Budget iOS / Swift developer desk
In march 2018, I decided to focus on one language and master it. After having trouble finding job as JavaScript developer because every job description focused on a certain framework they are using at their company. After doing some research by reading articles and talking to other developers; I had chosen Swift language and decided to follow the roadmap of iOS developer.
Since I never owned a desktop / laptop from Apple. I had to buy a desktop / laptop in order to develop applications for iOS.
I set my budget as 400€ for 2018. Since I already wasted 300€ from my previous year 2016 where I bought a NVIDIA Jetson TX1 Developer Kit for my master thesis. It is not being used for over 2 years now and lying a box.
In my budget of 400€ I can only buy used / second hand desktop / laptop that are sold by other individuals or second hand companies.
In total the total cost for the setup is 302.88€
- iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) — — — — — — 213.46€
- Dell 24 UltraSharp Monitor - — — — — — — 64.38€
- Anker Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse — 19.99€
- Mouse pad — — — — — — — — — — — — — 5€
The setup looks like this,
I decided to buy an used iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) for 213.46€. The configuration of the iMac,
- 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
- 2,5 GHz Intel Core i5
- AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB
Why buy an iMac and why not other alternatives i.e. mac mini, macbook pro, macbook, macbook air?
I have used macbook pro and macmini. They are good alternatives. But, for my usage on daily basis I found that iMac suits me better.
- I don’t have open lid of the monitor every day.
- No need to worry about battery or charger break down.
- The iMac can be used as secondary montior using target display mode if required.
- I have a dedicated work setup and not worrying about cables.
I’m aware of the cons,
- mobility - I cannot take the iMac for meetups or workshops so easily. Or move around in my own house.
I had an VGA monitor but the VGA to mini-display port adapter was causing flickering in the iMac. So I buyed a used Dell 24 UltraSharp Monitor: U2414H for 64.38€. I connect this montior to iMac via display port to mini-display port cable.
I had wrist issues with the trackpad so I purchased a Anker Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse for 19.99€ from amazon.de.
The mouse pad for 5€ from amazon.de.
There are better setup alternatives according to your usage. I found the below articles and video useful in my search.
- The work desk of iOS developer — https://successfulcoder.com/2017/03/07/work-desk-of-ios-developer/
- http://osxdaily.com/2015/10/18/mac-setup-desk-of-a-software-developer-it-architect/
- http://osxdaily.com/2014/01/18/mac-setups-it-services-manager-desk/
- iOS Development Setup & Workspace - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiYx_4eeOms
- Reddit thread — https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSProgramming/comments/59fmrs/my_desk_setup_as_a_growing_ios_developer_what/
- quora — https://www.quora.com/How-does-your-desk-look-as-a-programmer
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