Today, Apple invited various journalist to attend an “event” on January 27th. Media outlets, technology insiders and financial analysts have been predicting over the past weeks that Apple will launch a 10″ tablet (think of it as a big iPhone) that will not only revolutionize the publishing industry, but the way many elect to consume their information. Personally, I completely agree with their predictions and believe the concept could be extended into many sectors of technology. The law, legal profession and litigation in particular. If even a few of the rumors are true, there is a considerable amount of opportunity for the device within the legal community, and it could potentially alter the document review process, trial presentation, graphics, digital media and many other areas.
Apple has enjoyed the success of the iPhone over the past few years, and as a recent convert from the Blackberry, I can readily attest to the ease of use and appeal of the device. The tablet, tentatively dubbed the “iSlate” based on a website registration from an Apple shell corporation, could potentially be one of the most game changing devices since the personal computer. Can it bake a pie and is it capable of artificial intelligence? Probably not, and while it has yet to be released, it will most likely not boast many of the rumored features which have scurried across the Internet. While I have no insider information myself, examining the tablet/slate market as it stands yields a series of insights. To be competitive, the device would most likely sport a 10-12″ touch screen interface, connect with the Apple AppStore, potentially integrate Apple’s Snow Leopard and offer a virtual keyboard. The physical specifications are anyone’s best guess – it could have a 160 GB or solid state hard drive, be half an inch thick, support AT&T or Verizon broadband access, a webcam, a/b/g/n wifi and be packaged in unicorn tears by sacred elves. None of the information has been made public, nor has the device even been officially confirmed.
There are a few glaring principles within this emerging technology (and by emerging I don’t mean tablets, they have been unsuccessful at establishing any market presence for years, I mean an Apple tablet) that could change how litigators interact with their case related data, clients and information. While I do not anticipate the product will shift the tide of Microsoft’s dominance within the law firm PC marketplace, I do expect it to gain enough of a foothold to make several waves. It’s presence in the market will require it to be supported within firms, and possibly even the courts. Why? Primarily, this type of technology is the next evolution of computing. Second to this, these types of products will extend into our personal lives as well. This saturation will inevitably fuel the product’s birth within the workplace. Think about it – 2 years ago, when you were preparing your firm to go to trial, did you ever think you would be packing extra iPhone chargers in case someone forgot theirs?
Potential considerations:
Document review
While it’s somewhat challenging to port Concordance or Summation directly to a build of OS X, if a firm employs Citrix or another remote desktop solution, the ability to perform document review from a tablet could be a few taps away. Depending on whether or not the user is afforded a “full desktop” mode (i.e. as many netbooks do), a document review could potentially be conducted wirelessly via a remote desktop session on a tablet running a full desktop mode. This creates the potential for reviewers to page through documents anywhere they can receive Internet access, all on a device that could be less than an inch thick. Hopefully the battery life will support at least a few hours at full screen brightness, as this could really change the historically limited concept of reviewing documents (i.e. using a bulky laptop or forced to sit at a desktop). While I obviously don’t believe this will help DBA’s (no indexing or running CPL’s – I couldn’t even imagine trying to load data), they will need to take into consideration how the device will fit within their user’s workflow.
Client communication
The smartphone, Blackberry and iPhone opened up the instant ability to converse with clients in writing, review information on the go and exist more productively outside the office. A tablet interface could potentially bring this to a new level. How? In the future, I envision many (note: not all) law firms creating their own application within the iTunes App Store. As dedicated web portals, intranet access and SharePoint become pillars of service clients expect and rely on, “Apps” fundamentally take the bricks out of the briefcase. Imagine asking a client to download your firm’s application from the App Store, logging in via secure credentials and gaining access to their data immediately, without a fuss, lousy user interface or the normal challenges? From one interface they could review the docket, recent applicable case law, an upcoming calendar of events or critical documents with just a few taps of their finger.
Trial presentation, graphics and new media
The presentation of information in court, or in preparation, could be infinitely easier with a touch enabled device. Gesture based presentation is exceptionally more intuitive than when using a standard keyboard and mouse – moving to the next slide or page could be as easy as swiping one’s finger across the screen, or highlighting text on a document could be used by selecting the tool with your finger and drawing across the screen. Graphic designers will be right at home with this concept as they’ve been using Wacom (touch sensitive mouse & tablet interfaces) to draw with for years. As an avid Wacom user I can easily attest to how this technology facilitates the preparation of graphics or new media.
Tablet + knowledge management software = anything, everywhere
Information is most used when it is easily accessible, quickly located and organized. Integrating a tablet style interface with a knowledge management or universal search tool could put the simplicities of modern searching on a thin handheld. Coupled with a virtual keyboard and the ability to integrate in a full desktop mode, the device could be an unstoppable platform for delivering and reviewing case related data.
Simplicity, universal access and mass appeal
Separate from your opinions of Apple, the interface of their devices (namely the iPhone, iPod and even Mac OSX) do offer the user a pleasing interface, strong infrastructure and tight organization. The popularity of their devices in their renaissance from the past few years easily proves this point. The iPhone, with it’s ubiquitous visual icon approach has altered the smartphone market tenfold. If any company wants to be competitive in that market, they know they will be compared to Apple. Google’s launch of their NexusOne branded smartphone proved this to be true, in the initial hours pundits around the globe were evaluating whether or not it was capable of toppling Cupertino’s golden apple. The simplicity and universal access of a product such as an Apple tablet would be difficult to match and the strongest selling point. Customers that experienced success with the iPhone or other Apple products will be interested in how else the company can enrich and simplify their lives.
Overall, the future is very uncertain and lingering speculation (much like most of my article) will continue in the days and even weeks after the product launch. While these opinions are my best guess based on trends within the industry and my own personal predictions, only time will tell if Apple can take a significant bite out of the standard methods of information consumption found within the legal field.
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