The post Touchscreens: A Curse or a Blessing? appeared first on MoTech Radio.
I just bought a new laptop. I managed to get an affordable touchscreen laptop, making Windows 8 usable. But the more I use it, the more I realize that the touchscreen really isn’t all that beneficial. I like being able to zoom in on a screen and to scroll down with a flick of my finger. Aside from that, I find it a bit awkward and uncomfortable to actually use. Essentially, I find touchscreen laptops cool, but not necessary better than ordinary laptops. So when I came across the following article, I was intrigued:
How the Touch Screen Became So Out of Touch
The touch screen — interface of the future or gimmicky marketing headache? When the first touch screen interfaces came out (at least in a big consumer kind of way) it was in smartphones. Sure there have been other instances of touch screen interfaces (ATM machines, TV remotes, etc.)…
As this article points out, they do seem to have their place. Tablets, for instance are a useful, portable creation that couldn’t exist without a touchscreen. However, an article in PC Magazine raises an interesting point. The basic argument is that the touchscreen removes just that, a sense of touch, and thus takes away any personal connection with the experience:
“When you press a button on an iPhone, you feel nothing. Every button feels the same: nothing. Every action feels the same: nothing. There’s a certain effortless liberty in that—since the heavy lifting is now all virtual, you feel like you can lift tons. But you’ve just given up at least one of your senses. You can’t dial with your eyes closed any more: the interface is all sight and sound. No touch. A touchless interface.”
Is this a moral issue? Certainly not. But perhaps it is something to consider. The general push seems to be technology progression for the sake of technology progression. But I think we all know that that is not the best option in all situations. Is this one of them? What do you think?
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