Would You Buy a Touch PC?
By Harry McCracken | Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 7:36 am
I’ve guestblogged again at WePC.com–this time about touchscreen PCs, which are apparently a trend that’s set to explode (or try to, anyhow) once Windows 7 ships. I think that Windows 7 will help–it’s the first version of Windows with built-in support for touch input–but that a lot more has to happen before touch computers have a shot at being a hit rather than a fad. Check out my thoughts and let the WePC.com community know what, if anything, would convince you to buy a touch-enabled PC.
While you’re there, you might want to investigate the WePC.com contest. The site’s giving away gaming PCs, laptops, and netbooks to folks who provide the most insightful answers to questions (or who are just lucky enough to win in regular drawings).
7 Comments
Read more:
7 Comments For This Post
September 9th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I wouldn’t. I can see the use of touch technology in portable devices (phones and laptops) because those devices have to be as compact as possible.
But I myself am sitting a comfortable 80cm away from my widescreen monitor: I don’t WANT to have to bend over to touch it.
September 9th, 2009 at 8:23 am
(btw: YES I just measured how far away my monitor is from my head :p)
September 9th, 2009 at 8:39 am
If you’ve ever had to use touch screens (developing POS, Kiosks, etc) you’ll know that after a few minutes of keeping your arms in a upright position while navigating is very tiring. For short periods it might be acceptable but if you spend more than 10~20 minutes you’ll be screaming for your keyboard and mouse.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:19 am
No.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:39 am
only if it comes with lifetime supply of windex. “windows 7 now with windex”
September 9th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
No, I wouldn’t buy a desktop or laptop with touch.
Yes, I would buy an all-in-one touch computer for the kitchen at the right price, just for quick casual use on the way out the door. Picture frame, directions, media streamer, recipes, calendar, phone book, etc. But only at the right price, e.g. netbook level pricing, and with the right touch UI that works across ALL the applications. Something I’m not holding my breath waiting for.
Yes, I would buy an Apple Touch Tablet, or something similar. A 7″-10″ device that is approximately Kindle 2 sized, with an Apple iPhone like interface, video playback, web browsing, app store, games, etc, just on a bigger screen. Wifi only, as it won’t be leaving the house.
September 17th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I work for a company that develops software for walk-up touch screen kiosks. In our development labs, every kiosk has a keyboard and mouse attached, because having to use them longer than it would take a regular user is annoying beyond belief. I used a iPod touch for a while, trying to decide if I wanted to buy one. I got a netbook instead. Bigger screen, real keyboard, and a touch pad separate from the screen.