Macbook Pro or Windows Laptop

J98

I'm starting college in September to study software development, Im gonna be getting a new laptop one that'll be easy to bring around and that. I'm thinking about getting the macbook pro 13" retina with 8gb ram 2.7ghz core i5 and 128gb ssd. I heard Mac OS is better for developers as its Unix based but would this base model macbook pro run applications like unity, photoshop also would it be able to develop websites, android and iOS apps without any problems?

Would I be better of getting this macbook pro or a windows laptop if anyone can recommend one.

Also in college I know pretty much all the computers in computer labs are windows would I still be able to get everything done using Mac OS?

jamo2oo9

J98 wrote: »

I'm starting college in September to study software development, Im gonna be getting a new laptop one that'll be easy to bring around and that. I'm thinking about getting the macbook pro 13" retina with 8gb ram 2.7ghz core i5 and 128gb ssd. I heard Mac OS is better for developers as its Unix based but would this base model macbook pro run applications like unity, photoshop also would it be able to develop websites, android and iOS apps without any problems?

Would I be better of getting this macbook pro or a windows laptop if anyone can recommend one.

Also in college I know pretty much all the computers in computer labs are windows would I still be able to get everything done using Mac OS?

It can vary between colleges but I'd send the course director or whoever manages the course an email to see what he/she would recommend. Most course directors would give you a recommended list of laptops on orientation day anyway. Perhaps you could wait until then? If not, send them an email about it.

Alanstrainor

The Macbook Pro available at the moment is a very poor choice given that is a year and a half old and long overdue an upgrade. The price you pay for the bottom spec retina macbook pro that you are looking at is laughable. Pathetic storage, dated chassis, and last generation processors and low RAM for the price.

And on top of all that, the Macbooks are not upgradeable in the future. If in 4 years your 8GB of RAM is not longer enough you'll have to buy a new Macbook to upgrade.

I will be waiting for the next generation Macbooks to decide if I get one, but I just think the above should be noted for anyone thinking of buying one right now. You would be correct in thinking that MacOS would be well suited to a software dev given that it is UNIX based. So that is definitely a big draw.

J98

Alanstrainor wrote: »

The Macbook Pro available at the moment is a very poor choice given that is a year and a half old and long overdue an upgrade. The price you pay for the bottom spec retina macbook pro that you are looking at is laughable. Pathetic storage, dated chassis, and last generation processors and low RAM for the price.

And on top of all that, the Macbooks are not upgradeable in the future. If in 4 years your 8GB of RAM is not longer enough you'll have to buy a new Macbook to upgrade.

I will be waiting for the next generation Macbooks to decide if I get one, but I just think the above should be noted for anyone thinking of buying one right now. You would be correct in thinking that MacOS would be well suited to a software dev given that it is UNIX based. So that is definitely a big draw.

Yeah I suppose probably wouldnt be able to wait till the end of the year though for them to release the macbook pro 2016 seeing as it'll probably be released before Christmas. Would these specs not do the job for the next 3/4 years to develop sites, apps and probably small bit of photo editing? Do you recommend any good laptops out at the moment under 1350?

Alanstrainor

J98 wrote: »

Yeah I suppose probably wouldnt be able to wait till the end of the year though for them to release the macbook pro 2016 seeing as it'll probably be released before Christmas. Would these specs not do the job for the next 3/4 years to develop sites, apps and probably small bit of photo editing? Do you recommend any good laptops out at the moment under 1350?

The Macbook would most likely be fine for your usage to be honest. Most computer science courses don't require much in the way of hardware. The lack of disk space could be a big pain however. Other than the disk space the rest should be more than enough. Great screen, great keyboard/trackpad, good battery life, reliable etc. There are lots of positives, but whether they're worth 1350 is debatable.

EDIT: Maybe I'm just a bit bias against this current gen macbook as I've been patiently waiting for the next generation for what feels like an age now!

J98

Alanstrainor wrote: »

The Macbook would most likely be fine for your usage to be honest. Most computer science courses don't require much in the way of hardware. The lack of disk space could be a big pain however. Other than the disk space the rest should be more than enough. Great screen, great keyboard/trackpad, good battery life, reliable etc. There are lots of positives, but whether they're worth 1350 is debatable.

EDIT: Maybe I'm just a bit bias against this current gen macbook as I've been patiently waiting for the next generation for what feels like an age now!

It'll be a huge upgrade from my current laptop anyway, yeah I've been looking up and people said they've used this for iOS, Android and all other sorts of development, still looking but I hope its enough to develop on without lag or slowness.

Alanstrainor

J98 wrote: »

It'll be a huge upgrade from my current laptop anyway, yeah I've been looking up and people said they've used this for iOS, Android and all other sorts of development, still looking but I hope its enough to develop on without lag or slowness.

Just make absolutely sure that there's no requirement for Windows for your course. I wouldn't want to have to run a Windows VM with such limited disk space.

Mark_G

Personally, I'd be leaning towards getting a Windows Laptop and Dual boot it with Linux, that's the set up I have at the moment. Most work was done through Linux with some modules on Windows but there was never that many problems for those who ran with a Mac. For that kind of money you should look into using PC Specialist and picking out the specs yourself.

As well as that I'm not that familiar with Mac at all so can't vouch for it I'm afraid, only the other options :pac:

J98

Mark_G wrote: »

Personally, I'd be leaning towards getting a Windows Laptop and Dual boot it with Linux, that's the set up I have at the moment. Most work was done through Linux with some modules on Windows but there was never that many problems for those who ran with a Mac. For that kind of money you should look into using PC Specialist and picking out the specs yourself.

As well as that I'm not that familiar with Mac at all so can't vouch for it I'm afraid, only the other options :pac:

Yeah I'm considering just going for a windows machine, is there any you would recommend? Around a 13" screen size as I would be bringing it around a good bit to college and that. I'm going to look at pc specialist now.

Mark_G

J98 wrote: »

Yeah I'm considering just going for a windows machine, is there any you would recommend? Around a 13" screen size as I would be bringing it around a good bit to college and that. I'm going to look at pc specialist now.

Really, when you have that much to spend I would think PC Specialist is the way to go. You can get it without any OS and pick up Windows cheaper or free (through your college) and then go from there with the dual boot. I haven't had a look on PC Specialist in a while but with the sterling not so strong at the moment it would be a good bet. I'll have a look later, in work atm, and try and see what is the best option for your money.

Have you any experience with Linux?

Edit: Also I went for the 15.6" option and don't have any issues with mobility. The laptop is quite light even for bringing it around in College. For development, I'd recommend the bigger screen for the sake of an extra kilo or two on your shoulders.

J98

Mark_G wrote: »

Really, when you have that much to spend I would think PC Specialist is the way to go. You can get it without any OS and pick up Windows cheaper or free (through your college) and then go from there with the dual boot. I haven't had a look on PC Specialist in a while but with the sterling not so strong at the moment it would be a good bet. I'll have a look later, in work atm, and try and see what is the best option for your money.

Have you any experience with Linux?

Edit: Also I went for the 15.6" option and don't have any issues with mobility. The laptop is quite light even for bringing it around in College. For development, I'd recommend the bigger screen for the sake of an extra kilo or two on your shoulders.

No I've no experience with Linux.

Yeah actually it would be worth it especially for the extra power it gives such as a dedicated graphics card.

Mark_G

J98 wrote: »

No I've no experience with Linux.

Yeah actually it would be worth it especially for the extra power it gives such as a dedicated graphics card.

The 15.6 Cosmos IV is probably what I recommend. I did up some specs quickly and a very strong machine will come in well under budget.

ED E

Dont, just dont, go and build a tank laptop for year one of CS. You've done the right thing by asking for suggestions. Get something thin and light. You wont be gaming in lectures and gaming on a laptop will get old very fast. Your IDE doesnt care if you've an 800x600 8bit display.

Surface Pro 4 is LOVELY. They got it right with the 4th gen. As are MBPs. Either would be a good option. The reason I wouldnt buy and MBP is they are by far the most attractive to thieves.

J98

ED E wrote: »

Dont, just dont, go and build a tank laptop for year one of CS. You've done the right thing by asking for suggestions. Get something thin and light. You wont be gaming in lectures and gaming on a laptop will get old very fast. Your IDE doesnt care if you've an 800x600 8bit display.

Surface Pro 4 is LOVELY. They got it right with the 4th gen. As are MBPs. Either would be a good option. The reason I wouldnt buy and MBP is they are by far the most attractive to thieves.

Yeah I am strongly considering the Dell XPS 13 at the moment, I want something small with a good battery life, light and powerful which I think the Dell XPS has.

Capt'n Midnight

Alanstrainor wrote: »

you would be correct in thinking that MacOS would be well suited to a software dev given that it is UNIX based. So that is definitely a big draw.

As opposed to being able to dual boot with BSD on a PC ?

you can't get as down and dirty on OSX.

you can easily dump windows into a VM and run a Linux/Unix/whatever laptop and have windows run in more or less a window.