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Jason Miller
11,311 PointsShould I buy a Macbook Pro 15" or iMac 27" for iOS development?
I'm looking to get into iOS development but can't decide on whether to buy a Macbook Pro 15" or iMac 27". The advantage of the Macbook Pro is obviously portability and specs but the drawback is screen size. The case is the opposite with the iMac, where the advantage is screen size but it lacks portability and the specs aren't as good. In addition to iOS development, I would be using it for interface design, photo editing and light video editing.
Could anyone who does iOS development for a living or are studying to become an iOS dev give me any feedback which one you think I should buy? I'm leaning more towards the Macbook Pro 15" but I'm not sure if the screen size will be an issue.
3 Answers
Antonija Pek
5,819 PointsI don't have either but I do same things you do, dev and design, sometimes light video editing. I've researched a bit what is the best machine for this kind of work and concluded iMac is way to go. Specs are good for both and you get a big screen, this is everything you need. If you have external monitor then maybe you should buy Macbook Pro, you get big screen, good specs and portability.
It really depends is portability really a factor to you. If it is, it is no brainer - Macbook Pro.
Personally I will buy iMac 27" as soon as I earn some good money. For dev and design it is important to have enough room, iMac offers that and has a good hardware inside.
I have a mac mini, very old one, and 24" monitor. Sometimes this monitor is too small for design I do, I can't imagine doing something on a smaller screen no matter resolution. Also, when writing code in Xcode I find it small sometimes. I like to have control on everything that happens inside it. I don't like collapsing parts of Xcode to get more room, but obviously I have to with this old hardware.
Steven Deutsch
21,046 PointsHey Jason Miller,
You accurately described the pros and cons of each, now it's just up to you to decide whether you value mobility over screen size and specs. Eventually, you'll come to a point in development where you'll want both. I started with an iMac because I do all of my coding at home and valued the bigger screen size. I even went further by linking up multiple displays. Being able to watch Treehouse videos on one screen and have Xcode open in another - I don't know what I would do without it. A solution that may work for you, as Antonija described above, is getting an external monitor to link up to your Macbook Pro for when you don't need to be mobile.
Good Luck
Jason Miller
11,311 PointsThanks for the reply Steven.
My future goal is to be able to have both at my workstation at home. I never actually thought about watching tutorial videos with xcode open in another. That could pose a problem but I'll remedy that by using my 24" monitor I have just now as an external display when needed as suggested by yourself and the other guys.
Luke Glazebrook
13,564 PointsHi Jason!
I would just like to preface this by saying that both are absolutely phenomenal computers and you can't really make a wrong decision here.
If you think you will ever need to do any of the things you listed on the go then I would definitely recommend a MacBook Pro. I own one myself, the 13", and I even find that screen size absolutely fine to develop on. If I ever feel like I need more I just hook it up to the nearest monitor and I am good to go! Any of the current pro line MacBooks could easily do everything that you have listed as well so you aren't really going to be compromising anything apart from a slight performance loss compared to the iMac.
Now, if you don't think you will ever need to do any coding and etc on your travels then I would say just go with the iMac. It's got a nice, big display for you to develop your apps on and will make lighter work of your tasks on the whole.
I hope that I managed to help you out here! If you need any more help then feel free to ask any more questions that you have.
-Luke
Jason Miller
11,311 PointsThanks for the advice Luke.
I really do value the portability factor of the Macbook Pro but I did recently see the 27" 5K iMac and was absolutely blown away. It would be such a nice computer to do any sort of programming or design work on. The Macbook Pro is also an extremely nice laptop, has the performance and gives you that freedom to take it with you anywhere if needed. I think the dream setup would be the 5K iMac display with a Macbook Pro as the main computer. It would give you the best of both worlds but I don't believe they sell the 5k iMac as just a monitor/display yet and to purchase both at the same time would be really expensive.
It's good to hear that you use the 13" Macbook Pro and don't have any problems doing development work on it. I also have a 24" monitor currently which like you said, will give me the ability to add more screen space if needed. I think I'll go with the Macbook Pro for now and look to add that 5K display to my setup in the future! :)
Luke Glazebrook
13,564 PointsYeah Jason that does seem like a good idea if you value the portability and etc that the MacBook Pro gives you. Also, if you are really wanting to get a nice high-resolution display then I would suggest you look at some 4k displays on Amazon and etc, I am sure you could find a really nice one to hook up to your MacBook.
I hope you enjoy your MacBook as much as I am enjoying mine!
-Luke
Steven Deutsch
21,046 PointsSteven Deutsch
21,046 PointsAntonija Pek, are you interested in joining a iOS Swift Slack channel? We are looking for members who are trying to learn iOS development. The group is fairly new but it can be nice to collaborate with others in real time. We also have a team project under development and as our members become more experienced, we will have more projects in the future.
Jason Miller , the same goes for you.
If either of you are interested in joining, reply with an email and I'll send you the invite. Or you can contact me at stevensdeutsch@gmail.com
Antonija Pek
5,819 PointsAntonija Pek
5,819 PointsSure, why not. Add me with antonijapek@gmail.com
Jason Miller
11,311 PointsJason Miller
11,311 PointsThanks for the reply Antonija.
I really do value the portability factor and I have a really nice 24" monitor currently. I think I'll go with the Macbook Pro and like yourself, look to add that 27" iMac to my setup in the future. It really is a beautiful display to do any design or development work on. The Macbook Pro 15" with my external 24" seems like a good compromise just now.
Antonija Pek
5,819 PointsAntonija Pek
5,819 PointsYou will have a great time in that combo!