Suggestion needed: Macbook Pro Alternative for Developer!
My existing Macbook Pro (2015) have been giving me a lot of issues lately and it has become a pain every time giving it at Apple repair both in terms of Time and Money.
So what next?
- Maybe a new Macbook, but for that I prefer to wait till the day Apple releases 13" version with better keyboard.
- Other option being moving out of Apple, But fully confused regarding what is the best alternative available?
Please suggest alternative with Development Eco System in mind!
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I use Dell XPSs. I've got an XPS 15 as my personal machine and an XPS 13 as my work machine, both with different flavors of Linux.
Great machines and I HIGHLY recommend them.
I'm using Huawei matebook for over a year now and it's pretty solid.
The keyboard feels the same as the macbook keyboard too
For me MacBook has always been a superior development experience to a Windows machine, basically because the OS is based on Linux, which is a big pro of you do a lot of work in the terminal. Also I feel OSX is better designed than Windows, and gets out of the way more so that you can focus on the work. I have not worked on a Linux machine, but my reservation then becomes software compatibility. I would stick to MacBook. I have a 13" Pro and yes I totally get that the keyboard needs improving, but I haven't had any serious issues... yet.
If you don't want to commit to a lifelong machine, there are companies that specialize in renting machines, so you always have the option of switching to a newer model or something completely different after say a year. The trade off is that you don't actually own it, but if you're testing the waters, it might be a good path for you.
Good luck with your search.
Agreed 100% ☝🏼
Yeah I like working on my Mac for these reasons, and after seeing myriad random driver issues on my friend’s new PC I remember why I like my Mac. There are benefits to closed ecosystems and I’ll pay the premium to save me time and grief.
Edit: Also I would imagine migration back to Windows to be a pain. It’s not going to be difficult, it’ll just take time and be annoying.
Just a quick note, Mac is not based on Linux. They are two completely parallel developments. However, they are both based on Unix which makes them look alike. If you ever heard of the GNU, the N is what makes the differnce ;-)
☝🏼 Thanks, that's good to know. Still I think my point stands.
Once you do start constructing a SaaS, make certain it's a hassle you sincerely care approximately to get help and solution, due to the fact you may be considering the problem area for years to come.
Apple released a 13-inch with the "magic keyboard" back in May and it already did fix all the butterfly keyboard issues, and is back to being great to type on, in my experience. They're probably going to release a new 13 inch at the Apple Silicon event next week, could be worth waiting to see what it's like. I agree with some of the other comments, the developer experience on a Mac is totally worth it in my opinion
You could consider the ThinkPad series P52, P53, P1 Gen 2... all of them are Dev machines and you could customize them as well.
I just ordered my next dev machine: Lenovo X1 Extreme Gen 2. It will replace my old 🐎, still doing well btw, Thinkpad w520.
I just got the same! Have heard great things from other developers about Thinkpad. Only had mine for a few weeks, but so far it's been solid. Really like that it supports thunderbolt 3, so I can use it with my existing dock.
I had been purchasing Macbooks for a decade, but I think the new touch bar models are garbage (speaking from experience). When Apple starts innovating in the right direction again I'll probably return.
Biggest shift for me is running on Windows, which I haven't used in 5 years. But it's mostly just as i remember it!
The Razer laptops are pretty great. Even though Razer is a gaming company, their laptops have a great design, screen and keyboard.
I've been using a Dell XPS13 for the last 5 years (running Ubuntu though) and I am positively happy with it. I'm not sure what development you do, but these are great computers, and very portable (it is almost 2" smaller than a 13" Macbook air). If you don't work with any external monitor, I would suggest to get the 15", I just opted for the mobility (work sometimes on the train) and two external monitors at work.
Machine choice really depends on what your developing, what you're used to, and the tools you need. For instance with web development, a lot of tools work better on or can be exclusive to Mac. Windows has gotten leaps and bounds better in the past five years for web developers, but it's still somewhat quirky ie: the Windows Subsystem for Linux. I see other people mentioning Linux here: I wouldn't recommend it unless you have time to set aside to be your own IT support. Additionally if you need Adobe tools, Linux is completely off the table.
There was a long discussion on Hacker News about this less than a month ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21302412