Pro No Mo - I don't really need a MacBook Pro machine for hobby programming.

I’ve been trying to decide which Apple laptop to buy for hobby programming.

I’m leaning towards the cheapest laptop Apple sells, the 2019 MacBook Air. As far as I can tell, is fine for my current needs.

I specced out a more powerful and future-proof laptop, a 2019 MacBook Pro with 2x the RAM and SSD storage, but it was 60% more expensive.

I think it makes more sense for me to buy the cheaper laptop today, and plan on replacing it sooner. Especially because I have a lot of family members who would be fine with the cheaper laptop as a hand-me-down.

It does feel a little weird to decide that I don’t need a “Pro” machine. When it comes down to it, Xcode, a SSD and a retina display are all the “Pro” I need for hobby programming, and Apple has made those features available in the budget Air line.

Follow-up

In the end I bought the more expensive Macbook Pro. I am a sucker. :-)