People use OSX cause it has really good hardware which has good enough software support for the things more people do. I am aware this is probably going to sound along the lines of groupthink, but if there are a lot of people doing this, there must be a good reason.
In my case (and I suspect the case for a lot of folks based on conversations within the place I work at), the sweet spot for OSX is that the hardware is amazing , and the OS is just good enough. I work at a place full of Unix heads, and we all deploy to Linux, but use OSX on our MBP laptops. Software is just one part of the equation, but how your laptop feels when you pick it up and take it to a free working space matters. I guess the Thinkpad does hold up in this regard, but MBP-equivalent Thinkpads are typically more expensive.
I wonder if Avdi has tried using the Dell XPS that he mentions in the article. One of my fellow devs got it a few weeks ago and I tried it. The keyboard on that thing is plasticky and feels weak to the touch, unlike the solid aluminum of the Macbook Pro. I would never get it over an MBP.
Now if Apple changes the core functionality of OSX in a way that hurts dev tools that most people use, they will migrate away. I already see this in my workplace where people are still sticking with Snow Leopard till Apple forces them to upgrade. Why? Because it is good enough.
"MBP-equivalent Thinkpads are typically more expensive"
More expensive than what? MBP with 2.8Ghz, 16GB runs at least $3K.
With the exception of the screen, hardware-wise Thinkpads and Dell Precisions are far superior to MBPs. Max 16GB RAM and can't even stick an i7 extreme CPU in MBPs.
Whoops, 17" MBP, sorry, that's been discontinued -- as a Mac user you have NO choice; the hardware and software offerings are fixed in stone.
I'd argue that the trackpad on MBP's and Airs is the best anywhere. Every other computer I've ever used resulted in funky stray swipes, sometimes even when I hit a key near the trackpad. (Haven't tried a Dell Precision's, and I haven't had a Trackpad since the IBM days)
I believe the X1, which Avdi referenced, maxed at 8GB? (same as Air) The W series of course can have crazy hardware in it, but it's quite the anomaly in the industry.
I have a personal issue with the mac trackpad - clickable at the bottom and only the bottom? I understand it's their historical thing and not a genuine issue, but it always throws me as an odd thing to do.
In my case (and I suspect the case for a lot of folks based on conversations within the place I work at), the sweet spot for OSX is that the hardware is amazing , and the OS is just good enough. I work at a place full of Unix heads, and we all deploy to Linux, but use OSX on our MBP laptops. Software is just one part of the equation, but how your laptop feels when you pick it up and take it to a free working space matters. I guess the Thinkpad does hold up in this regard, but MBP-equivalent Thinkpads are typically more expensive.
I wonder if Avdi has tried using the Dell XPS that he mentions in the article. One of my fellow devs got it a few weeks ago and I tried it. The keyboard on that thing is plasticky and feels weak to the touch, unlike the solid aluminum of the Macbook Pro. I would never get it over an MBP.
Now if Apple changes the core functionality of OSX in a way that hurts dev tools that most people use, they will migrate away. I already see this in my workplace where people are still sticking with Snow Leopard till Apple forces them to upgrade. Why? Because it is good enough.