Purchasing a Mac?

I have never touched a Mac. Just starting out my programming career. I really think they are too expensive, too. Honestly, I'm partial to Ubuntu now. It feels like I have a lot more control over my PC.

To be honest, Macs and PCs are pretty similar these days, in the sense that most major software packages are available on both. With a Mac you are paying for a different experience, I prefer it, but there are as many people out there who prefer Windows (which is arguably more flexible in most situations). In short, you don't NEED one, as a PC will be absolutely fine, but if you want a good Mac experience, you may wish to check ebay for used ones from 2010 onwards, you'll get a great price, rivalling PCs and get the experience you are after. Hope this helps!

Ubuntu is great, I use it every day. In fact, the mac is based on linux, so they are very similar. I have a dual boot windows and ubuntu desktop that we built at the office, and it handles most of my needs. However, if you ever want to program for iOS then you will need a mac. That being said, most of the teachers on Treehouse use Macs so it will save you some headaches to have one as following their directions will be easier sometimes. If you go with Ubuntu, while it is MUCH more user friendly than previous linux distributions, be aware that you will have to be much more self sufficient than you would with a Mac. There are many situations you will find yourself in that you will be pulling your hair out if you are used to the simplicity of installing programs on windows or macs. In the end, if you have a mac, you can program for pretty much anything, but this is mostly due to Apple. However, there is pretty good documentation online for how to get things going on pretty much any OS you choose, if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

To save some money on a Mac I would suggest you check out their refurbished section of their store:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

You get the same warranty as a brand new Mac. I've ordered a couple refurbished ones and there is no way I could tell that they were used before. Definitely worth checking out to save you a couple hundred dollars.

I would bite the bullet and just buy one. No you don't need one but they're so common in web development that it would probably make things a little easier for you. Especially if you are asking classmates or co-workers for help with installing software or similar. If you do buy a Windows machine, as other have said, it is pretty much a requirement to install some form of Linux. Ubuntu being the most popular. Yes Macs are generally expensive, however you can make them last for a long time. I've had my MacBook Pro for 6.5 years and it's still running strong. I'm just now considering a new one for returning to school because my computer is so old I can't even install the 2 most recent versions of OS X on it! (Processor isn't 64bit)

Side note (opinion): The reason a Mac or Linux is so essentially is because of the need to build software yourself from source for various programs. It's quite easy with Unix based systems but as far as I know you need Visual Studio to build from source on Windows. Yes, there are binaries for most packages these days, however you don't want to be dependent on other people providing you with binaries.

Whether you decide on a Mac or not, if you're going to school, I would get the laptop. I would also personally recommend something in the 13-15 inch range -- for portability. If you shell out $$ on a Windows PC, generally speaking, you're going to get better specs from your hardware.

Minus the Retina Display and Flash Storage, last week my coworker saw a Laptop for $520 (Refurbished) that had higher specs then even the $2000+ Macs. Personally I am too frugal to invest in a Mac at this time. Now if you have the money and it's something that interests you, go for it.

I am a bit of a Apple fanboy, not that I think they're perfect or anything, but I do like their products a whole lot.

With that being said,

I have had both Windows and Mac laptops, and I greatly prefer my Mac. I have a 7 year old MacBook, and while its specs are outdated, the machine still runs like a dream. The same cannot be said for my ThinkPad, which while it was also a good machine, only lasted 4 years before I started having (hardware) issues.

Also, you may want to consider buying a used one, obviously it will take more research to find a good one, but you can save a nice heap of cash that way, and still get an almost new machine. I've done it a couple times.

My 2 cents.

If I was in the market for a Mac right now, I would most likely buy;

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC975LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7-with-retina-display

With 18 month financing, it comes to approximately $89 a month (+an additional $20 if you opt-in for Apple Care).

If your heart is set on a Mac, financing one may help you overcome your husbands sticker shock. :P

Thank you all for your responses! I am going to check out the refurbish liink :) I appreciate it and hopefully I will be buying one soon... I just can't wait!

I love my iPad and iPhone but you wouldn't get me buying a mac computer due to the cost when I can build a PC that is 2 or 3 times faster, have more hardware and is better, in my opinion.

I would wait till you're sure it's what you want to do and you're making some money from it. Then you can warrant buying a mac as there'll be a return on your investment.