iMac TouchScreen Arrives

AmbitiousLemon · Mar 29, 2002

from this article from Insanely great mac. we are told that

Troll Touch, a manufacturer of unique and specialized touch screen systems for more than a decade has announced the immediate availability of it's latest custom touch screen solution, the TouchStar2 System for the LCD iMac. Consisting of an internally integrated non-breakable, analog resistive touch screen overlay and high resolution 12-bit USB controller, the product adds touch capability to Apple's most innovative desktop computer to date, making it the perfect interactive display, countertop or pedestal mounted kiosk, POS terminal or communication device for those individuals with verbal

i never knew this kind of thing was available. kinda cool, though i wonder how expensive it is.

and for those worried that it will ruin the look of the iMac

"Our engineers worked very hard to design a touch interface which does not detract from the stunning good looks of the new iMac", said Troll Touch president, Nick Durso. "By internally integrating all of the touch system components the form factor has not been compromised. And, the addition of our non-breakable touch screen overlay provides a layer of protection between the user and the LCD display."

Beej · Mar 29, 2002

Hmmm, you'd want to be "light fingered", otherwise you'll be pushing that screen all over the place...

mymemory · Mar 29, 2002

I have seen that in the old iMac, you will never tell and almost no one know that exist.

Would be nice to have that feature connected to a very noisy alarm but for those people who likes to touch my monitor, can you imagine! Something that at the touch yell "**** damn it why don't you touch your parts?" at 140 decibels.

AmbitiousLemon · Mar 29, 2002

http://www.trolltouch.com/

Mr. Anderson · Mar 29, 2002

Any one get the price of these things?

How usefull would it be for the average user? I think as a kiosk it might work, but the wear and tear on the lcd support might get too much.

AmbitiousLemon · Mar 29, 2002

Originally posted by dukestreet
Any one get the price of these things?

How usefull would it be for the average user? I think as a kiosk it might work, but the wear and tear on the lcd support might get too much.

And, the addition of our non-breakable touch screen overlay provides a layer of protection between the user and the LCD display.

they dont quote prices on their website, they want you to call. for the old imacs the cost is $599+ the cost of the imac. i dont think they will sell you just the touch screen, you have to either send your computer to them to get it installed or you have to buy the hold thing from them (imac and touch screen). if anyone calls them id love to hear what they find out.

Mr. Anderson · Mar 29, 2002

Originally posted by AmbitiousLemon

they dont quote prices on their website, they want you to call. for the old imacs the cost is $599+ the cost of the imac. i dont think they will sell you just the touch screen, you have to either send your computer to them to get it installed or you have to buy the hold thing from them (imac and touch screen). if anyone calls them id love to hear what they find out.

Then it seems you get stuck with what you can order from then and by adding the touch screen I wonder how that effects the Apple warrenty? I'll stick with my mouse and tablet for now.

samy85114 · Mar 29, 2002

I'm not trusting that.. Steve jobs just said at MWSF, his comapny will no longer use cathodic screen. If they really want to introduce a touching screen, they'll have to use lcd screen, which is a fragile device and could be easily broken...

... And why would you want to use that kind of device??? .... I still love my mouse and keyboard!

AmbitiousLemon · Mar 29, 2002

Originally posted by samy85114
I'm not trusting that.. Steve jobs just said at MWSF, his comapny will no longer use cathodic screen. If they really want to introduce a touching screen, they'll have to use lcd screen, which is a fragile device and could be easily broken...

... And why would you want to use that kind of device??? .... I still love my mouse and keyboard!

what are you talking about? this isnt an imaginary thing. this company has been producing touch screens for macs for years. you can go to their website now and buy one for any apple display lcd or crt. and if you are wondering about durability or uses then again it sounds like you havent visited the website because this is addressed in detail.

id love to see apple offer this as bto from their website. apple could just ship the completed product to Troll and have troll make the mod then send it to the buyer. that would be very cool and would advertise the whole thing a lot more.

Mr. Anderson · Mar 29, 2002

Originally posted by AmbitiousLemon
id love to see apple offer this as bto from their website. apple could just ship the completed product to Troll and have troll make the mod then send it to the buyer. that would be very cool and would advertise the whole thing a lot more.

That would be a much better method, and there wouldn't be a warrenty issue. If it becomes something that more people want to use, I could see Apple getting interested in it. But its more of a small niche market. Honestly, what would you use it for? If I had one at home, maybe, just maybe, but it in the kitchen and use it for recipes and internet access, foregoing the keyboard/mouse. But as a day to day working machine, the keyboard and mouse will be with us for a while.

Nice avatar, lemon. A bunch of people over at cgtalk.com have animated logos, with a little more subtle animation. I'd do a transparent bg, make it look a little cleaner.

AmbitiousLemon · Mar 29, 2002

Originally posted by dukestreet

That would be a much better method, and there wouldn't be a warrenty issue. If it becomes something that more people want to use, I could see Apple getting interested in it. But its more of a small niche market. Honestly, what would you use it for? If I had one at home, maybe, just maybe, but it in the kitchen and use it for recipes and internet access, foregoing the keyboard/mouse. But as a day to day working machine, the keyboard and mouse will be with us for a while.

i think its a small niche market because it is virtually unknown. i think a lot of people would get it if they could use apple's bto. also currently there is no warranty issue, Troll is authorzied to make these mods.

Originally posted by dukestreet

Nice avatar, lemon. A bunch of people over at cgtalk.com have animated logos, with a little more subtle animation. I'd do a transparent bg, make it look a little cleaner.

thanks how does one edit an animated gif (to make the white transparent and what not?)

Mr. Anderson · Mar 29, 2002

How did you generate the lemon chicken?

You can use some shareware, gifbuilder. You can find it on macdownload.com

Pretty simple stuff, a little playing around and you should be able to get it. There is a transparency setting in one of the fields, just toggle it to white as the transparent color and resave the gif.

Good luck.

King Cobra · Mar 29, 2002

I know that the LCD Touch Screen is a really neat idea, but I see a few issues:
(1) There are supposibly two layers of LC for the display, raising the price by a little.
(2) Because so many fingers will be on the screen, cleaning will become often in order to prevent dust and stain buildup.
(3) Even if you could afford it, the touch screen would not serve in all purposes. Since I use lots of graphics programs (Appleworks, Photoshop, Strata 3D Base 3.5) I need to have precise control and pinpoint accuracy. And unless you can iron your finger from being in the shape of a nub you will still have to use the mouse.

However, I do see the touch screen as a time saver. When not in graphics mode you could actually process commands and menus MUCH faster, since you control your hand, not the mouse.

I cannot wait until I get to 500. I want a motion-avitar!
_________________

I have a hat with my name on it!

mischief · Mar 29, 2002

Ick! Photoshop with a MOUSE?!?!?

Personally I prefer a TABLET like an intuos over a (yuck) mouse. In that light a touchscreen works just fine. Point and tap for finder functions, Intuos for fine control. Add an Evolution split-ergo keyboard and yer set.

cb911 · Mar 29, 2002

sounds interesting. that could make the iMac alot more versatile.

dragonay · Mar 29, 2002

Price list

I emailed them and they sent me a full price list and here it is:

TouchStar2 iMac
iMac (LCD/CD-RW) $2099.00
iMac (LCD/Combo D) 2299.00
iMac (LCD/Super D) 2599.00

TouchStar iMac (Original Config)

Indigo (500 MHz) $1398.00
Snow (600 MHz) 1598.00
Graphite (600 MHz) 1598.00

TouchStar Component Packs (Apple specific / Troll factory installed)

iMac (CRT models) $599.00
iMac (LCD models) 699.00
iBook (12.1 inch models) 599.00
iBook (14.1 inch models) 699.00
Cinema 22 999.00

Apple Specialty Touch Screen Systems (USB Only)

TouchStar Studio 17 (TS only) $695.00
TouchStar Studio 15 (TS only) $495.00
iBase for Apple iBook 12.1 $89.00
iBase for Apple iBook 14.1 $99.00

There ya go, might help ya think about it.

-Josh

dragonay · Mar 29, 2002

Price list

Oh, if ya want it here is the file they sent me with ALL thies prices

sjs · Mar 29, 2002

Wouldn't a mouse pad accomplish almost exactly the same thing as a touchscreen, plus your hand could remain at the keyboard and not have to be continuously lifted to the screen and returned to the keyboard? And cost about 1/10th?

Mr. Anderson · Mar 30, 2002

Originally posted by sjs
Wouldn't a mouse pad accomplish almost exactly the same thing as a touchscreen, plus your hand could remain at the keyboard and not have to be continuously lifted to the screen and returned to the keyboard? And cost about 1/10th?

There are many ways to input data, this is just another version. Like I mentioned before, it wouldn't be all that practical for the average user, but imagine it as a kiosk, museum information system, etc. You could even browse the web, ever been on those exercise bikes that have internet connections? Its all touch screen.

iMac TouchScreen Arrives

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