Walk into a coffee shop in San Francisco. You see a sea of glowing Apple logos. Walk into a bank in New York. You see rows of ThinkPads. The debate is old. It is tired. And usually, it is wrong. People treat OS choice like a religion. It isn't. It's a tool choice. You don't buy a hammer because you like the color. You buy it because you need to hit a nail. Here is the honest breakdown of which OS wins for which job in 2025.
For more on setting up your dev environment, check out our guide on remote work tools.
The Scenario
You buy a $2,000 MacBook Pro because your favorite YouTuber has one. You get to your first day at a Game Dev studio. They hand you a Windows PC. You realize you can't run Unreal Engine 5 properly on your Mac. You just wasted $2,000. Don't buy the hype. Buy the requirement.
The Old Way vs. The New Way
The old way was "Mac is for Creatives, Windows is for Business." The new way is "Mac is for Unix, Windows is for Enterprise."
| Feature | Mac (macOS) | Windows (w/ WSL2) |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal | Native Unix (Zsh). Perfect. | Good (via Ubuntu Subsystem). |
| Battery | 12+ Hours (M-Series). | 4-6 Hours (Intel/AMD). |
| Price | High ($1,200+). | Variable ($500 - $3,000). |
| Gaming | Terrible. | Perfect. |
| Repair | Impossible. | Easy (usually). |
1. The Case for Mac (Web & Mobile)
If you are a Web Developer or iOS Developer, buy a Mac. Period.
- Unix: macOS is built on Unix. The commands you use on your laptop (
ls,grep,ssh) are the same commands used on the Linux servers you deploy to. It is seamless. - iOS: You legally cannot compile an iPhone app on Windows. If you want to build for mobile, you need Xcode. Xcode only runs on Mac.
- Battery: The M3/M4 chips are magic. You can code for 10 hours on a flight. No Windows laptop comes close.
2. The Case for Windows (Game Dev & Enterprise)
If you are a Game Developer or Corporate Dev, buy Windows.
- Games: Most gamers use Windows. If you are building games (Unity/Unreal), you need to build on the native platform.
- Enterprise: If you work at a bank or insurance company, you will likely use C# and .NET. Visual Studio (the full IDE) runs best on Windows.
- WSL 2: Windows Subsystem for Linux allows you to run a real Linux kernel inside Windows. It fixed the "Windows is bad for coding" problem. It's actually great now.
3. The "Linux" Wildcard
You can buy a ThinkPad and install Ubuntu.
- Pros: Free, open-source, you look like a hacker.
- Cons: You will spend 20% of your time fixing your WiFi driver instead of coding.
- Verdict: Only do this if you are a DevOps engineer or a masochist.
4. Hardware Quality
Apple wins here. The trackpad on a $300 Chromebook is garbage. The trackpad on a $3,000 Dell XPS is... okay. The trackpad on a MacBook is perfect. If you are going to touch a piece of glass for 8 hours a day, it matters.
5. Resale Value
You buy a MacBook for $2,000. In 3 years, you sell it for $1,200. You buy a Windows laptop for $2,000. In 3 years, you sell it for $400. Macs hold value like Toyotas. Windows laptops hold value like bananas.
The Real Numbers
What are you actually paying for?
| Model | Price | Lifespan | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air (M3) | $1,100 | 5 Years | $220 |
| Dell XPS 13 | $1,200 | 4 Years | $300 |
| Cheap HP Laptop | $500 | 2 Years | $250 |
| MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) | $2,000 | 6 Years | $333 |
The "Expensive" Mac is actually cheaper per year than the "Cheap" HP because it lasts twice as long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I code on an iPad? A: No. Stop trying. It’s a toy, not a tool.
Q: Do I need 32GB of RAM? A: For Web Dev? No. 16GB is fine. For Mobile/Game Dev? Yes. Xcode and Unity eat RAM for breakfast.
Q: What about the Touch Bar? A: Apple killed it. Good riddance. Physical keys are better.
Q: Is Windows 11 good for coding? A: Yes. With WSL 2 and Windows Terminal, it is a fantastic development environment. Don't let the Mac snobs tell you otherwise.