Law Technology Trends

Walter Mossberg, “personal technology” writer for the Wall Street Journal, highlighted a very interesting trend to a small group of consultants where I was a participant. He was looking at the industry from the 50,000 foot level when he said that it is the consumer that is driving change in technology. The winners in the race will be those who can develop new techniques to make the consumer’s life easier –  without being a tech wizard.

In other words, we don’t need to know “what is under the hood;” we don’t need to know how the engine works. We only care that it does! We only care that we can accomplish the desired task with the unit in front of us, that it does what it says it does, that it does what we want it to do. That is the genius of Apple and the iPhone, for example.

Instruments and the technology driving these instruments is getting lighter and smaller and faster. In fact, when the new iPhone, with greater speed and range, arrives sometime in the next 6 months, I will be a buyer.

He said that the limiting factor for us will be broadband. Compared to Europe and Asia, even our newest broadband access is truly slower than molasses … I suspect that change in this area will take a national commitment that is not yet apparent.

Mossberg is astute and funny. I, for one, will pay more attention to his columns in the future.

Categorized in: Management, Technology