Question for iOS app developers and Mac users

[sunspiral]

I'm playing around with an RFduino (have done some machine control projects with Arduinos Uno and Mega) and am interested in developing various things that I can control with Bluetooth from my iphone. This sends me down the rabbit hole of iOS programming, for which one really wants to have a Mac. I've been a pc user largely due to Solidworks only

Comments

[whitebird]

If you're aiming for current device support, aim for something that will run Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks).

Anything produced in the past three years should easily be fine. If you're just doing iOS coding work, a Mac mini will be more than sufficient for your needs. i5 or i7 processor, fill it with RAM, and you should be good. You just need to provide your own mouse, keyboard, and display for a Mac mini. But any will work with it. (Any USB.) depending on vintage, you might need a video adaptor to work with your current monitor.

I tend to peruse Apple's online refurbished stores. Mac hardware keeps its value a long time, so used versus refurbished are usually similar, and you get the Apple warranty from refurbished gear.

[deguspice]

Can a Mac Mini running 10.8 be easily upgraded to 10.9?

Microcenter in Cambridge has Mac Minis running 10.8 - i5 cpu: $550 and i7 cpu: $750

i5: http://www.microcenter.com/product/404238/Mac_mini_MD387LL-A_Desktop_Computer
i7: http://www.microcenter.com/product/404239/Mac_mini_MD388LL-A_Desktop_Computer

[whitebird]

Those are the most currently shipping models, the Mac mini (Late 2012) models, and will definitely run Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks).

Currently the online Apple refurbished store has no Mac minis on offer. They sell out quickly. Those prices are cheaper than the regular Apple store prices by $45.

If you have access to the Apple Education store, you can sometimes get them for cheaper, but I'm not sure what the current Mac mini price is there.

[sunspiral]

Mavericks seems to be a must for what I'm looking to do.

[sunspiral]

Thanks! Are you offering pain relief for general Mac stuff or for iOS & app development?

[sunspiral]

Cool! And if I do get a Mac, it'll be another reason for Talia to give me the Who are you and where is my father? look.

Also, when are you guys likely to wander up to Boston next?

[goddessfarmer]

This is totally not useful, but I was a mac convert the first time I used one :-) Also, the times I have needed repairs (Alice's summer 2012 mackbook is a bit of a lemon) they have been really good about honoring warranty, and getting repairs done quickly and effectively. I do mostly financial software and spreadsheet stuff, so I really like my current setup with a mini and a nice large monitor. I keep a Macbook Pro around for traveling, but I might be convinced to sell it, since the past munch of times I've gone anywhere I've just taken the ipad :-)

[sunspiral]

Good to know your perspective. I've used Macs and while they're prettier and have a clearly better OS, they're also twice the price and I'm stuck in the Micro$soft universe due to Solidworks anyhow. Rachel just joined Cult Of Mac however. If Solidworks ever ran natively (this is a critical distinction) on a Mac, I'd consider making one my main machine.

[pir]

Most of your Mac hardware questions seem to have been answered. I mostly use Mac minis and MacBook Airs, though if you're using a large IDE like xcode more memory than the Airs can have installed is useful, if you're thinking laptop then I'd stay with the MacBook Pros since they can be upgraded to a decent amount of memory. I'd second the recommendation for staying with i7 or better, you'll have a much longer useful life

[sunspiral]

Going with a cloud-based Mac service for now, per edit above.