Thursday
Jan072010
The paperless office (by Apple?)
Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:00AM
Not since the Loch Ness monster has so much effort been spent writing about something which may not even exist.
Even the traditional media now seem fairly convinced that Apple will be unveiling a new Tablet device in January for shipping in March 2010. See for example this recent Times Online article and this slightly less complimentary piece on the Guardian Website on what may or may not be called the iSlate (as and when it is or is not released).
These tablet rumors have been around seemingly for ever (this MacRumours.com tablet post from 2007 being one of very, very many examples).
However, the rumors seem fairly solid this time around so it will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes out of Cupertino on 26 January.
Readers of this blog will realise that I am a bit of an Apple fanboy. In this case though I am more excited about the opportunity which an iSlate, iTablet, iBrick (or whatever) could present than the prospect of another shiny Apple gadget itself. Although, to be honest, I am pretty excited about that too!
When I refer to an opportunity, what I mean is that I believe that we have pretty much everything right now that is required for a lawyer to run a paperless office. Certainly the scanning technology, document management systems and even electronic signature protocols are readily available.
The missing link for me is a decent way to read and markup legal documents. I do most of my work on screen now, but when it comes to reviewing a first draft of a chunky share purchase agreement there isn't really a substitute for hitting the print key.
Reviewing the document on a laptop (or even a nice big monitor) just doesn't work the same. For starters it is hard on the eyes, but more importantly the ability to flick backwards and forwards, compare pages side by side and scribble notes just isn't there for me.
The Ebook readers which are around at the moment (the Kindle 2 or the Sony Reader for example) are aimed at Ebooks rather than document review. It has been pointed out to me since the first draft of this post that the Kindle 2 can accept uploads of PDF documents - however, so far as I am aware there is no editing capability and it is limited to black and white display. If any lawyers do use these for document review though it would be interesting to hear how it works out.
The Law Society Gazette review of the current digital reader technology such as the iRex concluded that the basic technology was promising, but that "a much more user-friendly interface" was needed amongst other things for it to be truly useable.
It seems to me that an Apple tablet could be the perfect product to fill this gap. Decent sized touchscreen display? The very basis of the device. User friendly interface? For an Apple product this should really be a given.
With these building blocks in place it isn't hard to see an application being developed for the iSlate which would allow documents to be reviewed and annotated in much the same way as hard copy (and using the multi-touch screen to flick pages backwards and forwards Coverflow style, zoom in and out and scroll). I have seen suggestions that handwriting or stylus entry could be on the cards - again, great for document review and annotation.
Add internet access via Wifi (or maybe even 3G - tethered via an iPhone) and the ability to work with Exchange servers (which is already featured in the iPhone and Snow Leopard) and this could be pretty much all a lawyer needs to work remotely. Bearing in mind how the iPhone has moved toward a enterprise offering with the ongoing OS iterations I would expect the iSlate to build on this (rather than being a pure consumer product).
Since my first version of this post, Microsoft have also unveiled their "iSlate killer" at the Consumer Electronics Show as reported by the BBC and many others. The HP consumer notebook slate could fill the same gap as an iSlate, but commentators seem to be largely underwhelmed - it seems like a solid product, but not really a game changer in the way which the iPhone (for example) was. However, it could well be a driver towards tablet computing if it takes off.
I may be wrong... and there may not even be an iSlate in the offing. If there is though, and if it is anything like an iPhone style leap forward in useability, then it could be a huge step toward a true "paperless office" for lawyers at the geekier end of the spectrum.
Now I just need to work out how to persuade the firm to buy me one!
Even the traditional media now seem fairly convinced that Apple will be unveiling a new Tablet device in January for shipping in March 2010. See for example this recent Times Online article and this slightly less complimentary piece on the Guardian Website on what may or may not be called the iSlate (as and when it is or is not released).
These tablet rumors have been around seemingly for ever (this MacRumours.com tablet post from 2007 being one of very, very many examples).
However, the rumors seem fairly solid this time around so it will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes out of Cupertino on 26 January.
Readers of this blog will realise that I am a bit of an Apple fanboy. In this case though I am more excited about the opportunity which an iSlate, iTablet, iBrick (or whatever) could present than the prospect of another shiny Apple gadget itself. Although, to be honest, I am pretty excited about that too!
When I refer to an opportunity, what I mean is that I believe that we have pretty much everything right now that is required for a lawyer to run a paperless office. Certainly the scanning technology, document management systems and even electronic signature protocols are readily available.
The missing link for me is a decent way to read and markup legal documents. I do most of my work on screen now, but when it comes to reviewing a first draft of a chunky share purchase agreement there isn't really a substitute for hitting the print key.
Reviewing the document on a laptop (or even a nice big monitor) just doesn't work the same. For starters it is hard on the eyes, but more importantly the ability to flick backwards and forwards, compare pages side by side and scribble notes just isn't there for me.
The Ebook readers which are around at the moment (the Kindle 2 or the Sony Reader for example) are aimed at Ebooks rather than document review. It has been pointed out to me since the first draft of this post that the Kindle 2 can accept uploads of PDF documents - however, so far as I am aware there is no editing capability and it is limited to black and white display. If any lawyers do use these for document review though it would be interesting to hear how it works out.
The Law Society Gazette review of the current digital reader technology such as the iRex concluded that the basic technology was promising, but that "a much more user-friendly interface" was needed amongst other things for it to be truly useable.
It seems to me that an Apple tablet could be the perfect product to fill this gap. Decent sized touchscreen display? The very basis of the device. User friendly interface? For an Apple product this should really be a given.
With these building blocks in place it isn't hard to see an application being developed for the iSlate which would allow documents to be reviewed and annotated in much the same way as hard copy (and using the multi-touch screen to flick pages backwards and forwards Coverflow style, zoom in and out and scroll). I have seen suggestions that handwriting or stylus entry could be on the cards - again, great for document review and annotation.
Add internet access via Wifi (or maybe even 3G - tethered via an iPhone) and the ability to work with Exchange servers (which is already featured in the iPhone and Snow Leopard) and this could be pretty much all a lawyer needs to work remotely. Bearing in mind how the iPhone has moved toward a enterprise offering with the ongoing OS iterations I would expect the iSlate to build on this (rather than being a pure consumer product).
Since my first version of this post, Microsoft have also unveiled their "iSlate killer" at the Consumer Electronics Show as reported by the BBC and many others. The HP consumer notebook slate could fill the same gap as an iSlate, but commentators seem to be largely underwhelmed - it seems like a solid product, but not really a game changer in the way which the iPhone (for example) was. However, it could well be a driver towards tablet computing if it takes off.
I may be wrong... and there may not even be an iSlate in the offing. If there is though, and if it is anything like an iPhone style leap forward in useability, then it could be a huge step toward a true "paperless office" for lawyers at the geekier end of the spectrum.
Now I just need to work out how to persuade the firm to buy me one!
Reader Comments (5)
I too am waiting with interest to see what Apple produce, and am hoping for a real game-changing piece of technology - but in the mean time Plastic Logic see to have an interesting take: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/plastic-logic-debuts-que-touchscreen-e-reader/ (and no - I don't work for or with them).
Personally I think the "iSlate" is going to be more Apple Newton than iPhone. I like the concept but from what I've read (all rumours I know at the moment) I think it will be let down by the execution.
I think what you describe is spot on and ideal for lawyers, but I'm not sure the iSlate will be it.
Microsoft I think miss the mark. Apart from the xbox division they just don't get that it has to be more than hardware and an OS, the iPhone worked as it gave the consumer something to use with an infrastructure (the appstore) to back it up. I'd love to see MS hand the reigns of Mobile 7, Zune and the like to the xbox guys!
First I'd like to say "nice blog." Next, I'd like to know why blogs by UK lawyers seem more progressive: I have read so many interesting and forward-thinking posts and articles by British lawyers that I now take it for granted that you all have something that we US attorneys lack. It probably isn't true, but still I seldom read about "The End of Lawyers" or correspond with software developers based here (except maybe in California). Mostly the debate and innovation in the legal space seems to have moved overseas. Any truth to that in your experience?
Oh, and as for the tablet/e-reader issue; the tablet is a transition technology. Better for our purposes than a laptop, more room to maneuver than the iPhone, more capable than a mere e-reader. Lawyers are actually waiting for a device that is flexible, Internet-connected, allows us to write on it, and can be rolled up and put in our briefcases. If you look at what is on display at this year's CES show in Las Vegas, it appears that we are getting there. Almost but not quite.
Still, I'll be first in line when the Apple Table comes out. Cheers.
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