PC vs Mac, 2025 edition
Earlier this year, I had knee surgery and knew I would be spending some time on the couch.
It was the perfect opportunity to update my (company’s) hardware stack. My existing setup was a bit dated and had another problem.
The forced break on the sofa seemed like the right moment to make the switch.
Why Windows and Mac (and Linux)
My - primarily C++ but also other- development happens on all operating system. And I need to be able to adopt and learn whatever customers need.
I need to be fit on all those systems, so I need at least two machines.
The old machines
These are my (company’s) old notebooks. Nothing wrong with them.
A Mac M1 and a ThinkPad P52, both 16-inch.
Either are fantastic machines, and they’re still in active use.
Why I 'needed' to update
Both notebooks are fully capable of handling every task I have: developing, rendering videos, and… well, that’s it.
So why the update? Size and weight—but primarily, size.
It was a pain to carry them in my backpack. Especially on Meetup days, when I do the recording and also have to transport camera gear. They’re simply too huge to fit in.
Now, they’ve been repurposed as stationary 'desktop' computers.
The new machines
My new notebooks are both 14-inch, and they fit perfectly in my camera backpack.
Mac M4 and ThinkPad P14s (with Intel Arc graphics).
It was quite an investment, but it was a company investment, not a private one.
The new size is both good and bad. Bad when sitting on the couch without an external monitor. Good when I have to bring them with me in my backpack.
There’s one detail on the Mac that’s worth mentioning: The Mac now also has a matte screen, not a glossy one. Finally!
Which is better?
Both are fantastic devices, and I enjoy working on them. Their hardware is amazing. Excellent connectivity, great keyboards, and since the Mac can come with a matte screen, each one has amazing screens.
They’re different tools for different tasks. If I can choose, I use the ThinkPad primarily onsite at work, and the Mac at home and in my home office.
On the ThinkPad, I have an interesting keyboard mapping, so my finger muscle memory doesn’t get confused when I switch to the Mac and back. And I can switch quite often, sometimes a number of times a day.
All the software I use is platform-independent.
I use the same tools on both devices. Same browser, same editors, …
Where the tools differ is the reason why I need all systems: apple-clang vs. MSVC, xcodebuild vs. msbuild, etc.
Since Windows has WSL, I don’t need to dual-boot or run a VM for Linux and I can also use it as my 'real' Linux.
There’s one thing I enjoy more on the Mac: Video editing for our SwedenCpp YouTube channel.
Besides that, the machines are pretty interchangeable for me.
More details
There os a lot more I could say about the details, but I am not sure which aspects would interest you most. If you are curious about anything regarding these devices, their similarities or differences, feel free to ask in the comments and I will be happy to reply.