Although I’m not in a position to comment, the recent Tablet PC buzz is around the potential multiple touch capabilities of the upcoming Dell Tablet PC. If indeed that functionality comes to market, nobody can deny it’s something that no other Tablet PC offers today. Note that I’m calling it “multiple touch”; that’s for a reason of clarification. Most folks hear “multi-touch” thinking it means that the PC can sense and use multiple touch points, but that’s not the case. When I hear “multi-touch”, I think of a device that has both passive and active capabilities, i.e.: you can touch it with your finger or you an use an RF pen. That’s just the way I think about it; doesn’t mean it’s right. ;)
In any case, I was having lunch with John Hill from ALLTP just yesterday and something came up in conversation regarding ink-friendly apps. John and I were pretty much in agreement that there are far too few applications written and designed for inking. There’s a few standouts that are (OneNote, TEO and such come to mind), but by and large, most apps aren’t designed for effective use with a pen. What about touch? There’s even fewer of those.So that gets me thinking about the anticipated multiple-touch capabilities of the Dell Tablet. It’s an innovation to be sure and I’m not bashing it in any way. But what’s the value of a function if it doesn’t solve a problem? How will it enhance the user experience? In what way will you use it and how often? Is it “gimmicky” or does it really provide a better way to do things than currently available solutions?Believe me, I love to see innovation, especially in the Tablet PC space. And I’m not trying to be critical of Dell here at all. I’m simply trying to foster some conversation and thought. Put another way: I believe that Tablet PCs are a niche market partially because there aren’t enough apps that use ink in a way that provides extra value over apps that don’t. There are other reasons of course, but let’s face it: if people don’t see enough value in a solution, it’s likely not a solution they’ll buy or use. I’d hate to see that happen on the touch side too.Another viewpoint: your thoughts, wants, needs and requirements here could be read by developers that bring your idea to life. So have at, put some thought into it and share your thoughts! Do you want to see two fingered zooming in your browser on a Tablet PC? Is stretching out photos going to keep you happy? Or can you think of even better applications of multiple touch that we haven’t even thought of yet?
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