Laptops: Mac vs. everyone else

[WCUgirl]

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[lil_sunshine]

If you were able to try and save your money, I would definitely STRONGLY recommend getting a Sony Vaio. I learned from a cpu tech that Sony Vaio's are one of the best cpu's (laptop and desktop) next to Macs. If you have a credit card and can afford to finance monthly payments for a Sony Vaio, go for it! It does cost, but for you, law school is an investment in yourself and your future career, so why not go for the best!

[kddani]

Originally posted by AXiD670
I have to purchase a laptop for law school for the fall. So, I've started looking around to see what I like. I've always been a fan of Mac (bi-computeral?) and am curious to see if anyone owns a MacBook. They're advertising insists that you can run Windows operating systems and Microsoft Office programs. Is this true -- is it as simple as they make it seem?

Do any other past or current law students have experiences using Macs in their classes? I'd hate to buy a Mac but then come across some legal program that requires a Windows-only operating system that isn't compatible with the one I'd be running on my Mac.

If anyone has a good laptop to suggest other than a Mac, please suggest it here. I'd rather not go with Dell. My husband had an IBM one that his work gave him, and I liked that, but he didn't. I've also seen some HP ones that look pretty, but I don't know how functional they are. If $$$ weren't an object I'd love to get a VAIO 'cause those things are light and niiiiiice looking. All help is appreciated!

I would not advice a Mac for law school. Many law schools are allowing students to take their exams on laptops, and some of the software is not compatible for macs. Also, some states let you take the bar exam on a laptop, and I know for certain that you could not do it with a Mac in PA. A lot of schools give you various pieces of software free, and they may not support Mac versions.

I have had 2 Dells. The first one I had some problems on, but they were quickly fixed, and I must say that their warranty service is exceptional. Picked up from me, fixed AND returned within 48 hours. The laptop that I bought in 2002 right before starting law school is still going strong.

I purchased another, smaller, Dell a few months ago, the 700m. It's about the same size as a Vaio. Got it fully loaded with all kinds of stuff for MUCH cheaper than a Vaio.

Vaio's, which cute, have a reputation for having a lot of problems, including overheating. Sony's service, even on warranty repairs, its notoriously horrid. I had a HUGE crush on the Vaio, but i'm thrilled with my Dell 700M.

It is a good thing to look into something smaller. You'll be lugging it around with you. No matter what kind you buy, get the extended warranty. With a laptop that you'll be using heavily and lugging around frequently, you want to have the coverage. I made the mistake of buying a bigger behemoth before law school, and it was a pain to carry around.

Make sure you have a CD burner.

IBMs are workhorses, but the smaller ones are pretty expensive and don't come with much- for many of the things that easily fit into my little Dell (such as CD/DVD burner), you need a docking station for with the IBM.

HPs tend to be larger and their fans are annoyingly loud in class, lol.

And as an aside, I've never heard of a law firm using Macs so I think PCs are preferred in general in the legal field.

[AlphaFrog]

Get a pink MAC and tell everyone that Elle Woods is your personal hero.

[pinkiebell1001]

My dad actually just got me a GQ laptop from Frys for school, and I really love it! It's very simple, much better than Dell, and only cost like 500$. It's a ZX3310, and I love that it has a 15 inch screen, i don't need a Wifi card, and it's silver(a selling point for me, lol). There's a few things i don't really care for, like I'd like a bigger hard drive (only 40 gb) and it only has 256 memory, and it's a little heavier than I'd like, but then again the majority of the faults are pretty easy to change.

[kddani]

Originally posted by pinkiebell1001
My dad actually just got me a GQ laptop from Frys for school, and I really love it! It's very simple, much better than Dell, and only cost like 500$. It's a ZX3310, and I love that it has a 15 inch screen, i don't need a Wifi card, and it's silver(a selling point for me, lol). There's a few things i don't really care for, like I'd like a bigger hard drive (only 40 gb) and it only has 256 memory, and it's a little heavier than I'd like, but then again the majority of the faults are pretty easy to change.

Never heard of that company, wonder how the service and warranty are. Have you had a Dell?

Definitely invest in more memory. 256 is not enough anymore and will not last you a long time before your computer greatly slows down as you get more on it. Laptop memory generally isn't all that cheap and can be very difficult to install yourself.

For law school, you want functionality and cuteness and something that is going to last. You're not going to have the funds to fork over for a new computer come 3L.

[ShaedyKD]

Yeah dude, make sure your law school's networks and exam programs and whatever else works with a Mac, because my school is like technologically impaired, and even people with PC laptops have problems.

A couple of my friends have Vaios, they seem to like them. 2 people in our class have those super sweet laptops that you can turn the screen all different ways, flip it back like a notebook so it's flat, and draw on the screen with a little stylus. I have no idea what company makes them, but I think those are awesome and I want one.

That all being said, I handwrite all my notes and then later I use them to type my outlines on my laptop (a Dell). I hate taking my laptop out for class. Some people love it though, the only time I've ever seen them handwrite something was their initials on the role sheet - and they borrowed my pen for that!

Another law school must have: a flash drive. The bigger, the better, just don't lose it! You definitely want to back up those outlines and papers in case your computer self destructs (which happened to me twice in undergrad).

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by kddani
Definitely invest in more memory. 256 is not enough anymore and will not last you a long time before your computer greatly slows down as you get more on it. Laptop memory generally isn't all that cheap and can be very difficult to install yourself.

-Most laptop memory is actually quite easy to install - newer machines generally have a direct-access panel to the DIMM slots (may not apply to Dell).

-Also, expense is variable depending on the type you require - look online for better deals, but realistically it shouldn't be brutal (although more than comparable memory for a desktop).

Past that, Dani is completely correct about memory issues.

[kddani]

Originally posted by KSig RC
-Most laptop memory is actually quite easy to install - newer machines generally have a direct-access panel to the DIMM slots (may not apply to Dell).

-Also, expense is variable depending on the type you require - look online for better deals, but realistically it shouldn't be brutal (although more than comparable memory for a desktop).

Past that, Dani is completely correct about memory issues.

For the one that I put memory in, I could put in one myself, but there was no direct access to the other slot. I had a friend who does this sort of thing for a living take it apart to get to the other slot to replace that stick. The laptop was able to take that much memory, I did my research, just was a huge task.

Also, check out refurbished laptops on the manufacturer's websites. That's actually where I got my first Dell. Got a great deal, not a thing wrong with it, same warranty and everything, good as new and looked new.

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by AXiD670
That sounds awesome. I think I want one of those. Find out what brand they are if you can. Thanks!

They're tablet pc's. My boss has one by Fujitsu and loves it. A lot of other companies make them as well. They can get pretty pricey though.

[amycat412]

Originally posted by AXiD670
That sounds awesome. I think I want one of those. Find out what brand they are if you can. Thanks!

I think Toshiba makes some. I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop and love it. LOVE IT!

[kddani]

Sounds like an expensive toy. The tablet could be fun, but how often would you use it? It could occasionally be useful for a flow chart or something, but other than that, I'm not sure how useful it would be in lawschool. And I wonder if something like that is more delicate?

Laptops used in law school go through a lot of wear because you're constantly opening and closing them to move from class to class, to home and to the library, so you need something that will hold up to it.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by kddani
For the one that I put memory in, I could put in one myself, but there was no direct access to the other slot. I had a friend who does this sort of thing for a living take it apart to get to the other slot to replace that stick. The laptop was able to take that much memory, I did my research, just was a huge task.

Interesting - I've never seen that, but I'm by no means a pro. That would definitely suck - perhaps something to check out when purchasing, if you plan to upgrade . . .

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by kddani
Never heard of that company, wonder how the service and warranty are. Have you had a Dell?

It's a good electronics store on the West Coast. Their warranties and service should be as good as, if not better than, Best Buy.

Unless you're going to go to school for design, don't get a Mac--and this comes from someone who loves loves loves Macs.

[Rudey]

Read my post and discount everyone else in this thread because they don't know what they are talking about.

The MacBook runs on Intel architecture just like most Windows laptops. In terms of bang for the buck, you get a bigger bang for the buck with a MacBook than you do with other laptops. The chips used in the macbook are dual core and pretty high end for the laptop market. Intel actually made a deal with Apple to provide them with the better chips before any other manufacturer like Dell.

The only thing that the MacBook does not have is a dedicated graphics unit because it integrates it. That will not affect you and won't affect most people. To have that you need to spend more to buy the MacBook pro and then you don't get the same bang for the buck.

As for taking it to class and home, the MacBooks have bluetooth so you can buy a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and leave them at home. They wirelessly link to your laptop.

Apple OS X is the operating system for Macs. Software like Microsoft Office was created specifically to run on this operating system. It's considered much more advanced than Windows and much safer. But given that the new Macs all use Intel chips, you can run Microsoft Windows on them. That means they run ALL (not some) of the Windows software out there.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

And even before Macs had Intel chips, they used powerpc architecture. There were programs that created virtual environments that allowed for Windows to run on them, albeit in a slower fashion, but unless you were doing multimedia or hardcore data mining work, that speed wasn't an issue.

So in other words, kddani does not know what she is talking about and should apologize to you for leading you astray

-Rudey