Thinkpad v. Mac for law school Forum
- rowlf
- Posts: 111
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Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I'm going to buy a new computer for law school. I want a computer that will perform well and last about four years. I am deciding between getting a Lenovo Thinkpad (X201 series) or a Mac Book Pro (13"). Both seem like hardy, quality computers, but I can only buy one.
I would particularly like to hear reviews and thoughts from TLSers who use Thinkpads and people who made the same choice and why they came down the way they did. I would love to hear from people who have used both an IBM Thinkpad and a Lenovo Thinkpad and hear their views on any important contrasts. Have Thinkpads become worse since Lenovo acquired the brand? I'd also like to know a bit more about any particular software and experience features of the Thinkpad. I've seen them in action (I know a few people with Thinkpads), but a little more explication would be helpful(and that goes for Macs, too!).
For Mac users: Are there any issues of compatibility in terms of law school exam-taking software and Macs? What is this feature I hear of that allows you to use OneNote on a Mac, and how does it influence said compatibility if I use it? For those of you who transitioned from a PC to a Mac for law school, what was the adjustment period like, how long was it? Was it worth it? Is Circus Ponies Notebook actually any good? How compatible is it with Office stuff? What difficulties might I face, in terms of sharing data between platforms, given that I have a PC netbook and a non-iphone smartphone? The big drawback of Mac for me is it seems a rather closed, inflexible software world, and I like the flexibility and openness that PCs offer.
I am hoping to make a decision soon so quick responses would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
I would particularly like to hear reviews and thoughts from TLSers who use Thinkpads and people who made the same choice and why they came down the way they did. I would love to hear from people who have used both an IBM Thinkpad and a Lenovo Thinkpad and hear their views on any important contrasts. Have Thinkpads become worse since Lenovo acquired the brand? I'd also like to know a bit more about any particular software and experience features of the Thinkpad. I've seen them in action (I know a few people with Thinkpads), but a little more explication would be helpful(and that goes for Macs, too!).
For Mac users: Are there any issues of compatibility in terms of law school exam-taking software and Macs? What is this feature I hear of that allows you to use OneNote on a Mac, and how does it influence said compatibility if I use it? For those of you who transitioned from a PC to a Mac for law school, what was the adjustment period like, how long was it? Was it worth it? Is Circus Ponies Notebook actually any good? How compatible is it with Office stuff? What difficulties might I face, in terms of sharing data between platforms, given that I have a PC netbook and a non-iphone smartphone? The big drawback of Mac for me is it seems a rather closed, inflexible software world, and I like the flexibility and openness that PCs offer.
I am hoping to make a decision soon so quick responses would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
- Thomas Jefferson
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
TL;DR but no one should ever buy a Mac.
- Emma.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Thomas Jefferson wrote:TL;DR but no one should ever buy a Mac.
- traehekat
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
This.Thomas Jefferson wrote:TL;DR but no one should ever buy a Mac.
In all honesty, as far as what you will need for law school, it probably doesn't matter. Both would be sufficient. Just saying though, one may be "sufficient" for $800 less...
EDIT: By the way, there are a trillion threads on this, use the search function.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I'd go for the mac, make sure you get the education pricing and right now if you get a laptop you get a free iPod Touch. Can't beat that
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- Thomas Jefferson
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Except with the Windows or Linux PC with the same or better specs that costs lessmattpen wrote:I'd go for the mac, make sure you get the education pricing and right now if you get a laptop you get a free iPod Touch. Can't beat that
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
+1Thomas Jefferson wrote:TL;DR but no one should ever buy a Mac.
I opted for the Thinkpad. Strutting around with a fashionable computer is *not* worth the compatibility tradeoff. Yeah, you can run Windows via bootcamp or parallels, but it's not worth the effort IMO.
- tintin
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
mac no question
- usuaggie
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Thomas Jefferson wrote:Except with the Windows or Linux PC with the same or better specs that costs lessmattpen wrote:I'd go for the mac, make sure you get the education pricing and right now if you get a laptop you get a free iPod Touch. Can't beat that
I don't know what you guys are paying for your PCs, but my mac was pretty cheap and came with a free iPod. The recommended mac at my school is the same price as the 5 recommended PCs, but with a 13 inch screen vs a 15/17 inch.
I haven't had any problems with my mac in its first year. I love it. I probably will never buy another PC. I've had 4 dells and all were built really cheap compared to this mac. same goes for my girlfriend's HP laptop.
- General Tso
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
who struts around with a Macbook? they are beyond mainstream at this point...JOThompson wrote:+1Thomas Jefferson wrote:TL;DR but no one should ever buy a Mac.
I opted for the Thinkpad. Strutting around with a fashionable computer is *not* worth the compatibility tradeoff. Yeah, you can run Windows via bootcamp or parallels, but it's not worth the effort IMO.
- happy187
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- Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 1:43 pm
Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I picked up an IBM Thinkpad T42 with extended battery for 250 on craigslist. it will do everything I need to for law school. email, one note, ms office suite, and adobe pro. I don't see the point in spending a lot of money on a laptop for law school. If I was going to grad school for graphic design, maybe. But, I just need something that will have a decent battery and make it 4 years (going PT). After that I will invest in a Macbook, I have an iMac at home and love it.
- romothesavior
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Thomas Jefferson wrote:TL;DR but no one should ever buy a Mac.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
traehekat wrote:In all honesty, as far as what you will need for law school, it probably doesn't matter. Both would be sufficient. Just saying though, one may be "sufficient" for $800 less...
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
This will sound smart until your computer crashes and you freak out about lost notes / inability to take an exam. I mean, it might not happen to you - but it happened to many people I know with older computers, and it sucked.happy187 wrote:I picked up an IBM Thinkpad T42 with extended battery for 250 on craigslist. it will do everything I need to for law school. email, one note, ms office suite, and adobe pro. I don't see the point in spending a lot of money on a laptop for law school. If I was going to grad school for graphic design, maybe. But, I just need something that will have a decent battery and make it 4 years (going PT). After that I will invest in a Macbook, I have an iMac at home and love it.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
TL;DR as well
HOWEVER
I would venture that this is almost a universal fact: Anyone who recommends buying a PC over a Mac, has NEVER owned a mac
HOWEVER
I would venture that this is almost a universal fact: Anyone who recommends buying a PC over a Mac, has NEVER owned a mac
- romothesavior
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Never owned one, but I used one on a pretty much weekly basis for the past three years, so I've used them enough to know I hate them.stinger35 wrote:TL;DR as well
HOWEVER
I would venture that this is almost a universal fact: Anyone who recommends buying a PC over a Mac, has NEVER owned a mac
- irie
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I got a 13" Thinkpad Edge with the 15% student discount from Lenovo's website. It is the one with intel processor, although there is a cheaper one with AMD that will probably still be more than enough for law school. I don't plan to install any media, games, and whatnots on this as I have a separate desktop. This is strictly for law school and it will easily last me three years. It's light, thin, and runs brilliantly. Best of all, it cost me under $600.
I like macs, they are sleek, pretty, reliable, and made by the most innovative company in the world. But I would never own one. PCs have suited me just fine all my life, and PCs are what big businesses will use forever. Corporate America will never switch to macs, Thinkpads are the laptops of choice by most large law firms, banks, and fortune 500 companies. Since those are all in my future, I'd much rather be comfortable and proficient with PCs, and windows-related software.
just my 2 cents.
edit: as a disclaimer, before the mac trolls chime in, I worked for my college newspaper for 3 years and was on a mac 12-20 hours a week. it's a great computer for anything media related, and it's easy to use. however, that certainly doesn't justify spending an additional $1000. yes, PCs are inherently more likely to crash, but if you haven't figured out how to back up your files on to external sources by now then maybe you deserve whats coming to you. go to newegg, spend $60 on a HD, set it to auto-backup certain directories once a day/week/month, and allocate 5 seconds each night to saving that day's work. it's really not as big a pain in the arse as some people like to boast. furthermore, windows 7 pro (or enterprise) allows you to back up to your school's domain, which makes things even easier. if neither of these options are viable, go buy a $12 flash disk and save the important stuff there, or email files to yourself, store on google docs, the options are endless.
I like macs, they are sleek, pretty, reliable, and made by the most innovative company in the world. But I would never own one. PCs have suited me just fine all my life, and PCs are what big businesses will use forever. Corporate America will never switch to macs, Thinkpads are the laptops of choice by most large law firms, banks, and fortune 500 companies. Since those are all in my future, I'd much rather be comfortable and proficient with PCs, and windows-related software.
just my 2 cents.
edit: as a disclaimer, before the mac trolls chime in, I worked for my college newspaper for 3 years and was on a mac 12-20 hours a week. it's a great computer for anything media related, and it's easy to use. however, that certainly doesn't justify spending an additional $1000. yes, PCs are inherently more likely to crash, but if you haven't figured out how to back up your files on to external sources by now then maybe you deserve whats coming to you. go to newegg, spend $60 on a HD, set it to auto-backup certain directories once a day/week/month, and allocate 5 seconds each night to saving that day's work. it's really not as big a pain in the arse as some people like to boast. furthermore, windows 7 pro (or enterprise) allows you to back up to your school's domain, which makes things even easier. if neither of these options are viable, go buy a $12 flash disk and save the important stuff there, or email files to yourself, store on google docs, the options are endless.
Last edited by irie on Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Own a mac and a PC. Love both. Recognize they have different pros and cons. Would never recommend anyone buy a mac under any circumstances because of the enormous price differential unless there was a very particular reason why they want or need a mac.stinger35 wrote:I would venture that this is almost a universal fact: Anyone who recommends buying a PC over a Mac, has NEVER owned a mac
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
1. Go on the Apple Store using your education discount.
2. Order a MacBook for $949
3. Add the free iPod Touch
4. Sell the iPod Touch on eBay/Amazon (after commission and shipping you'll get back around $155)
Voila: new MacBook for under $800 (plus sales tax...)
2. Order a MacBook for $949
3. Add the free iPod Touch
4. Sell the iPod Touch on eBay/Amazon (after commission and shipping you'll get back around $155)
Voila: new MacBook for under $800 (plus sales tax...)
- 5ky
- Posts: 10835
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of people in this thread make claims that a Mac will be 800-1000 dollars more expensive, and it just isn't true.thechee wrote:1. Go on the Apple Store using your education discount.
2. Order a MacBook for $949
3. Add the free iPod Touch
4. Sell the iPod Touch on eBay/Amazon (after commission and shipping you'll get back around $155)
Voila: new MacBook for under $800 (plus sales tax...)
I have a ThinkPad and it is just not that much cheaper than a MacBook.
- blurbz
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I bought the x201 and got it earlier this week. I absolutely love it and highly, highly recommend it.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I just bought a Thinkpad to begin 1L and I had planned on getting a Mac. Here's why:
I love OS X and I own an Imac. However, I wanted to use Onenote for LS and I don't particularly enjoy using an emulator (I have VMWare Fusion on my Imac) while running Microsoft Office. Additionally, you have to add the cost of Win7 to the mac cost to use boot camp. Too expensive IMO. If you go to a LS that is Mac-friendly then you might be able to avoid that cost but you'll then have to look into additional software for notes/outlines if pages doesn't do it for you.
I was able to find a Thinkpad T400 on ebay for about 500 bucks. It is last year's model but still new. It is powerful enough (2.53 gHz core 2), came with Win 7 Pro and Office Enterprise edition installed, and runs cooler and quieter than comparable macbooks. The icing on the cake was the 3-year on-site warranty that the machine came with. Do a little hunting and you can find one that is comparable.
The only con on this machine is the weight. It might be 16oz heavier than the 13" macbook.
I am treating this as a business laptop. I wanted something with a great keyboard, a service plan and a capable OS (I like Win 7). If I were planning on editing photos, videos, watching a lot of videos or playing games, I would have ordered a different laptop.
Oh, I also hated the gloss screen on the MBP 13". The lenovo is matte.
I love OS X and I own an Imac. However, I wanted to use Onenote for LS and I don't particularly enjoy using an emulator (I have VMWare Fusion on my Imac) while running Microsoft Office. Additionally, you have to add the cost of Win7 to the mac cost to use boot camp. Too expensive IMO. If you go to a LS that is Mac-friendly then you might be able to avoid that cost but you'll then have to look into additional software for notes/outlines if pages doesn't do it for you.
I was able to find a Thinkpad T400 on ebay for about 500 bucks. It is last year's model but still new. It is powerful enough (2.53 gHz core 2), came with Win 7 Pro and Office Enterprise edition installed, and runs cooler and quieter than comparable macbooks. The icing on the cake was the 3-year on-site warranty that the machine came with. Do a little hunting and you can find one that is comparable.
The only con on this machine is the weight. It might be 16oz heavier than the 13" macbook.
I am treating this as a business laptop. I wanted something with a great keyboard, a service plan and a capable OS (I like Win 7). If I were planning on editing photos, videos, watching a lot of videos or playing games, I would have ordered a different laptop.
Oh, I also hated the gloss screen on the MBP 13". The lenovo is matte.
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
Macs are overpriced with a dumb downed OS. If you're an idiot and have money you'd like to waste unnecessarily, then get a mac.
- 5ky
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
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Last edited by 5ky on Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- usuaggie
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Re: Thinkpad v. Mac for law school
I don't get why people are saying macs are so much. you can get a macbook for less than $1000 and you don't have to buy anti virus. you can get a macbook for just about $1,1000. they work better. they are built better. they last longer. they have amazing monitors, they are fast, they work the way they are supposed to.
Seriously? What are you waiting for?
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