People always think in extremes. OS-es in general have only evolved to become better and more user oriented. I would not like to see OS X crippled either, but what makes you think Apple will do that? If I remember correctly the patent stated that when the user tilts the screen a touch enabled skin is activated to enable more touch oriented user input. In the normal orientation you would have the full OS.
Because Apple has been showing an increasing trend to move away from true professionals towards mainstream consumers. Apple's own comments on turning FCP from a true balls-to-the-wall professional application to a 'prosumer' application is a big sign. Open up the MBP forums and everyone complains how Apple no longer caters to professionals and keeps alienating professionals for mainstream consumers, etc. I think the patent above is the first step in a transition phase to move entirely away from OS X; sure they can't just dump OS X overnight, but they would begin a drawn out migration to iOS--the patent above is a gateway product, so-to-speak. I don't think it's the end result of what Apple envisions for the next 20 years or so.
And still. What IF Apple would replace OS X with an even more sleek and user oriented iOS iteration? I´m sure a vast majority of users would love that (and I know most users here would hate it but again, the people here are not the default or run of the mill MAC user.. ).
Again it just comes down to why keep reinventing the wheel?
It might be retarded from your point of view, but have you ever considered that maybe there are people that have a view or wishes that are different than yours?
You can bet that Apple will not do this if the majority of the people think this is retarded. Apple DOES do market research. Tough for you I guess that you appear not to be Apple´s target market...
Likewise, my opinion may differ from those of others'. Not everyone's gonna bow down to anything Steve Jobs tells them they need or want. Their market research surely should take that into account as well.
I had some issues with the early remotes...as in they didn't react well to sweat. But they've let me exchange them for new ones, which are much improved.
Personally, I find the controls on the earphones more accessible than even a clickwheel. I don't have to dig in my pocket to even mess with the iPod.
Same with the sweat issue, I've given up on using it to work out. I want to love the remote, I really do, but so often it fails to register clicks, then I have to ultimately take the iPod out and see where exactly I am compared to where I wanted to be.
You really need to get some.
Was this really worth hitting reply?
Uh, you are aware that touchscreens are actually BETTER at some tasks than a keyboard / mouse combo right? Either from a functional perspective (quick example: digital mixing desk) or from an entertainment one. The second one is hard to describe but browsing on the iPad is a good example, technically it's no 'easier' than keyboard / mouse but when you're actually using it it feels so much better somehow, primarily because you've removed that abstraction layer.
I'm not even going to bother addressing your second point except to say this: People who think that computers are 'easy' don't live in the real world. Yes, if you understand them and are interested enough to learn how they work then they're simple as hell but the vast majority of people treat them as the commodity item they have become and we (the IT community as a whole) need to start realising that the next great push in computer development is going to come from, uh, let's call it 'consumer computing' as opposed to the business computing model that's supported the industry up to now.
Don't get me wrong I understand the idea of an extra layer (keyboard/mouse), and doing without it, but I just don't see that it really is much of a step forward. Look how far we've gotten without touchscreens; virtually nothing today has been possible strictly due to the advent of touchscreens. IMO, if you are big enough to need to do some serious mixing, you probably already have a dedicated niche product that blows anything out of the water that Apple could provide in a multi-purpose consumer product--much the same as those photographers who run off multi-thousand dollar color correct Eizos rather than going into the MBP forum and complaining that the glossy screen isn't good enough for professional photography.
I don't know, I just really, really don't care for touchscreens (been there done that with an iPhone and an iPod so I'm no stranger to them), and those aside I don't like the whole direction Apple is going with the whole iOS proliferation and how it almost certainly will encroach heavily on OS X until we have a blend of OS X and iOS.
