Originally posted 2015
Personally, I don’t think touchscreens are worth making for desktop computers – except maybe in cases for specific situations such as architects, graphic designers, photo/movie editors. I can see how it could work for them. I think with the Surface Studio Microsoft is making a good bid for the “creatives” there. However, I don’t think it will make a big difference as far as market share. It is niche. Although, it would cool for those that need it if Apple had something for this niche but I wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers didn’t really support providing just for them to have a model.
I agree with a recent comment that the touchscreen is something that people think they want but will never actually use or need. I have an office I support that was so excited about Dell touchscreen desktops, none of them use it or even remember they are touchscreen.
I do think it is a good idea to have a laptop model with touchscreen, at least one or two. While I have found that I don’t like leaving the keyboard to touch the screen, I still think it would be good to have the option for the people that do utilize the touchscreen aspect. I think it makes more sense to have a 2-n-1 setup because you could make it like a tablet. I would use that more. I wouldn’t want to fall too far behind. Maybe it is a situation like another comment previously that Apple doesn’t really create “brand new things.” They didn’t invent the smartphone but did make revolutionary changes and improvements to it to make it better and something we “didn’t know we needed.”
All very interesting. I see, and at times agree with, both sides. I think it would behoove Apple to at least have one model that has touchscreen. Create a version of recent MacBook with a touchscreen at least as an experiment of whether it is worth it or not. Also they wouldn’t loose too much ground if it should determine that it was time to create a computer with a “better” touchscreen.
But actually, I propose a more drastic, big change that Apple would be better positioned to introduce to the world. I lead with a question. Anyone know what has happened to the Phorm morphing, tactile “keyboard” by Tactus? This is the “keyboard” that is created on a flatscreen through tactile bubbles, keys using a special chemical and electric charges through a special film. This idea would also be a better choice for that company than what it had been doing before it “disappeared.” This year, Tactus was supposed to have created and sell the iPad Mini case to bring their Phorm keyboard to market. Now, there isn’t anything about this iPad case or the “touchscreen keyboard.” Granted when it was introduced this year at the 2016 CES, it didn’t get great reviews mostly due to it’s “clunkiness” which leads to my suggestion later. The company still has something on its website about a screen that feels more natural like a pen to paper when using a stylus on a touchscreen. Yawn. I think they were biting off more than they could chew to fit it to an iPad mini or an iPhone. They should am for something with a bigger form factor that would be more fogiving to house any extra equipment to run the touchscreen keyboard.
What I propose is a laptop computer with a touchscreen (also a model with just a normal non-touchscreen) with the other side of the clamshell, which would traditionally be the keyboard, another touchscreen but with the Phorm morphing keyboard.
The Phorm touchscreen keyboard would adjust to the specific app or function you were using on the computer – much like how the new Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro adjusts. So you would still have the traditional keyboard created on the touchscreen when using word processors. It would then change to create the buttons and trackpad that would best for using apps such as those for painting, photo editing, or music/video editing. Then game vendors could create their own type of keyboard/buttons or dials specific for their games – like the Touch Bar does.
You could take it one step further and build it so that you could flatten out the laptop and use it as one big touchscreen or “HD monitor” or second monitor. Granted, this form factor would require some kind of creative new hitch to allow the screeen and “touchscreen/keyboard” to “click” or “slide” together to make it more of a seamless screen. So, maybe save this for another generation if it had enough interest.
In all, I believe this would be good for Apple because it was creating something completely different and “revolutionary” as it likes to do. Also, it would provide a little bit of a test market for touchscreen computers. This creation could be even better for Tactus “Phorm” to get its product out there to attract more money to really make it more viable on an iPad or iPhone type device.
Because I mention similarities to the Touch Bar does it mean that I think that is where Apple is going? No, but I think it would be pretty cool if it did.