Monday My Two Cents – Android or Apple iOS: For Attorneys, Which is the Right OS for Our Phones & Tablets?
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Which road is the best path for Attorneys to take for their mobile OS?
Android Wins for Variety, Price, and Artificial Intelligence!
Hands down, there are a greater variety of Android products. Given that there are so many manufacturers, you get many options (I'm not going to list them all here as there are many). Meanwhile, iOS products are only made by Apple. With each iteration, the iPhone comes in three or four types - small, normal, normal+, large+. And iPads similarly have three or four styles - mini, iPad, Air, and Pro. Android Wins for Variety!
Android devices tend to be cheaper. iPhones are more expensive with the smallest iPhone or iPad rivaling average Android devices. Thus, a strong allure for new attorneys starting out on a shoestring budget. Android Wins for Prices!
Android's Google Assistant is still outperforming Apple iOS's Siri. I have little doubt that iOS will catch up someday. But, it is not there, yet. If artificial intelligence is part of your everyday, life, you'll prefer Goggle Assistant. Android Wins for Artificial Intelligence!
Android and Apple iOS devices both do the basic functions pretty well. They both get great phone reception (depending on your carrier). They can both connect to the internet through Wi-Fi and cellular data. This really adds to their ability to function as a GPS (who has a standalone GPS today?). They all have great cameras and the ability to record some great video. And they both have significant storage to allow you to carry much of your office and client data with you on the go. Android and Apple iOS Tie!
Apple Wins for Security!
But in the end, what really matters in an Attorney’s use of office equipment: Security. This is where Apple shines! Android is more open with third-party applications. Its users love this openness because it allows its users to customize their devices. But a more open OS makes it easier for more nefarious third-party apps to get on a user's phone. Also, Android is a Google product. Google makes money off of your data (not to say Apple is not doing in some ways [but at least there is a veil of Apple “protecting your privacy”]. You need to be careful what your OS is sharing outside your office. This puts your data at risk. This includes your client data. Thus, it puts your bar license at risk.
Remember, you have a duty, a "reasonable" duty, to keep your client's data safe. See generally ABA Model Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information and my blog post on technology and confidentiality. Because Apple's iOS is sandboxed, making it very difficult for nefarious software to enter its ecosystem, I breathe easier knowing my client's information is better protected.
I have not seen a bar complaint based solely on the fact that the attorney had his/her client's information stolen from a phone or tablet because of some third-party app download made by the attorney. But, I also don't want to be the first case either. And to decrease those chances, I'm sticking with the more secure OS platform. Apple wins for Security!
So despite every other issue discussed in this article, when it comes down to what an attorney should get, IMHO it should be an Apple iPhone or iPad. HAND SDOWN, Apple is a Win for Attorneys if only for its Security Practice!
Happy Lawyering!!!
MTC
