• Operating System: Windows 10 and Windows 11 is the recommended Windows operating systems at IU Kokomo. Older versions including Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.x are not supported by UITS. Apple Macbooks with Apple Mac OS X version 10.15.x (Catalina) or newer are also acceptable; older versions of Mac OS X will have compatibility issues with some university software and online resources. Please refer to “Computerguide.iu.edu”: https://kb.iu.edu/d/antk
• CPU (Processor) Speed: Current-generation x64-based processor of over 2 GHz and at least 2 cores
• Memory: 8GB or more of RAM… more RAM (Memory) results in a “faster” laptop
• Hard drive capacity (Windows): at least 500GB or more
• Hard drive capacity (MacBooks): at least 256GB or more
• Screen size: 13” to 15” is the best “range” of screen size
• Battery Life: at least 4 hours
• Microphone
• Web Camera
• Wireless Adapter supporting 802.11 g/n dual band WiFi

Note: Make sure the wireless adapter supports 802.11n in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz modes.

Note: Tablet devices such as Chromebooks, iPads, and similar devices are significantly different than laptops. Tablet devices are designed for using only Web apps and cloud storage as opposed to fully installed production software like laptops. Some software applications you may need will not be available on tablet devices. To determine if a tablet is acceptable for your academic experience, please carefully review the following IU Knowledge Base article: “About Chromebooks at IU”: https://kb.iu.edu/d/aveh

We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Please call the IT Training Center at (765) 455-9589 to make an appointment. (if necessary, please leave a message with name and phone number).

Do not purchase software for your student laptop.  The following “core required” software (with the exception of anti-virus software) will be installed at no charge from the Web site indicated, and is required to be installed on student laptops (Windows and/or MacBooks). 

Note:  It is strongly recommended that students contact UITS-Kokomo IT Training for assistance because of specific installation procedure requirements on some IUware software packages.  If proper installation procedures are not followed, the installation may end up with trial software with a limited activation period. Also, many “free” utilities try to install additional trial software and/or other software features (sometimes malware), which should be disabled and not installed.

• All software needed for class work at IU is downloadable through IUware at no charge – Don’t buy any software at any store! Get everything you need through IUware at IU!
• Microsoft Office Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) … (~$100.00/year savings)
• Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc.) … (~$2,000 savings)
• Laptop setup assistance to help students install software for classes is available at no charge at the IU Kokomo IT Support Center, in Room KA127 in the library.