Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Which Macbook for iPhone Development?

S

shuf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 13, 2011
9
0
Hey,

I'm unsure about which macbook I should get for iPhone development.

I either want the 15inch 2.3Ghz, 500GB 7200rpm mbp or the 13inch 1.8GHz, 256GB ssd mba.

Ill be using this macbook as my main computer for iPhone development (programming and graphic work) and also as a music production workstation. So there will be lots of multitasking.

First, I was leaning towards the mbp but a refresh might be coming in the next 2-4 months and the mba just got its refresh. Also, the mba is about 800$ cheaper but I will be using this macbook to make money so money is not too much of an issue. I also like to work outside so I need the anti-glare the mbp provides unless the mba's screen is fine outside.

Do you think the mba is powerful enough for me?
 
Last edited:
I'd go with mbp - the cheapest mba only comes with 64GB storage which isn't enough for 99.9% of users

either mbp will be enough for you, but make sure you don't take 8GB ram from apple as they over charge, instead buy some ram for about $50 and upgrade it your self - it's user servicable so your warranty will stay
 
shuf said:
Yes, but I'm new to mac programming (objective-c). Its more the graphic a music work I'm worried about.
Click to expand...

You want as much screen estate as possible for coding, in general, so 15" with hi res screen or 17" ideally.

If there is a MBP refresh still this year, it'll most likely be just small bumps, next big one won't be till feb/marsh next year probably.
 
iMacDragon said:
You want as much screen estate as possible for coding, in general, so 15" with hi res screen or 17" ideally.

If there is a MBP refresh still this year, it'll most likely be just small bumps, next big one won't be till feb/marsh next year probably.
Click to expand...

I have external 24inch so its not that much of a problem. For the screen, im more concerned about reflections on the mba (working outside).
 
13" will be more than enough for you. iPhone development isn't as heavy on the hardware as Mac development, so a high-end 13" will do.
 
I'm using the base 13" 2011 MBP for iOS development. If I need a larger screen, I just connect it to my 23" LCD. I have no issues with using it without the external monitor, though.
 
I have the high end 13" depending on the size of the app I either connect it to a 24" or a 27" external monitor. 13" is more portable than 15" & 17" since you already have an external monitor, 13" is the best choice imo
 
I use my MBP 17" for iOS dev (Xcode 3 & Adobe CS5) with also an external 24" display at home and think it is pretty awesome. The Sandy Bridge Core i7 is really fast. Compile times are so fast that I rarely use the simulator and will instead build to the device.

I also have a MBA 11" i5/4/128 for Xcode 4 which always keeps me wondering how I could reconcile my feeling of what should be a screen that is too small with the reality that the screen is plenty big enough for serious coding.

Nowadays, even when I have both machines available with me, I'll often choose to code on the small MBA. I haven't done any graphic design work on it though. I use the MBP for that since I have the external display and graphic tablet all set up and plugged into the MBP.

If I could pick only one machine, it'd be the MBP 17. A second choice for primary machine would be the MBA 13", and third choice would be a MBP 15".
 
Hows Intel HD Graphics 3000 for 3d work? I'm thinking of getting an 13" air.
 
OP, you want to get at least a 13" MBP for iOS development! I have been working on my first application and I have a 13" MBP. It's working fine for me. The only thing is, if you do settle for a 13" one, you may want to invest in an external monitor. A bigger monitor will help a lot!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back