Tablet computers: Will devices like the iPad replace paper?

[wodin]

Originally Posted by JimKal

On your second point - that has already begun to happen. Some government agencies have started to store some documents only as digital images.

And accept digital signatures on electronic documents as legally binding. At least in the US Dept of Defense, and if there is a federal agency more paranoid than that I haven't met it.

[MelC]

Speaking as a huge paper consumer for business purposes (corporate lawyer) I sit firmly on the hopeful side that tablets are going to largely displace paper. Three or more years ago now I replaced my ever growing collection of paperbacks with an ebook reader. When the Sony 600 came out I upgraded to take advantage of the note taking features. It did about half of what I wanted in a mediocre fashion - that is, I used it to take handwritten notes at work and drop them into my one note files but the small screen didn't make document review and annotation feasible. Recently I acquired an Ipad and it does everything I wanted the Sony to do and does it better from a paperless office perspective. The iAnnotate app is brilliant and very near perfect. Note Taker facilitates handwritten meeting notes ably (until something with OCR) comes along, and Whiteboard is ideal for mapping out ideas on the fly. The only quibble is with Apple's insistence on using iTunes as the wired document transfer vehicle - my life would obviously be easier if I could access files in a more harddrive like environment without having to jump through iTunes hoops. At this point however it is a small price to pay for being able to carry a huge statute with me on the fly together with my file info for meetings and homework.

In my experience it has already made a difference and as hardware and software continue to grow that influence will only continue to grow.

[mjhudston]

I have an iPad, and I still make notes for my stories in my a5 notebook, simply because it cannot break and delete what I have written.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by wodin

And accept digital signatures on electronic documents as legally binding. At least in the US Dept of Defense, and if there is a federal agency more paranoid than that I haven't met it.

Heck, even the uber paranoid IRS accepts electronic signatures.

[JimKal]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Heck, even the uber paranoid IRS accepts electronic signatures.

Originally Posted by wodin

And accept digital signatures on electronic documents as legally binding. At least in the US Dept of Defense, and if there is a federal agency more paranoid than that I haven't met it.

As does the Social Security Administration.

[GeoffC]

IR in the UK don't need signatures anymore, at least not on our self-assessment - I can't remember the last time I had to sign anything (contract-wise) - perhaps a direct debit mandate was the last

One reason, I suspect, as to why utilities are able to "sign" new customers without their knowledge until the bills start rolling in ....

[darknessangel]

I hope the only paper we see in 20 years is of the wrapping kind. But the complete change will take waaay longer because of the actual paper books in libraries, etc. But in daily life... it's already happening. I have decreased my paper clutter in the office by 50-60% and that only with good organization on my computer... now with my ipad I expect to cut some 20% more.

[PDowns]

I work in an IT office, I use two dot matrix printers on does 3 copy packing slips, the orther does 5 copy invoices. I have a colour printer for sales orders, black and white printer for purchase orders and cheques. I don't see us ever getting paperless....

[wodin]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

One reason, I suspect, as to why utilities are able to "sign" new customers without their knowledge until the bills start rolling in ....

Two of the things required for electronic signatures to work are:

1. They must be unique and secret.
2. They must be non-reputable.

That means nobody else can electronically sign for you, and once you sign something, you can't deny it.

If those things exist nobody can "'sign" new customers' without their knowledge. In the US, federal employees do this with smart cards that contain unique private and public key certificates.

[EricDP]

Originally Posted by wodin

Two of the things required for electronic signatures to work are:

1. They must be unique and secret.
2. They must be non-reputable.

That means nobody else can electronically sign for you, and once you sign something, you can't deny it.

Great ideas. Too bad hand-written signatures don't meet either of these requirements.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by EricDP

Great ideas. Too bad hand-written signatures don't meet either of these requirements.

Yes, I have two overdue accounts on my credit report for communications services (Verizon and Cox Cable) in Virginia Beach.

Funny thing is that I have NEVER lived in Virginia Beach, and have only been there once in my life; and that was 11 years ago.

Hmmmm, wonder who's been signing my name? Unique and non-reputable signatures would eliminate these kind of problems

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by PDowns

I work in an IT office, I use two dot matrix printers on does 3 copy packing slips, the orther does 5 copy invoices. I have a colour printer for sales orders, black and white printer for purchase orders and cheques. I don't see us ever getting paperless....

Heh. You should tell your boss about this great new invention, it's called the 21st century...

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by EricDP

Great ideas. Too bad hand-written signatures don't meet either of these requirements.

Unique & non-reputable are the attempts to substitute for "must be physically present to make signature." Hand signatures can be forged, but a person can also (potentially) prove she was never in the place where the signature was made, or was not there at the time it was signed.

It's harder to prove "I did not type those words on a computer connected to that website."

[darknessangel]

Originally Posted by PDowns

I work in an IT office, I use two dot matrix printers on does 3 copy packing slips, the orther does 5 copy invoices. I have a colour printer for sales orders, black and white printer for purchase orders and cheques. I don't see us ever getting paperless....

I'm not an authority in the matter, however I would like to point out that imho some things you mention can be passed to electronic versions. Invoices, sales and purchase orders and cheques (e-banking). Problem is when your market is mainly people that are "technologically challenged".

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Unique & non-reputable are the attempts to substitute for "must be physically present to make signature." Hand signatures can be forged, but a person can also (potentially) prove she was never in the place where the signature was made, or was not there at the time it was signed.

Biometric data would be much more secure than signatures, even in their present state, which could use better security around them. Why anyone relies on signatures these days is beyond me.