Submitted by No-Drawing-6975 t3_10a7r6b in technology
Youvebeeneloned t1_j42laa6 wrote
I highly doubt it. They have tested it internally as far back as the original iBook... but reality is touchscreen computers SUCK. The last thing I want to do is leave my fingerprints all over a screen or keep clicking on things in a awkward hand angle. Its why the market for them is nearly non-existant.
simple_mech t1_j42pw6e wrote
I just don’t understand the benefit other than for art stuff.
A1Chaining t1_j430pyu wrote
and with that we have tablets
ssylvan t1_j436j0f wrote
It's for one off tapping. So you're sitting with your hands on the keyboard typing and you need to just click a button or switch to a different app or something. Just a very short one-off click, and it's just much faster to reach up and tap it than it is to move your hand to the track pad (esp awkward in tight spaces like a airplane), figure out where the cursor is and steer it in to the button and click.
The other big benefit is just a quick scroll. You just reach up and flick to scroll a web page or whatever. Scrolling with multi-finger gestures on the trackpad isn't too bad, but only when you have enough space to push the laptop far enough out that your hand isn't cramped/awkward just keeping it near the trackpad at all times. In a small space, the trackpad will likely be right up against your body so it would be super awkward to have your hand there. The natural position of your hands is next to the laptop right where the screen is (elbows in line with your body and where the trackpad is). Perfect for reaching in from the side and doing a quick scroll.
Nobody would use 100% touch screen all times. It's not replacing the trackpad on windows laptops. It's a multi-modal thing where you use the touch screen for ergonomics/convenience every now and then, and trackpad for sustained precision work.
simple_mech t1_j43dq7m wrote
I think the scrolling is a moot point.
How many “one off” clicks does someone do? Like 2-3/day let’s say?
You’re going to put an entire touch screen on a laptop to save like 1,000 seconds a year? Or 16 mins/year. That’s like an hour or two for the lifetime of the laptop; not worth it imo.
Flippinsushi t1_j43qapx wrote
Yes, I literally am. I have been wanting a touchscreen Mac since the second I got an iPad specifically for the one-offs. I don’t need to use it constantly to justify it, I just need the option so there isn’t anything standing between me and whatever I’m doing.
tinasnow-poty t1_j454jxa wrote
I do way more than that. Instead of moving the mouse, you click it instead, that’s like dozens of times a day. It’s one of those things where if you don’t have it, you don’t see the need for it but I personally love it.
I think it’s a great option if you don’t want to/can’t spend on a laptop and a tablet
simple_mech t1_j469tgt wrote
I've had two touchscreen laptops, and I NEVER used them.
You have to remember in that split second to use the touchscreen, which goes against the habit of going right for the touchpad/mouse, so it takes even longer because you have to think about it.
If you built up a new habit, that's a bit different. But how many one-off clicks does that take to build a new habit?
tinasnow-poty t1_j46ehkb wrote
Fair enough! It’s automatic for me, I don’t think I ever had to think about it
ssylvan t1_j4a16pp wrote
2-3/day? Lol no, at least 10x that, if not closer to 100x. Scrolling is not a moot point, it's an extremely common use case of a touch screen on a lap top. I try to scroll my macbook screen all the time because of muscle memory and it's just the most convenient way of doing it.
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This isn't some hypothetical. There already are laptops with touch screens. We know how they work and what the touch screen is used for, and plenty of people simply will not buy a laptop without a touch screen once they got used to it. That's not every single person, perhaps, but there are plenty of us. I have a macbook for work, but I simply wouldn't buy a laptop without a touch screen. It was a very clear "epiphany" for me after using a surface book for a few days. Like, yup, this is just what laptops are for me now, and I'm not going back.
simple_mech t1_j4be9er wrote
Why is scrolling on a screen better than a touchpad.
ssylvan t1_j4c67ke wrote
As I already explained, because it’s easier to reach in cramped spaces like a plane or other small tables or, gasp, your lap. When the laptop is close to you, using the touch pad is awkward where you have to do that t-Rex arm thing to reach it, but the screen is by definition approximately a forearm’s length away due to the geometry of a laptop. So the screen is right where your hands are naturally when your elbows are at your side. It’s also more direct. If you want to scroll two inches, you move it two inches with your finger - with a track pad it’s not 1:1. You can also directly scroll any window, with a track pad you have to click an inactive window first before the scroll gesture gets routed the right way. Touch is fast and intuitive.
simple_mech t1_j4caxw2 wrote
So it’s for cramped spaces? Lol
You’re grasping at straws. Enjoy your touchscreen.
ssylvan t1_j4cdyhf wrote
LAP top. It's literally in the name. This isn't some fringe use case.
simple_mech t1_j4cn8fe wrote
And Mr. Coffee is a man 😂
_Connor t1_j43hdq6 wrote
Yup. I have a nice MacBook as a personal computer. My work laptop is an HP with a touch screen. I've literally never used the touch screen functionality on it.
Fingerprints on the screen also drive me insane.
teddytwelvetoes t1_j42r9ss wrote
>but reality is touchscreen computers SUCK
They're fine. Same with stylus support. Apple just wants MacBook/iPad double-dippers.
>Its why the market for them is nearly non-existant.
What? Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, etc. have had a constant variety of touchscreen laptops from budget to flagship throughout the last decade or so.
brenton07 t1_j42t8p8 wrote
Having a feature be commonplace and demand for that feature are two different things. Most computers sold in the late 90s had zipdisk slots. You know what medium never caught on? Zip disks.
teddytwelvetoes t1_j42ut3f wrote
Mental gymnastics. Touchscreens would've died a half decade ago if this was the case. But as I said, the rest of the industry have had a constant variety of touchscreen laptops at all price points for quite a long time now. They're quite obviously here to stay. And when Apple finally caves and does it in 2030 you lot will act like it's a killer new feature that the ghost of Steve Jobs crafted with his bare hands
Youvebeeneloned t1_j436o7x wrote
Touchscreens have not died because they keep trying to force it down as a high end thing.
But the fact that they are on a VERY slim fraction of computers sold tells you its a niche product with no traction.
DoomBot5 t1_j45d142 wrote
No, they're on a very slim fraction of MacBooks aka 0%. On other modern laptops, they're available on most models. I know you're just trolling here, but at least try to use facts that aren't easily disproven.
Youvebeeneloned t1_j46h9u5 wrote
They are literally on 3% of all laptops sold... try to use facts teenager.
At one time they were 10% of all laptops sold, LAST DECADE. They have not experienced that high since 2013 because like 3D displays they are a freaking fad.
DoomBot5 t1_j46jhm7 wrote
Ooh we got an edgy one. Let's see the source of your claim.
1-800-KETAMINE t1_j48xhxn wrote
The only info I can find on Google about laptop touchscreen sales rates says it was 10% of the market in 2013, and I'd be really surprised if that's dropped by 2/3 since then. Would love to see a source for that. Can't find anything about it so I could be wrong, who knows.
Anecdotally, feels like a lot more laptops now have touchscreen options than did in 2013. Why would they add it as such a widespread option if it's 3% of the market?
Slggyqo t1_j433zte wrote
Touch screen computers suck if you try to use them exactly like desktop computers with a bonus input device.
If, on the other hand, you have valid use cases for using touch screen computers—or say, an entire ecosystem based around touch screen devices that are approximately the same size as a small computer screen, aka the iPad—it can be great.
That being said, I feel like the iPad and Surface already have that space covered…so they really should just be merged with the lowest tier models of laptops.
[deleted] t1_j435tc1 wrote
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kurttheflirt t1_j42v7rk wrote
Do you really believe that? The surface pro line is an amazing example of a great touchscreen computer. I’ve loved it since day 1 of buying it. It goes from laptop to tablet seamlessly.
Prior to my surface pro I had the surface laptop which worked great as well. It’s just an additional interface which works great.
Youvebeeneloned t1_j436eq8 wrote
Not only do I believe it, the market bears it out in the fact they still, to this day, have never taken off.
spaghettu t1_j43ao1j wrote
After a decade-long year run, the surface pro still has less than 3% market share. I'm sure some people see value in it, but to me a touchscreen laptop is really nothing more than a nearly useless gimmick IMO. There obviously could be other reasons surface market share is low, but to me this proves that it's not enough of a novelty to win over most people.
submittedanonymously t1_j43djj8 wrote
I have one from my office and didn’t know it was a touchscreen until someone else had to show me some routine on it. They’re the only person who has used the touch function on my device because otherwise it’s pointless in my role.
D_Doggo t1_j45q7ff wrote
Surface isn't the only touch screen laptop though. Almost all other popular laptop makers have quite a few popular models with touch screens.
LittleBigMonet t1_j5l9uge wrote
I agree wholeheartedly. And I feel like the failure can somewhat be attributed to Windows OS, which is lackluster to even be called a mobile OS. I personally recently got a Surface Laptop, and I only got it because I found it for super cheap. Their retail prices are too high for what they are - you cannot say that about Apple MacBooks because you don’t have a choice to pick any hardware and put OS on it. That said, I do think that the Surface devices are built very well. They look great. And for the most part, they work great…as laptops with a keyboard and a mouse or touchpad!!!!
I just can’t come to terms with calling Windows OS touch friendly / tablet friendly so adding that feature to a laptop is useless.
limache t1_j43jymy wrote
I tried out a surface pro 3 before. I sold that and got back into Mac.
It was the one time I tried surface pro and I’ll never try it again.
It couldn’t run older windows program I think because it was a 4k display and it was basically shrunken down.
It was definitely overrated.
BigSwedenMan t1_j436qso wrote
The surface is more of a hybrid device where you can convert it into a tablet or a laptop depending on what you're doing. Hybrid devices definitely have their place, but just straight touch screen laptops suck. I have one for work and it's totally useless. Annoying even, since you occasionally get misclicks.
tlsr t1_j44bte5 wrote
> The surface is more of a hybrid device
This is true for Surface Pro and Surface Book but I don't think the Surface Laptop converts to a tablet.
Kursem_v2 t1_j4391gg wrote
surface pro is a 2-in-1, similar to ipad devices.
kurttheflirt t1_j43is1o wrote
No it runs a full windows OS. It’s a full PC where you can install anything you want. Very different than the ipad.
PeanutButterChicken t1_j42rj2o wrote
The number one thing I miss from my Surface Laptop is the touch screen. I can’t believe this MacBook Pro costs this much and doesn’t have a touch screen. Literally insane to me.
flaagan t1_j4317um wrote
Yup, same. We have multiple Surfaces for home and work use, even my 70-something parents both have them as their main computers and use the touchscreen regularly for interfacing with the computer.
Sucks you're getting downvoted by Apple fanboys and folks who haven't actually used the setup regularly.
wtgm t1_j4337pc wrote
Or there’s this crazy possibility that other people have tried them and didn’t like them nearly as much as you claim to.
tlsr t1_j44b6e8 wrote
> as much as you claim to
Are you implying that u/flanagan could be lying about liking touch screens? Why would they do that?
sneks_ona_plane t1_j43v6vw wrote
My work has surface laptops and I don’t know a single person that uses the touchscreen on a regular basis
I really enjoyed my surface pro 4 but the different form factor made the touchscreen way more useful. You could remove the keyboard, draw, take notes, etc. It just feels so awkward on a laptop when the trackpad is already right there, and the angle makes it basically impossible to draw or write
flaagan t1_j443fwx wrote
Will say that I personally have a Surface Book 2, a Surface Pro 5, and occasionally use a Surface Pro 2 at work. On both the Pro's, despite it technically being easier to flip them to full tablet (just yank off the mag keyboard), I find that the slightly larger and heavier Surface Book feels more comfortable for doing 'walk-around' tablet mode. Sitting down with the Surface Book 2 on a table I will literally switch between the keyboard, touchscreen, and the wireless mouse I have connected to it on the fly, different actions feel more natural between each.
alc4pwned t1_j44wbtk wrote
It's not at all hard to see why many people would legitimately not like them. Fingerprints all over the display constantly? Screen wobble every time you touch the screen? Extra thickness on the display?
flaagan t1_j45rxw9 wrote
I use one in my workshop and even there the screen doesn't get dirty enough to be concerned by it. If you're on the stand or holding it properly they're relatively stable. The thickness is not noticeable, considering touch display features do not add enough thickness to even concern any average consumer with.
brenton07 t1_j42t2f3 wrote
This is what sidecar is for, and it works great. And you keep the higher quality non-touch screen.
natethomas t1_j471zs0 wrote
If I could initiate sidecar from my iPad, it’d be close.
What I really want is the iPad experience for recreational activities like reading and note taking/pencil input. and the Mac experience when working. I do a lot in terminal and web dev that doesn’t always play nice with the iPad browser. Plus full USB MacOS support and hard drive support would be nice.
Really frustrating how close iPadOS and MacOS are without taking that last little step.
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