[structAnkit]

We already have the "specialized device used in software development": the laptop (read: MacBook). No longer do we need to be tethered to wires and the grid in order to get meaningful work done as laptop battery efficiency, processing power, and mobile internet connectivity is substantially better than it was ten years, even five years ago. With dedicated cloud servers we do a lot of the compiling and automated test running and deployment on machines other than our personal ones while simultaneously writing new fixes and features ready for the next cycle of server-side code building.

Ten years ago we were in the middle of switching from wired desktops to laptops, but laptops just weren't portable enough due to weight and longevity when disconnected from the wall. Today this is still there case as our processing needs have increased as our laptops have become more formidable. I expect in ten years we'll still be in the same position.

What has been happening on the phone/tablet/watch/etc side of things however is that we're able to do all of our non coding tasks on the go in a less distracting way, such as responding to emails, retriggering failed code builds, or even reviewing code and merging pull requests. But actual programming will be crazy slow without a tactile full sized keyboard, things we've relied on to code with since the dawn of calculators/computers, and that won't change until we're programming software graphically, i.e. as if we were using Origami with Quartz Composer or RelativeWave Form, as opposed to textually.

[davecheney]

Do you think Apple will still be making MacBook Pros in 2025, and if they do, will they still have a power hungry (but fast) Intel processor?

[coldcode]

I expect in the near future Apple will build their own family of processors for all their devices. After you build your own OS(s), invent your own language, design most of your internal chips, what remains is the CPU/GPU.