I gave this post a dual title because people seem to either view desktops as good (think Luke Skywalker) or evil (think Darth Vader). I used to vilify them. Now I praise them.
In the 1990s, the desktop reigned supreme. Laptops were underpowered and overpriced. A typical law firm would buy a few laptops for lawyers to use when they traveled. I remember taking one of the firm's laptops with me to a trial in California in 1995, and being appalled at how little it could do.
Around the turn of the century, laptops began making significant gains. I replaced my desktop with a laptop in 1999 and never looked back. According to the Los Angeles Times, laptops will outsell desktops for the first time this year.
But I believe 2008 marks the beginning of the end for laptops because of two developments that go hand in hand — push synchronization and more capable smartphones.
Laptop? What's a Laptop?
The BlackBerry enabled us to stay on top of email without a laptop, but it could not replace laptops for most business trips. The iPhone was the first smartphone that enabled us to leave our laptops at home for some trips because of its Safari Web browser. For some of us, the iPhone has replaced our laptops not to mention newspapers and magazines at home as well. In fact, if you borrow a guy's iPhone to make a call, I suggest using the speakerphone. You know how guys like to read in the bathroom. Enough said.
Other smartphones will eventually have real Web browsers as well. And just as importantly, third party applications will further narrow the gap between smartphones and laptops. For example, Gavel & Gown recently shipped Amicus Mobile for Windows Mobile. It handles just about anything you would need while out of the office. On my iPhone, I've become a heavy user of AOL Radio, which enables me to listen to our local news radio stations. Eventually, I hope to connect my iPhone to a projector for presentations. Then I won't need a laptop for any trip.
Other prominent legal technology mavens agree, including Dennis Kennedy and Ernie Svenson. But some disagree such as Bryan Sims.
Desktop 2.0
As our smartphones increasingly make our laptops unnecessary when we're in a conference room or traveling, why should we continue to pay a premium for them? We shouldn't. And many of us won't.
Today, I officially ended my nine year love affair with laptops. Until now, I had one laptop that I shuttled between home and work every day. Soon, I'll have a desktop at work and an identical desktop at home. I'll store all my documents on a file server, and my contacts, calendars, tasks, bookmarks, and more will instantly synchronize across both computers and my iPhone thanks to MobileMe and BusySync. For the time being, my email will remain plain old IMAP, not real push. If Google doesn't get its act together in this regard, we may eventually exchange BusySync, Google, and MobileMe for hosted Exchange when Microsoft begins offering this service next year.
A law firm could accomplish this with Amicus Mobile, Time Matters (BlackBerry), etc.
Now that the lack of mobility of desktops has become meaningless, we can rediscover their many advantages. For example, just about any desktop can support two monitors (just order it with a dual monitor video card). When you need another hard drive, you can install one inside instead of buying an external hard drive, which could mean another fan and would mean more cables. In fact, you won't have any desktop clutter at all since today's desktops either reside on your floor (towers) or inside your monitor (all-in-ones).
I plan to keep my laptop for presentations, but look forward to not lugging it around much anymore. For me, the laptop era has ended just as sales of laptops have reached new heights. I always tend to be ahead of the curve. The rest of the world will eventually catch up. What's your take on desktops, laptops, and smartphones?
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