I'm looking to get an über-cheap mac just for iPhone development. What's the oldest OS that works?
Any other hardware tips?
+7
A:
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is required for the proper version of XCode.
Darron
2008-11-18 19:21:30
oh, not so friendly for buying used macs then.
Greg
2008-11-18 19:33:17
You can still buy a used Intel Mac, and then install 10.5 on it.
e.James
2008-11-18 19:35:43
@Greg, I think you'll find some used Intel shirt-box iMacs and MacBooks around. Not as cheap as the G4 ones, of course, but way, way better.
Paul Tomblin
2008-11-18 19:36:06
All the used Mini's on ebay seem to have osx 10.4. I'm guessing upgrading the OS would cost more than just buying a new Mini to begin with.BTW, why are there no refurbed Mini's on the apple store?
Greg
2008-11-18 19:38:16
I've been told that refurb Minis sell out almost immediately.
Chris Lundie
2008-11-18 20:05:59
Keep looking...patience and keep on checking a couple of times a day. They had them in twice in a month on the UK site when I got mine a couple on months back. I saved 70 quid and it was loaded with OS X 10.5 too.
Kev
2008-11-18 20:30:22
+5
A:
There was quite a good discussion here:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/190662/whats-the-cheapest-mac-development-box-possible
Try and get yourself a late Intel Mac Mini (1.8Ghz or 2.0Ghz).
I'd steer clear of the PPC gear, even if it is cheap.
My own thoughts:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/190662/whats-the-cheapest-mac-development-box-possible#190731
Kev
2008-11-18 19:24:31
+5
A:
Personally, I'd never chintz on a development machine - build times will be slower, responsiveness with be worse, etc.
Go for the most machine you can afford.
warren
2008-11-18 19:41:47
+1
A:
Go for the most machine you can afford.
Agreed 100%, Keep in mind a new version of OSX is just around the corner, so you don't want to running last years hardware if you plan to upgrade.
Ryan Townshend
2008-11-19 19:01:24
A:
Look into refurbished machines; you get the same warranty as a brand-new one (including the ability to add AppleCare), but at a reduced price. Apple carries refurbs, as does SmallDog. Highly recommend this - you can pick up a one-rev-back machine for quite a bit less. You should still go for as much as you can afford, but this way you can afford more.
Don't forget that you'll have the carrying cost of the iPhone itself as well every month.
Joe McMahon
2008-11-21 20:42:06
A followup - just recently got a blowout deal on the previous-generation MacBook (the one that has FireWire). Turned out cheaper than a refurb. Looking for that kind of a deal is also a good idea.
Joe McMahon
2010-01-12 19:03:04
A:
Actually, running last year's hardware should be just fine for Snow Leopard. With the exception of Leopard, every release of Mac OS X was faster than the previous one. Since Snow Leopard is mostly about cleaning things up under the hood, I anticipate significant performance boosts. A Mac Mini is the best choice for a cheap development environment. iPhone applications are generally not large, I wouldn't expect long compile times. Of course your project may be atypical.