2011 13" MBP. I'll be doubling the RAM (to 8GB) and adding a 160GB Intel 320 in the next few months. Really wanted a 15" but I decided to be responsible before starting grad school. :)
Systems: Lion. Ubuntu 11.04 through VirtualBox (for patch contribution). Windows 7 via Boot Camp (for Deus Ex and Fallout 2). Used TextMate for a while, now I'm back to Emacs in Terminal.
There are some obvious drawbacks (glossy screen, poor GPU) but I dig the mix of portability and expandability lacking in both a MBA and a 15" MBP.
I was debating getting a MBP for my next machine. I currently have a dell laptop (middle tier performance) and a customer desktop rig that is several years old now. I was debating the high end laptop route with a nice docking station setup. Vs cheaper laptop and custom rig at home.
I really like Macs, but it's ultimately about your preferences. I was very focused on getting a *nix machine (have coded on Unix since starting 2 years ago), but didn't want to spend time setting up drivers and solving hardware issues. So I went with a Mac.
What do you develop for? Are your tasks memory- or CPU-intensive? How often do you work away from home? Do you prefer to replace your computer often, or do you run your laptops into the ground? I ran my last Macbook into the ground (and use it as a media server now), and I expect to do the same for this MBP.
For what its worth, if I wanted to roll my own Linux laptop I would've bought a Lenovo. I hear they're engineered very well and weigh almost nothing.
Get a MBP. You can always install and boot Windows natively w/Boot Camp if you need to or if you're a gamer. It'll run Windows, natively, better than any other hardware you can buy. The displays are gorgeous. You won't need a dock but I would recommend investing in a Griffin Elevator stand.
Custom built desktop - 27" apple led screen, I7 860 processor over clocked to 3.53GH (water cooled), 16GB ram which dual boots Ubuntu 11.4, Windows 7, OS X Snow Leopard (was originally just a hack-n-tosh)
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 30.4 ms ] threadSystems: Lion. Ubuntu 11.04 through VirtualBox (for patch contribution). Windows 7 via Boot Camp (for Deus Ex and Fallout 2). Used TextMate for a while, now I'm back to Emacs in Terminal.
There are some obvious drawbacks (glossy screen, poor GPU) but I dig the mix of portability and expandability lacking in both a MBA and a 15" MBP.
What do you develop for? Are your tasks memory- or CPU-intensive? How often do you work away from home? Do you prefer to replace your computer often, or do you run your laptops into the ground? I ran my last Macbook into the ground (and use it as a media server now), and I expect to do the same for this MBP.
For what its worth, if I wanted to roll my own Linux laptop I would've bought a Lenovo. I hear they're engineered very well and weigh almost nothing.
It's not what you own, it's what you make of it.
desktop at home: 27in iMac
on the go: 11in Macbook Air