Well, it’s that holiday time of year again. Have you been naughty or nice?
If you have been naughty, perhaps we will give you the low-tech equivalent of a lump of coal — a broken typewriter.
That’s right, we are talking about an old machine that actually requires some finger strength when you push down on the keys. And you are correct, this baby is so wireless that it is not connected to anything, not even an electric outlet. To add insult to injury, not all of the keys even work.
When my computer-raised daughter once saw a typewriter on display at a museum, she exclaimed, “look, an old computer.” Not! And this is your lump of coal if you have been naughty.
But if you have been nice this year, the sky is the high-tech limit as to the gifts you may receive.
From Apple, you could receive an iPad, an iPhone, an iPod Touch, an iPod Nano, an iPod Shuffle, an iPod Classic, a MacBook Air, a MacBook Pro, a Mac Mini, or even an Apple TV, not to mention a wide variety of supporting accessories.
From other providers, you might fancy something from among an array of phone and radio devices, televisions, video equipment, music and audio players, computers and tablets, cameras and camcorders, GPS devices, and video games and tech toys.
Plainly, having been nice will bring its rewards, and naughtiness will yield little.
Would you rather receive a hand-held device that can do practically everything at your fingertips, or a prehistoric piece of metal that on a good day might allow you to punch and print some letters onto a piece of paper?
The choice was yours and now it is time to find out what you will receive!
Eric Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP (http://www.duanemorris.com) where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. His Web site is http://www.sinrodlaw.com and he can be reached at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod’s columns, please send an email to him with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s law firm or its individual partners.