hi. So I want to get my feet wet and try to make an iphone game (and make millions but I need to know what computer to buy. Obviously I know I need a mac but I'm assuming I don't need the most expensive one out there....then again I can't get the cheapest one....any help?? thanks in advance!
For instant action and reasonable price (which will pay itself back in a month with a half decent game), the basic MacBook is a really good iPhone dev machine. Ours was bought for our iPhone projects as our main Macs are tied up on other projects and so far it's done well. The MacBook's fast enough for the iPhone simulator (too fast actually), has a built in screen so you're not having to find spare monitors, or keyboard for that matter. Can hook up to a 2nd monitor for more screen space and connects to everything. It's also possible to dev on a Mac mini, which is also fast enough and I know a lot of devs switching over from the PC have used them for iPhone dev. But you do have to have a spare keyboard, mouse and screen for it. Pretty trivial for most people (and probably cheaper for Mac mini, screen, keyboard, mouse) but you can't sit out in the garden and write iPhone games with it like you can with a MacBook
Thanks! And funny you should be the one to respond to my post because I JUST bought slotz racing! nice job with that! Can you please list the programs you used to make it? i mean was it xcode and photoshop and unity? or was it Objective -c and ...etc....I'm really starting out so trying to get a feel for what I'll need to know. thanks!
I also recommend the new MacBook. I currently use a White MacBook with a 2.4 GHz + 2 GB RAM and it works fantastic.
Well if you really don't want a laptop, there's the iMac. Same price as the MacBook with slightly better specs. It comes with everything you need and will work great too.
If you want to use Unity at some point, don't get the mini. It won't do occlusion culling (which you might not need, but then again you might). Or maybe wait until the mini is updated. --Eric
Don't complicate things. The iMac is for sure the best developer computer under budget. It's more than good enough for what you'll be using it for.
occlusion culling? I really want to make an iphone game but have ZERO experience with any apple programs and have don't really have experience with programming. So what would be the easiest route to make an app? Should I learn Unity and x-code? Or do I need cocoa and objective C? I'm really clueless so someone please lead me to the easiest way...what do I need to know? Thanks!!!
I use XCode mostly (plus a bit of TextWrangler, AppleWorks and Pages for text & design work) for the code and design and my brother uses Cinema 4D and Photoshop for the art and Logic + a studio for the music and sound. An iMac is a very good alternative if you're not a fan of laptops.
I bought the low-end 20" iMac for my dev work & it works great. I later bought a 2.4GHz white MacBook (no longer made) for coding while traveling and it's been great to have too. I've since upgraded both of them with 4GB RAM kits from Crucial (way cheaper than from Apple). The iMac is my primary dev machine. Probably the best thing about the iMac is the screen real estate I have with it and the second display I have hanging off it. Because of the extra screen space, I'm definitely quicker at getting things done on the iMac.
To be honest, the imac is the best method for anyone entry level. I prefer a laptop since I am a workaholic. No stone left unturned, always time to get something done.
