Myth file

“You need a Mac for programming”

Verdict: False

Only for Apple platforms. WSL2 ended the general version of this argument, and for local machine learning a Mac is the wrong tool.

The one hard requirement runs the other way. Xcode is macOS-only, so building and shipping for iPhone, iPad or Mac needs a Mac, and there is no supported workaround.

For everything else, WSL2 gives Windows a real Linux kernel, and the daily experience of web and backend work is now close to indistinguishable.

For local machine learning the advantage sits with Windows and Linux, because CUDA is the ecosystem and Apple silicon cannot join it at any price.

HouseCommentary

Scored even on the card and the house means it. Two hard requirements point in opposite directions; everything between them is preference.