Comments on: Touch-Enabled iMac: Do We Need One?

By: More Evidence for a Touchscreen iMac Emerges: Apple «

More Evidence for a Touchscreen iMac Emerges: Apple « — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:31:57 +0000

[...] and touching the screen accomplishes nothing besides fingerprints. That may change soon, if a new report by DigiTimes proves [...]

By: JeremyK

JeremyK — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:15:13 +0000

I work at a supermarket and we have touch screen PC’s with Windows XP Embedded on them, they are dog slow and I wish they would replace them, preferably with Macs, with my experience, my worse-speced macbook easily outguns my better-speced dell, despite the the worseness :P

Anyway, a Touch iMac wouldnt be bad there (might be a little big considering the current IBM touch screens are 14) but I was thinking Apple should make a Mac Mini with a Touch Screen LED Cinema display for this purpose!

By: Yacko

Yacko — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:01:57 +0000

“keyboards = written language = humanity”

touch screen = grunts and screeches = devolution

Apes is the plan and these tablets will prove it?

Sorry, couldn’t help myself. That said, there may be two aspects to this rumor. Perhaps it is a diversion by Apple, which Apple will never manufacture, but will keep the r&d departments of Asus, HP and Dell busy running down the dead end? Alternatively, remember Scotty’s Star Trek mouse moment? Apple does have patents on free air gestures, so imagine momentarily lifting your hands from the keyboard and mousing with hand gestures in thin air. No awkward reaching over and pressing the screen, although that may be supported too. Hard to say what will come, but that lode of UI research that Apple acquired from Fingerworks has barely been tapped.

By: fred

fred — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:24:50 +0000

Addition to the keyboard of a touch screen function is the way to go. Will make life easier and faster, no need to look for the remote anymore etc..

By: B Hanson

B Hanson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:22:40 +0000

OK so I’ve used an iPhone for 5 mins and it’s fun as in a novelty. I’m also a Mac user since System 7 and really if Apple want to stay the choice of designers and creative types then ACCURACY in pointing is paramount. Unless you’re just having fun, as in playing games or scrolling through pictures, a la Cover Flow. Still I’m prepared to be surprised once again by Apple.

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:35:50 +0000

sounds like a great way to sell screen cleaner

By: phillip

phillip — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:07:37 +0000

This off-the-shelf touch based system makes it easier to chase up cash register style applications such as used by busy wait staff in a restaurant, and touch based help/information systems such as used by tourists or shoppers/visitors, maybe self-service checkouts in libraries (with bar code reading), etc.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:24:54 +0000

Umm…but I don’t wanna touch it. I’m not quite sure as to what the point would be in having a touch desktop computer. Make a giant tablet or something. We’d have a whole family of touch-tastic Apple products then.

By: Casimir

Casimir — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:14:34 +0000

I’ve never believed touch-screens are the end result, but rather a stepping stone towards a fully immersive 3-D interface. It’s the same way people felt about the mouse when that first hit (“what’s the point and click nonsense? That’s why we have keyboards!!!).

I understand there may be limited value in a touch screen iMac but I do believe that as the technology progresses we will be relying less and less on third-person control devices like mice or styluses or even keyboards. Nor do I necessarily believe that’s a bad thing. Frankly, I hate using a mouse, and I think the 3D graphics world would benefit immensely from the ability to both project and manipulate graphics in true 3D space. We’re a long way from that, for sure, but I think it’s undeniable that a tactile interface is the future.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:42:28 +0000

“Galen Gruman at TechWorld describes his disappointment with the Windows 7 implementation of touch”

Actually, he describes his disappointment with both the Windows 7 and OS X implementations of touch. Touch does make less sense on a PC style plartform. A mouse is fast, and you don’t end up with a greasy, fingerprint smeared screen.