Are macs better laptop or desktop?

[desura]

I'm considering getting either an older and cheap Mac mini desktop setup or a 2011-2012 circa MacBook.

When I travel and stuff I use tablets. The main interest for the Mac is Xcode work.

Is Mac better suited for larger screens?

 

[Eug]

I have an iMac 27" and while the computer itself is a nice piece of engineering, I don't find it particularly ergonomic for shorter people. The chin adds height, which means the top of the screen is higher than I'd prefer.

Furthermore, the default font sizes are smaller than I'd prefer for a desktop. I think the sweet spot for my usage would be a Retina 24" 3840x2400 iMac, but such a thing doesn't exist. Same goes for a Retina 3840x2196 21.5" iMac.

 

[Artdeco]

The previous generation Mac Mini is your cheapest and perhaps best option, you can upgrade it much easier than the current generation.

 

[TheStu]

I've always considered OS X to be a better laptop OS than a desktop one. What I mean is that if you're ONLY using it on a desktop sized display, then the usability differences between OS X and Windows are a lot smaller.

Once you're on a laptop with a lot more limited real estate (both in terms of inches and pixels), OS X lets me get more stuff onto the screen, and makes it easier to get between these things, than Windows on the same system.

 

[vi edit]

OSX on a laptop is fantastic. I've *NEVER* had a windows laptop in over 20 years that could reliably sleep/wakeup when closing/opening the lid. My MacAir has never failed to resume when lifting the lid. Battery life is excellent, and there is very little drain over time. Plus it's mostly my web browser so the lack of malware and other nasties for OSX is welcomed.

I do have an iMac but the truth is that I bootcamped it and spend almost all of my time in windows mode. It's a fantastic screen and is excellent for getting work down with tons of real estate available.

 

[ControlD]

I've always considered OS X to be a better laptop OS than a desktop one. What I mean is that if you're ONLY using it on a desktop sized display, then the usability differences between OS X and Windows are a lot smaller.

I have found exactly the same thing. I like OS X on laptops, I like Windows on my larger displays.

 

[ControlD]

OSX on a laptop is fantastic. I've *NEVER* had a windows laptop in over 20 years that could reliably sleep/wakeup when closing/opening the lid. My MacAir has never failed to resume when lifting the lid.

In general I agree with you. However, with the latest versions of OS X (Mavericks and up) I have found that it takes a LONG time for the wireless to reconnect when coming out of sleep (minutes most of the time). I'm not sure what Apple changed or if there is some default setting that needs to be modifed but it is rather annoying and happens on both of our Macs at home (one MBP and one Air).

 

[Eug]

In general I agree with you. However, with the latest versions of OS X (Mavericks and up) I have found that it takes a LONG time for the wireless to reconnect when coming out of sleep (minutes most of the time). I'm not sure what Apple changed or if there is some default setting that needs to be modifed but it is rather annoying and happens on both of our Macs at home (one MBP and one Air).

Must be a bug. I don't have that problem on my MBP or iMac (although I'm usually wired with the iMac) in either Mavericks or Yosemite.

However, I did get that problem on the MBP with the El Capitan public beta so I reverted back to Yosemite. As soon as I was back on Yosemite, it worked fine.

 

[ControlD]

Must be a bug. I don't have that problem on my MBP or iMac (although I'm usually wired with the iMac) in either Mavericks or Yosemite.

However, I did get that problem on the MBP with the El Capitan public beta so I reverted back to Yosemite. As soon as I was back on Yosemite, it worked fine.

Maybe it has something to do with our Macs being a little older (2011)? Both of them are fresh installs. Anyhow, it isn't a deal breaker by any means just an annoyance (pretty much the definition of a first world problem). I should do a fresh Yosemite install on them probably. I think they are both still on Mavericks.

 

[Eug]

My MacBook Pro is a 2009 13" Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz, and my iMac is a 2010 Core i7 2.93 GHz.

This WiFi connection bug in the El Capitan beta was the deal breaker for me for the MBP.

BTW, I forgot to report the bug before I reverted back to Yosemite. Now that I don't have the Feedback Assistant anymore, is there a way of reporting the bug? I wouldn't have the logs either.

 

[Kadarin]

In general I agree with you. However, with the latest versions of OS X (Mavericks and up) I have found that it takes a LONG time for the wireless to reconnect when coming out of sleep (minutes most of the time). I'm not sure what Apple changed or if there is some default setting that needs to be modifed but it is rather annoying and happens on both of our Macs at home (one MBP and one Air).

I don't have this problem, either on my early '13 Retina 15" MBP or my current work machine, a current-gen 15" Retina.

 

[Childs]

I dont think it matters. I use my MBP like a desktop, plugged in gigabit and power. I usually have drives or capture devices hooked up to it, so I rarely move it around. For most things I prefer use my Mac Pro. Bigger screen, full size keyboard, more storage, etc. The only thing missing is Thunderbolt. If you dont need thunderbolt, you should consider a used Mac Pro 5,1. Everything else that the new Macs have can be added to it except thunderbolt.