How is this device for Programming?

[macDonalds]

Let me just say that this would be a luxury purchase. I have a beefy gaming PC that rips through anything I need, but as a long-time Windows .NET guy, I do enjoy Apple products. I'm tempted to jump in and use this on the go, but also wondering if it could be my daily driver as well, and just hook it up to my monitor when I'm at my desk.

I would be using mostly .NET Core stuff - Visual Studio Code, C#, probably have to look into Docker w/SQL Server at some point, Node, etc. Any VM or IDE type stuff I could delegate to my desktop.

I think because I have a powerful desktop, this machine is more interesting to me than the Macbook Pro 13". If I get a mobile device, I want something with stellar battery life and a small footprint. Bonus points if I can use a battery pack on the go as well. It's either the Macbook 12" or the XPS 13", but part of me does want to have one foot in the Apple world to diversify my portfolio a little.

Thoughts?

 

[rkuo]

It's pretty awesome for a portable machine, but the graphics are underpowered, which means it feels a little laggy hooked up to a big monitor. It also throttles pretty easily, so if you are doing serious programming that involves long compiles, it will slow down a lot. For small projects and quick builds it should be pretty responsive.

 

[Graham Perks]

For anything that doesn't peg the CPU at 100%, the MacBook is fast & smooth. For full rebuilds of large projects, you're going to see longer (but quieter!) build times. Otherwise, for portability, lap-time fit and comfort, and anytime away from the desk, the MacBook is very compelling. Two thumbs up.