The Law School Laptop

[summerisnear]

Well i'm sorry but that is hilarious.  Just to discount Macs because your GF tripped over the powercord?  Yeah, that's really being judgmental.  Macs are superior for a multitude of reasons, and to think they're poor just because your stupid GF broke hers is retarded.  MY Mac will be thoroughly ready for law school.

[laughing_heir]

I admire Macs but I'd recommend OP go one step beyond making sure they're allowed at her law school.  I would recommend she ask what number she would call for student IS/IT, call that number, and ask how they feel about Macs.  She is not in a position to do her own tweaks, and Apple probably won't be able to help with difficulties specific to the school's network or software.  IS might not be Mac-savvy and that could be a problem.

[Alan Shore]

If you're willing to pay a little bit more, I'd go with a tablet. The features that they have make them ideal for the school environment. Tablets allow you to take written notes on the screen, and you can even 'write' on PDFs. I'm not doing this, but I know people who have scanned entire textbooks.

I just purchased the HP tx2000z and I haven't even begun to touch on all of its features.

There is a great website that has tablet discussions www.studenttabletpc.com

I don't like Macs, but I'll be honest, Macs are sometimes ahead of the curve. But be careful, some schools' exam software isn't compatible with Macs. Make sure you check that out.

[gowi]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I wanted to throw in one thing (hope it hasn't been said yet.) Some lawschools provide a laptop, so make sure your school doesn't before buying one. Also, I'm seriously interested in the tablet notebooks. But, heck, computer geek that I am, I also want a steady state hard drive and all the other latest and greatest.

[Ben Matlock]

LOL, you're basing your opinion off your idiot girlfriend knocking hers off her nightstand and jamming multiple CDs into the drive?

Reading comp, dude: sister, not girlfriend. Bed, not nightstand. As for the extra CD, yeah, that was dumb. But that shouldn't even be possible in the first place.

I've knocked my IBM off my bed or desk a dozen times and it's been fine.

Well i'm sorry but that is hilarious.  Just to discount Macs because your GF tripped over the powercord?  Yeah, that's really being judgmental.  Macs are superior for a multitude of reasons, and to think they're poor just because your stupid GF broke hers is retarded.  MY Mac will be thoroughly ready for law school.

Ethernet cable, not powercord. Sheesh, dude.

And if you read the rest of my post, I was only discounting the MacBook, not the MacBook Pro. The plastic case just can't stand up to much. Maybe they've redesigned it, but if I were getting a Mac, I'd go with the Pro. Chill, man.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

I haven't read this whole thread, but I'm going to jump in now with a few thoughts:

1) I love macs and I can't recommend them highly enough

2) DO NOT GET A DELL LAPTOP.  JUST.  DON'T.

3) I've heard good things about ThinkPads and Toughbooks, too.

[Pearl]

If you're willing to pay a little bit more, I'd go with a tablet. The features that they have make them ideal for the school environment. Tablets allow you to take written notes on the screen, and you can even 'write' on PDFs. I'm not doing this, but I know people who have scanned entire textbooks.

I just purchased the HP tx2000z and I haven't even begun to touch on all of its features.

There is a great website that has tablet discussions www.studenttabletpc.com

I don't like Macs, but I'll be honest, Macs are sometimes ahead of the curve. But be careful, some schools' exam software isn't compatible with Macs. Make sure you check that out.

Seriously? Wow. Don't get a tablet for law school. My brother manages a Best Buy and fortunately nipped my desire for a tablet in the bud early on. Tablets have the most complaints, and have the most hardware problems - computer salesmen secretly make fun of anyone who is foolish enough to purchases one and is not some sort of graphic designer, architect, etc., because unless you are a certain type of student (art, graphic design, architecture, etc) or a member of a related profession, buying a tablet makes absolutely no sense. They're useful to some, but for the rest they're just a gimmick. I don't know anyone who uses a tablet here. I have a few friends who got them in undergrad, but once the flashiness wore off they really regretted it, and had major problems with durability. Out of two of my close friends that got them, neither still had them 2 years later. You need something that'll last all 3 years.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

also, as far as mac compatibility - almost all law schools support macs, and macs now run windows natively so you can still run exam software.  there is a "for those planning to get a mac for law school" thread in the off-topic forum with a lot of great information if you're thinking about going down this route.

[Majmun]

Personally, If I were you I'd stick with a PC.  I own 4 macs currently and have owned a half dozen others not to mention every one I've worked with over the past decade uses Macs (in my field there is little choice in the matter). I used to love apple products but over the past few years their quality control has gone to hell.  It's true that the software is more stable and that is a bonus that I still enjoy. However, the hardware on Macs is as unreliable as any decent PC laptop, which is unfortunate because previous generations of macs were and are insanely well built and reliable.  In light of all the problems with their machines, I don't see how one can justify the price difference for a law school laptop.  Apple used to deliver an amazingly reliable product and had outstanding customer service, as far as I can tell those days are gone.

[jdr145]

I'd never heard of ToughBook before reading this thread....does anyone know more info about them or have any opinions?

They look pretty cool ....which of course is a terrible deciding factor.