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Design

James McGuire
James McGuire
3,272 Points
Posted by James McGuire
James McGuire
3,272 Points

Macbook Pro for Web Development?

I want to have the right set up for the next few years. I really like the 15 inch pro, but the price is very large. If I can program with a 13" or mb air 13" I would be just as happy. And I could buy a newer year to get more years out of it.

Andreas Frost Nordstrøm-Hansen
Andreas Frost Nordstrøm-Hansen
2,443 Points
Andreas Frost Nordstrøm-Hansen
Andreas Frost Nordstrøm-Hansen
2,443 Points

It shouldnt really be a problem. Especially if you program a responsive design. Screen size in general doesn't matter, except for how much code you can see on your screen at a time.

So if you program it to be responsive, it will look good on all devices no matter the screen size, try and aim for that :)

3 Answers

Dustin Honeck
Dustin Honeck
12,504 Points
Dustin Honeck
Dustin Honeck
12,504 Points

I think Andreas misread the question. A 13" MacBook Air or Pro should be fine for web development. The only thing I have heard about going with 13" is that the screen is small and that it can be a frustration to use. You can always use an bigger monitor with it to fix that problem unless you plan on using it away from your desk a lot. But besides the screen size, the 13" air or pro should have the hardware specs to do everything you need.

Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
10,801 Points
Aurelian Spodarec
Aurelian Spodarec
10,801 Points

Depends.

When I looked at them, you can have the exact specification. One is larger, other is smaller.

Now, the larger is a lot more expenisve, since I wanted to buy it. You get a bit bigger screen.

Now, 13inch is good for transport. 15 is quite bigger, a big square lol

Now, i would probablu recommend to get 13inch, which even better processor and stuff, and buy extra monitor probably. Right? I don't know if i did that my self, but i was thinking about this, since i want to buy one as well, but i think id rent it is going to be cheaper - myabe, depends what im oing to decide to do.

Now, i would get 15inch, but reall, if im going to be at home, then I will or could get a 13unch mac and buy extra moniros for it. Many many many people do it.

Go to the apple store and see the size, but like I said, unless you are going to work outside a lot, buy the 15, if not the 13 for the same price and get few monitors. Respect your eyes. Small monitor isnt the best for health.

Hope this helps somewhat.

jacobproffer
jacobproffer
24,604 Points
jacobproffer
jacobproffer
24,604 Points

Everyone at the agency I work at uses various models of the iMac (21.5 - 27) with a second monitor. This is mainly due to that fact that the majority of the developers, including myself, also design. Handling 1600px web-mocks on a 13" MacBook Pro can be tedious due to the native resolution being only 1280px.

With that being said, I have a MacBook Pro at home for personal use. It's perfect for web development and general programming. You can also easily hook up a second monitor. I'd consider upgrading your RAM when purchasing (8GB or 16GB). I'm only running 4GBs and it's a hassle to run Photoshop/Illustrator. Though Sketch runs perfectly.