers.com - iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Macintosh computer audio solutions.

Portable ThunderBolt SSD Drive : All ThunderBolt storage products are still rather pricey no matter how you slice it. Intel's ThunderBolt chipset and port connector licensing adds about $75 to the retail price of any Mac accessory or storage device. But that's easing as more manufacturers and competition inches prices down. Here, the portable Akitio Neutrino 256GB SSD ThunderBolt external drive brings the price down near $300 USD. Certainly cheaper than ElGato but not quite as competitive as LaCie's USB 3.0 + ThunderBolt SSD combo interface offering.

At least SSD prices have gotten dirt cheap per Gigabyte in the past year helping to make these ultra-fast Mac backup solutions more affordable than before. For some; simply plugging a bare, off-the-shelf 2.5" SSD of your choosing into Seagate's Backup+ ThunderBolt drive dock is a workable and cheap TBolt backup option.

For a wide range of Mac compatible ThunderBolt Storage solutions visit www.thunderbolt-ssd.com for the fastest Apple backups ever!

HP's Portable Laptop Printer + Scanner makes them the first company ever to deliver a mobile print and scan solution for Mac OSX users on the go. This battery powered portable scanner and printer for MacBooks running OSX 10.5 and higher features a 2.3" Touch-Screen control panel and both USB 2.0 and wireless Bluetooth printer connectivity.

This is a long awaited and awesome Mac accessory for select business users on the road who really need to both print, copy and scan receipts and documents anywhere, any time - and can eliminate the need to carry a separate Mac compatible USB powered mobile scanner. For those who just need mobile printing functions, the HP 100 laptop printer is $100 less.

For other mobile printing and scanning solutions, www.maclaptopprinters.com to find the right Mac computing accessories for travel.

The Fastest Mac SSD Drive Upgrade is Samsung's 840 series SSD with state of the art controller and NAND flash memory. For many MacBooks and Mac mini's made in the last 5 years, and especially for newer Apple computers you ideally want a 7mm or 9mm low-profile form-factor module. A laptop size 2.5" SATA III SSD solid-state flash memory drive is an excellent option to breathe new life in an aging Mac laptop or desktop system. Samsung delivers one of the best SSD's for Mac drive swaps ever, with record-setting data transfer rates at a very reasonable cost per gigabyte.

For Macintosh models such as the iMac or Mac Pro towers which use standard 3.5" SATA drives, a drive converter like the IcyDock can convert a laptop SSD to a full size desktop drive in seconds. Just plop the best Mac compatible 2.5" SSD you can afford {from OCZ, Samsung, Sandisk, Kingston or others) into the case and close the cover. It's that simple. OWC's drive adapter sled is another good option.

Visit www.ssd-for-mac.com to learn more about various options to turbo-charge an older Mac's performance.

Does It All-In-One WiFi Assistant : Hewlett Packard does printers RIGHT. Here, the HP 6520 delivers one of the best printer solutions for iPad Tablet, iPhone or Mac OSX for only around $120. With very fast print speeds and both USB and Wi-Fi Wireless convenience, it's an excellent small office workhorse or shared home multi-function printer / scanner / copier. It's also AIRPRINT Compatible allowing direct wireless printing from iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch running the latest iOS update. Tip: Always buy XL - High Capacity replacement ink cartridges for far more pages of printed output for only a few dollars more.

Visit www.maccompatibleprinters.com for other desktop and portable inkjet, laser and multi-function AIO printing solutions for Apple iOS gadgets and Mac OSX.

Slim USB Portable Speaker Smart design and amazing sound quality you can hold in the palm of your hand and take anywhere. A passive bass-radiator woofer, and quad speaker drivers in Edifier's USB bus-powered or LiOn battery powered portable soundbar speaker improves any MacBook's audio. Reviewers all agree: a well-engineered portable speaker product with pleasing digital stereo sound for your MacBook Pro laptop or Macintosh desktop at home. Includes travel sleeve and 1/8" stereo input cable for standalone use with external analog devices like an iPad, iPhone or iPod. Also has on-board volume and mute control for quick sound-level adjustment.

Grandmax Slim Tweaker Speaker is one of the best portable USB speaker options and must-have accessories for MacBook Air users. It's the smallest portable computer speaker perfect for Mac laptop travel. This USB-powered laptop loudspeaker features dual, oblong stereo speaker drivers in an ultra-slim 1x10 inch cast aluminum soundbar that weighs less than 8 ounces. Experience room-filling volume levels and wider frequency-response that a MacBook Air's built-in speakers simply don't and can't deliver.

Check out www.usb-computer-speakers.com for a wide range of USB powered computer speakers for laptop travel or stereo audio on your desktop.