“The consumer electronics industry came unbuttoned in Las Vegas this week. At the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which kicked off Jan. 7, companies from around the world unveiled myriad devices boasting touch-sensitive technology, rather than traditional push-button controls,” Catherine Holahan reports for BusinessWeek.
“‘The touch-screen industry is really getting hot,’ says Jennifer Colegrove, a senior analyst at iSuppli. ‘Since the iPhone came out, there are a lot of companies that did not have a relationship with touch screens before that decided, ‘O.K., I want to make a touch screen, too,”” Holahan reports.
“Sales of leading touch-screen technologies, such as those used in mobile phones and navigation devices, are expected to rise to $4.4 billion in 2012, up from $2.4 billion in 2006, according to iSuppli estimates,” Holahan reports.
“‘There is still a lot of room to grow in the industry,’ says Colegrove. Buttons, it seems, won’t be back in vogue any time soon,” Holahan reports.
Full article here.
So, why were there so many prognosticators saying iPhone would fail because it had no physical keyboard?
Because they just hoped it would because it wasn’t invented at Microsoft is my guess.
But, it doesn’t even have a keypad!
…a lot of companies that did not have a relationship with touch screens before that decided, ‘O.K., I want to make a touch screen, too,”” Holahan reports.
What a pathetic bunch of opportunistic copycats!
And the copycats will still screw it up!
“Verizon Wireless hopes the new phone will attract customers put off by the iPhone’s lack of a traditional keypad — the Voyager hinges open to reveal a small computer keypad and a second screen.
‘We think it’ll be the best phone … this year. It will kill the iPhone,’ Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview.” (Oct. 4th, 2007)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSKRA42517620071004
iCal this.
time and again, Apple leads the industry. it’s nice to see that Apple is finally starting to capitalize on its leadership.
“‘A lot of kids are going to get this phone. Kids do a lot of [‘blind’] texting on their phones’ without looking at the screen, sometimes while they’re driving, Enderle said. ‘With a touch screen phone, you have to look at the screen.’ Enderle believes it’s possible that teenagers could get into accidents while using the phone and, rightly or wrongly, many parents could end up blaming the manufacturer.
‘One of these children is going to end up in someone’s trunk,’ he said. ‘Often it’s the vendor that’s held accountable.’
– Rob Enderle (June 21st, 2007)
Hopefully someone realizes not EVERY product needs a touchscreen, and some applications benefit from physical buttons. But I’m sure TS will be overused until everyone comes to their senses.
This may be the best quote on the iPhone from a “technology expert”:
“This is the last week of Apple iPhone hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing. Oh wait, I mean the last week of pre-iPhone hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing—we have a few more post-iPhone months left on the calendar. I am sick of it. It’s all anyone talks about. It dominates the news. It dominates the podcasts and videocasts and magazines.
Hitler got less coverage when he invaded Poland”
– John Dvorak (June 36th, 2007)
Oops. Make that June 26th. Although, in DvorakWorld there may be a 36th of June.
If anyone is at CES, please drop a note and tell us how many iPhones you see walking around.
This is great news. More ‘me-too’ products to keep costs down and lead consumers out of Apple’s I-Phone doldrums at the same time. The I-Phone comes with all the bugs, human interface snafus and stripped features you expect from a version 1 product. I am excited to see how Microsoft improves on the I-Phone. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Your potential. Our passion.™
*lights a cigarette*
*thinks a minute*
*boots Zune Tang out of the bed and onto the floor*
Zune, at it so early today. How’s the Mac treatin’ ya?
Ooops. Too early to even spell my own name. Where’s my darn coffee?
Xactly Zune..anything Apple can do, Microsoft can make worlds better AND cheaper. Microsoft has the vision and innovation to take this ‘touch’ thing to the next level..and with the outstanding blending of the award-winning Vista OS, the sky is the limit. Apple can only sit back in the trailing vapors & watch as the Microsoft juggernaut rocks on!
The WOW Social starts now!
“Verizon’s new Voyager hinges open to reveal a small computer keypad and a second screen.
A dime-sized, three-button, scroll mouse slides out of its dock on the other side of the Voyager.
Wacom’s postage-stamp-sized ‘Mini-Tablet’ appears from beneath the keypad, ‘pin stylus’ included, in its tiny clip.
Verizon’s ‘Micro Print’ technology is showcased by the thumb nail-sized ink-jet printer located just above the text screen.
Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman says that customers sick of Apple’s sleek, virtual features will happily accept the limitations of 6mm wide print-outs, for the advantages of tactile elements. Lanman promises that these same customers will flock to the Voyager and absolutely guarantee its iPhone-Killer status.
Lanman also inadvertently tipped Verizon’s hand, when he mentioned Verizon’s foray into mathematical computation technology, a project which Verizon is presently calling the ‘Wee Little Abacus’. “
In the article the writer wrote “the touch-screen industry is really getting hot”…
But I bet Apple’s Legal Department is going to be HOTTER!
Buttons are SO 20th Century…
Thank you for the kind words, FreddyThePig. I think you’re ready to take the next step as a Windows enthusiast troll. The bitterness and resentment in your post makes me suspect your really a Windows user. Acer or Gateway?
Let me take your comment out for a spin:
Who the fuzk cares if MAC OS X looks pretty? Computers are just tools. Apple’s so called design quality is expensive, proprietary, and stopped being relevant when Apple lost to Microsoft years ago. You MAC fanboyz are even more pathetic than Zune Tang® is.
Nice. I can work with that.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Well of course zune, and indeed the rest of us can joke about Microsoft’s blatant inability to innovate, but more importantly there is a semblance of intelligence in the generallity of this thread, for it does raise the simple fact that all new technologies are written off by the nay sayer until it physically takes over the market, as inevitably multi touch (as opposed to touch) will do over time. After all just check out how the car was ridiculed as an alternative to the horse for a decade.
Having used the iPhone qwerty keyboard I already feel happier with it than any stilted phone keypad which always fails to deliver due to its physical limitations and awkwardness for anyone without the tiniest of fingers, or a ‘stick’. The touchscreen keyboard on the other hand may not be quite the finished article yet, but very, very soon everyone will be laughing at the messy space absorbing physical keyboards that the old school will no doubt persist with to the grave. The flexibility and potential of the new technology alone will see this happen, and we can guarantee it will have nothing whatsoever to do with Microsoft ‘innovation’ that this will happen. Sorry about the oxymoron there.
This is great news. More ‘me-too’ products to keep costs down and lead consumers out of Microsoft’s Mobile doldrums at the same time. The current Microsoft Mobile comes with all the bugs, human interface snafus and stripped features you expect from a version 1 product. I am excited to see how Cupertino improves on the Microsoft platform. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Your potential. Our Blunder.™
Thank you for the kind words, FreddyThePig. I think you’re ready to take the next step as a Windows enthusiast troll. The bitterness and resentment in your post makes me suspect your really a Apple user. iMac or Mac Pro?
Let me take your comment out for a spin:
Who the fuzk cares if Vista looks pretty? Computers are just tools. Apple’s so called design quality is expensive, proprietary, and stopped being relevant when Microsoft lost to Apple years ago. You MICROSOFT fanboyz are even more pathetic than Zune Tang® is.
Nice. I can work with that.
Your potential. Our Blunder.™
Well Zune Poontang’s words of wisdom “I am excited to see how Microsoft improves on the I-Phone. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
Well MS has decided to improve on the iPhone by not launching an iPhone rival. I guess you read about it here:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/15998/
Of course the hilarious thing is that you did not seem to be excited when you wrote a comment about it: “This is a huge letdown for Microsoft enthusiasts like myself.”
Hmmm that is some excitement.
You are talking from both ends of yourself Poon Thang, totally inconsistent, but then again what should one expect from a troll.
Don’t be so quick to laugh off imitators of Apple products. This is the whole point. I love the way a tiny little company like Apple (5-6% of market) can influence the entire industry.
-stands on chair, not looking at the cards and shouts
Go Apple Go Go Go Go