Suggestion for buying a MacBook for a student from a third-world country.

Question

Level 1

4 points

Suggestion for buying a MacBook for a student from a third-world country.

Hello!

I am a student and have been doing mobile development for the past 3 years during my university studies. Currently, I am working on Android development using the hybrid platform React Native.

This will give you an idea of my skill level.

Now, I’ve decided to start iOS development since React Native supports iOS, and I also plan to learn Swift for native iOS development. For this, I need to buy a MacBook. As you may know, MacBooks are quite expensive, especially in developing countries where the cost translates into a significant amount.

I’m looking to buy the MacBook with the lowest specifications that still works well for development. I already have an iPhone, so I can use it for testing.

Could you please suggest which MacBook model I should buy and what things I should keep in mind? Please note, I plan to use this MacBook for about 1.5 years—until I graduate and can then afford to buy a better one once I start working.

Thank you!

[Edited by Moderator]

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on May 6, 2025 11:27 PM

Reply

Answer 1

TheLittles

Level 10

200,632 points

May 6, 2025 11:51 PM in response to itsNouman25

"Suggestion for buying a MacBook for a student from a third-world country.: [...]I’m looking to buy the MacBook with the lowest specifications that still works well for development. I already have an iPhone, so I can use it for testing. Could you please suggest which MacBook model I should buy and what things I should keep in mind? Please note, I plan to use this MacBook for about 1.5 years—until I graduate and can then afford to buy a better one once I start working.[...]"

-------

Purchasing a Mac:

I would recommend punching it directly from Apple. But, being not an option, I would recommend not punching it online(read posts on these forums, and you'd find plenty of example of why --mostly due to being scammed or the owner never signing out of Apple Account on it. If you purchased it from eBay, you could request a return, or report a scam, to eBay.

Purchase it from craigslist:

So, as for purchasing it, try placing a post on craigslist, requesting one. Perhaps placing this in Barter would be ideal, as it would be traded, rather than purchased. When purchased, requested that the seller lets you log into it, seeing if you can get into your own Apple Account in it. If this is not an option, then do not proceed with the transaction. This is the site the seller needs to use, prior to selling it: What to do Before you Sell, Give Away, Trade in, or Recycle your Mac - Apple Support

As for which to get:

Start with 128GB hard drive, and recent Macs are silicon based. As for the CPU and RAM, that would depend on if you are multitasking (running many apps at once). Note that Apple typically provides updates fro 7 years, and then stops doing so for the model.

Reply