What i wanna know is......

Troublesome

Are Apple going to do the right thing and introduce multi-touch tech into their other range of monitors, either standalone or built-in (iMac)? And if so, when??

aidan_walsh

Steve Jobs hates buttons.

But seriously, I can't see a lot of places where multi touch is really necessary or highly feasible right now.

cornbb

While many technology companies load their products up with buttons, Steve Jobs treats them as blemishes that add complexity and hinder their clean aesthetics.

Steve sadly seems to rank aesthetics over ergonomics and usability (see Mighty Mouse for another example).

Multi touch is cool and all, it'll have plenty of applications but I don't think it'll offer anything genuinely useful in a desktop computing environment.

Oirthir

Personally I couldn't see multi-touch working with a traditional setup (eg iMac or Mac Pro), but I think it would make for a nice little MacTablet.

I've always fancied a tablet computer, but it costs something like $1500 to mod the Macbook, which is a little much for a fancy gadget

K.O.Kiki

I rate it like Nintendo's gamepads -- they try to REDUCE the number of buttons, and highlight a few, so that you don't end up with the 12-button mess you see from MS & Sony.

Heck, the DS has games you play WITH ONLY THE TOUCHSCREEN.
It's the only thing I miss in Pokemon, in fact -- touchscreen movement.

Dont be at yourself

A multi-touch display may sound good in theory, but you just try holding your arm up to the monitor in front of you for a few minutes and you'll see why it won't work.

A multi-touch coffee table/appleTV hybrid would be all kinds of lovely though.

K.O.Kiki

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

A multi-touch display may sound good in theory, but you just try holding your arm up to the monitor in front of you for a few minutes and you'll see why it won't work.

A multi-touch coffee table/appleTV hybrid would be all kinds of lovely though.

Why would you be holding your arm up for a few minutes?

Surely all that's needed is 3-4 quick gestures to get to the content you need, then sit back & relax as your movie/music/pictures play.

cornbb

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Why would you be holding your arm up for a few minutes?

Surely all that's needed is 3-4 quick gestures to get to the content you need, then sit back & relax as your movie/music/pictures play.

That might work in a scenario where the computer is being used purely for home entertainment purposes.

But in that case, weren't remote controls invented so we wouldn't need to get up and fiddle with the screen?

Dont be at yourself

Surely all that's needed is 3-4 quick gestures to get to the content you need, then sit back & relax as your movie/music/pictures play.

If it's only going to be employed in such limited fashion, what use is it? Despite the novelty, it would still be more user-friendly to select media using the apple remote or your mouse. On a home desktop, multitouch is no replacement for a keyboard&mouse, or the apple remote. I can't envisage that many practical uses that would warrant including the technology in something like the iMac.

jpfahy

All those greasy fingermarks would look really well all over your screen, hey maybe thats why they introduced the glossy screen iMac - easier to wipe clean when they are touch enabled...

K.O.Kiki

NOTHING is more userfriendly than touching.

Especially remote controls, which are limited functionality, require extra buttons for extra features, and are still not standardised.

And as for fingerprints -- all you need is a good (plastic?) coating. Heck, would you even notice the fingerprints when you're sitting 6' or more away?


...did you make me argue about rumoured specs? Again?!

Bloomin' slow news/work day.

440Hz

Courtesy of babypink.... check this out

Creamy Goodness

i'd like to see ya's writing a letter like that