Mobile to surpass television as consumer access point to media
A couple decades ago Bill Gates and Steve Balmer, of Microsoft fame, had the goal of putting a computer on everyone’s desktop. Most of us responded, “That’s nice, what would we do with a computer?”
Today, we’re entering a world where there are more tablets and smart phones than computers. Unfortunately, too many lawyers don’t recognize the significance of mobile and how it can help them.
Richard Ting (@flytip), SVP & Executive Creative Director at R/GA writes at the Atlantic on mobile’s cultural influence on our society.
More than 2/3 of our time on mobile phones is now used for non-communication activities with the average American spending 94 minutes per day utilizing mobile apps vs. 72 minutes of web-based consumption. Mobile is poised to surpass television as the dominant consumer access point for all media. How we experience life, relationships, entertainment, education, exercise, and work have been completely transformed (for better or worse) because of mobile.
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Imagine a world in the next 2-3 years, where smart phones are in the hands of every consumer and tablet sales will exceed PCs. It will be a world where global internet users will double, led by mobile usage. At that time, mobile will no longer be a support medium, it will be THE medium. Today, we’ve already seen apps disrupt multi-billion dollar industries – gaming, retail, media, publishing, small business, photography, and travel.
As a lawyer, you need to get comfortable with mobile being your primary access point to media — media not only ‘net-based,’ but media as a whole.
It’s no excuse to say my law firm doesn’t support mobile this or that. It’s no excuse to say you’re a tech luddite. It’s no excuse to say I need a computer to produce 66 page documents.
Go to the Apple store and get an iPhone or iPad and begin to use the apps available to you to consume news and information that’ll make you a better lawyer, to share news and information to grow your influence and authority, and to connect with others so as to grow your network. If you like Android, get Android devices.
Don’t know how to use the apps? Sit in on some business classes at the Apple store, watch some YouTube videos, subscribe to innovative blogs sharing what’s out there and how to use it — could be this blog, could be Mashable, could be others. Ask some other lawyers you’re apt to dismiss as some tech geek.
Bottom line, get comfortable with mobile. You’ll be a better lawyer for it, in more ways than one.