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43 Law Prac. 30 (2017)
Is the iPad Finally a Laptop Replacement

handle is hein.journals/lwpra43 and id is 432 raw text is: PRODUCT WATCH HOT BUTTONS Is the iPad Finally a Laptop Replacement? By Tom Mighell FOR YEARS APPLE HAS BEEN trying to convince us that the iPad is just as good as a laptop for getting serious work done. This year, with new capabilities introduced in iOS 11 as well as new versions of the iPad Pro, its arguments are getting stronger-but is the iPad finally a true laptop replacement? Although we usually focus on software in this column, a lawyer's digital toolkit also includes using the right hardware. In this column I'll discuss the latest iOS features and the questions you need to ask to see whether an iPad can be your next laptop. Apple introduced a lot of new features in the latest update to its mobile operating system. Listed below is a breakdown of the features most likely to be of interest to lawyers. Finally, a file system. My one consistent complaint about iOS was its lack of a filing system, which required us to rely on apps like GoodReader to set up file folders for our documents and case files. Finally, iOS 11 brings a Files app, which functions much like your File Explorer in Windows or Finder on a Mac. You can organize your files here any way you want-create individual folders for clients or develop a folder structure that matches the way you use your iPad. But there's more: The Files app also provides access to third-party document services like Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. It's this one feature that may be the main reason you decide to make an iPad your laptop replacement. Drag and drop is better. You can now drag items from one app into another-for example, press on a link on a web page and drag it to a Note or a Word document to insert the link there. You can also drag multiple objects, but you'll need both hands. Just press on a photo with one finger, then use the other hand to drag other photos onto the first photo. You'll get a grouping of photos that you can then move over to a file or another app. Multitasking improvements. The hallmark of a great work device is the ability to move from one program or app to another, 30 Law Practice November/December 2017 www.Iawpractice.org whether we are cutting and pasting text from a web page or taking notes on a document review. The new version of the iPad's operating system has some great updates for multitasking: * Improved dock. In previous versions of iOS, you could only place six app icons in the dock at the bottom of the screen. In iOS 11 you can now have as many as 16 apps or folders, 13 apps that you can place yourself while Apple reserves the last three spaces for apps that you tend to use the most. Even better, when you're in an app, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring the dock back in case you need to start another app-you can simply drag that app into a Slide Over mode that hovers over the original app. * Even more screens. The iPad's Split Screen feature has been available for a while now, allowing us to have two apps open in side-by-side mode. Now you can bring a third window into the mix that hovers over the other two apps. * A better app switcher. When you swipe all the way up, you can see a grid of all the apps you have open, making it really easy to move from one app (or group of apps, if you use Split Screen) to the other. Improved text recognition. The latest version of iOS includes a document scanner that can natively scan a document- no third-party scanning apps are required. And if you use Finally, iOS 11 brings a Files app, which functions much like your File Explorer in Windows or Finder on a Mac.

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