Should you keep the Mac?

With Apple Computer, Inc., suffering significant financial losses late last year, many lawyers have asked if the Mac is dead. My answer is a resounding "No."

Apple is not the only company to lose money and lay off workers in recent years. Here's why I believe the Macintosh is still a good computing choice.

Last December, Apple announced the $400 million acquisition of NeXT Software, Inc., which includes all of NeXT's products, services, and technological research. As part of the agreement, NeXT's creative chairman and CEO--Steven jobs--returned to Apple, the company he cofounded in 1976.

The acquisition of NeXT will surely strengthen Apple's industry position just as the introduction of the Macintosh did in 1984. The company says it plans to capitalize on its own leadership to create a user-friendly system that offers top multimedia capabilities and NeXT's strengths to create development software and operating environments for the Internet and business markets. NeXT's object-oriented software development products--think of building blocks or ready-made pieces of reusable code to create new software--should bring diversity and profit to the company.

A small but growing band of lawyers that appreciates the Macintosh's value will lead the way for its use in law offices. To sample a bit of Mac fanfare from lawyers and the public at large, get on the Internet and visit the following sites:

http://www.mother.com/~randy/index.html

http:/www.evangelist.macaddict.com

http://www.apple.com

http://www.next.com

Also, join the Macintosh forum on ATLA NET, the association's online service. This forum allows members to exchange ideas and information about the Mac electronically by posting and viewing messages.

Another reason I think Apple is going to be around for a while is its decision about a year ago to license the Macintosh operating system (OS) to other manufacturers. A number of vendors, including Motorola, have brought Mac "clones" to the market.

Furthermore, Apple has built a foundation for strategic business relationships with other industry leaders, such as Netscape Communications, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Graphics Computer Systems.

This willingness to work with other companies' innovative technologies bodes well for Apple's future. Just as no single law firm can realistically employ all the best legal minds, neither can one business hire all the most creative, hardworking programmers and futurists.

The next decade of computing is sure to focus on the use of Internet technology as well as Intranets, which, for lawyers, are best described as computer networks set up within a law firm using Internet technology, such as Netscape's Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer software. As long as the folks at Apple keep these emerging technologies in mind--and I see no reason why they won't--the Mac should have a long and prosperous life.

The future

Apple is thinking ahead, keeping consumers foremost in mind, which is another reason to not give up on the company. Its next step is upgrading System 7, the Mac's current operating system.

The company will continue to enhance System 7 for many years to come while it makes the transition to a new, NeXT-based OS, code-named Rhapsody. Rhapsody is scheduled for release in January 1998. By mid-1998, the new system's software will be Mac-compatible, meaning that all the old Mac software programs will work with Rhapsody.

Among Rhapsody's better features is its ability to let software programs work simultaneously without causing any of them to crash. This multitasking feature lets users fax while printing or run a database sort while reading e-mail. Apple also will maintain its Mac-like, user-friendly interface for the Rhapsody system.

Overall. the Macintosh offers several ad vantages over personal computers that run Windows:

* Power. Power Macintosh computers offer the high-performance advantage of the RISC-based (reduced instruction set computing) PowerPC processor. Several independent studies have shown that Power Macintosh computers run their application programs significantly faster than comparable Pentium processor-based PCs that use Windows.

* Advanced multimedia. Multimedia is increasingly important to consumers, and Macintosh is the leader in this area. While some PC manufacturers are struggling to find an easier way to install a CD-ROM drive, Apple has already perfected the process. Macintosh is moving into three-dimensional graphics, video capture and playback, speech recognition and synthesis, and even virtual reality.

Recently, while I was working with Amicus Attorney software on my Macintosh, a pleasant voice from the program apologized for interrupting me and advised that I had an appointment coming up. The Mac's standard audio quality is impressive.

All Macintosh computers feature sound-input capabilities, so you can add voice annotation or music to your work. In a practical sense, this means you can, for example, dictate corrections to a brief directly into your computer's hard disk drive. Your staff will still have to type in your verbal corrections manually, but your own hands-on time will be minimal.

Nearly all Macintosh computers come with built-in video support so there's no need to buy and configure cards to give you video access. The Macintosh is probably the most accessible personal computer available as it even offers features for people with impaired hearing, movement, and sight.

* Compatibility. All current Macintosh computers can read from and write to MS-DOS and Windows disks. To do this, Macs use the built-in Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive and Macintosh PC Exchange software, an integral part of the Mac OS. You can, for example, use the SuperDrive to open a file that's stored on an MS-DOS disk, modify the file with a Macintosh program, and save your work back to the MS-DOS disk.

Also, a PC compatibility card from apple or another vendor (about $300) can turn a Power Macintosh with PCI slots (slots in the computer into which hardware can be inserted) into a versatile system that runs MS-DOS and Windows as well as the Mac OS. There's even a computer manufactured by Apple that comes with a PC compatibility card installed: the Power Macintosh 7200/ 120 PC.

Beyond software

All Macintosh computers come with a LocalTalk port, which lets you link Macintosh computers to an AppleTalk network, allowing for immediate networking capabilities. Many come with built-in Ethernet ports or offer an Ethernet option, which also makes it easier to set up networks.

With the Macintosh's SCSI port, known colloquially as Scuzzi, you can easily connect as many as six SCSI-compatible devices--scanners, CD-ROM drives, and additional hard disk drives--to your Macintosh with no need for extra cards or connectors.

It used to be that the Mac computer could cost as much as 50 percent more than a comparable DOS or Windows-based computer. In the past year or so, Apple has reduced its prices so much that if you compare them feature by feature against other computers, you will find that the Macintosh is competitively priced.

Considering ease of installation and use, you still can't beat a Macintosh. I don't think that Apple Computer is going out of business. The company is an innovator, a risk taker, and one that, all along, told us that lawyers can use a mouse and icons to do real work.

Paul Bernstein is a practicing attorney and law office automation consultant in Chicago. He can be reached on the Internet at [e-mail]. Opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not reflect an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.