Mac/iPhone development box for cheap

[Jim Bancroft]

I'm going to (finally) start developing in Objective-C for iPhone/iPad work. My apps won't be speed blazer games and as a result I'd like to get a fairly cheap laptop that will support XCode 5 and run the emulators at good speed.

My understanding is that it's possible to get OSX running on (say) a Dell or other PC, but it's tricky stuff and I'm not sure I want that hassle. Could be wrong but that's what I've heard from hacker friends.

I know next to nothing about the refurb Apple ecosystem but a decent laptop that has a recent OS on it is what I'm after. Any and all suggestions welcome (along with approx street prices) and thanks.

 

[Rakehellion]

You can get a used MacBook on Amazon for about $200, but you'll want a recent GPU to run the latest Mac OS. You don't need anything fancy for iOS development.

If your budget is higher than that, then you can definitely get something nice.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Does it have to be a laptop? A Mac Mini is another choice if you already have a desktop monitor. Either use a KVM switch or attach it to a different port on the monitor and use the monitor source select button.

Be careful about older, used models for both laptops and minis. We have a core 1 solo mini at work that can't be upgraded past OS X 10.6.

 

[Jim Bancroft]

Does it have to be a laptop? A Mac Mini is another choice if you already have a desktop monitor. Either use a KVM switch or attach it to a different port on the monitor and use the monitor source select button.

Be careful about older, used models for both laptops and minis. We have a core 1 solo mini at work that can't be upgraded past OS X 10.6.

Thanks for asking; no it doesn't have to be a laptop. I thought a used one would be the way to go but if a mini works too, that's fine as well.

I would like something that won't be obsolete for dev work in the next 1.5-2 years and am a complete neophyte on Mac OSX versions and would appreciate any advice on that front. (I don't want to get a box that can't be upgraded to a recent OS and therefore be skunked whenever Xcode 6 comes out.) Thanks again..

 

[DaveSimmons]

Buying new:

A new dual-core i5 - 2.5 GHz mini (500 GB HD) is $600, a quad-core i7 - 2.3 GHz(1 TB) is $800. You need to bring your own monitor, mouse and keyboard.

The $900-1200 Air laptops have 1.x GHz CPUs and 128 - 256 GB SSDs.

The $1200 Pro laptop is like the $600 mini but with screen and battery.

The minis win on CPU power, the Air laptops win on disk speed, the Pro wins on being a portable mini.

Any of them should be fine for XCode development. If you buy new you'll definitely be OK for upgrading OS X for several years.

Used prices on recent mini and Air models don't seem to give much of a discount when I check them at amazon -- you might only save $50 used. Use Pro models offer better discounts - I see "very good" condition offers for $850-900.

If you looked up 2010 - 2011 models in wiki or Google they might be fine, but you'd be giving up some speed, a warranty, and that new computer smell

 

[dma0991]

Its better to get a new Mac Mini or get a used one. Mac Mini is the cheapest option there is (new) if you'd just want to use Mac OS for development purposes.

 

[TheStu]

Buying new:

A new dual-core i5 - 2.5 GHz mini (500 GB HD) is $600, a quad-core i7 - 2.3 GHz(1 TB) is $800. You need to bring your own monitor, mouse and keyboard.

The $900-1200 Air laptops have 1.x GHz CPUs and 128 - 256 GB SSDs.

The $1200 Pro laptop is like the $600 mini but with screen and battery.

The minis win on CPU power, the Air laptops win on disk speed, the Pro wins on being a portable mini.

Any of them should be fine for XCode development. If you buy new you'll definitely be OK for upgrading OS X for several years.

Used prices on recent mini and Air models don't seem to give much of a discount when I check them at amazon -- you might only save $50 used. Use Pro models offer better discounts - I see "very good" condition offers for $850-900.

If you looked up 2010 - 2011 models in wiki or Google they might be fine, but you'd be giving up some speed, a warranty, and that new computer smell

I wouldn't recommend the non-retina Pro to anyone. It's $100 more to get the 13" retina Pro, and that $100 gets you a much better display, a PCIe SSD, more battery life, better GPU, and Haswell CPUs.

OP can also try for a refurb, sometimes you can get good deals on them. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

 

[DaveSimmons]

I wouldn't recommend the non-retina Pro to anyone. It's $100 more to get the 13" retina Pro, and that $100 gets you a much better display, a PCIe SSD, more battery life, better GPU, and Haswell CPUs.

OP can also try for a refurb, sometimes you can get good deals on them. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Good points. Those refurb prices are better than used sellers on Amazon and come with a full 1-year warranty.

 

[TheStu]

Good points. Those refurb prices are better than used sellers on Amazon and come with a full 1-year warranty.

Apple refurbs are great. They aren't scratch-and-dent like some places, they are returned or repaired systems that come with all the same benefits of a non-refurbished Mac.