Hi,
I am relatively new to Unity. I have made one game - Hoppy. http://goo.gl/50Wpja If you want to check it out.
I have released it on android and am looking to put it on IOS. Obviously for this, you need a mac.
The question I am asking is: Is the 13 inch screen of the Macbook pro big enough for comfortable developing?
There is an option to opt for the larger 15 inch mbp.
Does the large resolution of the retina display counteract the smaller screen size?
Answers would be appreciated.
Anyone with a screenshot from a mbp 13 would be useful. (I know it will look the same but I just want to check some things.)
Thanks
Ben
13" is a bit hard on my eyes though your vision might be better than mine, one option is to get a nice size external monitor.
By default, the retina resolution doesn’t decrease the size of anything at all. It just makes it clearer.
In the settings menu you can scale it to “look like” 1920 x 1200 but then you sacrifice quality and everything is smaller.
Unity does not take advantage of the retina resolution, so all of the text is pixelated compared to other applications.
I have been developing on the 15’’ MBP without any real difficulties, though every once in a while I do wish for a bit larger screen.
I spend my first 2 years on a 13" Macbook Pro, still use it to this day as it’s totally capable.
i5 2.3ghz
16GB Ram
Intel HD 3000
1280x800 Resolution
I have one right now and the screen size is too small for my taste. But then again, I normally run on a PC with dual 30 inch screens.
I have my Macbook Pro, and a Mac Pro with dual 23" monitors and it’s totally fine going between either, but I guess my laptop is just for when I’m on the road, or away from my desk. I personally don’t mind the screen size.
With external monitor(s) the MacBook Pro is totally fine.
If you really don’t need to be using a mac full time (and you have a monitor to spare for when you are working on it), you might be better off with a cheap mac mini. If you are in need a laptop specifically, there is nothing wrong with the 13 inch, but you will not find it the ideal size to work in the unity editor.
As the primary development machine, neither one is really optimal though and you should have a desktop computer in some form.
I really (really) hope Apple will update the Mac Mini soon.
I do almost all of my dev on a 2009 13 inch MBP and an external monitor, so a new one will probably do.
Ok thanks for the answers. I will probably go to an Apple store this week to compare. I think the 15 inch would probably be better. Im going to Canada so I might pick up a refurb one there. (Refurb overseas… Cheapskate, I know!) any more opinions are welcome 