In an article I wrote in 2002, Web Resources for the Macintosh Lawyer, I noted that my then-colleague at American Lawyer Media, Mark Voorhees, had set off a virtual maelstrom of angry e-mail by declaring in the National Law Journal, “In the legal market, now and forever more, the Mac is dead.” Mark survived, and so, it seems, did the Mac. In fact, five years later, Mac or PC remains the second-favorite debate question of legal technologists. (I need not tell you the first, right?)

I just came across the latest iteration of the debate, Mac vs. PC: What Works for the T&E; Practitioner?, wherein Colorado lawyer Donald H. Kelley and “digital coach” Brenda A. Kelley address the question in the context of trusts-and-estates practice. Intriguingly, the authors lay out a litany of good reasons for lawyers to switch from PC to Mac, but they never quite come out and take a stand for it. Instead, after touting the Mac’s stability, interface, simplicity, versatility and graphics capabilities, they conclude:

“Maybe there is something to all the Mac hype. At least this article should give you a peek through the window (no pun intended), so you can see what the Mac offers.”

Wishy-washy? Perhaps, but well worth a read.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.