Windows 7 Multi-touch Display… So what.
July 15th, 2008
I’m typing this post on a laptop. If it was a multi-touch screen with no physical keyboard or trackpad, it would suck ass to type. I have a desktop at work with dual 20 inch LCD’s. If I had to reach out with both hands to touch those screens to do my work… you guessed it… suck ass. Now I suppose that I could utilize my fancy new multi-touch technology as well as a physical keyboard to type on but then… why the hell would I pay the undoubtedly expensive new-fancy-feature-tax when surely a mouse to go along with my keyboard would be cheaper?
Yes, the next version of Windows will certainly have more new features than just multi-touch display support, but because it’s one of the first features they’ve talked about I’m also quite sure that it’s going to be one of the main features. I’ll admit that multi-touch displays are cool, and practical even… on a handheld device such as a smartphone (iPhone, duh) or even a tablet pc or something like that. But for a full blown desktop or laptop? I think hardware makers will have to change their designs to make use of the technology.
Here’s my main gripe though: Vista is so bloated that most people who did buy it had to buy new hardware just to run it. Vista itself is expensive. Couple those two together and that’s a pretty pricey “upgrade”. If Windows 7 is too multi-touch reliant you’ll have to buy new hardware again just to use it plus you’ll surely have to pay a hefty new-fancy-feature-tax… again.
It’s too early to know how much the next version of Windows will cost and what features you’ll actually get but hopefully Vista isn’t the new trend with the software giant.
~Brad
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I have almost zero use to reach out from my keyboard to do anything other than grab my mouse or my cup of coffee. I wear a headset, so I don’t even go too far to answer the phone. I’m not lazy, but I believe that efficiency is very important when working at my desk. I personally like using a laptop because the mouse is so close and for most applications I can do things quicker than with a conventional mouse, although I use a mouse exclusively for making drawings. That being said, I think that the 1.5 ft reach to my 2 20in monitors is a complete waste. I’m not sure what use I, or almost anyone else, would have for a multi-touch display. Tablet PC’s have more or less fallen flat as no real office user has much use for them. So I’m baffled as to why this feature would have much hype attached to it at all. I know little about the new feature, and it may have some uses, but I’m having a hard time thinking of how I could speed up checking email, making drawings, typing, or any other daily task by using a touch display.
I think that MS could spend a good bit more time removing the bloat, improve efficiency and reliability, and actually make a product that could compete with… Apple? It’ll never happen, but until I have a choice of the OS that I can use at work I’ll keep rooting for MS to get their act together. The day that I can place a Mac on my desk at work is the day that I no longer care what MS does… short of continuing to bloat up exchange and other products that I do not see going away any time soon.
~Jon
2 Responses to “Windows 7 Multi-touch Display… So what.”
1Jonathan
July 15th, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
A multi-touch display *could* be handy on a tablet. Most tablet screens are too small to really take advantage of it though. Where it would shine is on that table top PC (The MS name for it slips my mind at the moment).
Tablets have their place, but not really in an office environment. I used to own one, but sold it because I need some extra cash. I used it quite a bit as a notepad to keep from having to use regular paper that clutters up my desk. Most of the rest of the time I used it like a normal laptop.
2Brad
July 15th, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
“Surface” is what you’re thinking of and yeah, that’d be kind of handy in certain situations. I’m not too sure about an office environment though. If the top of my desk was a “Surface” computer I think it’d be kind of awkward to have to look down at it. I dunno, they could surprise us and make it work out, I’m just not seein it though.
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