Apple Seeds New Version of Mac OS X Lion (11A444d) to Developers

[NebulaClash]

Believe what you will. I have a MBP with gestures and I find some useful and some annoying. I can do fine artwork with a mouse and Photoshop (stylus is even more useful), but I can't do it with a piddly trackpad. I would not want to play 3D shooter games with a trackpad either. In other words, trackpads have their uses and are getting better for some tasks with gestures, but they're not the answer to life, the universe and everything either. Every task has its ideal tool. You don't throw out hand tools because air tools are available. They're unsuited for many tasks (particularly delicate ones).

You gave more details, but that's precisely my point. There will always be some uses for a mouse just as there are some uses for a chain saw. But just as most people won't need a chain saw in their daily lives, there is coming a point when most people won't have a need for a mouse in their daily lives. You want to use one for Photoshop? Keep using it. But most people do not use Photoshop, and that's my point.

We have been forced to use a mouse for *everything*, even when it was the worst option. Now we have direct hand gestures for when it makes sense. And we will have a mouse for when it makes sense for a mouse. My point is that most people will use gestures, while only certain specialized users will employ the mouse. Web surfing, email, media use, reading, many games, all of these things work *better* with gestures. That covers the majority of user's needs right there, and that's my point.

By 2020, mouse usage will be the minority.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

By 2020, mouse usage will be the minority.

I'm hoping by 2020 there's something out better than a trackpad, though.... I don't like them for long term usage (not comfortable, IMO). I'm thinking if Microsoft can do body tracking for XBox, it should be possible to do hand tracking for computers (e.g. put it on the webcam on a notebook. You could then do gestures and such in mid-air (e.g. touchscreen without getting fingerprints all over the screen. You could have templates for joysticks simulations, gun simulations, etc. Imagine just making a 'trigger' finger and playing a shooter game with no stick required.) I'd be thrilled if they could get voice interfaces and speech recognition/comprehension to work accurately so you could just talk to the computer for many things (ala Star Trek). Many things could be vastly improved over time.

 

[PurrBall]

Apparently you've never been to Calgary...

Or Maine.

 

[the Rebel]

Weird, I don't know anyone who owns a truck. But that's irrelevant anyway. You can't really think that there are as many trucks as there are automobiles around.

Actually, during the past 20-30 years, the #1 selling vehicle in the United States has been a pickup truck. Many of those years the #2 or #3 selling vehicle has also been a pickup truck.

Trucks may not be as popular in the cities, but the majority of the car owners in this country do not live in the cities.

 

[the Rebel]

FYI, I just looked up the US Department of Transportation statistics.

Trucks outnumber cars in some states, but cars outnumber trucks in other states. Overall they say that passenger vehicles in the United States are 58% cars and 42% trucks, but the total number of trucks continues to increase whereas the total number of cars has actually decreased slightly.

 

[NebulaClash]

I'm hoping by 2020 there's something out better than a trackpad, though.... I don't like them for long term usage (not comfortable, IMO). I'm thinking if Microsoft can do body tracking for XBox, it should be possible to do hand tracking for computers (e.g. put it on the webcam on a notebook. You could then do gestures and such in mid-air (e.g. touchscreen without getting fingerprints all over the screen. You could have templates for joysticks simulations, gun simulations, etc. Imagine just making a 'trigger' finger and playing a shooter game with no stick required.) I'd be thrilled if they could get voice interfaces and speech recognition/comprehension to work accurately so you could just talk to the computer for many things (ala Star Trek). Many things could be vastly improved over time.

I'm sure they will be improved over time. The way I look at it is the iPod touch of 2011 is amazingly advanced over the original iPod of 2001. So I'm sure the iPad (and track pads) of 2010 will be amazingly advanced over the original iPad (and today's track pads) of 2010.

In 2001, we could not have imagined (other than in SF) what an iPod would look like 10 years later. We got more than just obvious changes such as larger screens, thinner devices and color screens. We got apps and an App Store, and touch screens, and video, and syncing with Mobile Me across all your devices, and the ability to flip video from device to device, and switchover to SSD instead of hard disks, and books, and a port that allows add-on devices such as credit card readers, etc. etc.

When society has a need (touch technology that could be improved), people find ways to improve it. I suspect you will love the touch pads of a decade from now (and probably the mouse technology too!).