Phil Schiller Says Apple Tested and Rejected Touch Screen Macs, Finding It 'Absurd' on a Desktop

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

WTF are you talking about, there are tons of hands on reviews. They are not like Apple, keeping embargo on reviews because they know it will say "bar is gimmick or meh"

Ok, let's take a look at those, shall we?

In the first configuration, we have someone who has to stand-up all day, hovering at a very inconvenient angle. Back-pain city! I know. It's just like my kitchen counters at home, which were designed for a 1950s woman's average height of 5 ft 3 in. instead of a man's height of 6 ft. I have to bend-over at a 10 degree angle to work on stuff on the countertop, and after about 10 minutes, I want to scream! NoThankYouVeryMuch!!!

And as the second video shows, that person has to keep their arms suspended JUST LIKE I WAS SAYING, in a most-unnatural position. Looks good for a short demo; but tell me how your back feels after a few hours of that...

 

[Blaze4G]

If Apple came out with the Microsoft studio, everyone here against touchscreen would be saying something along the lines of:

"This is how a touchscreen should be implemented! Apple did it the right way. It just works unlike the half baked touchscreen windows laptops and desktops."

But because Apple didn't do it...well you know the rest.

Its going to be funny when Apple eventually goes touchscreen on their laptops. Then all the Apple fans will be praising Apple Lol.

 

[fmalloy]

'Course, they called the 4.5" smartphone size a "Hummer" and declared nobody wants a phone that large, and look where we are.

I think Schiller used up all his courage in removing headphone jacks. We'll have to wait until the courage builds back up to get touch-screen Macs.

 

[thasan]

No, it's not.

USB-C is the FUTURE. And the Future is NOW.

You might think that way but not everyone. It will take time for the transition and I wouldn't have complained if it were a year later.

 

[niun]

and your point is...?

Just that.. You said gimmick, how is holding a puck up to a screen a wonderful interface?

I say,

a. You don't hold it up to the screen. You place it on the screen.
b. You don't even need to do that!
c. It's not the only way of interacting with the device. Stylus, Touch, Keyboard and Mouse.
d. Considering it's another item that's not available yet, time will tell on the use of said interface. Same as the touch bar.

 

[manhattanboy]

Well, let's talk about that...

EVERY single comment I've seen by people who HAVE a Touchscreen laptop, says that Touchscreen is a GIMMICK that pretty much NEVER GETS USED, and even people who have used stuff like a Wacom Cintiq say that back-pain and Gorilla Arm are DEFINITELY a "real thing".

So, how's THAT for getting-past those "preconceived notions"?

Yes, realize that the plural of Anecdote is not Data; but I don't believe in all the various forums I have seen this same line of reasoning, that I have seen ONE commenter that says "I don't know what I'd do without the Touchscreen on my <x>. I use it ALL the time!"

I use the touchscreen on the surface book ALL the time! Mainly because the track pad sucks for push and drag events. So there you have it. One forum commentator meeting your standard

 

[brianvictor7]

Hmm, you sound like those who initially dismissed the iPad as "just a large iPod Touch".

Lack of vision is the key here. But what Phil says makes sense once you take into account that Apple's visionary is dead and there really is no one left to fill that gap.

Microsoft on the other hand...

I've never dismissed the iPad as a large iPod Touch. It is more capable than that, but it is no desktop/laptop replacement the way Tim Cooke would like us to believe. On the other hand, a Surface Pro makes a decent laptop, but a heavy tablet. No thanks on that.

I'm not convinced that Steve would have had a much better vision than Tim et al. Perhaps they've slowed some given the sloth with which the Mac and iPhone lines have been updated in terms of chassis design. The real difference though is that the competition (Microsoft and Google) have *finally* started to pick up the pace and match Apple at its own game (managing both hardware and software). That's a good thing as it will force Apple to keep from being complacent (or else they'll die out).

 

[Olganech]

I've seen it and it is a gimmick. How is holding a hockey puck to the screen a wonderful interface?

It is an Option that some may want to use. Apple on the other hand are too arrogant to give you the CHOICE.

Do you want to be spoon fed by Apple or feed yourself.

 

[tech4all]

This implies the experience is good on the Microsoft products. It isn't.

That isn't a fact. It's an opinion.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Well I have one and don't find it gimmicky at all. Quite useful in fact.

You'd say that no matter what.

 

[Sedulous]

If Apple came out with the Microsoft studio, everyone here against touchscreen would be saying something along the lines of:

"This is how a touchscreen should be implemented! Apple did it the right way. It just works unlike the half baked touchscreen windows laptops and desktops."

But because Apple didn't do it...well you know the rest.

Its going to be funny when Apple eventually goes touchscreen on their laptops. Then all the Apple fans will be praising Apple Lol.

Maybe fanboys would but a lot of people here see through the gimmicks and are quite vocal about it on these forums.
[doublepost=1479155466][/doublepost]

Just that.. You said gimmick, how is holding a puck up to a screen a wonderful interface?

I say,

a. You don't hold it up to the screen. You place it on the screen.
b. You don't even need to do that!
c. It's not the only way of interacting with the device. Stylus, Touch, Keyboard and Mouse.
d. Considering it's another item that's not available yet, time will tell on the use of said interface. Same as the touch bar.

Oh boy, and all for only 3x the price of an iMac! Now you can juggle a half dozen interfaces!

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

You might think that way but not everyone. It will take time for the transition and I wouldn't have complained if it were a year later.

Apple has very rarely been a "follower", I/O-wise.

 

[Sedulous]

It is an Option that some may want to use. Apple on the other hand are too arrogant to give you the CHOICE.

Do you want to be spoon fed by Apple or feed yourself.

I am not opposed to peripherals. I am opposed to trying to shoehorn interface paradigms where they don't fit.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

I use the touchscreen on the surface book ALL the time! Mainly because the track pad sucks for push and drag events. So there you have it. One forum commentator meeting your standard

But you admit that it is MAINLY BECAUSE THE TRACKPAD SUCKS.

Well, Apple's Trackpads don't suck. And the one on the new MBPs is almost the size of an iPad mini!!!

 

[apolloa]

No. Quit being willfully ignorant.

What I meant was that there weren't any advertisements for the Surface Studio because they don't want to SHOW people using it with their arms hovering in mid-air to avoid false-touches.

?????????????

I literally am clueless about what your argument is? This is an advert made for Microsoft for the Microsoft Studio showing people using it, which you just said doesn't exist?
You VERY CLEARLY are not the target audience for the Studio yet feel fully qualified to argue against it, just to agree with and defend an Apple executives blatant sales and marketing talk.

 

[blackcrayon]

Yeh, right.....how do you use the touch bar when you using an external monitor ? I use my Macbook Pro 13 shut, with external keyboard, mouse and monitor. Sometimes, I open it up to add the screen.

As it is now, one would have to have the Macbook opened in order to use the touch bar, while looking sideways at the monitor. I guess there might be an external keayboard offered later with the touch bar, but a wireless version will go through batteries quickly, due to the power consumption of the touch bar.

That's an argument against lots of things, then. Like the best in the industry trackpad. If you insist on using a MacBook, or any laptop, with the lid closed, then yeah, you lose all of the features the manufacturer put inside of the case, including a touch screen on a laptop so equipped. So what? You choose to use it that way. I choose to use my laptops with the lid open, use their nice multitouch trackpads, use the nice keyboards, and I would use the Touch Bar if I had it. If I had an external monitor i would use that AND the MacBook's screen. Why would I want to sacrifice an entire extra hi res (if small) monitor for my work?

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

What's funny about that is that you've just said Apple should think inside that box.

Apple is not a company that throws stuff at the wall to see what sticks - Microsoft isn't completely, but definitely do release a LOT of things that they should have left on the cutting room floor.

You mean like "The Interface Formerly Known As Metro?"
[doublepost=1479156192][/doublepost]

To say Schiller is just a "marketing person" shows you have no clue who he actually is.

Exactly.

Although most of his experience is in Marketing, he is a degreed Biologist and an experienced Systems Analyst and Programmer as well:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Schiller

 

[doctor-don]

Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.

Which is why you just need to move the screen so that it is more accessible like Microsoft did.

Now THAT would be absurd with a large screen!

 

[Sedulous]

?????????????

I literally am clueless about what your argument is? This is an advert made for Microsoft for the Microsoft Studio showing people using it, which you just said doesn't exist?
You VERY CLEARLY are not the target audience for the Studio yet feel fully qualified to argue against it, just to agree with and defend an Apple executives blatant sales and marketing talk.

Honestly, you cannot tell me that looks more productive. Constantly adjusting the display positioning, moving the keyboard, hockey puck, and mouse out of the way just so a user, working on a desktop at a desk can fiddle on the screen with a finger... it looks neat but it isn't in practice.

 

[Kiwikat88]

Just got a Surface pro 4 and I love it.
Touch and pen input don't work in every situation. Keyboard and touch pad don't either. But the device
is light and small and you can easily change positions whenever you want. The display is superb and the pen input works very well.

Yes, maybe the iPad pro does have a somewhat nicer pen. But the problem with the iPad pro is iOS.
The killer app for the Surface pro is Photoshop. Real Photoshop, not some mobile "remove red eye/crop/apply preset filter app".

Au contraire... the problem with the Surface Pro 4 is Windows 10. It is a pain to navigate with touch controls. The touch keyboard is awful compared to any of the mobile OS solutions. There is a noticeable lack of multitouch functionality when coming from an iOS device or a Mac trackpad. You basically have to use the keyboard with it to get any real™ work done. With the keyboard attached, it loses most of the points it had for portability or novelty. You have to use it on a decent-sized flat surface (keyboard gets flaky if it is bent). The device also runs quite warm (and loud with the fan constantly running), and doesn't have the graphical power of a proper laptop like the Surfacebook or MBP. The battery life is about a third to half of what the previously mentioned devices get.

That being said, it is a nice bit of hardware. It is a generally good ultrabook replacement/alternative assuming you don't need a lot of battery life. The screen is beautiful and the pen is pretty darn good. The keyboard has great feel and travel, and the trackpad is nice albeit small. I still don't feel like the functionality is quite there yet. Power consumption and heat are still too high with the ultrabook CPUs, and Windows is nowhere near as friendly as it needs to be. I think it is more likely that we will see better software become available for iOS (Such as the Affinity programs) before we'll see hardware and OS become ideal for said form factor. Currently the iPad Pro is a far superior tablet and the Macbook or Surfacebook are far superior laptops. I would have a hard time recommending the SP4 to anyone unless they absolutely need a "premium" pen-enabled Windows tablet (speaking of niche...).

 

[C-Dubs]

Now that the reviews are out, I'm glad I'm sitting this generation out. This MBP is too far ahead in some respects (I/O), too far behind in others (RAM/SSD standard options, upper end graphics), and too expensive when you add in all the new additions you have to buy to make it work!

I waited patiently for an upgrade but Apple went too far and too pricey. I'll settle for stuff that might be a little older but will work fine and at least has all the support products in place for it. Hopefully in 2017 there will be much better graphics, processors, memory and I/O peripherals for the premium price, because the price is way too much for what's offered. And all those people 'who've been using it' pretty much agree.

 

[amegicfox]

don't be greedy apple, just slap a touch screen on the iMac and MacBook !!!

Tim, Ive and Schiller always impose Apple customers products they want us to use but especially without Steve they have been WRONG a lot !

How about putting a page on Apple web site and asking customers if they would like a touch screen on an iMac and MacBook ?

it's a no brainer. if you don't need it, just don't touch it !

 

[Olganech]

I am not opposed to peripherals. I am opposed to trying to shoehorn interface paradigms where they don't fit.

I do not see any shoehorning with the Windows 10 interface. I use is on everything from a 5.2" phone to my laptop hooked up to a 27" QHD monitor.

I have the choice to use my APPS that scale between the screen sizes and my other applications that are meant for use on a PC connected tka monitor, keyboard and mouse.

That the freedom of choice.

 

[anomie]

whereas a touch bar on a laptop makes perfect sense

it does cause you don´t have to reach over the air. Just try it.

 

[Kroo]

if schiller said it, then 'it must be true'

in the mean time microsoft just released a gorgeous touch screen / pen enabled 28" computer that apple should have released

apple is behaving like when blackberry said customers loved their phones with a physical keyboard

apple will be bankrupt or sold very soon

Yeah, right, and Hilary will be president.......