What would buyers do if Apple went down the Microsoft route?

[Lankyman]

As per subject line. What would buyers do if Apple's next iteration of the iMac took it down the Microsoft Windows 8 route, i.e. touch.

I have very recently had the opportunity to use a relatives touch screen AIO with Windows 8. Speaking personally I didn't find it a good experience. Using touch on a monitor is tiring, awkward and not user friendly. Add to that a lovely IPS screen covered in greasy finger marks argh!

Why Balmer thinks that people want their monitor covered in greasy paw prints is simply beyond me and something I would never contemplate on my iMac.

If Apple were to take their desktops down that path then believe me I would be buying their outgoing model the day the new one was announced.

What do other users think, or have you had experience of Windows 8 touch?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Touch is sure handy on tablet & convertible form factor, I wouldn't be opposed to it on future MacBooks. I agree that I can't see a benefit to it on a desktop, my sister in law has an HP touchscreen computer that seems very awkward to me for most purposes.

Maybe there's a way to make touch useful, I wouldn't put it past Apple... but it's a paradigm shift and would not work well with current apps and OS design.

 

[charlituna]

As per subject line. What would buyers do if Apple's next iteration of the iMac took it down the Microsoft Windows 8 route, i.e. touch.
?

If it was an option and not the standard I wouldn't care. I'll stick to my trackpad etc

 

[fa8362]

Why think about something that won't happen? Jobs said no. He's gone now, but there's no reason to think Apple wants touch on desktops or laptops.

 

[Lankyman]

Why think about something that won't happen? Jobs said no. He's gone now, but there's no reason to think Apple wants touch on desktops or laptops.

Well given your confidence or ability to read the future, how about next weeks lottery numbers?

For the Desktop market I sincerely hope you are right.

 

[kpgh554]

Leave touch screens for the smart phones and pads who wants to stretch across their desks to use on normal comp apart from the win 8 geeks

 

[Fatboy71]

Touch screens are all well and good on tablets, smartphones, but try doing something that requires a bit of fine control and the mouse can't be beaten in my opinion.

 

[iSayuSay]

Why think about something that won't happen? Jobs said no. He's gone now, but there's no reason to think Apple wants touch on desktops or laptops.

Just like when Jobs said no to anything [less than 10" display on an iPad or more than 3.5" on an iPhone], right?

Just like you said .. he's gone now.

 

[Fifteen20s]

Who said you actually had to use the touch screen function?


Myself I am weird with my screen. To the point I have a Swiffer duster in my desk drawer that is to only be used on my iMac / MBA screens .. nothing else.



If the iMac's went touch screen I would still buy but never ever use it.

 

[Pakaku]

Well, eventually there may be a point where the iPad line replaces the Macbook line...

I could only imagine a touch-screen iMac working the way a Cintiq does, where it can swivel down almost parallel to the table surface. Keyboard almost always gets in the way, though.

 

[firedept]

I use a touch screen at work. It is my control center for a large printing press. Of course it is a PC. I hate it as I am cleaning it many time over the course of the day. I am also constantly having to clean my hands all day long to try and minimize the transfer of finger prints to it. What makes it worse is that it is under 5000 kelvin color corrected lights. It is not a pleasant thing to work with.

As you can tell, I am not a fan. It is also very slow to respond. I am so use to using an iMac that is almost immediate response to what I ask of it. I am not sure what I would do. I would definitely have to look into my alternatives.

 

[iF34R]

If they did an iMac os like that of a touch screen, I wouldn't buy it at all.

 

[Carl Sagan]

Why think about something that won't happen? Jobs said no. He's gone now, but there's no reason to think Apple wants touch on desktops or laptops.

Going by their design ethos it won't happen because it's not a very good user experience.

 

[Lankyman]

Going by their design ethos it won't happen because it's not a very good user experience.

It isn't a good experience, yet despite all the criticism of W8 MS are only paying scant lip service to it in their forthcoming 8.1 update. In fact Ballmer has been quoted as saying the public will accept touch eventually. Please let's hope Apple take a different view.

 

[ValSalva]

It isn't a good experience, yet despite all the criticism of W8 MS are only paying scant lip service to it in their forthcoming 8.1 update. In fact Balmer has been quoted as saying the public will accept touch eventually. Please let's hope Apple take a different view.

Ballmer I don't know which tech luminary is able to tap into the future like Steve Jobs used to but I do know that it's not Steve Ballmer.

Touch works on PC's that could otherwise actually be tablets such as cash registers. People get RSI using mice. Can you imagine the injuries from having to reach out and touch an iMac display?

 

[Lankyman]

Touching my iMac's screen is a capital offence in our household.

 

[maxosx]

Going by their design ethos it won't happen because it's not a very good user experience.

I agree.

However what concerns me is the way Apple is slowly drifting away from it's once world class consistency, focus on the customer as well as the product.

Deeply addicted to massive profits above all, hungrier than ever for more power, Apple is now a very different company.