What type of laptop are you going to use for law school? Forum

90convoy · Post by **90convoy** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:53 am

I have a macbook pro, but I dual boot with windows 7

newforllm · Post by **newforllm** » Thu May 14, 2015 1:59 am

AreJay711 wrote:You guys are going to want big laptops that will allow you to dick around on the internet / gchat / fb chat while keeping your note taking software up.

This. Also, try to find a laptop with great resolution if you're able to see your screen well. Not only can you fit more open things on one screen, but people are less likely to be able to read your chats. And they WILL. Whether intentionally, or by accident, people will read your chats, and it can be awkward when your friend in another section sends you a message about someone who happens to be sitting right behind you. I have the Asus Zenbook Prime, and it's lasted me 2.5 years, and battery life is still about 6 hours (and people sitting next to me can't read what I'm writing).

Also, I don't know if it's the people that happen to be responding to the poll or if my school is an anomaly, but at my school I'd say at least 80% of the people have PCs. I also know of some people with Macs who have had trouble using the specific VPN to access clinic documents, even when they run Windows on their Mac. I'd recommend a PC if you're on the fence for two reasons: it's cheaper and there are never compatibility issues with school programs.

storpappa · Post by **storpappa** » Thu May 14, 2015 7:28 am

Isn't the first rule of a laptop, get the one you want to carry around everywhere, plus an extra battery and the charger cable ?

[youtube]Xvbuwfawqcc[/youtube]

ChemEng1642 · Post by **ChemEng1642** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:05 am

newforllm wrote:
Also, I don't know if it's the people that happen to be responding to the poll or if my school is an anomaly, but at my school I'd say at least 80% of the people have PCs. I also know of some people with Macs who have had trouble using the specific VPN to access clinic documents, even when they run Windows on their Mac. I'd recommend a PC if you're on the fence for two reasons: it's cheaper and there are never compatibility issues with school programs.

When I went to Michigan for an ASW EVERYONE studying there had a Mac - it was kind of crazy actually

zaetoroftheprotoss · Post by **zaetoroftheprotoss** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:10 am

I think I might end up getting a tablet with a separate keyboard attachment, but as of right now, I will be using my Razer Blade 2014 for class.

ChemEng1642 · Post by **ChemEng1642** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:30 am

zaetoroftheprotoss wrote:I think I might end up getting a tablet with a separate keyboard attachment, but as of right now, I will be using my Razer Blade 2014 for class.

Just make sure you have an actual laptop for exams since most tablets can't run ExamSoft

zaetoroftheprotoss · Post by **zaetoroftheprotoss** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:49 am

ChemEng1642 wrote:Just make sure you have an actual laptop for exams since most tablets can't run ExamSoft

This is really good to know! Thanks ChemEng!

ChemEng1642 · Post by **ChemEng1642** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:08 am

zaetoroftheprotoss wrote:
ChemEng1642 wrote:Just make sure you have an actual laptop for exams since most tablets can't run ExamSoft
This is really good to know! Thanks ChemEng!

No problem!

FloridaCoastalorbust · Post by **FloridaCoastalorbust** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:34 am

I think I'll wait until Windows 10 comes out mid-July to buy anything.

Gray · Post by **Gray** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:37 am

stoopkid13 · Post by **stoopkid13** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:49 am

FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:I think I'll wait until Windows 10 comes out mid-July to buy anything.

Right now Examsoft doesn't support Windows 10 FYI. But yeah, if there aren't compatibility issues I'd wait for Windows 10 (and for Skylake processors if they come out in time).

Kinky John · Post by **Kinky John** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:52 am

Gray wrote:I'm still hoping for a back to school sale on surface 3 or surface pro. I'm also hoping my boss will let me keep my 21.5 inch iMac as a parting gift. Not holding my breath though.

lol, in the same boat. maybe we can pull a strangers on a train thing

buckiguy_sucks · Post by **buckiguy_sucks** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:53 am

Post removed.

Gray · Post by **Gray** » Thu May 14, 2015 11:10 am

PrizeFighter · Post by **PrizeFighter** » Thu May 14, 2015 11:24 am

Gray wrote:I'm still hoping for a back to school sale on surface 3 or surface pro. I'm also hoping my boss will let me keep my 21.5 inch iMac as a parting gift. Not holding my breath though.

I got a Surface 3 the day it came out because I wanted to familiarize myself with it and onenote before school starts. I've been scanning pdfs of E&E's to practice reading and taking notes, and I have to say it is a pretty sweet little machine.

cal2013 · Post by **cal2013** » Thu May 14, 2015 4:20 pm

I recently bought the ASUS Transformer Book T100. (http://www.cnet.com/products/asus-trans ... book-t100/)

It's cheap, ridiculously light, great battery life, runs full Windows 8.1, and comes with Office for free. Very happy with it. Do you guys think the 10" screen will be too small for notes though?

ChemEng1642 · Post by **ChemEng1642** » Thu May 14, 2015 4:28 pm

cal2013 wrote:I recently bought the ASUS Transformer Book T100. (http://www.cnet.com/products/asus-trans ... book-t100/)

It's cheap, ridiculously light, great battery life, runs full Windows 8.1, and comes with Office for free. Very happy with it. Do you guys think the 10" screen will be too small for notes though?

Eh 12" I think is my minimum size - I hope this isn't your only "laptop" though

Alhe5015 · Post by **Alhe5015** » Fri May 15, 2015 10:36 am

I just pulled the trigger on a 13 in air w 512 flash, 8g ram and the i7. I kinda wanted to wait for the air refresh but I got it 25% off from a good friend at apple. For a split second I may have wanted the gold MacBook but i think for the money I got the better laptop.

wonka · Post by **wonka** » Fri May 15, 2015 11:19 am

Post removed.

Nonconsecutive · Post by **Nonconsecutive** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:22 pm

I've had very good results with my Samsung. And it was only 600$ - which I get is still expensive, but not in comparison to some of the laptops I see around campus.

Alhe5015 · Post by **Alhe5015** » Fri May 15, 2015 12:54 pm

mwonka wrote:
Alhe5015 wrote:I just pulled the trigger on a 13 in air w 512 flash, 8g ram and the i7. I kinda wanted to wait for the air refresh but I got it 25% off from a good friend at apple. For a split second I may have wanted the gold MacBook but i think for the money I got the better laptop.
I'm debating whether to get the Air, the Pro, or the new Macbook. None of them are quite perfect, y'know?

12" screen on the MB feels too small, the MBP is kinda expensive and heavy, and when I look at the MBA I miss the retina display...

Yeah I totally agree. I think It all just boils down to personal preference.

dasani13 · Post by **dasani13** » Fri May 15, 2015 8:56 pm

I wish they'd come out with a MacBook Pro that looks like the new MacBook! the space gray is so nice

smile0751 · Post by **smile0751** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:27 pm

dasani13 wrote:I wish they'd come out with a MacBook Pro that looks like the new MacBook! the space gray is so nice

The fact that I'm considering buying a computer purely based on a color option (gold) is crazy.... but I ~~want~~ need my iphone, ipad, and mac to match!!!! I didnt even realize it was something I needed until apple showed me the "way"....

But then a 12 inch screen is so small.... 13 inches is soo much better.

#1stWorldLawSchoolProblems

Malta · Post by **Malta** » Mon May 18, 2015 1:30 pm

Picked up a Surface Pro 3 (i7, 256mb, 8mb) a couple of weeks ago.

So far I like the mechanics of it. The real challenge is getting used to 8.1 instead of 7. So far, not a fan of 8.1. Compounding this is an upgrade to software typically use (Quicken and Office). So a bit difficult to purely assess SP3 due to the newness of the OS and software.

For SP3, like portability; keyboard pretty good; stylus good. Probably will get a multi USB adapter and plug in keyboard for extended use sessions.

Shelbinole · Post by **Shelbinole** » Mon May 18, 2015 1:49 pm

Got one of the new gold MacBooks. My old MacBook Pro was such a pain to carry around all the time.