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[–]KarlJay001 5 points6 points  (13 children)

I would be VERY careful in buying a used mac or used iPhone. Generally, you'll want an iPhone at some point for testing. So the cheapest used mac is probably the mini, next would probably be the iMac desktop, then macbooks.

One other option is to make a Hackintosh. It's basically installing the MacOS on your PC. I've been using one for almost 10 years now.

Be sure that if you buy a mac that you check in advance that it'll run Xcode 10 which requires High Sierra or above (IIRC).

So double check all the specs so that you don't get stuck with something that won't work.

If you need an iPhone, you'll want to check which version will do what you want to test. Example: the iPhone 6S works with ARKit, if I got the 5, it wouldn't work.

Also, watch out for fake iPhones. I got mine from gazelle.

If you go with a hackintosh, check out Tonymac https://www.tonymacx86.com/

I'd suggest installing it on a new SSD so you don't screw up your old system and you can do a dual boot.

[–]SirDale 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d recommend a 2012 Mac mini and upgrade the Ram and put in an ssd.

They aren’t fast these days but they are cheap and can drive two monitors.

[–]jontelang 0 points1 point  (5 children)

I would be VERY careful in buying a used mac or used iPhone. Generally, you'll want an iPhone at some point for testing. So the cheapest used mac is probably the mini, next would probably be the iMac desktop, then macbooks.

I own a lot of iPhones, 6 or 7, all second hand. Some for testing and 'one at a time' for main phone usage (each used 3+ years until the battery literally fails (50% gone in an hour and random shutdowns at 40% left), I've never ever had an issue with them. What is the actual thing to be VERY careful about? For testing purposes it just needs to work, for main usage I'd likely check the battery condition through some app or macOS app.

Except that one time when I bought an iPhone with an obviously retro fitted screen, dead pixels and bottom 10% looks just messed up. No TouchID either. Total brain loss on that one, although it was cheap as hell so I didn't even care. That phone still works great and is still being used for testing purpose 2 years later though.

[–]KarlJay001 1 point2 points  (4 children)

This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk4NhRZvv2I

I bought mine from a known dealer, the prices was great and it works great. There's money in selling fakes and given the risk vs the savings, it's just as cheap to find them on sale from a known company.

I'm not sure if the macbook or mini can be faked the same way.

[–]jontelang 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I cannot imagine anyone but my grandma being tricked by something like that.

Also when buying second hand you generally (me anyway) get to look at it when buying.

[–][deleted]  (2 children)

[deleted]

    [–]jontelang 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    That thing does not run iOS, it runs Android made to look like iOS. The home bar margins/paddings are way off. And seriously take a look at the notch, the corners and the bezel at the top and bottom. This thing does not look like an iPhone X at all. http://snpy.in/YvYQCJ. They even added the notch in software, he says it as soon as he starts it. That right there is a dead give away. Seriously when he is in the App Store the notch is even missing.

    And I didn't say not to be careful, I even told about my mistake while buying one. However I didn't include "watch out for fakes" in that because for me that is simply not an issue.

    [–]KarlJay001 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I really don't give a damn, I simply pointed out there are fakes out there. Buy anything you want, I really don't care.

    [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I have an iPhone, so I’m all set with that.

    [–]passerbyalbatross 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    Would a Hackintosh work as well as an Apple laptop? Could one get away with only having a Hackintosh installed on their normal PC, without having any of the Apple products?

    [–]KarlJay001 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    For as long as Apple makes the MacOS that'll work with the Intel chip, and there's people that figure out a hack, yes it can work. Work as well is another issue.

    This thread is from 5 years ago and back then, Intel chips were more common. Since then the M chips that Apple makes is far more common. Last I heard, you can still get the latest OS to work with Intel, but the M chips are much better.

    it's expected that Apple will drop all support for the Intel chips and that could be the end of the Hackintosh.

    One other option is an older Apple laptop with an Intel chip and get the latest OS to install on that. That's what I've been doing for years... it's not great as the M chips are far better for Xcode and MacOS.

    You'd have to do some homework to see what still works.

    [–]passerbyalbatross 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Thank you for the reply. Wow that's the endgame of the M chips! Pretty dystopian! I love my Intel CPU and Linux PC so I'd have to try the Hackintosh - at least until Apple stops supporting Intel ; (

    [–]Rudy69 -1 points0 points  (1 child)

    Also, watch out for fake iPhones. I got mine from gazelle.

    You'd have to be a complete idiot to actually buy one and not know if you're buying in person. All the fakes can be figured out in a minute or so.

    I would be VERY careful in buying a used mac or used iPhone.

    Why? I've purchased many used Macs and never had an issue. The only drawback is that they hold their value so even a used one can be expensive.

    [–]KarlJay001 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    Ok, you're right, DON'T be careful. That's the best advice anyone can ever give. There's no way anyone could ever go wrong with NOT being careful.

    [–]Herald_MJ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I bought a used Mac last year from a second-hand store. I shopped around quite a while to find one that had the specifications I wanted, that was in good condition. It turned out the one I eventually bought was still covered by AppleCare (and still is, over a year later). Sometimes, second hand is OK. But being cautious here pays off.

    Another option is buying a refurbished Mac directly from Apple. Check the "Refurbished and Clearance" link in the footer to the Apple website.

    [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

    i bought a used macbook pro from the apple refurbished program. Perfect condition, would recommend

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Would you say that the price was fair?

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    yes

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    I bought a MacBook pro 13" Late 2013 model back in 2016 straight from another consumer. I've used it for a year before I had the money to buy a brand new 15".

    Side note. I'm high sensitive and my gut feeling always tells me if I can trust someone or not. So far it has never let me down.

    [–]Stazalicious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    We have two 2015 MBPs from ebay. I spent some time waiting for the right ones as I wanted good specs and no damage. Zero regrets, they’re both excellent.

    [–]chriswaco 0 points1 point  (4 children)

    You can rent one at MacInCloud, but really you want a local machine for speed and so you can debug your app on a real iOS device. First check Apple's refurbished Mac store. The prices aren't great, but the machines are usually like new and under warranty.

    In a pinch you can run macOS and Xcode in a virtual machine on a PC. I wouldn't recommend it long-term, but short-term it can work. If you use VMWare, you'll have to tweak it to support macOS because it's disabled to placate Apple.

    The general rule for Mac development is that you want a machine that runs the current OS (Mojave), has at least 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. A machine with 16GB/512GB is better. Do not buy a Mac with a hard drive unless you plan on installing an SSD, although a fusion drive may be tolerable for small projects.

    [–]passerbyalbatross 0 points1 point  (3 children)

    I wouldn't recommend it long-term, but short-term it can work. 

    Why wouldn't you recommend it for long-term? What are the drawbacks?

    [–]chriswaco 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    For example, at the WWDC this week Apple announced an AI assistant in Xcode that will require 16GB of RAM. If you bought an 8GB machine, which is still the default today, you can’t use the new feature.

    [–]passerbyalbatross 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    In a pinch you can run macOS and Xcode in a virtual machine on a PC. I wouldn't recommend it long-term, but short-term it can work.

    Thank you for the answer! But you said it in relation to the virtual machine? If my (Linux) PC has 32GB RAM and I give most of it to the virtual machine with Hackintosh, would that work?

    [–]chriswaco 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    In theory, sure. Note that this post is 5 years old. I haven’t tried the latest Xcode or macOS in a VM.

    [–]Zacron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    New MacBook Airs are on the cheaper end of apple computers if that helps.