“Among computer geeks of a certain age Microsoft has long been synonymous with the word evil. I think that’s giving the brass at Microsoft a little too much credit. To me, they’re just clueless,” Cliff Mason writes for CNBC.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft’s always been clueless, it’s nice to see that more and more people are realizing it with each passing day.
“Witness this story in today’s Wall Street Journal, ‘Microsoft Betting Big on ‘Touch,’‘ about how Microsoft is the largest investor in the latest, $24 million round of fundraising for an Israeli company that makes touch-screen computer hardware, and how it’s integrating the software for touch-screen PCs into Windows 7, the successor to the debacle known as Vista,” Mason writes.
“The article makes it sound as though they expect touch-screen PCs to be the next big thing with the potential to at least partially displace the mouse,” Mason writes. “That’s simply not gonna happen. I’m not the most tech savvy guy in the universe, but I do spend most of my life sitting in front of a computer. And from my perspective in front of the monitor, it’s completely obvious that touch-screen PCs will never be more than a niche market.”
Mason writes, “Consider this: the monitor on my laptop is 15 inches wide. My track-pad is maybe 3 inches wide. But I can swipe my finger across 3 inches of pad and have the pointer move across 15 inches of screen, and that’s with a lousy track-pad, not even a real mouse. With a touch-screen I’d have to move my whole arm across the face of the computer just to drag and drop something. It’s just simply geometry.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s all about Gorilla Arm.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
I don’t get why everybody is so excited about touch screen PC’s. While it is definitely cool in a demo (or in a movie: Minority Report), how long before your arms become tired? It makes more sense when the display is laying flat on the table, but not sitting in front of you. I think a trackpad that acts as the touch-screen input makes much more sense. It is flat, and small; much more ergo friendly to a humans arm!
Personally I couldn’t care less about touch screens.
I believe that PCs with touch screen are going to be a huge success…. the problem is that no body will use it.
In the windows world, people buys for what microsoft promises, no for what they deliver. So they but even if they can not use that feature. I really don’t this microsoft will do it fine in the multitouch with out breaking some patents. There is no real applications for multitouch in the PC world, just fantasies.
The multitouch trackpad from apple is exactly what we need, nothing more.
Follow MDN’s link to “gorilla arm” and keep following and you eventually end up at Eric Raymond’s site in the “Jargon File”. Poking around at ESR’s I just found his most recent blog entry, which is quite amusing for any non-Windows user:
****
Master Foo and the Nervous Novice
There was a novice who learned much at the Master’s feet, but felt something to be missing. After meditating on his doubts for some time, he found the courage to approach Master Foo about his problem.
“Master Foo,” he asked “why do Unix users not employ antivirus programs? And defragmentors? And malware cleaners?”
Master Foo smiled, and said “When your house is well constructed, there is no need to add pillars to keep the roof in place.”
The novice replied “Would it not be better to use these things anyway, just to be certain?”
Master Foo reached for a nearby ball of string, and began wrapping it around the novice’s feet.
“What are you doing?” the novice asked in surprise.
Master Foo replied simply: “Tying your shoes.”
Upon hearing this, the novice was enlightened.
****
http://esr.ibiblio.org/
I think Apple is moving toward a high resolution touch pad that has customizable images on it. That makes a lot of sense and could add value to software by making it easier to use or by making complicated things simpler.
I think many years from now when touch screens are super affordable they’ll be on things like refrigerators, but that’s a long way off. And I don’t think they’ll ever be used as something to replace the mouse/trackpads.
I imagine there are touch screen iMacs in Cupertino right now doing a lot of neat things, but there’s also somebody (Steve, perhaps?) saying, “This isn’t an improvement.”
Remember the scenes from the movie Minority Report, which some believe have inspired some of this tech. Notice that the user is standing and waving their arms at full length. They are also twisting and shoving things. Not the type of work you want to do for 8 hours straight.
Keep the touch screen small and it becomes practical.
Shssssss! Be quiet! Let them invest where they want to!
Why would I want to sit at my desk all day, hold my arm up at the level of my head, and move stuff around on my iMac’s screen?
Sure, there may be many uses for touch screens, but for most of us, writing email, browsing, word processing, managing digital photos, etc., a touch screen is not practical.
I think a touch keyboard or touch pad to replace a mouse would be more useful. Something which can change based on the app you’re using. So the touch pad could have slider controls for GarageBand and work like a typical mouse/touchpad when in Pages or Word.
Clueless? I have trouble resolving the conflicting images of Steve Ballmer and Alicia Silverstone in my head.
What ever happened to the big ass table?
funniest thing I have seen/overheard in a long time. I was at Best Buy this weekend and overheard two people. One was a guy enthusiastically explaining the “Big Ass Table” from MS to a lady.
The crap that was coming out his mouth and her incomprehension gave me a smile all day long.
Make a touch tablet as part of the keyboard – – Oh wait!!
This guy’s solution for MS’s problems is for them to fire everybody over 35… Steve Jobs is in his 50’s. Ive’s is in his 40’s … No I don’t think it’s a generational issue… and that was just a generationally divisive comment to excite his Millenial “base”.
Microsoft is both clueless *and* evil. Stealing ideas and claiming them to be your own, and engaging in legally prohibited anti-competitive activity to “crush” your competitor *is* evil.
The proper word at this time might be “desperate”. The phrases “grasping at straws” and “running out of ideas” also come to mind. It’s no surprise they’re investing in that Israeli startup. Microsoft has major development centers there, and “Silicon Wadi” generates lots of ideas and new technology. Some succeed spectacularly well – the keychain drive, for example – while others like this iteration of “touch” merit more skepticism.
Put even so much as a smear on my screen and i will snap your fingers! You see how dirty the iphone can get in a small period of time but at least a rub on the jeans cures that problem..
Agreed, think this will be for a very niche market.
Here’s the way I see it… I’ll wait unit Apple comes out with THIER version of touch screen, netbook, tablet, etc. Then it’ll be right. They’re not going to come out with something just that “kinda works” – It’ll make sense. You’re arms won’t get tired and whatever it is- it’ll be secure, accurate, responsive and best of all- useful. I think once Snow is out- both the netbook and some type if touch interface for the desktop will be part of Apple’s lineup. This isn’t fanboy rhetoric, I’m just going by past history… i.e ClickWheel, MultiTouch, etc.
Even using small touchscreens, such as the iPod touch or the iPhone, can get tiring after a short while. Touch interfaces should be employed when they add value and make sense. In general, I do not believe that touch technology on a vertical display makes much sense an a frequent human interface when there are better alternatives such as the mouse and the trackpad.
There are instances in which touch technology on a vertical display are viable, and they are related to intermittent, short-duration tasks such as kiosks, ticketing, etc. There may be a few instances that apply to niches in the general computing market, but none come readily to mind.
I like the idea of a tilt/swivel screen. So when you want to use the mouse, you leave it vertical, but when you want to use the touch screen, it slides down to about a 20 degree angle so you avoid the gorilla arm issue.
where touchscreens will work:
big ones on the wall like a whiteboard, mainly for displays, presentations and demos, just like a blackboard/whiteboard. think: classroom, meeting room.
big ones laid flat for interactive displays (like the MS table, only simpler).
tablets laid flat like a netbook for media and “light” computing.
handheld devices of all kinds.
where they don’t work:
as conventional computer displays (terrible ergonomics).
clamshell laptop displays (terrible ergonomics).
televisions.
or… “Monkey Arm” in Ballmer’s case.
“[…] but for most of us, writing email, browsing, word processing, managing digital photos, etc., a touch screen is not practical.”
Unless it’s on an iPhone–then it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
Touch-screens have their place where desktop real-estate is small or non-existent. Currently, touch screens have a lock on kiosks for just that reason. Other places where touch screens could prove useful would be in small laptops. Imagine the laptop that you just place on the tray-table in coach and use and you don’t have to worry about the person in front of you putting their seat back.
Yeah that’s what ever hard core gamer wants; rather than pushing a button or moving the mouse to move their hand across a 30″ screen while their arm blocks the view of the action. Plus every parent is going to want their kids smearing up the screen.
@Viktor – “I believe that PCs with touch screen are going to be a huge success…. the problem is that no body will use it.”
Did not do well in logic. It’s not a huge success if no body uses it…
thethirdshoe,
and you don’t do too well in comprehension, do you?
Viktor was being ironical!
I will say this again, as I’ve been saying it every time this topic comes up. Implementing touchscreen with existing computing ergonomics (verticaly positioned monitor, about a 1 metre away from user’s eyes) obviously invites the gorilla arm syndrome.
However, I’m convinced that Apple will eventually unleash a proper, completely intuitive, completely revolutionary, full-size touch-screen computing concept which will permanently displace a separate keyboard and mouse for majority of users. Much like the iPhone, the device will adapt screen surfaces for touch imput. Unlike an ordinary monitor. this one will lie on your desk. User will work with it in the most intuitive way; much like what one does when one sits at a desk and writes, draws and in other way interacts with physical objects by touching them.
All other hardware/software makers will be trying to implement touch on their display technology buy bolting some (multi)touch interface on top of Windows and within the existing concept of vertically-positioned monitors (causing the Gorilla Arm). Eventually, Apple will waltz in and shift the paradigm.