As a law student do you think a Mac Pro or Air would be better?

Question

Level 1

0 points

As a law student do you think a Mac Pro or Air would be better?

I actually want a powerful Mac that will last long without charging while I'm in school. I probably do lots of researching the webs and writing papers with some music and video download when I can. A really good space for me to store my works till I finish school in three years is prefer too please. Weight doesn't matter and charging isn't a issue but if it can last thru half a day than I good. Can someone please give me some suggestion? Thank you in advance!!

Posted on Dec 17, 2013 8:11 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Melophage

Level 5

7,213 points

Dec 17, 2013 8:27 PM in response to JSushi13

JSushi13,

never having been a law student, I can’t speak from that perspective. First, you should note that a Mac Pro is a different product than a MacBook Pro; I’ll presume that you meant a choice between a MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air. Your described uses — Web research, paper writing, music and video downloads — do not require an especially powerful computer. Since it sounds like battery duration between charges is your most important criterion, the 13-inch MacBook Air model with 8 GB of RAM would probably suit your needs best. If you need to have large amounts of data always at hand, the 512 GB SSD upgrade is the largest storage option offered by Apple for that model. In addition to the MacBook Air, I’d recommend buying an external hard drive so that you can use Time Machine to keep a backup of the data on your SSD, as a contingency measure in case of accident/theft/&c.

Reply

Answer 2

tjk

Level 9

51,192 points

Dec 17, 2013 8:28 PM in response to JSushi13

Hi J,

The 13" MacBook Air has the longest batt life and is the smallest/lightest 13". You could live with the base configuration of 4GB RAM and 256GB storage, but I'd recommend upgrading both (8GB RAM $100, 512GB storage $300).

Reply

Answer 3

Dec 17, 2013 8:44 PM in response to JSushi13

I would add that the MacBook Air feels, well, delicate. It seems good to be placed and removed from a briefcase twice daily.

The MacBook Pro feels like a brute by comparison, and seems like it would thrive on sliding in and out of a backpack hourly for many years.

You should visit these machines at an Apple store. Everything is out on display on tables for you to touch and try. It is not locked in glass cases. No one is on commission. Apple wants you to be a happy customer.

--------

"Any drive can die at any time." You need an external backup drive to keep in your apartment. You cannot depend on having no problems for the duration of law school. This Backup drive does not have to be especially fast, and they are not expensive.

Reply