Stupid Windows Tricks

Take a few minutes and watch this video of a demonstration of Windows 7 multi-touch technology. At first glance you may be thinking, that’s some spiffy new technology. I’m going to run down a whole list of reasons why this is going to flop.

Screen dirt

I can’t speak for everyone on this concern, but it is a big one for me. I can’t stand a dirty monitor. If there are fingerprints, smudges or smears which get in the way of my work, it simply pisses me off. At the resolution I run displays, even a tiny drop of pop spit up by carbonation of a nearby drink is noticeable. Now you want me to smear my fingers all over the screen on purpose? No thanks.

Tired arms

With your monitor in the traditional position of straight ahead of you and up at eye level, arm fatigue is going to set in very, very quickly. Don’t believe me? Try it now. Pretend you’re working with this interface on your monitor for a few minutes and see if your arms don’t start to tire. This means you either have to suffer through the arm fatigue and take more breaks from your work, or move the monitor into a non-tradition position of flat on the desk in front of you. Now try working in collaboration with someone else on a problem with the screen flat down on the desk.

Fat fingers produce little detail

Pointing with a mouse or trackball is as precise as the cursor. Pointing with our fingers works to a certain extent, but how often do we pick up a pen or other smaller diameter object to point with, even for a large screen presentation? Trying to run CAD or photo manipulation software with your fingers is going to simply suck. How about just spreadsheet work? Do you want to be pushing around on a spreadsheet, trying to narrow it down to the correct cell?

Blocked vision

Speaking of tired arms and fingers, what about the fact that your hand is in the way? Does anyone want to be editing a photo or laying out a spreadsheet with your hands blocking the view of your work? Try to imagine touching up a photo, where you’re trying to clone another portion or work at blending a scratch or other damage, where your hand is blocking your view.

Screen longevity

Touch interfaces take their toll on screens. I have a HP PocketPC, which after three years is already scratched and slightly worn in spots (such as the close button, which is always in the same place) in spite of my rather careful attitude toward keeping the screen intact. How many users are going to want to buy a new monitor every two to three years, because you’ve scratched up the one you’ve been using with your fingernails, or the touch membrane is wearing out and becoming less responsive? How many women with long nails are going to want to cut them short because their monitor at work uses capacitive connectivity rather than pressure?

Touch screens have their place, and they’ve been around a long, long time now (1971) - but never caught on for mainstream applications. Why? Because it is a senseless waste of effort for most tasks. Leave it to Microsoft to try to redo an otherwise limited vertical market of Point of Sale systems, pocket devices and industrial interfaces to a general PC interface. They just couldn’t take the clue that the reason this hasn’t taken off in the mainstream over the last 37 years is that there simply isn’t a need for it.

A whole lot of “gee-wiz” and not a damned bit of common sense in this one.