Which mac is more suitable for programming. MacBook for the programmer. Is it worth it? Lenovo ThinkPad T560 - Big Power in a Slim Body

Good laptop for programming - a concept that includes laptops with different characteristics.

In the list of mobile PCs that may be suitable for an IT professional with experience or only, there are different options - from models with large 17-inch screens.

All of them must meet a number of specific requirements.

Features of choice

When choosing the right laptop for programming in 2018, as before, are guided by the following criteria:

• Sizes (and associated weight). It is desirable that the laptop was sufficiently compact and lightweight - however, its screen size should not be less than a certain value. The best option is a display with a diagonal of 14 ", but in some cases there may be a slight deviation to the smaller or larger side - from 12.5 to 17 inches.
• Screen resolution. The minimum resolution that is suitable for creating a website, writing a program or checking ready-made applications is 1920x1080 or FullHD. The maximum value is not stipulated - if you have financial capabilities, you can buy a laptop even with a 4K format.
• Autonomy. It is desirable that even with a full load, the laptop worked for at least 3 hours - the maximum time is also not specified, but for some models it reaches 10 hours or more. Although, on the other hand, the larger the battery capacity, the heavier the equipment.

To work with conventional software environments not the most productive hardware part is suitable - for example, a dual-core processor and 4 GB of memory will be enough. However, given the need to include other programs, and use the same laptop to perform a wide range of tasks (from startup to), it is desirable to have a more modern device.

Specific requirements should also be compared with the financial capabilities of the programmer, since the price is also among the most important criteria.

Technical data

Lenovo ThinkPad E470 - Best Value for Money

The ThinkPad E470 from the famous Chinese brand Lenovo can be called the most the best option laptop for the programmer.

The laptop has best ratio prices and functionality among all the options that the modern market offers.

Such a characteristic is enough for many users to immediately purchase a model - the rest will be interested in its impressive parameters.

Igor T.: I got the Surface Pro model in almost the highest possible configuration. The price bites a little, but it is compensated by the presence of a powerful Intel processor... The downside is the very high price. Although hardly anyone will buy such a model for use as a multimedia or gaming (especially since the video card is built-in here) laptop.

Apple MacBook Pro 15 ″ 2016 - "MacBook" with a large screen

Another MacBook in the review can be called a little outdated - it was released back in 2015 and 2016.

However, all the characteristics of a laptop still remain serious enough for its use when creating programs or sites, and for games, and for performing other tasks.

Especially when it comes to bundling with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB.

• big and bright touch screen with a resolution of 2880x1800 - enough to work with any applications and play movies in FullHD and 2K format;
• long operating time without recharging, reaching 9-10 hours. Although at maximum load this figure decreases to only 3 hours, but this is also not bad, since it is not easy to fully load such a powerful laptop with work;
• light weight for a 15-inch model and a slim body.

Oleg S.: Bought an Apple MacBook Pro 15 ″ on the advice of friends who have already chosen it as their home mobile PC. I needed it for work - and it was completely suitable in all respects. First of all, I would like to note the high-quality assembly and an excellent keyboard with a convenient trackpad. I liked the color rendition of the laptop and the large enough screen for programming.

Lenovo ThinkPad T560 - Big Power in a Slim Design

The Lenovo ThinkPad T560's eye-catching and slim design houses a decent piece of hardware that is good enough for gaming, programming, and a host of other tasks.

Bright and anti-dust and anti-glare 15.6-inch display mobile computer It has optimal resolution FullHD.

The volume of the drive for storing information is 256 GB, random access memory- 8 GB, a fairly efficient dual-core chip is used as a CPU on the laptop.

• processor and RAM with decent capabilities - if not for the integrated graphics, they would be enough even for modern games;
• the ability to open the screen 180 degrees;
• availability that increases the security of data stored on the laptop;
• high body strength and large battery capacity, providing up to 13 hours of continuous operation without recharging;
• built-in camera with HD resolution, allowing you to use the laptop also for video conferencing.

• There are also disadvantages of a mobile PC - mainly, they are associated with not the highest performance when used. However, taking into account price category gadget and the fact that it will be used mainly for programming, these disadvantages can be neglected.

Nikolay O.: We were impressed by the ThinkPad T560's long battery life - you can use it for at least 10 hours. A small drawback can be called freezing of some applications - but only after a while after starting work.

ACER Aspire A515-41G-1888 is one of the most functional

The Aspire A515-41G-1888 laptop is an excellent example of a good and relatively inexpensive mobile computer that can be used for programming and for.

The model comes with a decent 4-core and discrete video Radeon RX 540 with 2 GB of memory, 8 GB of DDR4 and solid state drive 128 GB to speed up the work with system applications.

The second disk, 1 TB HDD, provides storage of a large amount of information.

• a large number of connectors for connecting external devices;
• Anti-fingerprint surface for less maintenance
• long working time.

• There is only one noticeable minus for this price category of laptops. The model does not have the most powerful video card to work with. Therefore, if you need to work with such graphics, you should look at a more functional laptop.

Andrey B.: Great model for its value. Plenty of storage space, enough memory and big screen... At the same time, the laptop remains lightweight and easy to carry. I practically did not find any cons.

HP 255 G5 - convenient and affordable

Fig. 8. Compact and cost-effective laptop HP 255 G5.

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Since the MacBook Air is a great computer, I can say yes to your use.

Another option is MacBook Pro 13 "" without touch pad... More power, better screen(important when you spend hours on string codes).

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To answer your question about air: Yes.

You may want to consider broader options as well. For the MacBook in general, the biggest benefit in app development is that you get Xcode and the best experience when developing iPhone / iPad apps and Mac apps.

However, in your case, it looks like you are not doing mobile development and price and / or weight is an issue since you are considering a MacBook Air.

If you're open to windows, take a look at something like the HP x360 which is well reviewed and has advantages over MacBook Air:

• MBA is limited to 8 GB of RAM, while HP allows 16 GB. This can be important for software development.
• MBA only support old style USB 3. HP supports USB Type C 3.1, which can charge laptop or drive external monitor.
• HP has a time zone hinge that lets you fold the screen back down like a tablet. Not a big use case, but actually useful sometimes.
• The MBA resolution is 1440x900 and the HP resolution is Full HD 1080p.

Price and battery life are very similar between the two in a 256GB / 8GB configuration.

Of course, Apple constantly maintains and knows how to use its stores.

If you have a tough requirement to stay on the Apple platform, I would suggest revisiting the MacBook Pro 13. Overall, it is better suited for machine development, and it really isn't that heavy to port.

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I would get a MacBook over a MacBook Air if you can afford it.

• better screen
• better storage
• better CPU

The MacBook has NVMe storage, which outperforms the older technology in terms of IOPS and energy savings - for containers and Virgo work and open source compilations. I'm very happy with the 2015 MacBook and the new ones are even better. Any processor in them is great, so don't feel like you have to pay for the m7 / i7 if you'd rather spend money on storage or accessories, or better display... In terms of performance, you can program a raspberry pi or three if you think you need more "containers" to run. Unless I'm virtualizing something heavy like Windows, I won't miss the MacBook Pro processor and Hardware with my MacBook. It is said: "Air" is also too qualified for what you are describing.

Worth it! Of course it's worth it!

Any macbook driver will tell you 100 reasons why you should use a macbook and I'm one of them. I am a fan of Apple and always totally plus for this technique. In this article I want to explain why I think so.

I'll start, after all, with the shortcomings.

Disadvantage 1- they are expensive.

Yes, indeed, poppies are more expensive than other equipment. Yes, you have to fork out. But! Don't forget about the used computer option. I now have a MacBook Pro 15 '2013, which has seen two owners before me and works great without any complaints.

I did not find any other shortcomings ... so let's move on to the pluses.

Plus 1- high-quality and beautiful assembly.

The apple technique is assembled very well. The body is made of pure aluminum, everything fits the tunic into the tunic, nothing hangs, does not dangle, does not fall off, does not play. You take it in your hands and it's nice ... like, in fact, everything at apple)

And if you ever take it apart ... you will also see the inner beauty of the MacBook. Everything is measured, verified, the fans are exactly opposite each other. Beauty!

Plus 2- all turnkey.

If you are not an experienced user and do not really understand what it is operating system and driver, then apple is definitely for you. When you buy a MacBook, you don't worry about the stuffing at all. You bought a computer, unpacked it and you can use it right away. The only thing that will have to be installed is some additional programs specific to your hobbies. Even in order to install the program, you do not need to install anything additionally, run the installers, and so on. You just take the program icon and drag it to the applications folder on your computer. Yes, this is how the installation works - just drag and drop)

Plus 3- touchpad.

Before, I didn't understand people who work on touchpads. On all laptops, the touchpads are wildly small and uncomfortable, but on a Mac it is a pleasure to use the touchpad.

First, it's huge!

Secondly, it is perfectly tuned! I would say it is configured for macOS. Since I put windows on my beech and that's where it is just as inconvenient to work with it, as in all laptops. But when I run macOS, everything changes. It is a paradise.

Oh ... I forgot to say that the touchpad supports a lot of gestures. And you can not just move the mouse, but also ... in general, a lot of things you can ... here it is better to see once than read a hundred times.

Plus 4- operating system.

All Macs have the MacOS operating system. It's very simple.

To make it clearer, imagine a phone the size of a computer, attached to it a keyboard with a touchpad and added a program for working with files. In short, this is MacOS. I don't even know what else to tell. It's just that everything is very simple and clear.

Plus 5- it does not hang.

You read that right. It doesn't hang. Practically ... Of course, like any technique, it can freeze, but not like Windows. If, in which case, Windows freezes completely and for a long time, then in MacOS only the "heavy" program freezes and while you wait for it to "hang" you can go to VK to look through the news. Besides, these "freezes" are very short-term and come very rarely, so you hardly notice them.

Plus 6- battery

The battery lasts a very long time. From 3 to 6 hours depending on the load. But with active use, such joy will continue for a couple of years, then the service life comes to an end and you become attached to charging for always)

But even with dying battery, your laptop will be able to calmly work for an hour or two in order to show a design project at a meeting with a client.

Plus 7 is a UNIX-like operating system.

Now we come to why it is convenient for programmers.

UNIX-like - this means that you have a Terminal. Normal "progers" work a lot with the terminal. And you can't put many things for programming on windows without podvyperty. Well, for example, RubyOnRails will be difficult to code on Windows. Very difficult.

In short, for those who already use Linux, nothing changes, except that you also get a slender laptop with a beautifully thought-out operating system as a bonus.

And those who do not want to stop in the development of sites on simple html-pages, sooner or later come to some kind of framework that will require a UNIX-like operating system.

Yes, on Windows it will be possible to do all the same. But on linux or mac it will be much easier, without crap and without unnecessary dancing with a tambourine.

Therefore, summarizing the title of the article, YES, it is very convenient to program on the MacBook, it is possible and it is unrealistically cool!

In the end, I want to tell you some more general questions not regarding the pros and cons, but they just need to be answered.

• If you have a Retina screen, it doesn't affect your life in any way. Many people ask themselves the question: "How will I layout sites for a 1280 pixel monitor, if I have 2880px?" It doesn't get in the way. Besides the fact that the picture will be very clear and beautiful, nothing will change.
• If you windows user have to get used to. I got used to it for a week. This is normal. The first days it was not at all clear how to use it and I thought to take the mac back to the store. But when you figure it out, you can no longer refuse.

There are no problems in terms of programs on MacOS. Everything you have on windows is on a poppy or you can find a replacement. A lot of programs are now being made for both Windows and Mac OS.

When I bought the first MacBook, everyone around me said that I bought it for show-off. Although I didn't even have such thoughts. Probably envied.

If the iPhone can be bought for show-off, then the mac is primarily a thoroughbred workhorse.

Think of your MacBook as an investment in yourself and your time.

1) Still, whatever one may say, Apple technology is some status. And coming to a meeting with a MacBook counts as a plus sign.

2) My first MacBook worked for me for 6 years. Every day, from morning until evening, he helped me earn money by developing websites with stubborn loyalty. 6 years! Think about it! Do you know a lot of computers that are ready to live that long? And keep in mind that my laptop works day and night.

From experience I will say that my first laptop worked for 2 years and its screen broke off, and the second laptop worked for 2 months and burned out .... You can make the conclusion yourself.

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And the last tip: How to choose a MacBook?

Do you know what I like about apple? The fact that you don't have to ask these questions with her. Don't worry about how many processors you have or how much RAM. Do not. You are buying a well-built device that will work quickly and conveniently in any case.

To buy, you need to decide on two things:

Why do you need a computer?

Globally, Apple appliances are divided into 3 sectors:

a) MacBook Air is small, compact, thin and not very powerful computer... It is for those who just need to surf the Internet, watch movies, write articles in Word. Well, as a last resort, work in Photoshop.

b) MacBook Pro is a powerful laptop. It is for those who need a portable powerful computer for work.

c) iMac is desktop computer... It's big, it's powerful, but not portable. For those who need to have a good workhorse that stands in the same stall and does not move between cities)

How much money do you have?

Good luck with your programming and hopefully purchasing a MacBook)

Hello everyone, today we will find out if it is worth purchasing the 2017 macbook air 13 as a working tool. Consider its use in areas such as

• programming
• design
• video editing

I'll clarify right away that programming will include all stages of web development and development. mobile applications.
By design we mean web design, creation of interfaces and other graphic activities aimed at the web.

To give a specific answer, I will clearly show the launch speed and operation of the following programs:

• Sublime text 3
• Koala
• Xcode
• Photoshop CC
• Illustrator CC
• Sketch
• Final Cut Pro

Accordingly, in the field of programming, we will consider the Sublime Text 3 code editor, a program for compiling css preprocessors Koala and Xcode for developing mobile applications.
For design - Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch, and for video editing popular program on Mac OS - Final Cut Pro.

Before we start analyzing, I'll tell you about the characteristics of my laptop. it Macbook air 2017 release and he has:

• Core i5 processor
• CPU frequency 1.8
• RAM 8GB
• 256GB SSD disk
• Diagonal 13.3 inches
• Resolution 1440x900

I chose the 256 GB SSD deliberately. I understood that 128GB would not be enough, given what programs I planned to use. For example, there was a high probability that in order to edit a video clip, I would need to make splices from 4K videos that I would dump from my iPhone. This video was no exception. However, if you plan to do only web development or design, then 128GB is definitely enough for you. You can store all materials for work on your laptop, and the rest of the content, for example, photos, on an external hard drive.

Perhaps someone will ask why I did not choose the retina screen, which is in the pro versions, then I have a simple explanation for this. I have external peripherals in case of displaying a picture on a larger screen. The 23-inch monitor with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 does its job perfectly. This is more than enough for my work.

Moreover, the macbook air's screen characteristics outperform even my old laptop, which has a 15-inch screen and a resolution of 1366x768.

For comparison, I attach a photo, which shows that on the Wikipedia site we see more information on a 13-inch laptop due to the higher resolution.

I would also like to add a few words about the touchpad. Of course, its response is many times better than that of other laptop manufacturers, but I do not attribute myself to the group of people who claim that a mouse is not needed at all.
When it comes to serious work, where it is extremely important to concentrate on all 200%, then you cannot do without a mouse. However, if I am resting, I flip through the pages in social networks or doing simple work, then yes, I can do with just one touchpad.

Go ahead. Why did you choose an Apple laptop? There are several reasons.
Firstly, I didn’t want to install an additional hackintosh system in a laptop with Windows, but I needed to start learning how XCode and Sketch work, because in addition to website development, I draw mobile interfaces, and the illustrator in this regard is at times inferior to Sketch.
Secondly, I was looking for a portable yet powerful laptop. I often leave the city, and the work must be done remotely. I am tired of constantly carrying a 4-kilogram laptop with me.
Thirdly, it really was time to change my laptop for Windows to a new one because of its endless brakes. But that's a completely different story.

So the idea of ​​buying a MacBook was ripe. The only thing I had doubts about the value of the processor frequency. Let me remind you that the processor frequency in the Macbook Air is 1.8, while in my old laptop this value reached 2.7. Perhaps you, too, doubt the macbook air can handle serious work. That is why the purpose of this video is to show how well or poorly this laptop copes with the tasks that are relevant to me at work.

Laptop autonomy

The autonomy of a laptop is the first thing I want to talk about. The laptop is discharged in about 8-9 hours in quiet mode, without opening heavy programs, at low brightness. If you use it to watch movies or work hard by running several heavy programs, then it will work less - somewhere in the region of 5-6 hours.

For the test, I decided to find out how much percent it will be discharged if I teach the lesson. By the way, you can learn more about courses for layout designers by following this link. I will also duplicate the link in the description for the video. So, the lesson lasted 1.5 hours and from 100% it was discharged to 30. The following programs were active:
- skype with video broadcast and screen sharing
- Quick Time who recorded this lesson
- Photoshop
- Illustrator.

The last two programs are especially resource-intensive, so the result, in my opinion, is more than good.
For comparison, my old laptop from 100 percent to 0 discharged under this load after 30-40 minutes. It was not possible to carry out the lesson without recharging. Therefore, draw conclusions whether this is a good indicator or a bad one.

Macbook Air for programming

This section will be of interest to web developers, as well as those who are engaged in application development. I will say right away that this laptop will be more than enough for you. Especially if you are engaged in website layout. You will need a code editor, a Koala compiler, possibly Git programs, and Photoshop, which can be partially replaced by Avocode.

But if you are a developer of mobile applications, then everything is not so simple here. In general, the work will also be comfortable, but there is one nuance here. When you start the smartphone simulator, the smartphone itself on the native screen will be cut off for all models with a screen larger than 4.7 inches. Those. you can work comfortably only with the iPhone 5, 5s, se. It will look something like this. I'll show you how to launch iPhone X in Xcode.
If you have an external monitor, then this problem will disappear by itself. You should evaluate whether this fact will interfere with comfortable working with the program or not. If you do not have an external monitor, then the right decision would be to look closely at the Pro versions, because the difference in cost between air and pro is just the cost good monitor... And the screen resolution in the pro version will just allow you to work on a laptop without connecting extra devices.

Macbook Air for design

This section will be of interest to web and interface designers. Let's analyze the work in Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch. To begin with, I will demonstrate the speed of these programs.
As we can see, Photoshop starts the fastest, but I don't notice any delays when working in Illustrator and Photoshop at the same time. Everything works much faster than Windows. The only thing is that the programs begin to freeze a little during the screen sharing on Skype during the lessons, because at this moment there is a serious load on the video card, which, by the way, is integrated. However, I do not think that most of you are planning to work for graphics programs by running a screen sharing, right?

As well as in programming, there is a nuance here. If you are professionally engaged in graphics, especially 3D graphics or work with photography, then for you the best choice- this is a pro version. Air most likely will not suit you due to the weak characteristics of the video card and screen. For working with web interfaces and website design, air will be a good helper, especially if you are just learning and want to learn the basics of this specialization. I can say with confidence, as a person who constantly opens several layouts and works with interfaces, that the work in these programs takes place in a comfortable mode, without brakes.

Macbook Air for video editing

The last section will be especially interesting for those who want to use this laptop for video editing. It's hard for me to give advice for professionals in this business, but if you want to create small videos, crop videos, make splices, add simple special effects or work with video format not lower than 4K, then MacBook Air will definitely not let you down. The Final Cut Pro editing software will run stably and will hardly let you down. For example, this video was created from 4K video stitches and the program worked stably all this time. I didn't even turn it off on purpose for several days to check if it would somehow affect the speed of work in other programs. My conclusion is that the laptop worked equally stably, both before installation and after the program was launched. My laptop on Windows definitely could not afford this, despite the fact that it is installed geforce video card and there was 8 gigabytes of RAM.

What conclusion can be drawn?

The 2017 Macbook Air is a powerful laptop that can handle all the tasks I ask of it. It is suitable for web development, mobile app development, website design, interfaces, and video editing.

But it is important to remember that you should not expect a miracle from an integrated video card. If you are professionally engaged in graphics, especially 3D, photography or video editing, then I would recommend taking a closer look at the pro versions.

I think you will right choice and I helped a little those who are now facing a difficult choice to buy a macbook AIR or PRO version. Be sure to support this video with a like and subscribe to the channel if you haven't already. Bye everyone!

Video answer to the question: "Is it worth buying a 2017 Macbook Air 13 for programming, design and video editing"