Hello guys, in this article let’s take a look at why most developers prefer using the macbook and we will try to understand whether the macbook is good for programming or not in detail.
I have been using a macbook as a backend developer for more than 2 years now so I know from my own experience why developers like me prefer using a macbook over a windows laptop. So let us get started.
Altho there are several reasons why developers prefer the macbook over windows laptops and computers because macbook has a strong build quality and they also have strong battery life and more importantly they have amazing processors and great performance there are several other reasons why MacBooks are better than others windows for programmers so let’s take a look at 8 reasons why most of the developers prefer using MacBook over windows.
1. Long battery life
One of the main advantages of using a MacBook is that it gives you excellent battery life, for example, you can have anywhere between 10 to 12 hours of battery life for a normal MacBook and you can easily charge the macbook in less than 1 hour to give you enough power which will last the entire day and this is a main advantage because you don’t have to carry the heavy charging ports and wires of windows laptops everywhere, and this is also a great option for students because they can carry the macbook to their school and college and as a developer you can carry the macbook wherever you want to go after charging your macbook once.
And even the battery lifespan is also very good, you don’t have to worry about changing the battery of your macbook for at least the first four years of purchasing the laptop.
2. Amazing security
The advantage of using a MacBook for developers is that they have amazing security, Mac OS is the operating system used in the macbook, and Mac OS is based on UNIX Unix is a big thing in the programming world and it is known for being stable and also for the security so compared to a windows laptop macbook is more secure in terms of getting viruses and malware and your macbook is also very difficult to get exploited as compared to a windows laptop and there are lots of security measures taken by apple to improve the security of your macbook so you will have less number of glitches and crashes on your macbook as compared to a windows machine which is the big deal first programmers because they will be working on the laptop continuously for long hours.
At the same time, MacBooks also have some built-in security features like a file vault and gatekeeper that will help you protect your computer from external malware and online threats.
3. Good balance of software and hardware
Another advantage of having a MacBook for programmers is that it has a great balance of amazing software and hardware, let us talk about the software first and macbook comes with something called as Mac OS which is the operating system of the MacBook which is very different from windows and the operating system is also very simple and easy to use, you will only understand the amazing multitasking performance of a MacBook if you use it yourself and, apart from the software even the hardware of the macbook is also very great for example macbook has amazing trackpad gestures and keyboard which can make your life a lot is here as a developer when you are working on multiple tabs opened on your browser, apart from that the latest macbooks have amazing display and display is the most important part of a MacBook because it is the where you are going to stay for long hours on your laptop and you get best display in terms of the brightness resolution refresh rate, aspect ratio screen size and many more as compared to any windows laptop or PC.
At the same time, there is also something cal as ice on your mole in your macbook which will help you reduce your eyes strain by reducing the brightness of your macbook display which is a very handy feature for developers.
Other than that having a MacBook will help developers test their products whether a website or software on different browsers like Safari Chrome and Microsoft Edge by installing windows and Linux on their MacBook.
Apart from that you can also connect an external display like a monitor or project with your MacBook which is also a very useful feature for programmers and web developers.
Other than that you also get high-quality audio speakers and a webcam in the latest MacBook which will be very useful for developers when attending online meetings.
4. Amazing Processor and performance
Another advantage of having a MacBook is that they have amazing performance and processor especially the in-house Apple processor like M1, and M2 performance has increased significantly.
And since we are talking about developers who are going to write and compile code on the macbook so having a powerful processor is very important when compiling code and also running multiple applications and virtual machines on the computer so these are all heavy-duty tasks that heavily rely on the computer processor and thankfully macbook processors are amazing here whether it is the single core performance or the multicore performance there is no match here.
Macbooks maintain the performance for extended periods without having any leg in the performance and they also don’t generate a lot of noise and a lot of heat as compared to windows laptops so it is going to create a good user experience for software developers who are working on the laptop.
5. Compatible with programming languages
Another advantage of a MacBook is that they are very compatible with programming languages and Macos is very versatile, and with the help of various tools you can do a lot of cross-platform development easily, you can easily run different operating systems whether it is windows or Linux on your MacBook using a virtual machines software like boot camp,
At the same time, there is relatively better developer-friendly support on Mac OS for installing different languages and tools,
Along with that if you are interesinddevelopingelop applications and software for Mac OS and iOS apps then the macbook is the only computer that you need to consider purchasing because apple’s official development tool for building these apps for its ecosystem is called Xcode which can only be installed on MacBook and if you want to work on language is like swift or C for iOS development then you only have to purchase Mac and this is also a reason why most of the developers prefer Mac.
6. Great build quality
Another big advantage of having a MacBook for developers is that they have the amazing build quality and they are made of aluminum and polycarbonate materials their also very slim and elegant looking and most importantly they won’t be more than 2 kilograms so they are also very easy to carry and portable devices so this is also a main reason why most of the developers before using the macbook because there is it to carry from one place to another laptop which is more but care and also doesn’t have good build quality.
7. Great Apple ecosystem
I cannot conclude the article without talking about the Apple ecosystem which is the main highlight of purchasing a MacBook and it is also the main reason why most developed prefer Mac over windows laptop, basically Apple ecosystem is the integration of different apple devices like iPhone iPad Apple Watch and macbook so that you can easily share multiple files and also do a lot of other cool things seamlessly between the devices and this is a big advantage for developers if they have other Apple devices like iPhone and apple watch.
For example with cloud integration with iCloud, you can easily be organized and sink your data in different MacBooks and Apple devices and you can also access your data and documents and share them with other people easily, and most MacBooks have iCloud integration so you can start using them from one device and pick up from where you left on another device like from one macbook to another MacBook so you can seamlessly manage your data from different devices.
These are some of the main reasons why most developers prefer using a macbook over a windows laptop and computer.
And if you are thinking about purchasing a MacBook then I would recommend you to go with MacBook Air and one or M2 or you can also purchase a Mac mini M1 or M2 which is cheaper than MacBook Air laptops and these are the best devices if you are on a budget developer and if you want to future proof your laptop then you can consider purchasing the expensive MacBook Pro models with a bigger display and more specifications and storage.
You can learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of having a MacBook in detail here.
Do let me know your thoughts rights about using a windows laptop or macbook in the comments below and also share the article with your friends.