Apple released iOS 7 for iPhones and iPads on Wednesday, leaving many legal professionals to wonder: is it worth updating?

According to the Los Angeles Times, while Apple may be pimping the new iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s pretty hard – and Apple’s pimp hand is strong indeed – the real innovation lies with its newest mobile operating system, iOS 7.

Should attorneys jump on Apple’s newest software offering?

iPhones may have begun as a Silicon Valley status accessory and a trendy mobile toy, but in 2013 even experienced attorneys are ditching their Blackberries for Apples. For many attorneys, the tipping point was the availability of practice management apps like MyCase and Total Attorneys, were reason enough to grab a smartphone.

And not just any smartphone. In 2012, an ABA survey found that 44% of attorneys use their iPhones for work, a number which is likely increasing as you read this article.

If you want to make the switch to an iPhone, you’ll be greeted by the shiny new iOS 7, but for attorney Apple fanboys and fangirls, what changes will an upgrade bring?

iOS 7’s Fixes and Features

As much as attorneys enjoy offloading their work product onto their iPhones, a security glitch in iOS 6 made this prospect a squirmy one by allowing strangers to bypass the phone’s lock screen and access contact and message info.

Not only has this issue been covered in iOS 7, the new software has support for Apple’s Touch ID technology – available exclusively on the iPhone 5s – that beefs up your iPhone’s security with a biometric fingerprint scanner.

Wired also touts iOS 7 as the realization of a “purely self-contained mobile experience,” that tracks with mature mobile users expectations for their devices. The newest iOS no longer acts to “mimic real-world equivalents,” reports Times, it invites users to learn a new, more modern interface.

This new interface may take time to learn, but a more grown-up, less bubbly interface may be a boon for legal professionals who crave mobile multitasking.

Related Resources:

  • How To Upgrade To iOS 7 Without Messing Up Your Phone (Business Insider)
  • Should Lawyers Consider T-Mobile’s Cheaper New Plans, iPhone 5? (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • We (Lawyers) Just Got Replaced By a Contract-Drafting App (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • Dying BlackBerry Releases Q10 on Sprint; You Shouldn’t Buy It (FindLaw’s Technologist)

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