Apple’s iPad has debuted to a huge reception. ZDnet reported that 300,000 iPad 3Gs were sold over the first weekend of May and that more than 1 million iPads have been sold overall. The iPad represents a new paradigm for how information can be accessed and consumed – it is graphic, ultra-mobile and tactile. Right now it’s largely consumers who are buying the iPad for personal use. But history shows that it will inevitably move into more corporate environments. Just as mobile phones evolved to the now ubiquitous smartphone in every executive’s hand, the iPad could make the same sort of impact and further blur the lines between personal and business information sharing the same mobile real estate.
From a lawyer’s perspective, the iPad provides a very enticing option for managing information. The iPad’s superior ebook capabilities mimic the way lawyers have historically flipped through their physical paper legal briefs. And when you combine that with search and other tools for managing the information on the device you see the potential for dramatic impact on how they do their jobs. For example, in a recent EDD Update blog post, Craig Ball says that until now, eDiscovery methods have lacked the ability to “flip pages fast and riffle documents to gauge their consistency or relevance.” We wouldn’t be surprised to see lawyers eventually using legal apps on iPads rather than laptops. In fact, cnet News wrote about a lawyer who credits his iPad with helping him win a trial, as he was able to load onto his iPad all documents to be admitted at trial, and to seamlessly show them to the jury.
Looking ahead, the iPad will likely become another device that could house discoverable information, creating a greater challenge for information management and eDiscovery. At StoredIQ we know how important it is to be able to discover and manage information on distributed desktops and laptops. Our Desktop Collection technology provides companies with a solution for addressing this difficult challenge. So, we’ll be watching the iPad’s adoption carefully. We’re interested to see how the iPad will gain traction among the legal community in the coming months. What do you think?
Tags: e-discovery, electronic discovery, iPad, legal discovery
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