As the head of Windows product development at Microsoft, Julie Larson-Green is responsible for a piece of software used by some 1.3 billion people worldwide. She’s also the person leading the campaign to introduce as many of those people as possible to Windows 8, the dramatic redesign of the iconic operating system that must succeed if Microsoft is to keep pace with a computing industry now shaped more by phones and tablets than desktop PCs.
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So… I’ve got a 23" wide screen monitor and I’m going to lift my arm up to the level of my shoulder, lean forward 5-6 inches to touch an icon? And that’s going to be productive? Seriously?
I doubt that I’d even want to touch my laptop’s screen with an extended finger. That’s an awkward motion… Maybe you’d want to use a knuckle instead.
Touch is great for tablets and kiosks but not right for many ‘data entry centric’ activities. We’ve had touchscreens for a long time. I even remember an HP computer from around 1985 with a 9" CRT touchscreen. These things never took off and it wasn’t because they lacked an OS that could incorporate touch but because the touch interface was never well suited for desktop applications. And still isn’t…
@KA1OS,Touch screens on an HP in 1985? Are you talking about the HP-150 that ran DOS? You can’t seriously expect people to consider that a valid analogy to today’s hardware and software. Touchscreens work great (for me) on a laptop. I can’t stand the mouse anymore.
Actually, that was the machine! And yes I certainly do compare that with today. Desktop displays were the ones that I mentioned were the most problematic for touch interfaces. At least the HP display of that era was so small that you’d be more likely to work close enough to use it.
I’ve used and deployed touchscreen displays in my labs for almost two decades. They have their uses but not for the basic office desktop monitor and particularly not in the 22″+ monitors. The ergonomics are terrible. For tablets they’re perfect and perhaps useful for some in laptops. But for desktops and laptops I’d prefer to see bigger and better mousepads or graphics tablet interfaces. Examples in this class might include Apple’s Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. Another option might be a 7″ tablet interfaced as an auxiliary entry device near the keyboard… Perhaps acting like a second monitor or touch interface to the main screen.
Myself, I find greater efficiency with keyboard shortcuts so that I don’t have to take my hands off the keyboard.
Agreed with the touch PC concept. Cute to touch a monitor in a store, but try that for 45 minutes straight and tell me how your arm/wrist/hand are feeling. Touch works for tablets because they are in your lap. Apple stated this years ago after doing some testing and a common sense check. I could not imagine touching my 27″ iMac in any cad/editing/programming environment.
“It’s a very natural way to interact.” – Yeah, with a tablet, not a desktop. Microsoft/PC manufactures are putting touch in desktops just because it’s cool and the buzz right now, but practical? I think not.
Oh and I totally agree (although I am a die-hard Mac user) about USB support in Windows 8. Reboot tricks get old when the technology (and competition) exist to avoid it. You focus should be on your work, not getting your machine to work for you.
So… I’ve got a 23" wide screen monitor and I’m going to lift my arm up to the level of my shoulder, lean forward 5-6 inches to touch an icon? And that’s going to be productive? Seriously?
I doubt that I’d even want to touch my laptop’s screen with an extended finger. That’s an awkward motion… Maybe you’d want to use a knuckle instead.
Touch is great for tablets and kiosks but not right for many ‘data entry centric’ activities. We’ve had touchscreens for a long time. I even remember an HP computer from around 1985 with a 9" CRT touchscreen. These things never took off and it wasn’t because they lacked an OS that could incorporate touch but because the touch interface was never well suited for desktop applications. And still isn’t…
@KA1OS,Touch screens on an HP in 1985? Are you talking about the HP-150 that ran DOS? You can’t seriously expect people to consider that a valid analogy to today’s hardware and software. Touchscreens work great (for me) on a laptop. I can’t stand the mouse anymore.
Actually, that was the machine! And yes I certainly do compare that with today. Desktop displays were the ones that I mentioned were the most problematic for touch interfaces. At least the HP display of that era was so small that you’d be more likely to work close enough to use it.
I’ve used and deployed touchscreen displays in my labs for almost two decades. They have their uses but not for the basic office desktop monitor and particularly not in the 22″+ monitors. The ergonomics are terrible. For tablets they’re perfect and perhaps useful for some in laptops. But for desktops and laptops I’d prefer to see bigger and better mousepads or graphics tablet interfaces. Examples in this class might include Apple’s Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. Another option might be a 7″ tablet interfaced as an auxiliary entry device near the keyboard… Perhaps acting like a second monitor or touch interface to the main screen.
Myself, I find greater efficiency with keyboard shortcuts so that I don’t have to take my hands off the keyboard.
Agreed with the touch PC concept. Cute to touch a monitor in a store, but try that for 45 minutes straight and tell me how your arm/wrist/hand are feeling. Touch works for tablets because they are in your lap. Apple stated this years ago after doing some testing and a common sense check. I could not imagine touching my 27″ iMac in any cad/editing/programming environment.
“It’s a very natural way to interact.” – Yeah, with a tablet, not a desktop. Microsoft/PC manufactures are putting touch in desktops just because it’s cool and the buzz right now, but practical? I think not.
Oh and I totally agree (although I am a die-hard Mac user) about USB support in Windows 8. Reboot tricks get old when the technology (and competition) exist to avoid it. You focus should be on your work, not getting your machine to work for you.