Mac hunting for iphone development

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by Diablohead, Jan 23, 2009.

  1. RetroGuy

    RetroGuy Well-Known Member

    Dec 29, 2008
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    Mini

    A couple of sites posted rumors earlier this month that a new rev of the Mac Mini may come out in March.
     
  2. Zwilnik

    Zwilnik Well-Known Member

    I've seen those. One rumour is that it might have a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom CPU but a proper GPU. Thing is, that may actually be worse for iPhone dev as you kind of want a faster CPU for XCode to compile faster whereas the GPU's not an issue as the simulator already runs over-fast anyway.

    Then again, the speed difference may not be all that much and if it makes the Mac mini cheaper but still able to do everything just as well, then that's probably a good thing.
     
  3. RetroGuy

    RetroGuy Well-Known Member

    Dec 29, 2008
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    I agree, though I find it hard to believe they'd release a new computer nearly a year and a half after the last one and make it worse. At $600 and $800 it's already cheap, so making it a little worse and a little cheaper would suck. I intend to wait a few weeks to see what it is, then buy the old or new model.
     
  4. Zwilnik

    Zwilnik Well-Known Member

    They did it with the first Intel Mac mini. Faster CPU but much much slower graphics than the older G4 one (Radeon 9200 down to the Intel built in one). It could be that in the Mac mini's configuration, bus layout etc. the Atom isn't actually any slower in real terms than the Core 2, but it does seem a bit odd.
     
  5. Diablohead

    Diablohead Well-Known Member

    Jan 19, 2009
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    Freelancer, PC game developer
    Good idea, if the mini update isn't worth it then i'll just buy my mini earlier then planned.
     
  6. Hippieman

    Hippieman Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2008
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    Senior Producer, Designer
    San Francisco
    Everyone should just own a Mini anyway.

    Look at it like this. Your app hits the top 10 and you make $50,000 on your app. Then you upgrade to a new MacBook Pro.

    Then the Mini becomes the best media player for your TV on the market.
     
  7. HouseTreeRobot

    HouseTreeRobot Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2008
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    Dont forget to look out for refurbished macs. I got a mac mini from the apple store with about 20% off. (or at least something that was better than any discount I could find) Ended up about the same price as a second hand intel mac mini off ebay. (most of which would have needed me to buy leopard-10.5 to upgrade it)

    Still has warranty, etc etc as if it was new
     
  8. HandheldGames

    HandheldGames Well-Known Member

    Nov 15, 2008
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    CEO & Founder, Creative Director, Producer, & Desi
    Lynnwood, Washington
    Low cost options folks... EFI-X for the home builders or and MSI Wind for those seeking the portable option. Makes the out of reach - accessible. Just search the net for details.

    Thx!
    HHG
     
  9. Zwilnik

    Zwilnik Well-Known Member

    Not a Mac though, which means you're having to hack about with unlicensed copies of OSX to use them, which also means you're in breach of all sorts of parts of your developer license and likely to get really stuck when something changes in and update and stops it all working.

    For the sake of a couple of hundred bucks that you can make back in a day even with a low selling title, it would be a bit unprofessional to be using hacks like that and very likely to cost you a lot more.
     
  10. HandheldGames

    HandheldGames Well-Known Member

    Nov 15, 2008
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    CEO & Founder, Creative Director, Producer, & Desi
    Lynnwood, Washington
    Can be done with a retail disk. ;-) I'm happy on my Mac Pro's and my guys are on iMac's. For those on a budget... a couple hundred or so can mean making rent... or the difference between having a quad core mac-pro esque maching with a 7200 RPM 1TB disk or a mac mini....

    Thx!
    HHG
     
  11. Zwilnik

    Zwilnik Well-Known Member

    the license on the retail disk doesn't cover installation on anything other than a genuine Mac though. If you install it on anything else you're breaking the EULA and the developer agreement. That's before the potential for everything going horribly wrong because an update decides it doesn't like the incompatible hardware.

    If you're serious about being an iPhone developer, setting up with the proper hardware and software is a critical investment. A few hundred dollars saved when you start could easily cost you thousands if you miss a few days of development at a critical time. It's an unprofessional way to do things.
     
  12. Rocketman919

    Rocketman919 Well-Known Member

    Aug 8, 2008
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    ok so im planning on getting a new imac, would this be a good option? (i need a new one anyway, mines a G5)
     
  13. Eric5h5

    Eric5h5 Well-Known Member

    Sure.

    --Eric
     
  14. Rocketman919

    Rocketman919 Well-Known Member

    Aug 8, 2008
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    heh, thanks for the response. Short but sweet.
     
  15. Paulio

    Paulio Well-Known Member

    Dec 3, 2008
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    Local IGA (supermarket)
    Tasmania, Australia
    I want an iMac, but I'm going to wait until the imminent update. Just hope our Aussie dollar isn't still shot..
     
  16. brewstermax

    brewstermax Well-Known Member

    Hey, it can't be much worse than USD. I mean, Apple is committed to not raising prices on us, so I'm guessing that it will be handed off on you. And don't do what I did, and always wait for the update. It will happen, just get something. I waited for 3 years following updates, and always said that as soon as one comes, I'm getting a Macbook. And then I talked myself into waiting for the NEXT update. If one doesn't come in April, the current iMacs are fine.
     
  17. Zwilnik

    Zwilnik Well-Known Member

    I'm in 2 minds about waiting for the next iMac update. My current (1st gen Intel 2.33Ghz) one is doing quite nicely so it's not critical, more of a case of wanting shiny stuff. Problem is, when I do come to upgrade, my worry is that the new iMac will follow the MacBook trend and ditch the firewire port which I need. Then again, Apple may decide to at least keep FW 800 at least in the 24" and it's all me just speculating, so I should get on with working with my current one and stop worrying :)
     

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