Laptop for law school: PC or Mac? Forum

[bobbypin]

Thinking about replacing my PC laptop for something newer for law school. Which is better PC or Mac and why?

Thanks!

[drmguy]

This has never been discussed before. This is a very interesting topic.

[vkgarrett]

This has never been discussed before. This is a very interesting topic.

lolz

[PARTY]

This has never been discussed before. This is a very interesting topic.

bobbypin is different.

[09042014]

Unless your school has some test software either will work fine.

1) You really don't need a new laptop for law school. There is nothing beyond word processing and web surfing, literally the two lightest uses of a laptop.

1a) You shouldn't have to pay a lot for one if you need one. You could easily get a 600 dollar Asus and it will work just as fine for law school as a 2000 Mac Book Pro.

For an average user, who has used a pc before, there really isn't much difference other than cost. Macs are not more reliable that medium brand PCs. If you are going PC, I'd go with Asus, Toshiba or Sony. They are just as good quality wise as Macs, maybe even a bit better.

Macs are just more expensive for virtually the same machine. This Asus from New Egg is about the same as an entry level Mac Book Pro and is 400 dollars cheaper (the only difference is the Asus actually has a significantly better video card). If you really value the aesthetic look of Mac and value the OS, then maybe it's worth it for you. Nobody can tell you that.

And you can go at least 200 dollars cheaper on the Asus if you take a 15.6" inch model.

One problem I'd have is that the low end mac books have a small screen and in law school I often like having a 15.6" screen so I can have two documents open at once. One on the left and one on the right. It'll be harder on a 13" screen. But smaller, means lighter, so you don't have to lug a bigger laptop around. If you aren't carrying it in a backpack that might be a concern.

[AreJay711]

I picked PC. Don't waste money on dumb shit -- save your money for alcohol.

[wiseowl]

This is a dumb anecdote from me, but at least at my school, no journal work can be done on a Mac; it disrupts the formatting from the printer. So if you have a PC, you can work on journal crap at home. If you have a Mac, you're stuck on the desktops in the journal offices.

[PARTY]

This is a dumb anecdote from me, but at least at my school, no journal work can be done on a Mac; it disrupts the formatting from the printer. So if you have a PC, you can work on journal crap at home. If you have a Mac, you're stuck on the desktops in the journal offices.

it's called running bootcamp or some other virtual windows software.

[wiseowl]

This is a dumb anecdote from me, but at least at my school, no journal work can be done on a Mac; it disrupts the formatting from the printer. So if you have a PC, you can work on journal crap at home. If you have a Mac, you're stuck on the desktops in the journal offices.

it's called running bootcamp or some other virtual windows software.

Doesn't work. Not really interested in arguing further about this, but in the end we were told by the publishing company that no Mac could touch the articles if we wanted them published, bootcamp or not. Period, hard stop.

[notedgarfigaro]

One problem I'd have is that the low end mac books have a small screen and in law school I often like having a 15.6" screen so I can have two documents open at once. One on the left and one on the right. It'll be harder on a 13" screen. But smaller, means lighter, so you don't have to lug a bigger laptop around. If you aren't carrying it in a backpack that might be a concern.

I have a 12" screen and I've got more than enough space for 2 word documents up at once. Granted it's widescreen, but aren't most screens widescreen nowadays?

[09042014]

One problem I'd have is that the low end mac books have a small screen and in law school I often like having a 15.6" screen so I can have two documents open at once. One on the left and one on the right. It'll be harder on a 13" screen. But smaller, means lighter, so you don't have to lug a bigger laptop around. If you aren't carrying it in a backpack that might be a concern.

I have a 12" screen and I've got more than enough space for 2 word documents up at once. Granted it's widescreen, but aren't most screens widescreen nowadays?

Yes they all are. Probably depends on how small you like your text.

[PARTY]

...in the end we were told by the publishing company that no Mac could touch the articles if we wanted them published, bootcamp or not. Period, hard stop.

damn.

[TLS_noobie]

Showing my face in this thread is probably expected after my posts on http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=182293

Basically it comes down to Mac being a lot more money for a difference that I find not worth it...but, if you want specifics, just read my posts at the thread above...this has been discussed extensively...

[skitlets]

This is a dumb anecdote from me, but at least at my school, no journal work can be done on a Mac; it disrupts the formatting from the printer. So if you have a PC, you can work on journal crap at home. If you have a Mac, you're stuck on the desktops in the journal offices.

it's called running bootcamp or some other virtual windows software.

Doesn't work. Not really interested in arguing further about this, but in the end we were told by the publishing company that no Mac could touch the articles if we wanted them published, bootcamp or not. Period, hard stop.

Sounds odd, since you'd be running Windows. I'll take your word for it but the publishing company could just be taking a hard stance to avoid any confusion.

[dingbat]

This is a dumb anecdote from me, but at least at my school, no journal work can be done on a Mac; it disrupts the formatting from the printer. So if you have a PC, you can work on journal crap at home. If you have a Mac, you're stuck on the desktops in the journal offices.

Doesn't work. Not really interested in arguing further about this, but in the end we were told by the publishing company that no Mac could touch the articles if we wanted them published, bootcamp or not. Period, hard stop.

Please out the publisher so no one on here ever makes the mistake of voluntarily doing business with such a TTT company.

[wiseowl]

This is a dumb anecdote from me, but at least at my school, no journal work can be done on a Mac; it disrupts the formatting from the printer. So if you have a PC, you can work on journal crap at home. If you have a Mac, you're stuck on the desktops in the journal offices.

Doesn't work. Not really interested in arguing further about this, but in the end we were told by the publishing company that no Mac could touch the articles if we wanted them published, bootcamp or not. Period, hard stop.

Please out the publisher so no one on here ever makes the mistake of voluntarily doing business with such a TTT company.

I have no anonymity here so I'm not terribly interested in getting myself in trouble with my school's journal supervisors and/or the company. If you go to any law school with journals there is an overwhelming chance you will work with said company.

[Artistry]

Get a PC and then put Linux on it so you can dual boot into windows and linux.

As far as distros go, Ubuntu and Mint are simple and easy to use, whereas Debian allows more security controls. Both can install up to 20,000 free packages, including web browsing and office software.

Go with a cheap PC and get Linux on it so you don't have to pay for BS software fees.

[TLS_noobie]

Get a PC and then put Linux on it so you can dual boot into windows and linux.

As far as distros go, Ubuntu and Mint are simple and easy to use, whereas Debian allows more security controls. Both can install up to 20,000 free packages, including web browsing and office software.

Go with a cheap PC and get Linux on it so you don't have to pay for BS software fees.

Another cool thing to think about is that Ubuntu now offers a virtual boot from Windows, so you can install it just like any other piece of software with Wubi. Pretty nifty and a great way to dip your toes in the waters to see if you like it.

I probably would recommend sticking with Windows as the primary though just because I am unsure about law school exam software and OneNote's compatibility with linux systems.

[dingbat]

Get a PC and then put Linux on it so you can dual boot into windows and linux.

As far as distros go, Ubuntu and Mint are simple and easy to use, whereas Debian allows more security controls. Both can install up to 20,000 free packages, including web browsing and office software.

Go with a cheap PC and get Linux on it so you don't have to pay for BS software fees.

Let's assume that purchaser is a non-technical person.

Buy a cheap-ass netbook, for $200-$300. They weigh next to nothing and the battery can last all day.
They're really only good for word processing (MS Word or OneNote, not sure if either is included) and internet browsing, but, what else are you gonna use it for?

No fuss, no muss.

[bk1]

Let's assume that purchaser is a non-technical person.

Buy a cheap-ass netbook, for $200-$300. They weigh next to nothing and the battery can last all day.
They're really only good for word processing (MS Word or OneNote, not sure if either is included) and internet browsing, but, what else are you gonna use it for?

No fuss, no muss.

I'd shy away from a netbook. Keyboard is likely shitty (which is important for typing exams). Screen is likely small (which sucks when you can't have 2 things up side-by-side during an exam).

[TLS_noobie]

Let's assume that purchaser is a non-technical person.

Buy a cheap-ass netbook, for $200-$300. They weigh next to nothing and the battery can last all day.
They're really only good for word processing (MS Word or OneNote, not sure if either is included) and internet browsing, but, what else are you gonna use it for?

No fuss, no muss.

I'd shy away from a netbook. Keyboard is likely shitty (which is important for typing exams). Screen is likely small (which sucks when you can't have 2 things up side-by-side during an exam).

Yeah, I'm not a fan of netbooks. I would go with a cheap HP/Asus laptop for like 600 bucks. You won't have the fancy bells and whistles for video games or hardcore computing, but you will have everything you need (and more) for law school.

[snaxby]

Old thread, but hopefully these words of wisdom can save some unfortunate soul from the misery of hand writing a 3 hour exam. Absolutely and unequivocally get a Mac. I went from PC to Mac, then back to PC for law school (I wanted OneNote). I love PC's, but big mistake. Sure OneNote is useful, but not being able to access your school's exam software during finals is not. PC firewall/virus software/nonsense has rendered both the exam software and print functionality of my ThinkPad completely useless. Windows is hands down an inferior OS. I honestly just don't trust it. But trust me, after months spent taking notes, drafting your memo, and outlining, the last thing you want to worry about is whether your laptop is going to give out during the final stretch. Seriously, just get a Mac.

[TheoO]

Windows people always hold-up the exam because their exam-soft program sucks.

[rinkrat19]

Some schools don't use Examsoft.

OP, get what you want and what you're comfortable using. Law school is not the moment to be learning a new OS.

[03152016]

Some schools don't use Examsoft.

OP, get what you want and what you're comfortable using. Law school is not the moment to be learning a new OS.

p sure op has made her decision