http://www.slaw.ca/2011/11/15/securing-your-apple-devices/

“When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks because that’s what you needed on the farms.” Cars became more popular as cities rose, and things like power steering and automatic transmission became popular.

“PCs are going to be like trucks,” Jobs said. “They are still going to be around.” However, he said, only “one out of x people will need them.”

So how does this relate to computers? PCs used to be expensive and had to perform many functions to justify the cost. Now, I can buy an iPad and a good-enough laptop and an ereader and an internet radio for less money than I paid for my computer 10 years ago. I don’t own all those devices because I somehow “evolved,” I own them because they are cheap and convenient to specific tasks.

So in the community of people who build technology for the courts, I argue that this is not the end of the PC era, it’s the beginning of the cheap computing appliance era. We need to be prepared to offer our services to as many end user platforms as possible.

So let me ask you ask you a question: What interaction with courts do you most desire to perform through technology, and what would be your computing appliance of choice?

It is probably very effective as a customer service offering: An iPad signals a trusting relationship with the lawfirm, and suggests that the firm is “cutting-edge.” iPads are probably the most user friendly computing device available, and iPhone owners are already trained. Finally (and I think most importantly for the firm), it politely directs their clients to contact asynchronously (via email and perhaps instant messaging). Lawyers are then able to respond on their own schedule without fearing missed communication.