Don't Buy a Mac for Programming or Cybersecurity
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the speaker advises against buying a Mac for college or cyber security studies unless iOS development is the goal. They emphasize the importance of RAM for programming and virtual machines, suggesting a Windows desktop for its capabilities and cost-effectiveness. The speaker recommends a Chromebook for note-taking and a multiple monitor setup for productivity, stating that a Mac's benefits do not justify the extra cost for most students' needs.
Takeaways
- 🌐 The video discusses the suitability of Macs for learning, programming, and cybersecurity, especially in the context of a student in Iran.
- 🚫 Apple products are not officially sold in Iran, but they are available through imports and even in fake Apple stores.
- 💻 The hardware used for tech careers, such as programming or cybersecurity, is less important than the data and capabilities it provides.
- 📱 The speaker owns multiple devices, including a MacBook Pro, Microsoft Surface, and a Chromebook, but prefers using a high-RAM device for programming.
- 🛠️ For iOS development, a Mac is necessary due to the requirement to deploy to the Apple Store, but for other tasks, it may not be the best choice.
- 💸 The cost of a Mac can be prohibitive, and the additional expense may not provide significant advantages over a Windows PC for most tasks.
- 🖥️ The speaker recommends a Windows desktop with multiple monitor support for productivity, rather than a single-screen Mac laptop.
- 🔗 Atlas VPN is highlighted as a sponsor, offering a deal for viewers with a low monthly price and a money-back guarantee.
- 💡 The video suggests using a Chromebook for note-taking and web browsing, while leveraging remote desktop access for more powerful tasks.
- 📚 For students, especially in fields like computer science and cybersecurity, the focus should be on capability and value for money, rather than brand or device type.
Q & A
Why is the Iranian student considering buying a Mac for college?
-The Iranian student has saved up for seven years to buy a computer for college and is considering a Mac, despite Apple not being allowed to sell products in Iran.
What is the speaker's personal experience with using different types of computers?
-The speaker owns four computers: an older MacBook Pro, an Intel Nook, a Microsoft Surface 5, and a Chromebook. They use different computers for various tasks, such as programming, research, and travel.
What is the speaker's advice for students interested in programming or cybersecurity?
-The speaker advises students interested in programming or cybersecurity to get a computer with as much RAM as possible to handle multiple tasks like running multiple VMs and having many tabs open for research.
Why does the speaker suggest that a Mac might not be the best choice for programming or cybersecurity?
-The speaker suggests that a Mac might not be the best choice because it doesn't offer extra advantages in capability for programming or cybersecurity compared to a Windows PC, and some features like VM technology on Macs can be more expensive or less user-friendly.
What is the speaker's opinion on the necessity of a Mac for iOS development?
-The speaker believes that a Mac is necessary for iOS development because it is required to deploy to the Apple Store.
Why does the speaker recommend against buying a Mac laptop for most computer science or cybersecurity students?
-The speaker recommends against buying a Mac laptop for most students because the capabilities offered by a Mac are not worth the extra cost, and a Windows desktop with a Chromebook for portability can provide better value and functionality.
What is the speaker's suggestion for a monitor setup to enhance productivity?
-The speaker suggests using a multiple monitor setup with at least one large monitor for increased productivity, which can be more cost-effective than spending extra on a single high-resolution Mac display.
What is the benefit of using a Chromebook according to the speaker?
-The speaker sees the benefit of a Chromebook as a cheap and portable device for taking notes in class or browsing the web, which can also be used to remotely access a more powerful desktop computer when needed.
How does the speaker use the Atlas VPN mentioned in the script?
-The speaker uses Atlas VPN when traveling or doing research in countries with IP address restrictions, such as Russia, China, or Iran, to ensure secure and unrestricted internet access.
What is the main point the speaker wants to convey about choosing a computer for learning programming or cybersecurity?
-The main point the speaker wants to convey is that the choice of computer should be based on its capabilities and cost-effectiveness for the specific needs of learning programming or cybersecurity, rather than brand or operating system.
Outlines
💻 Choosing the Right Computer for Tech Studies
The speaker discusses the dilemma of choosing between a Mac and a Windows machine for computer science studies, particularly in the context of an Iranian student who saved up for seven years to afford a computer. The speaker highlights the importance of hardware capability over brand, emphasizing that the data is more crucial than the hardware itself. They share their personal experience with multiple computers and advise that for programming and cybersecurity, having a computer with ample RAM is essential. The speaker also mentions their past experience with iOS development, which required a Mac, but suggests that for most tech-related tasks, a Mac is not necessary and a Windows PC with sufficient RAM and virtual machine capabilities would suffice.
📱 Productivity Over Brand Loyalty
In the second paragraph, the speaker argues against the purchase of a Mac laptop for most computer science or cybersecurity students, unless iOS development is specifically intended. They point out that a Mac does not offer significant advantages for typical tasks such as taking notes, doing homework, writing software, or setting up virtual machines. The speaker suggests a more cost-effective and productive setup: a Windows desktop with multiple monitor support for serious work, and a cheap Chromebook for note-taking and web browsing. They also recommend using remote desktop access to connect to a powerful desktop from a less powerful device when away from the main workstation, thus maximizing productivity without the need for an expensive Mac laptop.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mac
💡Windows machine
💡Cyber security
💡Programming
💡RAM
💡Virtual machines
💡iOS development
💡Parallels
💡Hyper-V
💡Multiple monitors
💡Chromebook
Highlights
Apple products are not officially sold in Iran but are available through imports.
Iran has a strong engineering community due to dedicated students.
The hardware used in tech careers is less important than the data and skills.
For programming and cyber security, having a computer with ample RAM is crucial.
iOS development requires a MacBook due to the necessity of deploying to the Apple Store.
The speaker uses a variety of computers but primarily relies on an Intel Nook and a Microsoft Surface.
Microsoft's hyper-v is praised for its ease of use in setting up virtual machines.
Macs do not offer significant advantages for most computer science or cyber security tasks.
Parallels for Mac is an additional cost that is not necessary for the same functionality on Windows.
Macs are not justifiable in terms of cost for most educational and professional needs outside iOS development.
Using multiple monitors can increase productivity more than relying on a single high-resolution screen.
A Windows desktop with multiple monitor support and a Chromebook is recommended over a Mac laptop.
Chrome remote desktop can be used to access a main desktop from a Chromebook.
A Windows desktop and a small, inexpensive Chromebook provide better value than a Mac laptop.
The video concludes with a recommendation against buying a Mac laptop for most tech-related studies and careers.
Transcripts
should you buy a Mac for learning
programming or cyber security so from
all of my videos about the weapons used
during the Iranian protests I've
established a pretty extensive network
of students across Iran and one of them
wrote me and told me how we saved up for
seven years to buy a computer for
college and he wasn't sure if he wanted
a Mac or a Windows machine to study
computer science now first of all Apple
actually isn't allowed to sell products
in Iran but they get them anyway
imported in through turkey or Qatar and
they even have these fake Apple stores
selling real Apple products and I
thought about this this Iranian dude
saved up for seven freaking years so he
wouldn't have to sit in the school's
computer lab you know Iran has some
great engineers and it's because of kids
like this who never stop striving so
Amir this one's for you but maybe it'll
benefit some others that are watching
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me so should you buy a Mac for school if
you're interested in cyber security or
programming so full disclosure I own
four computers an older MacBook Pro and
Intel Nook a Microsoft Surface 5 I think
and a Chromebook and you might laugh
when I can't remember the name of the
model of Microsoft Surface but one of
the important things to remember when
embarking on a Tech Career is that the
hardware doesn't really matter all that
much my computer could die tomorrow and
since I had everything backed up in the
cloud I'm golden yeah it would suck to
reinstall everything but it's the data
that's important not the hardware I do
most of my work on an Intel Nook and I
guess that's because it has 32 megabytes
of ram I'm not into playing games I'm
into standing up multiple virtual
machines and working with them I also
have tens of tabs open at any given time
when I do research for things like
videos Pro meets up memory like I eat up
cake so I usually advise programmers or
people who want to get into programming
or cyber security get as much RAM as
possible that way you can have a lot of
chrome tabs open for research and run
multiple VMS now I bought a Macbook a
few years years ago when I was doing
some iOS development and if you're going
to do iOS development you want to deploy
to the Apple Store you need a Macbook
but right now it just kind of sits on my
shelf unused I mainly use my Microsoft
Surface when I'm lounging around on the
couch or when I go on trips it's thinner
and lighter than my Mac and the battery
lasts long and my Chromebook while I
keep it in my Tesla so I can sit and
write scripts like charge my car so that
being said I have a pretty wide range of
computers to pick from with multiple
operating systems yet I always seem to
use my Intel Nook or my Surface and the
real answer to all of this is when
you're looking for a computer for school
or to learn how to program or do cyber
security look at capability
I can do everything I need to do on an
expensive desktop and a cheaper laptop
now for me when I do programming like I
said I've used a lot of virtual machines
and I use Microsoft's hyper-v because
it's super easy to use if I want a Linux
VM or Windows VM I can get one spinning
up in a couple of clicks now if you want
to develop client server applications or
web application with a backend database
you can have one running in under an
hour with a few clicks using hyper-v and
with Mac
you do have VM technology
there's parallels which you have to pay
for or you can use open box which isn't
as easy to use as Microsoft's hypervate
do you want to pay an extra 220 a year
for Parallels for something you can
already do for free on Windows PC as
long as you have the Pro Edition again
you could use open box but that's kind
of where the shine and luster start
coming off a Mac
everything on a Mac is either trivial to
do or costs 200 to 500 more dollars than
you want to spend
and if you're getting a computer for a
class and you're buying it for its
capabilities are the capabilities you
get from a Mac really worth the extra
money you're going to spend okay so most
computer science or cyber security
students are either going to be taking
notes doing homework writing software
writing scripts standing up VMS to
either Harden or use the servers for
applications
the Mac really doesn't give you any
extra advantages in that capability in
fact the only place where it really
excels is IOS programming and that's
because you need a Mac for that now the
other thing I want to talk about is
multiple monitors this is my monitor
setup this monitor below alone costs
about 900 bucks and I usually have my
email in one window and slack in a
second in my main programming task Below
in the main monitor well for that extra
200 or 500 you're spending on a single
screen Mac you can get a multiple
monitor setup and while the display on a
MacBook is amazing a larger monitor will
make you more productive so here's what
I would do don't go buy a Mac laptop but
don't go buy a PC laptop either instead
buy a good PC desktop with multiple
monitor support and at least one extra
monitor most of the time you're going to
be coding or doing work at your desk you
will always get more productivity and
dollar value out of the desktop then go
buy a cheap 200 Chromebook for taking
notes in class or during reports or
browsing the web if you really need to
use your main desktop use Chrome remote
desktop to remote over your school's
internet back to your desktop computer
if you're away from campus tether your
phone that's what I do when I'm sitting
in my car I can access my home computer
and all of its power from a little
Chromebook that I care so little about
that I leave it in the trunk of my car
so the real answer to this question is
unless you intend to do iOS development
definitely don't buy a Mac laptop you'd
be better off with getting a Windows
desktop and a small Chromebook that you
don't care about and an extra monitor
then you would be just getting a Mac
laptop
thank you for watching
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