Attorneys - advice needed

I have a MS Surface and love it.

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TIA for any advice

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So what are you trying to accomplish with a laptop, and the more specific you can be, the better. You want to more or less make notes for when you take depositions and have scanned files to refer to?


If that’s the case, and you don’t really need to access any platform-locked apps (many EHR are only Windows, some are web-based, some are OSX only...), then i would put priority on battery life + comfortable size and then probably put more emphasis on the keyboard/touchpad than most anything else.


Guy above suggests the new MacBook Air.
Advantages: long battery life with internals that should remain relevant for the above purpose for years.
Possible advantage: can use iPad as 2nd monitor while on the go
Cons: if you really need such a minimal device, the cost is high
It’s also a first generation product. The first month seems to indicate it’s much more “hit” than miss, and tech is interesting with a new generatIon of product being released annually. The only way to not “early adopt” is to buy nearly obsolete equipment.


In that same price range, there are lots of options of nice products. Would you mind shedding some light on:
Preferred size
Realistic budget constraints?

get a good surface book. they're well made and can function as a tablet, which is a big help in court/depos

other than price, the only issue is if you break it, they can't really be fixed (or upgraded)

I use a surface book which has a great stylus pen and writing sensitivity if you want to write your notes.

The surface book also has the processing power to multitasking between large medical pdfs and other work programs.

Since others are PCs I'd stick with that. I use all Apple but my office is Apple so it makes things easier.

I would recommend an actual laptop (surface book, XPS, etc.). I've used a Surface Pro, but it's a luxury/nice to have item IMO for an attorney. I feel like laptop replacement advice just doesn't really apply to attorneys. I have an iPad Pro now, but I'm not dependent on it for anything. Good for notes, nice for trips where I don't expect to work much but need an emergency option and to be able to pound out some emails in a pinch.

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unless money was a major issue, i don't know why someone would pick a surface pro over a surface book, honestly

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I agree, but then I see people making due with 1500 dollar iPad Pro/SP setups and I have no idea why they prefer that over a laptop that isn't THAT much bigger if you're going to be regularly typing on it.

Surface Books weigh about twice as much as a Surface Pro. And as you said, it’s not like attorneys actually need a high spec device.

Now, if the extent of your carrying your device is from your car to your office, sure. Frankly, you should probably get a full size monitor and a docking station. But if you’re in and out of court multiple days a week? I’ll take the Surface Pro.

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i have 2

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I assumed I wasn't telling you anything you didn't already know

But to put a finer point on it, people don't spend nearly enough time thinking about how they are actually going to use a device they are buying. I'll use myself as an example. For a very long time, I tried to jam productivity/mobility and gaming in my personal laptop. I always ended up with something that didn't do either very well. A few years ago when I bought my most recent personal laptop, I managed to control myself and bought something that sacrificed a bit of performance but was the thinnest and lightest device that had the specs I need. It has been my favorite laptop I have ever owned, because it did the thing I did most really well. Years later, when I was helping make purchasing decisions for my office, I once again really dug down into what these devices were going to be used for, and came to the conclusion that a super thin, super light two in one with full Windows 10 that is roughly as functional on a desk typing out a motion as it was flipping it around in court to show a client discovery was the best choice. So, we went Surface Pro 7 (which if you haven't typed on one, while obviously imperfect, has a much better typing experience than previous generations). Those who want a more traditional feel when they are at their desks incorporated monitors and docking stations.

So OP, spend more time thinking about what you need your device to do well than about which device is "best". There is no best. Until we develop cpus that don't put off heat and batteries that can last all day without taking up half the space in the chassis, everything is going to be a compromise. And once you've figured that out, see if there are other things (docking stations, etc) that can shore up some of the things your chosen device isn't great at.

Now, if you have specific questions about specific devices, by all means.

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we just disagree on the MS product

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It's mostly a disagreement on emphasis. It's more important to you to have a better typing experience and higher quality screen. It's more important to me that my briefcase/carryon weighs a pound and a half less when I go to court/travel.

It's not like either of us are saying that the Surface Book is lighter than the Surface Pro, or that the Surface Pro has the same quality screen and keyboard as the Surface Book