You’re looking at Android Studio version 1.2.1.1 running on Windows 8.1 Update 1 with all patches on top, and then running on Yosemite 10.10.3 (Mac OS X) at the bottom. It’s opened on the exact same project. And when I say exact, I mean the project was copied between the two systems without any intervening edits or changes. My biggest complaint is in how the Design tab renders my application design: it’s broken under Windows and looks perfect under Yosemite.

There are other little differences between the two editors that are too minor to note, but that still give the edge to developing Android in Android Studio on the Mac Mini better than developing in Android Studio on my Samsung Windows notebook. But I will call out that it’s easier to attach my Samsung Galaxy S4 to the Mac Mini than it is to connect it to the Samsung notebook running Windows 8.1. As the slogan goes, with the Mac Mini It Just Works.

There is a certain irony (to me) that I have a better overall experience developing with the mortal enemies tools (Android) on Yosemite. If I were really into conspiracies it would make me wonder if Microsoft is up to its old shenanigans to make sure that such-and-such a competitive application (Android and Android Studio) doesn’t work well on the latest OS platform (Windows 8.1 in this case). Except I know better. I attribute this to sloppy implementation and testing on both Google and Samsung’s parts; Google has morphed Jetbrain’s IntelliJ into Android Studio and is thus responsible for making sure it works the same across all platforms (which also includes Linux, specifically Ubuntu) and with Samsung I lay the blame on its driver implementation for Windows (which I keep getting a patch for every once in a while). In any event I’ll continue to use my Mac as the center of my creative universe for mobile development, which is probably a good thing, as I’ve started to ease more and more into Swift and iOS.