People always have trouble shopping for me, I never know why, seems pretty straight forward to me. Throughout the year I keep a list of things that I see that I would like, but that I don’t need. Some of the things I end up buying before Christmas (and my Birthday which is right after Christmas), but most things I don’t buy. That said if you need a gift idea for the geek in your life see if some of these ideas might help.
Note: I am providing links directly to the product page, if it is available on Amazon I will provide an affiliate link in addition to the direct link. If you want to help support the site use the affiliate link, but don’t be silly about it – if you find it cheaper elsewhere buy it there.
Software (Mac Only)
So you have a Mac user in your life and they seem to have everything, well there is always more software and here is some great software that any geek would love to have (just be sure to check if they have it first).
- OmniFocus: the ultimate task management software.
- Ulysses: for those writers in your life.
- Yojimbo: for those pack rats in your life.
- DEVONThink Pro Office: for those meticulously organized pack rats in your life.
- 1Password: for everyone, even the non-paranoid.
- Aperture: for the hobbyist photographer in your life.
- Pixelmator: For the graphic designer and photo manipulators in your life.
Software (Mac & Windows)
Same rules as above apply, but this can be bought for both Mac or Windows users.
- Adobe LightRoom: for the photographer in your life. [Affiliate Link
]
- Dropbox Pro: for the constantly-using-different-computers person in your life.[Affiliate Link]
- Adobe InDesign CS5: for the graphic designer in your life. [Affiliate Windows
/ Mac]
Hardware
Ok now here is where we really get going.
- MacBook Air: I love mine and they are getting down there in price now. If they already have a good desktop Mac or a MacBook Pro take a look at the 11” models. [Affiliate: 13-inch
or 11-inch
]
- Apple iPad: everybody wants one of these even if they claim they don’t.
- dSLR: I recommend Canon’s but Nikon’s are equally as good. If they just want a better camera and are brand agnostic (Canon v. Nikon is like Mac v. Windows) take a look at what their friends and family are using and go with that brand so that they can share lenses. The Canon Rebel T2i [Affiliate
] is great as is the Nikon D3100 [Affiliate
]. If you really want to impress look no further than the Canon 5D mkII [Affiliate
].
- Micro 4/3s Camera: If they really aren’t that into photography but they still want something better than a point and shoot go with a Micro four-thirds these are great little beasts – but they are just as pricey as entry level dSLRs. Look at the Olympus E-P2 [Affiliate
], the Panasonic GF2[Affialite
] and Sony Alpha NEX-5 [Affiliate
]. Or if you really want to impress go with the amazingly bank busting Leica M9 [Please use the Affiliate
on this one ;-) ].
- A great bag: If you were to ask my wife she would tell you I have way too many bags, there are a lot of good ones out there, I recommend Booq Bags, but there is a great list of nice bags here.
- Fujitsu Scansnap: I can’t think of any geek who wouldn’t want one of these. Be careful they have specific Mac and Windows models and both Mac mobile and Windows mobile models (mobile as in they are USB powered and less expensive). [ Affiliate links: Mac / Windows / Mac Mobile / Windows Mobile]
- A Real Laser: Forget red laser pointers – those are old school, but any geek would love the Blue or Orange models.
- Jawbone Jambox: a sexy looking bluetooth speaker, say what…
-
A Good Notebook: Got someone who is not a high tech note taker? A good notebook will make their day, find excellent ones at IdeaCafe, or here.
- Amazon’s Kindle
: if you can afford the iPad get that, if you can’t the Kindle is a great reading device. If you have someone that reads a ton you can’t go wrong with this. [This is an affiliate link since Amazon is the primary seller.]
- A good pair of headphones, because those crappy white ones they are using right now are just that, crap. I suggest Bose In-Ears [Affiliate
], Quiet Comfort 15s [Affiliate
] (best for planse IMO) or: Sennheiser HD 25-1 [Affiliate
], AIAIAI TMA-1, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro [Affiliate
], Beyerdynamic DT-880 [Affiliate
], Akg K27i [Affiliate
], Sennheiser PX 200 II B [Affiliate
]
- Griffin Powermate is one sexy accessory to have next to your Mac. [Affiliate
]
- A Good Bluetooth Headset. Perhaps a Jawbone [Affialite
] or Sound ID [Affiliate
] (I use the Sound ID 200) would be ideal?
- Fridge Pad don’t try to tell me that this is not neat.
- iPhone 4: It is the best phone you can buy right now.
Gift Cards
-
iTunes: If the person you are buying for has an iPhone or iPad get them an iTunes gift card. Forget buying movies or music with it, they can buy apps. I recommend: Angry Birds, Flight Control, The Incident to get them going on some great games. [Affiliate
]
- Amazon: Sometimes you get that real pain in the ass type of person to buy for, luckily for you Amazon sells gift cards and everything else in the world a real pain in the ass could want.
- iPhone Gift Card: those things are expensive, why not team up with some other people to buy one for someone?