Comments on: Multitouch Interface Is Starting to Spread Among New Devices

By: David Hanson

David Hanson — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:34:48 +0000

This device of “multitouch interface” is one I am all too familar with simply based on how much all of my trendy Apple loving friends show it off to me. It is interesting to think of how common this technology is in some places, and yet it is still to this day getting more and more developed and applied to new technology coming out. I guess that is the point of technology after all.

MTI holds plenty of promise for advancements in lots of current technology. Think of the possiblities of a laptop computer without the need for a keyboard. Getting these interpersonal devices (phones, laptops, players, etc.) smaller and more hand-held friendly seems to be the ultimate goal for these things. Multitouch interface is one of many keys to unlocking the promised land.

By: Multitouch Interfaces « UCF DIG 2000 Fall 2008

Multitouch Interfaces « UCF DIG 2000 Fall 2008 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:36:59 +0000

[...] Multitouch Interfaces [...]

By: toma alaoui

toma alaoui — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:31:01 +0000

Multi-touhc is the future of technology, thanks for the article

By: David McManus

David McManus — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:36:49 +0000

There are times when a technology stands as a marker for the future and multi-touch is one such technology.
Just put your fingers on your desktop and start making pinch, flip, zoom and scroll gestures and you’ll realise just how cool and useful that would be on a tablet’s pad.
Apple will do it, others will do it but this is the future of interfacing with a GUI

By: Willie Pritchett

Willie Pritchett — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:09:22 +0000

Great article!

I also agree with Mr. Sanders in that the ergonic stress that will be put on the end users hands will potentially have an effect on the market as these types of devices beome more popular. If you are a user with an iPhone, and Ipod Touch, the Air laptop, and type all day, you may increase your risk of carpal tunnel injuries.

As Apple tries to stay ahead of the curve, it would be interesting to see if they have any new tricks for the standard keyboard.

By: Si diffonde l’interfaccia Multitouch « Cordef

Si diffonde l’interfaccia Multitouch « Cordef — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 06:08:27 +0000

[...] si stanno dando da fare per introdurre questa funzionalità nei loro prodotti (Walt Mossberg, Multitouch Interface Is Starting to Spread Among New Devices, Wall Street Journal, [...]

By: Alan Sanders

Alan Sanders — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:41:48 +0000

Excellent article, Walt. It was already clear from the moment the iPhone first appeared that Apple was introducing the world at large to something very new—a gesture-based interface both brilliant in its simplicity and far-reaching in its implications. It was already clear—although no one but Steve Jobs and his iPhone team could see how Apple would do it—that this technology was destined to find its way into Apple’s laptop computers and beyond. Now, with the debut of the MacBook Air, we begin to catch a glimpse of what is perhaps going on in the mind of Steve.

Dazzled as I am by the brilliance of Apple’s vision, I can’t help wondering if the widespread adoption of the multitouch interface on laptop computers will lead to an epidemic of repetitive stress injuries. I have traveled all over the world with my 12-inch aluminum powerbook, relying exclusively on the trackpad for long periods of time. But simple click and drag maneuvers can usually be accomplished with the palm of the hand comfortably resting on the computer surface. Two-finger scrolling, which you mention in your article, is the only gesture that requires the hand to be lifted. This lifting motion, unfortunately, has a tendency to be accompanied by a raising of the shoulder, which in turns creates tension in the neck, arm, shoulder and upper back. In other words, even existing latops are ergonomic disasters waiting to happen unless sensible work habits are adopted. My concern is that the situation will be immeasurably worse if millions of computer users start hunching their shoulders as they perform the latest must-have gestures on their marvelous multitouch trackpads.

Either way, I suppose the bottom line is that Apple appears to have the makings of another huge hit on its hands.