I was at the OpenStack Summit this week. The overwhelming majority of OpenStack deployments are Linux-based, yet the most popular laptop vendor (by a long way) at the conference was Apple. People are writing code with the intention of deploying it on Linux, but they're doing so under an entirely different OS.
But what's really interesting is the tools they're using to do so. When I looked over people's shoulders, I saw terminals and a web browser. They're not using Macs because their development tools require them, they're using Macs because of what else they get - an aesthetically pleasing OS, iTunes and what's easily the best trackpad hardware/driver combination on the market. These are people who work on the same laptop that they use at home. They'll use it when they're commuting, either for playing videos or for getting a head start so they can leave early. They use an Apple because they don't want to use different hardware for work and pleasure.
Apple's laptops are still the best PCs money can buy at the moment (despite their horribly outdated displays). It's no wonder Linux developers, too, favour them.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2005-09-21
Member since:2010-09-23
Sounds like a Surface Pro 3 would give you all that you need for a lower price, lower weight, thinner and with a touchscreen.
Windows laptops have evolved a bit. My wife's Asus Transformer also has a "magsafe like" connector and a great touchpad. But when she wants she detaches the screen and uses it as a tablet
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:
2005-06-29
Samsung and Asus make some pretty sweet laptops that are comparable to Mac notebooks in design, and exceed them in performance. Lenovo makes awesome business laptops as well, though they are more industrial in design.
I've always seen Macs as mediocre hardware wrapped in pretty, minimalist designs, with a powerful OS. As long as the hardware is fast enough to run the current version of the OS, it takes a back seat in importance.
Of course there is the high price tag associated with Macs, but if you need a modern, stable version of OS X bad enough you'll pay it.