January 12th, 2009
Touch-enabled PCs and browsers: Do not want
If you have any doubts that Microsoft is going to keep pushing touch down users’ throats, the company’s contribution to an investment of $24 million in N-Trig, which develops technology for touch-enabling PC screens should put those to rest.
Couple that with a new Internet Explorer (IE) 8 gesturing feature that Microsoft has turned on as part of the Windows 7 public Beta and it’s safe to say that Microsoft is going to try to lead users to touch, whether they want to go there or not.
As I’ve stated more than once, I’m not a fan of touch-screen PCs. I do see why some users like touch on their phones and MP3 players. But on PCs, touch just seem like a problem in search of a solution solution in search of a problem. (Take this as you will from someone who also doesn’t really understand the appeal of the Microsoft Surface or Tablet PCs….)
Silicon Alley Insider wondered aloud today why Microsoft officials are touting kitchen-centric uses for touch PCs. The reason is simple: Touch is not for everyone. (And I say that as someone who uses her PC to look up recipes on a daily basis — happily using a mouse and keyboard.)
There are applications for which touch makes sense: Browsing on a phone; sharing x-rays and other medical documentation; anything for which you’d think of CAD. But why is Microsoft trying to push touch down all users’ throats?
I am test-driving the Windows 7 Beta on a ThinkPad X300 — which is not a touch-screen-enabled PC. (It has a TouchPad, however, over which I am constantly tripping.) Even without the touch screen, I have accidentally dragged upwards various icons from the task bar, thus randomly opening Jump Lists. When I dragged my mouse downward, I got another list. Via the IE Blog, I saw that this isn’t a bug; it’s a new feature (”drag to display”) in the IE 8 Beta built into IE 7. The assumption is that users want and like “touch-like” gestures even if they aren’t running a touch-screen machine.
Tablet PCs have remained a niche market. I am betting touch-enabled PCs will be the same. So why is Microsoft trying to force all users to go the touch route? Let those of us who like clicking our keyboards and rolling our mice — without flicks and swipes –have some respect.
Which camp are you in? The “Resistance is futile and touch is inevitable” future? Or the “Users should have an input choice” one?
Image credit: Do Not Want
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