Will Apple's iPad Replace the Old Standard Yellow Paper Standard?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the tablet form is one that works well for lawyers. We use a tablet of paper so universally associated with lawyers that everyone calls it a “legal pad.”
The notion of an electronic legal pad has been kicking around for many years. And it makes sense: an electronic pad that never runs out of paper, makes our notes searchable and lets us take everything we need with us. But the history of electronic versions of the legal pad is not a record of successes.
Will Apple’s new iPad and the new generation of tablet computers finally open the way for lawyers to replace paper legal pads with electronic ones?
Steve Jobs’ announcement of the iPad created more buzz and attention than President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech on the same day. Tech pundits repeatedly used the term game-changing in connection with the iPad.
Many people have described the iPad as an oversize iPhone or iPod Touch—very thin, lightweight, with a 9.7-inch screen and Apple’s customary great design. All reports indicate it’s also superfast. The big news is that iPads will run iPhone apps (more than 100,000 of them), and iPads will also connect to the Inter net through Wi-Fi and 3G (in some models). Prices should range from $500 to $800.
Continue reading “A Legal iPad” online in the April ABA Journal.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
