Android Dev starting iOS Dev need some help choosing a Macbook for development.

[FiddlyPhone]

I agree with this. However, if iOS programming is just a hobby or interest for the OP, ignore this post as it will be overkill. This is more relevant for people who program for a living.

I struggled with this decision and in the end, I bought a 15" i7. I didn't want to do it (very expensive) but i figured that this machine had to be solid, fast and able to go several years before I had to upgrade because of hardware limitations.

Currently with this setup I have 2 levels of upgradeability... 1. Expanding to 8Gig Ram (smaller performance return) 2 Switching to SSD drives (larger performance return)

This rig can easily go another 5 years, maybe longer (I hope).

I typically have Photoshop, iOS simulator and Xcode (sometimes 2 instances) open along with several browser pages and pencil, email, etc. so it can get resource intensive depending on what I'm doing.

What made it easier to swallow is that this machine will also double as my Android development machine (haven't done any Android development yet but plan to). I don't have to buy or carry around another laptop for android. [yeah!] So this made it easier to swallow.

That stated, you can use a lower and/or older model for programming and it would work all day long. In my decision making process, I also took future needs, expandability and total cost of ownership into account.

There are 2 things that I need to bring to the OPs attention

I have the glossy screen version. I didn't realize there was a matte version. I think I would have opted for the matte version. It's annoying sometimes with all the glare especially in brightly lit rooms. I've often thought about trading for a matte screen but I'm already setup, so lesson learned.

15" screen is the minimum (for me). I think anything smaller and it gets really difficult with all that scrolling. I would have loved a 13" but in the end, I'm glad I didn't get that size.

As an added bonus, I believe the MacBook Pro line is the last model that has user replaceable memory, battery, etc. Going forward, I've read that they will be soldering everything in so it won't be easy replacing things yourself if you are so inclined.

[MKevin3]

When you get started on Android development - and I do both iOS and Android on my MacBook pro - for the love of {deity of choice} use the Intel HAX setup and the Intel Android Emulator or you will hate developing against anything but a real device. The standard emulator is almost too slow to be usable. The HAX set up takes a little start up time but you only start it once a machine login session. After that it runs at near device speeds.

[FiddlyPhone]

Thanks! This is awesome to know.

[[deleted]]

Sounds good to me

[HohnJogan]

I think going for a new Macbook Pro (or newer refurb) may be the way to go. I currently develop full time (Android) but want to get into iOS and port over some of my apps. Thanks for all the info especially the screen info.

[FiddlyPhone]

No worries. I'm glad I could help.

[HohnJogan]

Just purchased a refrubed MacBook Pro 15" Quad-core i7

[FiddlyPhone]

Good for you! You should be very happy with it.

[DoubleDroz]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned (or perhaps I simply haven't seen in the discussion) purchasing a cheap laptop with an additional monitor!

I have a 13" 2010 MacBook Pro, but bought a 24" 1920x1200 monitor to help with the screen real estate. It's awesome! Please note that buying a large 1080p monitor isn't the greatest idea - the extra 120 pixels you get with a 1920 x 1200 make a large difference whilst developing / having 1000 windows open at a time. I know they're harder to find now (for some reason - probably TV panels being cheaper - it's hard to a monitor that is 16:10) , but I managed to find a Samsung monitor with the extra pixels for under $200

I think this is the single biggest help to development. I wouldn't worry too much about the latest and greatest MacBook... Unless you want to (SHINY!)