Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Planning 22-Inch Touchscreen iMac for Later This Year?

lightpeak said:
Come up w/ your own ideas, Apple, and stop stealing others. lol ;):p

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/touchsmart/

Just keeping the "Praise Apple" fanboys here humble. I wonder how they'd feel if HP sued Apple over this? Oh, wait... I know! :D

Now getting serious: Won't work. People are use to having their iMacs a good foot away from them at the far back end of the desk. Imagine how tired your arms would get having to stretch. Imagine how tired your eyes would get to have your iMac a few inches away from your face... besides awkward looking.
Click to expand...

The TouchSmart doesn't work. It's inaccurate and has the computer crippling Windows OS.

Also: Everyone should stop assuming it will be touch only. You know it will have a keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen which would BE AWESOME for graphics design and manipulating of a lot of information. There are times I wish I could do things with my hands on my current iMac, much in the way I've been doing things on my iPhone.
 
lightpeak said:
Come up w/ your own ideas, Apple, and stop stealing others. lol ;):p

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/touchsmart/

Just keeping the "Praise Apple" fanboys here humble. I wonder how they'd feel if HP sued Apple over this? Oh, wait... I know! :D
Click to expand...

I know, funny how the article said it was a way for Apple to differentiate itself, when others have already done it. Kids love it, cuz they can draw right on the screen with their fingers!


macduke said:
HP's process: let's add a touchscreen to our all-in-one iMac ripoff!
Click to expand...
Apple's process: how can we fundamentally change how people interact with their computer, while making it easier, intuitive, and less time consuming?

Apple real process: How can we copy others and make it better

applezwei said:
he TouchSmart doesn't work. It's inaccurate and has the computer crippling Windows OS.
Click to expand...
I don't know if it was hp or another, but I tried it at Costco (and so did my son) and it seemed accurate enough!
 
Discussion here

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
macrumorsMaster said:
I know, funny how the article said it was a way for Apple to differentiate itself, when others have already done it. Kids love it, cuz they can draw right on the screen with their fingers!
Click to expand...

Again, you shouldn't take the TouchSmart seriously. It fails at doing anything touch-wise, and it doesn't have multitouch like this iMac *might* have.
 
I see this as a positive step. It's not like this will be a machine that only accepts Touch Input. It will most likely be like any iMac, with Touch Capabilities that you choose to implement.

I think this might actually be quite successful if Apple nails the implementation, and the price point is no different. :apple:
 
*LTD* said:
This doesn't sound like a good idea.
Click to expand...

...omg. LTD said something done by Apple wasn't a good idea??? Account must have been hijacked.

Anyway re: the smudging issue... seems like a golden opportunity to incorporate some of the advances made in materials science over the past couple years. For example, there's an interesting article in the Times about plastic coatings that resist grime buildup.
 
Even if it did have a swivel stand to bring it closer to the user (and angle up towards you so you can rest your hands on it) if you wanted to use a keyboard for entry one would have to swing it out of the way.

Would you really want to

1. Swivel toward you to use touch interface on screen
2. Swivel away, pull keyboard closer to input long data/forms
3. Push keyboard away and swivel screen back down towards you
4. Rinse Repeat?
 
macrumorsMaster said:
Apple's process: how can we fundamentally change how people interact with their computer, while making it easier, intuitive, and less time consuming?
Click to expand...
You mean like removing the *cut* feature from Finder, sorting everything alphabetically (mixing folders and files), giving you no "minimize all applications and their windows" :D

Seriously though, apple gets a lot more right than wrong and I think your comment about copying from others is somewhat off the mark. Yes, Apple looks at how it can make other ideas work better, but it does come up with original work too.

Like others here have said, you might find some utility with this if you lay the imac at an angle like the consols on Star Trek. I'd be interesting in giving it a try. But I really hate the idea of smudges and don't relish the idea of wearing a glove to keep things clean.
 
AidenShaw said:
Think POS terminals and kiosk apps for a good fit.
Click to expand...

Oh, like the screen of every drive-up ATM on every street corner in America? Nothing innovative here. I think the camera and/or screen itself sensing subtle gestures in the air is where Apple will push the envelope.

Try it now...I've got my wrists resting on the bottom of my laptop as I type, instead of moving my right wrist down to the trackpad to scroll the screen, I just flick my finger in the air. Wave of two hands outward could invoke Expose to clear windows off the screen. Just thought of those 2 while sitting here. I'm sure Apple's engineers could come up with a whole suite of useful and intuitive gestures that reduces repetitive movements and enhances on screen interaction.

While other manufacturers are playing iPhone catch-up by duct-taping "touch" onto their existing offerings, Apple could leap ahead by adding "no touch" gesturing, which is much more ergonomic and "clean" for a large upright device that you can't wipe off on your sleeve.
 
AidenShaw said:
Think POS terminals and kiosk apps for a good fit.
Click to expand...

Wow! Someone else on this thread that can actually think outside of their small insignificant little individual world.

There are many uses for touchscreen computers. They just may not be ideal for surfing the web, updating facebook, syncing an iPod and posting comments on MR.
 
lightpeak said:
The words of a true fanboy. Nothing of value ever exists until it's done by Apple.
Click to expand...

Then show us the non-Apple touchscreen Windows PCs that have revolutionised the industry. That's right, you can't, because they suck. Apple do it better than the rest of the industry - get over it.
 
I was contracted to make a website for a local firm selling touchscreen computers, I was even given a touchscreen monitor as a gift. Honestly they're not great. As a point of sale computer or whatever they're great. But I couldn't work on one.
Laptops could be better, since you're a lot closer to the display. Just cant see this working as a desktop computer. Though if anyone can get it working its Apple.
 
*LTD* said:
Which view is that in iPhoto? Or is it a fullscreen Coverflow variation in the Finder window?
Click to expand...

I'm not certain, but I'd guess it's a full screen view from Aperture 2. I don't have it though, so that's just a guess.
 
VenusianSky said:
There are many uses for touchscreen computers. They just may not be ideal for surfing the web, updating facebook, syncing an iPod and posting comments on MR.
Click to expand...

In other words, "95% of the average Mac users' computer activity."

knightlie said:
Then show us the non-Apple touchscreen Windows PCs that have revolutionised the industry. That's right, you can't, because they suck. Apple do it better than the rest of the industry - get over it.
Click to expand...

Touchscreens haven't taken off because they suck, and because the mouse/keyboard interface is much more efficient than waving your arms all over the place like a fool.
 
macrumorsMaster said:
Apple real process: How can we copy others and make it better
Click to expand...

Can you provide a list of things Apple has copied in the way you describe? Didn't think so.


I don't know if it was hp or another, but I tried it at Costco (and so did my son) and it seemed accurate enough!
Click to expand...

Just because you can operate Windows Paint with it doesn't mean it's accurate enough for general use.
 
miles01110 said:
In other words, "95% of the average Mac users' computer activity."
Click to expand...

I love how you know what all Mac users are doing with their computers. 95% of the average Windoze user's usage is probably doing the same thing. See how stupid it sounds?

Touchscreens haven't taken off because they suck, and because the mouse/keyboard interface is much more efficient than waving your arms all over the place like a fool.
Click to expand...

Exactly. and that's why Apple will do it differently in order to make sure it does work, unlike Stevie Ballmer and his photo-frame PC, with controls too small for the human finger to operate.
 
re: HP TouchSmart desktops

Exactly... I *own* a 22" TouchSmart, so I'm well aware of how they get used. Everyone who sees it has an initial "Oooh! Wow! You can touch the screen to do things!" reaction, and thinks it's really cool to play with for about 30 seconds.

After that? It doesn't get used again. They go back to the keyboard and mouse combo for everything.

Even HP themselves seem to acknowledge this fact. Their sales literature often suggests the HP TouchSmart as sort of a "lifestyle computer" you could put out in a main room of your house (or even hang on the wall someplace), so people wanting to check the weather, latest news headlines, or just change a background photo real quickly could casually swipe it with their fingers to do it, as they passed by.

Problem with that idea is, not many people will really buy one to use it in that manner. It's the same issue Gateway had years ago, when they pushed the idea of some of their PCs being used in the family room/living room as a shared machine for the whole family. It takes the *personal* out of personal computing, and people don't generally go for it. Plus, the way most of us use computers, we need an environment that encourages sitting at it and concentrating on it for relatively long periods of time. That's not usually compatible with a setup out in the middle of a high-traffic area of a house or apartment, where people expect it to be available at any time to just "walk by and swipe its screen for a quick update".


dXTC said:
I've played around with some of the HP TouchSmart desktops, and came to the conclusion that a touchscreen desktop is little more than a gimmick as the concept now stands.

Pros: viewing photos becomes very intuitive (especially rotate/zoom) and kids love the hands-on feel.

Cons: I'm not too keen on holding my hands up to the screen for too long, especially for text entry; it wasn't very ergonomic. (As Lesser Evets has mentioned, there would have to be a design shift to touch-friendly levels-- which means eliminating the "iMac chin".) Precision work like Photoshop and sniping in FPS games seem better suited for off-screen controllers. And of course, keeping the screen clean would be a chore.

Maybe Apple can come up with a "killer app" for large-scale touchscreen. Who knows? Maybe one day, we'll all be like the weather reporters on CNN. :)

EDIT: To Ed91: LMAO! :D
Click to expand...
 
The most important aspect of using a keyboard is the tactile feedback you get when typing. You can easily figure out where your fingers are on a keyboard without looking at it - you can even tell where your fingers are in relation to a specific key.

This doesn't work on a touchscreen.

Take a moment, and try typing on your flat desk. It actually starts to hurt your fingers after awhile.

A touchscreen - whether it's a tablet or a large display - is not viable to use as a full replacement for a keyboard and a mouse.

That being said, Apple employs people far smarter than me. If anyone can figure out a non-gimmiky and functional use for a touchscreen, I think it would be Apple.
 
kingtj said:
Even HP themselves seem to acknowledge this fact. Their sales literature often suggests the HP TouchSmart as sort of a "lifestyle computer" you could put out in a main room of your house (or even hang on the wall someplace), so people wanting to check the weather, latest news headlines, or just change a background photo real quickly could casually swipe it with their fingers to do it, as they passed by.
Click to expand...

Building on that ... I use my iMac 21.5" already for some of that: I hit my dashboard key (F4) and lo, I see the weather widget and even the latest radar loop. I don't bother checking headlines till I get into work (don't wanna wet the appetite). Changing a background photo? Wonder if there is an app, er, widget for that. i.e., there isn't much that touch has to offer ... yet. :D We'll see if Apple can come up with something interesting.
 
blybug said:
Yes. This would be Apple's way of doing things...even to the point of having all the gestures be sensed by the camera or the screen itself within a certain range. Perhaps this is where that patent for the "camera" built into the pixels of the screen itself comes into play. Eliminates the smudgy screen problem which Steve wouldn't stand for (me neither!), and introduces a whole new level of cool.
Click to expand...

Yeah, cool until you have an itchy nose.

The only advantage I can see to a touch screen is to avoid getting hot wings sauce on your keyboard.;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back