

Ask HN: what is the best laptop for a web development? - ericthegoodking

These are my top criteria.
Battery life, portability, performance, costs.
======
27182818284
Probably the MacBook Air, and when you're at a desk, another monitor for it.

I got the Macbook Pro Retina and I'm not sure if it was worth the extra
dollars and the very small amount of extra weight. I think I would be fine
with an Air. In fact, if I did it over, I'd get the Air and then spend a
little bit more along with the difference in price to create a nicer desktop
machine.

~~~
ericthegoodking
will consider your option

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hardwaresofton
So I personally ran into this problem a while ago -- I posted something along
the lines of "why do people develop on macbook airs", trying to decide which
computer to purchase.

For me, it was between the Zenbook and the Macbook Air.

To be honest, the first thing I would do on a Zenbook is put Linux on it (I
just can't develop in Windows any more, I don't know if something is wrong
with me, but everything just feels wrong when I try). I reasoned this way:

1\. If I ever decide to do iOS, the Macbook is a plus

2\. It's UNIX-compatible, and pretty much a hop, skip and some GNU tools from
linux.

3\. If you really want to, there's pretty well tested software for putting
windows on it.

Then I went on craigslist and bought a $500 Macbook Air (10"), and have been
happy with my decision ever since.

I should also note that I do most of my programming on my desktop.

------
hackula1
For me, mbpr 13 is a really good balance between usability and portability. I
was Thinkpad + linux for years, but I find the mbp hardware feels a bit
sturdier, compared to other options in the same price range. The main
contender for me was the Thinkpad Carbon, but I liked the feel of the mbp
keyboard and trackpad a bit better (The latest TP has weird rounded keys).

------
phaus
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 is out. It starts at ~1100 and has a 13" 3200x1800
screen. Early reviews say they improved every aspect of the original Yoga. It
weighs a hair over 3 lbs, has a Haswell processor, up to 8GB ram, and gets
about 6 hours of battery life. The battery life isn't stellar for a Haswell
ultrabook, but the absolutely amazing screen uses more power than a lower-res
one would.

As another option, the Thinkpad T440s just launched. It has an option for a
1080p IPS, weighs about 3.5 lbs, and has a hot-swappable battery.

Lenovo also has really good Linux support.

~~~
ericthegoodking
It looks like the new thinkpads costs as much as new mac books , why would i
consider thinkpads over MBA? Thanks .

~~~
runjake
Upgradability, durability, ports, running Windows (Boot Camp isn't all that
great with battery and fans), running Linux on something well-supported.

~~~
iamtechaddict
I don't understand why to use linux(Lack Adobe creative suite and many other
softawares though could be run via Wine but with a performance glitch) and
Windows(For developers ?? :P) when there is OSX is already doing a very good
job.

~~~
phaus
Not every web developer does web design. If you only code, there's no
advantage to using OSX.

Judging from your other comment, you have already picked OSX. If it works
better for you thats all that matters, but its silly to pretend that you can't
comprehend why other OSs exist. The answer is simple, not everyone likes the
same thing.

~~~
iamtechaddict
Agreed but to code as well there are much better alternatives ex. Text mate,
although you can use Sublime. And one more thing I'm not judging Linux or
windows but I think OS X can be better if all you want is best of both the
worlds(my case).

~~~
phaus
OSX sounds like a good match for you. Honestly, if I had the cash, I would
probably get a Haswell rMBP, so I could potentially run all 3 OSs. I'm a
security analyst, so its nice to be able to run everything without any
compromises.

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough for a rMBP, so I ended up spending a third
of the cost of a 13" rMBP on a Thinkpad so I could run a dedicated Linux
machine.

That being said, if someone just happens to prefer Linux, you really can't
beat a Thinkpad from the T, X or W series'.

~~~
iamtechaddict
Totally agree with you for linux i too preferred Thinkpad.

------
Systemic33
I picked the ASUS Zenbook UX31A when it arrived june last year, it's very
similar to Apple MBA, but has 1080p.

The next gen of it is the ASUS Zenbook UX301 [1] with the insane resolution of
2,560 x 1,440 on a 13" IPS touchscreen. It's bundled with Windows, but Linux
runs very well on them. Mine has been running linux since last christmas.
Price is equivalent to the MBA.

[1] [http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/04/asus-zenbook-
ux301-hands-...](http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/04/asus-zenbook-ux301-hands-
on/)

------
NeverWinter
Depends on your budget. Will you commute? I'm personally using a Samsung 9
Series which is very lightweight. Plays well with linux as well, no driver-
issues what so ever.

Second choice would probably be Lenovo's newer generation IdeaPad, then again
it's really about what you're personally looking for and what setting you'll
be using it in.

~~~
ericthegoodking
I prefer working most of time

~~~
NeverWinter
Try find a higher-resolution laptop if you're not going to use external
monitors. That was the key-feature I was looking for (1920x1080).

~~~
ericthegoodking
i actually meant to say i prefer walking* sorry about that. I will definitely
take your recommendation and look for a laptop with high resolution.

~~~
vizeroth
MacBook Pro w/ Retina, 2880 X 1800

Unless you're going to be working in Windows, since Windows doesn't play so
well at higher resolutions.

------
elclanrs
ASUS Zenbooks are great, very light, solid aluminum build, 1080p IPS matte
panel, 6+ hours battery life. I'm quite happy with mine.

------
mrjoelkemp
Macbook air. Beautiful tools create beautiful products.

~~~
phaus
If you are going to recommend the Macbook Air, you should probably talk about
what makes it a great web development machine instead of making one of the
most ridiculous statements I've ever read.

For example, the Macbook Air has excellent build quality, a great keyboard,
decent (but not stellar) color reproduction, and an operating system that is
well supported by pretty much any tool that a web developer or designer would
ever need.

There are plenty of ugly tools that are capable of making pretty much every
artificial thing on the planet that's considered beautiful.

