Is This The End Of The PC Era For Law Firms?
Will Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility hasten the changes?
Is this the end of the PC era for law firms and businesses? Some say yes, others say no. I use both. I bought an Apple iPad 2 a couple of months ago and enjoy the quick boot-up, the crispness of the graphics and text, and the device’s size and portability. I chose the iPad because several of our Consultwebs team members use and like it and the iPad 2 is far ahead of its tablet competitors. An iPad is much more convenient than a PC on today’s small airplanes, taxis and trains. However, I dislike the e-mail filtering limitations, the lack of Flash capability and the file management. I am active on the Internet and receive more than 1,000 spam e-mails per day, even after our server removes many of them. Typing on the screen is laborious. The external keyboard is an improvement, but still not as efficient as a notebook PC keyboard. The Office applications require additional investments (typically $99 each), are not as functional as their PC equivalents and use different commands. Not having a standard USB interface and functionality adds some challenges. Lack of multitasking is also a problem.
Lawyers have told me they enjoy the compactness and convenience of iPads, other tablets and smartphones while waiting in courtrooms and traveling. But in my opinion, a laptop is currently a necessity in some situations. I recently gave a presentation to a law firm and, while showing my presentation using PowerPoint from a PC, passed around my iPad 2 with our new draft design concept. Later, I passed the iPad around to show how their current website’s Flash heavy website appeared on an iPad and iPod. While the iPad is a wonderful complement, especially when traveling, I decided that I still need a PC to conduct business.
There is no question that mobile devices are growing in use by law firms and their clients. I no longer go to my PC if I want a quick look at my e-mail or a quick check of the news and the stock market. I often use my smartphone to view my Social Media sites such as Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
In an eWeek article, IBM CTO Mark Dean, one of the engineers of the original IBM PC, says the post-PC era is here. He says it’s not the devices, but the social interaction they enable, which is driving this shift. Garner, Inc. lowered its PC forecast in March 2011, stating that consumers are diversifying their computing needs across devices.
As mobile devices mature and additional software such as spam filters (a friend recommended Spam Drain which I have not tried) and hardware become available, mobile devices will certainly offer advantages over PCs. Cloud computing is coming on strong and will continue to make mobile devices more feasible. Products such as Dropbox make file sharing with PCs practical and ReaddleDocs assists in trial preparation and management. Using the iPad as an e-reader has appeal.
The market changes rapidly, however. I wrote this article Friday and learned Monday that Google plans to acquire the mobility division of Motorola for $12.5B. Google’s Matt Cutts stated, “Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide—with over 550,000 devices now lit up every day—through a network of about 39 manufacturers and 231 carriers in 123 countries. Given Android’s phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem. That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola.”
Adding a docking station to a smartphone would open up a plethora of devices and software capabilities – making it look very much like a PC, but with the advantage of mobility.
PC makers are scrambling to make their PCs smaller, faster and more functional, but, in my opinion, unless they make drastic changes, their days with the current configurations are numbered. Windows has the lowest market share in two decades. Dell stock dropped dramatically this week. An article by Bloomberg stated that Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest computer company, confirmed it is considering a spinoff for its PC business and said it is in talks to buy software maker Autonomy Corp. The company also said it is discontinuing products running WebOS software, including smartphones and tablet computers, and will explore options for that business.
I plan to hold onto my PC for now, but expect to move fully to a tablet or smartphone with a docking device in the future. Individuals who primarily use e-mail and have basic needs are currently better off investing $500 to $600 in an iPad or even less in a smartphone.
If you would like information on how to equip your website and Web presence for the mobile revolution, please contact us at marketing@consultwebs.com or 800-872-6590.
We welcome your opinions and experiences.
Dale Tincher says:
September 12, 2011 at 10:39pmUSAToday.com had a similar article September 6, 2011
Among interesting quotes:
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt put it bluntly last week at a cloud conference here: He said tech had exhausted the limits of the PC as a platform, and the future would center on mobile devices.
“The PC market has become commoditized,” says Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps. “It’s a highly competitive business, though PC sales continue to grow.”
Certainly the PC isn’t necessarily going the way of the dinosaur, pay phones and space shuttle missions. But “personal computer” isn’t necessarily the first thing most people think of when they talk computers. For many, it’s iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Kindle — even BlackBerry.
http://www.usatoday.com/MONEY/usaedition/2011-09-06-Beyond-the-PC_CV_U.htm