What am I missing by not having a Mac?

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Bderken@reddit

I develop on MacOS, Windows and Linux almost every day.

I have a Mac laptop, which I use the SSH into Linux servers to setup our developers deployment wrappers and many more things.

I then Remote Desktop into windows VM’s to build windows apps with C#.

I then use macOS to build Mac/iOS apps.

The Mac laptops have aged much better than any windows/linux laptop I have ever owned.

I had an M1 MacBook Pro for over 5 years!! Most of my colleagues have ever kept a windows laptop that old, the ones that do complain everyday how slow it is and things keep crashing, but they won’t get a new one because it takes a long time to transfer things over (it doesn’t, they are just old so I get it). The M1 worked super well too still. Just got the M5 Max.

Basically, windows is fine. But most laptop manufacturers suck for hardware. Especially for longevity. Now I’m talking about professional environments where you have an IT team dealing with everyone’s issues. And people use these machines 8hrs a day! From the metrics of our IT team, we have way less issues with Mac’s compared to DELL/HP (we have little amounts of Lenovo/thinkpads so I don’t have those metrics). It’s mainly because the apps themselves crash a lot on windows (Webex) and they just simply don’t on Mac. But also development is much more reliable on macOS rather than having to setup environments and PATH variables for EVERY ENGINEER WE ON ONBOARD (I used to deal with this when we onboarded new devs a lot)

Obviously for personal development/activities, you can keep most laptops longer.

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Veggies-are-okay@reddit

I couldn’t agree with this take more and pretty much parallels my post but in a much better way. I ended up slightly skimping on the m5 pro and am considering returning it and just going all the way with the max.. has it been worth it?

Also the magic of iCloud… I was expecting this massive frustrating migration (went from a pc to Mac the first time around…) and it was as easy as logging in and pulling everything on the drive. I was almost let down a bit because the clutter got carried over as well.

I swear I’m not a shill 😂

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elshmoki@reddit

You're not missing anything, Mac just works great without much hassle , or tinkering needed. If you're happy with your setup you probably don't need it.

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itsmattknox@reddit

And if you want to tinker, it's probably not the ecosystem for you.

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elshmoki@reddit

Why not? What can you do on other ecosystems that you can't do on mac?

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itsmattknox@reddit

As a developer, not a big deal. If you want to tinker with the performance of your own system, there is no BIOS. There isn't overclocking.

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elshmoki@reddit

I haven't felt the need to tinker with those, so I'll take your word for it. There's pros and cons with everything.

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itsmattknox@reddit

As for the ecosystem as a whole, I was working on a webapp with a friend recently and learned that Safari and Chrome on an iPad can't even open a local HTML file. Edge can, though. Then for tinkering, iPads can't adjust settings like touchscreen sensitivity. Just a lot of things people might be used to having that are suddenly not there in Apple's world.

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Jackasaurous_Rex@reddit

Oh yeah I would put iPads into an entirely different category than Mac, no Mac fan is going to argue that iPads are just as capable feature-wise. I mean the pro iPads are inching closer to usable professional machines but I mean INCHING.

The high end iPads basically use Mac hardware, my conspiratorial brain says they just don’t support full macOS because a lot of people will stop buying Macs if they were fully capable.

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Initial-Elk-952@reddit

Because Linux is FOSS I can create arbitrary containers and VMs and run them anywhere and this technology has revolutionized development and deployment. Can you create microvms and containers of OS X and run them anywhere?

Because Linux is FOSS I can make variants of the system with different init systems, initramfs, log daemons, maybe you can call this tinkering, Can you do this on OS X?

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elshmoki@reddit

Tldr , congrats i guess , lol

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Connect_Detail98@reddit

I haven't been able to figure out how to configure my home and end buttons to work the same way they do in Windows and Linux. It's been 3 years now and every single time it is a lost battle.

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zugzwangister@reddit

MacOS is really nice for development since it's a certified Unix operating system. The way it treats memory has advantages for running a local LLM.

Your 2 year old Windows laptop is fine, though. Wait for it to become obsolete and unsupported because there will always be something better in another few years.

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MrSloppyPants@reddit

It’s hilarious how you can tell from the comments who has never used a Mac. 😆

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meghshyam_nadekar@reddit

I'm buying a laptop next weak for learning Web development.. My budget is around 30k... Any suggestions??

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PradheBand@reddit

Compared to linux a mildly worse os (root is nott really root, package mangement is a third party tool, no native docker) with probably more hw support. Compared to windows you still live in an unix like os which for me is a pro. Plus logic functionalities, sane defaults, no idiotic upgrade process.

The chipset is amazing can't find anything comparable personally. The hw is really good with a meh keyboard. Wired connectivity is shit unless you can live at a single desk with a docking station (as I do).

The price is generally speaking between ok for the perf/quality or overpriced.

Extended warranties are a joke compared to thinkpads and enterprise laptops.

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Savings_Speaker6257@reddit

If you ever want to publish an iOS app, a Mac isn't optional — it's mandatory. Xcode only runs on macOS, and even if you use cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter, you still need a Mac for the final build and App Store submission.

I develop a React Native app with Expo and I can do about 90% of the work on any machine. But that last 10% — building for iOS, running on a physical device, dealing with provisioning profiles, submitting to the App Store — requires macOS. There's no workaround.

If you're not planning to touch iOS development, then honestly you're not missing much. A Linux setup with a good terminal is arguably a better dev experience for most backend and web work. The Mac's main advantage outside of iOS is the Unix base + polished hardware, but Fedora gives you the Unix part already.

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CrtifiedUser@reddit

Great Battery i guess.

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cheanerman@reddit

Yeah great battery life, sleep/wake function (never think about booting up or shutting down laptop), and top tier trackpad.

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greengoldblue@reddit

And runs cooler, usually.

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qdrtech@reddit

Nothing, however I will say I was like you for a while primarily windows + Linux user

I bought a MacBook Air once my surface book 2 was stolen … now I’m a Linux + Mac user

macOS is has minimal friction & is intuitive so there’s far less mental resistance .. especially if you have other apple products

macOS is like chefs omakase, you can get the same output with Linux but it’s diy… with windows it always just feels clunky

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vikmaychib@reddit

Not much, especially if you are acquainted with Linux. Another alternative to combine windows with linux is WSL, have you checked it out?

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pepiks@reddit

It is practically impossible compile some apps to MacOS platform without Macos.

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YasirTheGreat@reddit

If you need a unix dev environment, macOS is great. Better than Windows Subsystem for Linux, as it has many limitations. Much more stable than any Linux distro I ever used. Apple is a trillion dollar company and has thousands of talented devs focused on 1 product. Linux distros are all over the place and operate on tiny budgets and passion.

I had multiple times where I've updated Fedora or Manjaro on my desktop and my system bricked or something stopped working right (often its sound or display resolution), requiring me to spend hours to fix it. Mint has been pretty stable on my old laptop, but it effectively just used for internet browsing outside.

Never had any problems with macOS and get all the benefits of the gnu utils, compilers and all that unixy stuff. So yea, if you make good money, and need a unix dev environment, no reason not to have an apple device of some sort. You mentioned it, but the hardware they offer once they moved to Apple Silicon is incredibly good. If money is a limiting factor, Linux is plenty good enough on an old thinkpad.

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Nok1a_@reddit

nothing unless you develop apps for the apple store

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Connect_Detail98@reddit

I think Mac is the convenience of polished corporate tools like a nice calendar and a nice email client, plus a Unix system. I don't like Mac, but it is better than Windows because of Unix, and it's better than Linux at the corporate tooling. I wish Linux had better corporate tools, stuff like Thunderbird feels really off to me. Not trying to criticize, Apple has a shit load of money, just being objective.

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ProfessionalCut6138@reddit

Honestly, you're mostly missing out on a very specific workflow feel. Mac is great because everything just works out of the box for dev no hunting for drivers or weird path issues like on Windows. But if you already have a powerful PC, you're better off sticking with it and maybe dual-booting Linux or using WSL2. Unless you specifically want to develop for the Apple ecosystem, that money is better spent on a second monitor or a really good mechanical keyboard. Don't let the aesthetic YouTubers make you feel like your hardware is holding you back haha.

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Reasonable_Ad1226@reddit

Audio editing.. as a general statement is geared toward Mac’s. Not that it isn’t doable on the others. Same for video editing. Otherwise it’s a shitty f-ing Macintosh lol they’re terrible.

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tacticalpotatopeeler@reddit

The main thing a Mac does is give you a Unix based system and terminal, with a more stable OS (less hacking around finding random drivers, etc) than a lot of Linux distros offer.

If you already use Linux, there’s no need for the Mac, unless you want to stop dual booting (depending on why you use both windows and Linux)

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jameyiguess@reddit

IMO as long as you have access to a unixy shell, nothing.

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sandspiegel@reddit

I used Windows machines since I had my first computer many years ago. What I noticed with Windows Laptops is that they can sound like jet engines when it comes to fan noise. I bought a MacBook pro M4 a year ago as I needed it for IOS development and was pissed that Apple basically forces you to buy their expensive hardware if you want to develop for anything Apple. However I can't deny that the MacBook is simply an amazing machine. It is completely silent and I only ever hear the fan if I do some heavy computation like rendering a video in Davinci Resolve. I never hear it when I am writing code even with lots of stuff open at the same time. Also their processors are super fast, everything flies when it comes to performance.

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Sibexico@reddit

Depends if you like Mac OS or not. I wish I could have a MacBook but with Linux on board because I hate Mac OS. Cool hardware but I just can't use the soft.

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e430doug@reddit

As a developer in my opinion, the Mac is the best platform to use. It works seamlessly with Linux systems. It has the support of all developer tools. The battery lasts forever. And it is super fast.

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Crash_N_Burn-2600@reddit

Not being a smug little shit Apple cultist?

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SchemeWestern3388@reddit

Macs are built well, have a very well functioning OS that is Unix based, and that’s nice. It’s true that they “just work”.

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dumpin-on-time@reddit

Windows is the only os where the developer experience is trash

Linux and Mac are both good. personally i like Linux because i can do what I want without a hassle. Mac is great if what you want to do is what they want you to want to do. if not, have fun

this is purely a matter of conditioning, but i prefer the windows/Linux keyboard layout. Mac keyboards don't even have all the keys, like insert, which is a useless key i have had remapped for quite a while. i know i can get a programmable keyboard for that, but my muscle memory expects it to be in a certain spot

unless you have OS specific developer needs, you're not really missing anything by not using a Mac. well ... unless you use jetbrains IDEs. i don't know if it's still true, but their integration with macos was superior to Linux

i prefer Linux though

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SnugglyCoderGuy@reddit

Nothing

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Grand-Tip236@reddit

Nothing. Everything Mac can do can be achieved with other platforms as well.

Well. Mostly.

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MissinqLink@reddit

Developing iOS perhaps?

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dumpin-on-time@reddit

you can develop them without a mac. you just can't publish them on the apple store

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Grand-Tip236@reddit

Prolly at least easier. I have never even touched an apple device so I have no idea about the ecosystem and how cross platform it is.

Knowing apple, prolly not much.

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Veggies-are-okay@reddit

I’d recommend touching one before coming to these conclusions. I was a linux fanboy for a long time but there’s some intangible benefits that come with one of the largest companies in the world having to back their product in quality and durability. You get your bash terminal and you can programmatically do everything that Linux does, but you don’t run into the package management headache and the fact that a lot of software lags in the Linux space.

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Grand-Tip236@reddit

Linux is better for me, thanks. You can use what you want ofc, but I am never going to be associated with apple, bmw, Rolex, etc.

I really don't want to be seen as one of THOSE guys; I am maybe weird like that.

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aberdoom@reddit

It’s ok to have positions like that (however ill informed) but it would be worth stopping short of offering advice when you’ve no idea.

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Grand-Tip236@reddit

I don't doubt the tools. I doubt the users. Some seem very zealous and fanboyish.

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aberdoom@reddit

Yeh, you definitely don’t get zealous Linux users.

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Grand-Tip236@reddit

There are. Sure. But out of those two, I choose the lesser evil.

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FourTwentyBaked@reddit

Nothing at all. Configuration and software install is frustrating as hell. Security concerns are still there. Keyboard shortcuts are really difficult to use. Try pasting ignoring formatting with one hand!

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Tall-Introduction414@reddit

Xcode is the answer. Developing iOS and native Mac apps will be very challenging without one.

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David_Owens@reddit

You would want to get the Macbook/Mini if you're going to be building iOS or MacOS applications.

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GlassCommission4916@reddit

Macs are great for development if you struggle with linux. You get a unix environment with an easy to use interface on top.

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Both-Dragonfruit3154@reddit

I wanna build a Linux based PC after using Mac. I love Unix

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papershruums@reddit

I always wanted a macbook (im poor) well last year i did really well and when the M1 Air was on sale I got one. I’d never used one because my friends are all poor too, so once i booted up the terminal and saw it was unix, I was stoked! I was familiar already. And that’s when I learned Mac isn’t as locked down as the rest of the ecosystem. Plus I could throw nix-darwin on it. But funny enough, I really just use it for SSHing into my linux computer 99% of the time lol

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Both-Dragonfruit3154@reddit

Haha yea got ya. Well I got my MAC about 11 years ago lol. And it's working fine but for huge projects and heavy compiling it's slowed down a little bit. I am trying to build a budget friendly 1000€ Linux based self made PC because I love building stuffs lol. I wanna have at least 32 RAM. I am also a little bit broke

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papershruums@reddit

My Linux PC is a TUF A15 with a 3050 and 32GB. It’s more than enough for what I do, which is how I like it. I spent like $500+ bucks on it, with a Ryzen 7. So if you can match those specs, you’ll feel a weight lifted compared to an old Mac lol.

I’ve yet to build my own PC): I’m a software and (mediocre) network guy and have been since I was a kid. When I have the money I plan to make a desktop, and perhaps even a self-made steam machine. I’m not afraid of failing… unless it costs me $100’s. That’s why I like software lol

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Any-Range9932@reddit

Nothing much. I like it for ease of use since switching for work but I coulda gone without it too

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ali-hussain@reddit

I use a Mac because it's a Unix that doesn't require mucking around to start using. Always having compatibility and drivers issues with Linux. When simple learning isn't the primary goal then that makes sense for a lot of people. Linux with a Windows VM might make more sense so you can put Linux first. Only other interesting thing is ARM. In case you want to learn an ISA that is easier than x86.

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Stein7Raiden@reddit

Only thing: you can't make apple apps because it's need a ecosystem for test and deployment

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Veggies-are-okay@reddit

I bought my first MacBook Pro in 2020 for grad school. The reasoning was “we can troubleshoot issues with you because we all use Mac so if you go windows/linux and run into anything, you’re on your own.” That thing survived 10+ hour days for a calendar year of grad school and then 4 more years of heavy use as I did BYOD to escape the crappy HP computers they had given to my coworkers and I. Two years later and my only issue has been a battery replacement. My fiancé just recently upgraded her 10 year old MacBook Air. So the durability is there so long as you respect your device (DO NOT GET A CASE FOR IT! Sleeves only).

Upgrade to the m5 pro and it’s a noticeable difference for development.

And at the surface level, I’ll be honest the selling point is how easy it is to sync all my apple products.

Now Linux is great from what I remember back in ~2012. It may have been my own inexperience that resulted in gradual degradation as packages had to manually updated and I probably messed that up. I doubt I’d have these issues now, but compounding it with the fact that I was throwing Ubuntu on ~$400 computers meant I was upgrading every other year or so.

So I guess all to say that the initial price is painful but I was very happy to move from Linux to the iOS ecosystem. It does pretty much the same thing but you are getting the reputation and support of apple with your purchase.

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threein99@reddit

Telling everyone you have a Mac

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Whole-Watch-7980@reddit

I’d say just buy a cheap think pad on eBay and install Linux 🤗

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guitarhippo@reddit

Nothing.

I used Windows all my life and decided to get a MacBook Air M1 in 2025. People kept saying it's too outdated and should stick to Windows. I made the switch, and I am happy, but the only thing I benefit from is a smooth-running system that barely ever freezes, compared to all the Windows laptops I have had throughout my life.

I still have a Windows laptop, and I use both systems now.

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emicurb@reddit (OP)

Thanks for your input. Sure, having a silent (Air - no fans), all day battery laptop must be really nice :)

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guitarhippo@reddit

It is really nice. It's reliable. I just open the lid and put my finger on the scanner, and it's good to go. Barely ever freezes, even when running an emulator!

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Sheepza@reddit

Nothing. WSL Is awesome!

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manvsmidi@reddit

I hate coding in windows. I hate doing office type work in Linux and some essential apps I need aren’t supported. Macs let me have a stable platform that supports most software packages I need to get work done while having a Unix backend. All without the need to reboot.

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blacklight223@reddit

A cleaner OS experience with less bloat, smoother transitions and gestures, and better integration with other apple devices

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ManaDrainMusic@reddit

Their hardware (minus never being able to swap/upgrade/repair) is great. Theyre powehouse machines for sure...im still running a 2019 intel mbp without much issues (maybe some degraded battery life but thats about it?).

Their OS is losing unique identity imo. The latest release just doesnt feel sleek and snappy and instead is kinda sluggish, bloated, and just has stupid design decisions that make usability a bit irritating...they dont hold magic they seemingly once did.

I still develop on them for work and its a smooth experience, especially on newer M chips, but my 2019 is now specifically for music production whereas i bought a nice thinkpad for linux as a dev machine (i really prefer dedicated machines like that).

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StealthTai@reddit

Pretty much just the hardware. It's nice. I like it bar the lack of repairability. If you're actually out and about the battery difference is night and day from laptops I've had before. Functionality you can get almost all of from Windows + WSL or just straight Linux bar the apple locked down stuff. You might get some projects or features supporting mac quicker just because of user base, but it's limited to the point it's almost not worth bringing up.

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samrjack@reddit

I use Mac for work and Linux/GNU at home. Mac is great for work environments because it’s still unix based, but is generally standardized across all developers so you can easily help solve each others’ issues. Its UI is clean and all the major business/work programs have native applications.

Linux/GNU is much better for learning how computers work and having control over your machine. You can customize things to (mostly) work exactly the way you want. But with that comes a lot more variability between machines that can make it harder to jump between machines. It also will run on basically everything now days which also makes it great to learn for embedded or hardware applications!

As for windows, I abandoned it long ago and every so often need to help a family member with getting it working. I don’t think I’d take a job if I had to use windows for programming…

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tech_is______@reddit

you will be missing a 10+ keypad

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emicurb@reddit (OP)

Missing a keypad and gaining a better trackpad, I suppose.

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HashDefTrueFalse@reddit

Nothing. Writing this on one. It's a brilliant machine but I've been dual booting some *nix for 20 years and it doesn't do anything that I haven't been able to previously. In terms of software it runs very well, as *nix usually does. As for the hardware, just about the only comments I'd make are that it's very portable and the battery life on Apple silicon models is excellent.

If you already dual boot Linux you're probably going to have a very similar experience on macOS, especially if you work in terminals and editors/IDEs a lot.

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SliceImpressive6853@reddit

MacBooks have great trackpads but otherwise they’re pretty shit. Apple quality control has gone out the window and their OS has been going through enshitification.

My 2020 MacBook lasted around 9 months? Those have a critical design flaw, the metal chassis causes the logic board to short itself lmao.

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yummyjackalmeat@reddit

Nothing. If you need unix like os, WSL2 in windows is actually fantastic. I dont know why I "slept on it" for so long. Also just a standalone linux instance if you like the whole ecosystem which is what I normally do.

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Fajan_@reddit

Nothing

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AshuraBaron@reddit

Nothing. It's a computer that does the same things as any other computer.

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DonkeyTron42@reddit

Chicks flocking to you because you use a mac.

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No_Huckleberry7790@reddit

nothing

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Great_Guidance_8448@reddit

The Apple logo...

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Environmental_Gap_65@reddit

I guess, because macOS is also unix based it has a more clear lineage to Linux, and if you want a developer experience that’s somewhat related to unix based systems while having the opportunity to also develop related to the apple ecosystem, Mac’s make a great choice.

But besides that I don’t see any advantage. I just like the user experience on MacOs from a consumer POV as I do other things with my time than just programming.

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ClamPaste@reddit

Absolutely nothing. I only use a Mac because my company provided it. Use whatever works for what you're building. Oh, I guess you're missing some vendor lock-in and non-native docker, but you already get that with windows running a vm.

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hrm@reddit

You miss having a mac, not really much else…

It’s very little difference running MacOS, Windows or Linux today unless you specifically want to develop applications for one of those specific operating systems.

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