4 ms·

What kind of Mac developer wouldn't just get a mac?

ams6110 15y ago
Someone who doesn't have $1,500? Edit: Well a Mac Mini is $600 (with no monitor), but still... if you could rent a virtual Mac for $20/month that's still over two years before you're money ahead.
- alpb 15y ago
  I believe lots of iOS/OSX app developers want to make money out of the apps they are planning to develop. So why would someone just not invest money on a computer (which is a really good and hi-quality) machine imho) that is going to make them earn money?
  - wladimir 15y ago
    I suppose it's primarily useful for people that develop cross-platform applications and want to test/develop on a Mac as well. Sure, if the Mac is your primary platform then it makes little sense not to buy one.
  - notatoad 15y ago
    have you not been reading? not everybody is an ios/osx dev. web devs need to test on macs sometimes.
- cygwin98 15y ago
  You can buy used imac or mac mini at around $300. Even 5 year old late 2006 imac, which I got from one of my friends for free, can install Lion and be used for iPhone app development.
- munchhausen 15y ago
  Also, someone who lives in a country that is not loved by Apple. Here in central Europe, a Mac Mini goes for 1200$ without a monitor, and that's in the cheapest online store (where you will have to wait for over a week for it, as they do not have them in stock). Also, since there are no Apple stores, repairs and warranty in general is a pain to deal with. Considering these circumstances, a "Mac in a cloud" seems appealing, especially if you need it just as a testbed.
  - csomar 15y ago
    Ship to a USA service that ships to your country. Apple has free US shipping, and DHL costs around $120 from US to Africa (Tunisia, I think EU will have the same price).
    - estel 15y ago
      You'd be likely to hit import taxes on that.
      - reemrevnivek 15y ago
        Are import taxes of 100% ((1200 - 600) / 600) realistic?
        rubyrescue 15y ago
        yes, in many countries. plus there's a significant chance your electronics will get "lost"...
        heelhook 15y ago
        They are in Argentina. If you are lucky enough that they will actually allow you to receive the package at all. Just try to buy a Kindle, once it reaches customs they keep it there and there is basically nothing you can do about it.
  - cromulent 15y ago
    Most EU Apple online stores have them in stock for €599 with free shipping. http://store.apple.com/de/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mini/select http://store.apple.com/de/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mi... That's about 850USD. Where are you being charged $1200?
mattmanser 15y ago
A good example is a site I do work on that seems to have very occasional problems with uploadify only on Macs. I can't recreate on any win-based browser, don't have access to a Mac and really don't want to have to buy yet another computer just for this very occasional bug.
seclorum 15y ago
Someone porting their software to OSX/iOS, who doesn't need another computer in the house? In other words: plenty of people will find this useful.
droz 15y ago
I've never owned a mac before, never really had the inclination, but have been curious about developing on the platform. This is the perfect kind of solution (albeit poor pricing plan) that would allow me to give things a try before I commit to buying the hardware. I see this kind of service targeted at folks like myself who are interested in making the leap and obviously not for people who might consider themselves Mac Developers (tm).

Someone who doesn't have $1,500? Edit: Well a Mac Mini is $600 (with no monitor), but still... if you could rent a virtual Mac for $20/month that's still over two years before you're money ahead.

alpb 15y ago
I believe lots of iOS/OSX app developers want to make money out of the apps they are planning to develop. So why would someone just not invest money on a computer (which is a really good and hi-quality) machine imho) that is going to make them earn money?
- wladimir 15y ago
  I suppose it's primarily useful for people that develop cross-platform applications and want to test/develop on a Mac as well. Sure, if the Mac is your primary platform then it makes little sense not to buy one.
- notatoad 15y ago
  have you not been reading? not everybody is an ios/osx dev. web devs need to test on macs sometimes.
cygwin98 15y ago
You can buy used imac or mac mini at around $300. Even 5 year old late 2006 imac, which I got from one of my friends for free, can install Lion and be used for iPhone app development.
munchhausen 15y ago
Also, someone who lives in a country that is not loved by Apple. Here in central Europe, a Mac Mini goes for 1200$ without a monitor, and that's in the cheapest online store (where you will have to wait for over a week for it, as they do not have them in stock). Also, since there are no Apple stores, repairs and warranty in general is a pain to deal with. Considering these circumstances, a "Mac in a cloud" seems appealing, especially if you need it just as a testbed.
- csomar 15y ago
  Ship to a USA service that ships to your country. Apple has free US shipping, and DHL costs around $120 from US to Africa (Tunisia, I think EU will have the same price).
  - estel 15y ago
    You'd be likely to hit import taxes on that.
    - reemrevnivek 15y ago
      Are import taxes of 100% ((1200 - 600) / 600) realistic?
      - rubyrescue 15y ago
        yes, in many countries. plus there's a significant chance your electronics will get "lost"...
      - heelhook 15y ago
        They are in Argentina. If you are lucky enough that they will actually allow you to receive the package at all. Just try to buy a Kindle, once it reaches customs they keep it there and there is basically nothing you can do about it.
- cromulent 15y ago
  Most EU Apple online stores have them in stock for €599 with free shipping. http://store.apple.com/de/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mini/select http://store.apple.com/de/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mi... That's about 850USD. Where are you being charged $1200?

mattmanser 15y ago

A good example is a site I do work on that seems to have very occasional problems with uploadify only on Macs. I can't recreate on any win-based browser, don't have access to a Mac and really don't want to have to buy yet another computer just for this very occasional bug.

seclorum 15y ago

Someone porting their software to OSX/iOS, who doesn't need another computer in the house? In other words: plenty of people will find this useful.

droz 15y ago

I've never owned a mac before, never really had the inclination, but have been curious about developing on the platform. This is the perfect kind of solution (albeit poor pricing plan) that would allow me to give things a try before I commit to buying the hardware. I see this kind of service targeted at folks like myself who are interested in making the leap and obviously not for people who might consider themselves Mac Developers (tm).