Mac isn't a modern development computer. It's a very specific modern development computer, and not necessarily the best in terms of quality/cost.
We're getting unnecessarily deep into dissecting this single line anyway. The original poster's point was that Apple's hardware and software ecosystem, while of great quality, still isn't the "bicycle for the mind" because it's terribly locked down.
I find that argument to be bizarre. You can do computer science on paper.
As long as you can write programs and run them then who cares whether you compile them directly to the hardware or interpret them, or whatever?
Apple locks down its distribution platform. It doesn't lock down your brain from thinking or writing programs, and it doesn't lock down its computers from running them for you.
