Minimal Hardware for Effective Mac Development

Question

I want to expand my development in the field of Mac OS X and try to define a minimal system, I need to make some proof of concept applications for the Mac desktop computer, as well as for the iPhone. I would like to spend as little money as possible at this stage, so I am trying to determine the minimum equipment that I can leave with, and still be able to develop directly on a Mac, preferably on a laptop. Does a regular MacBook fulfill this need, or do I need to upgrade to a MacBook Pro?

Answer 1

A regular MacBook is fine.

Getting a large external monitor will help, as will a good mouse and keyboard. But the development of OS X and iPhone does not require much hardware.

Answer 2

A MacBook is sufficient if you are not developing any 3D applications that require a dedicated graphics card. The screen may be a little small for extended encoding sessions, so I recommend getting a DVI adapter and the largest monitor supported by a computer (1920x1200).

Answer 3

If you want to save some $$ and you are not fully configured on a laptop, I would recommend the Mac Mini (especially if you have a keyboard and monitor that you can use).

You can find a deal on Apple's refitting quite often (keep checking back, they appear from time to time, but seem to sell pretty fast)

Answer 4

I have a dual-core Intel Mini 1.67 GHz at home. I upgraded RAM to 2 GB. It launches Xcode very quickly (and Visual Studio inside the virtual machine, for that matter).

New Minis even faster.

Answer 5

I would recommend a desktop machine (20 "iMac) if you do not have a laptop that you already like. You get much more energy and screen real estate for your money. If you are a student, do not forget to get a discount for students. There is also a discount for registered students Apple developers, although there is a membership fee for this program.

Answer 6

Do not use it yourself (have MBP :)), but from this link it seems that Air can run it, and so I would suggest a Macbook too.

Answer 7

My friend recently got his first Mac laptop. I have been using them for many years, but this was his first. He is a developer, so he has the same requirements as all of us. Decent horse power, etc., but he did not want to spend too much.

After a month or so, he was sold, but he told me several times what he now wants him to get for the MacBook Pro, for a better screen, keyboard and extra horse power, etc. Yes, it is more expensive for sure, but it is definitely the best, comprehensive machine for developers, because in fact it is not enough in any area.

However, I love my MacBook. Too little to develop. I personally use the 24-inch iMac.

Answer 8

Mac laptops and desktop computers are so expensive, but the Mac mini is somewhat cheap. It is basically a processor unit, which is small, so you can add your peripherals such as a display, mouse, keyboard, etc. this should be enough for ios and osx.

Do not waste time on hackintosh ... This is such a waste of time in my humble opinion

Answer 9

If you're on a MacBook route, I also recommend connecting an external monitor. Xcode and Interface Builder can display tons of windows, and working on the built-in 13-inch screen can be very stressful. I have a 17 inch LCD connected to my MacBook and it works very well (but of course, the bigger the screen, the better).