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I was kind of waiting for the day where a touchscreen based app would be more productive than a traditional laptop with keyboard. Yet, after many years all we

I was kind of waiting for the day where a touchscreen based app would be more productive than a traditional laptop with keyboard. Yet, after many years all we got is fruit ninja and a concession from apple in the form of attachable keyboard for the iPad. So I’m equally sceptical that the investment in headset based interface is actually worth it.

sebzim4500 3y ago
I think some artists use an ipad with a stylus rather than tablet input to a laptop/desktop, but other than this I can't see how anything else could compete with a keyboard in terms of productivity. Maybe if someone makes a really, really good voice to text interface.
- noelsusman 3y ago
  Here's a short demo of a pretty good voice to text interface that's available for free: https://twitter.com/lunixbochs/status/1378159234861264896 https://twitter.com/lunixbochs/status/1378159234861264896 I had to use it for a while when I was unable to touch a keyboard or mouse while recovering from RSI and I was surprised by how quickly I was able to get to about 80% of my previous productivity using just my voice. I still use it sometimes even though my RSI is fully healed.
- elzbardico 3y ago
  > Maybe if someone makes a really, really good voice to text interface. Maybe it could work, unless you're programming in APL :-)
- bamfly 3y ago
  I could see walking around the room thinking and doing clicky-stuff and looking at things, then sitting in front of a keyboard to type. Basically, what I do when I'm on a call and have wireless headphones on.
ladberg 3y ago
I agree the keyboard will remain as the best text input device but I'm pretty confident that eye tracking will be categorically better than a mouse/trackpad. I'll expect that eye tracking solutions for normal monitors will also become more mainstream once people get used to it in the Vision Pro and want to use it elsewhere.
- samwillis 3y ago
  As we use an iPhone so close to our face, I would love to see an eye tracking system work for them. But maybe it really need that incredible close proximity, two cameras per eye, and IR illumination in the Vision Pro to work.
- henryfjordan 3y ago
  How do I click though? Blink? What about a right-click? Asking me to "blink twice" or anything like that is going to make my eyes lose focus on the screen/content
  - samwillis 3y ago
    On the Vision Pro, tap your index finger and thumb together. Maybe they could add other features from just your face though for other platforms, wiggling nose, raise eyebrows, stick out tong, blow a raspberry? That or they add voice commands, "open", "select" and such. I suppose ultimately in spatial computing with voice interface and eye tracking the concept of a "click" may die.
    - crooked-v 3y ago
      There's also apparently other gestures and voice commands that can be selected in the settings, though I haven't seen any real detail on it other than "they're there".
  - ladberg 3y ago
    The pinch gesture on Vision Pro is pretty smooth and easy, about as much physical exertion as a mouse click. Right click is harder, I'd expect most app developers to do something similar to iOS and treat long clicks as right clicks but that's pure speculation. I'd love to have an eye tracking setup though on a normal desktop computer where I could devote a keyboard key to clicking and I'd never have my hands leave the keyboard.
waboremo 3y ago
As usual, the devil is in the details. We can see this with voice to text, in which despite in theory being so much faster than typing things out, tends to not be due to these details (processing lag, clunkiness of handling different forms such as whether a word is part of a command or should be added to the text). Same will happen here. People will get over the hype period and then realize hey this isn't actually faster or more efficient than a traditional tool. Apple knows this as well, it's why they're marketing it as a media consumption device first and foremost, where a lot of these problems can be safely ignored.
nektro 3y ago
i fully plan on using a keyboard with the vision pro, that doesnt make me any less excited for it
crazygringo 3y ago
Well, touchscreens are generally smaller than laptop screens, and a lot of productivity requires a keyboard. But the screens on Vision Pro are larger, and it works great with a keyboard. So anything that requires larger/more screens seems like it might be more productive than a laptop.
mbesto 3y ago
It's all very well researched that touchscreens above our arms can't be used with longevity: https://www.wired.com/2010/10/gorilla-arm-multitouch/ https://www.wired.com/2010/10/gorilla-arm-multitouch/

sebzim4500 3y ago

I think some artists use an ipad with a stylus rather than tablet input to a laptop/desktop, but other than this I can't see how anything else could compete with a keyboard in terms of productivity. Maybe if someone makes a really, really good voice to text interface.

noelsusman 3y ago
Here's a short demo of a pretty good voice to text interface that's available for free: https://twitter.com/lunixbochs/status/1378159234861264896 https://twitter.com/lunixbochs/status/1378159234861264896 I had to use it for a while when I was unable to touch a keyboard or mouse while recovering from RSI and I was surprised by how quickly I was able to get to about 80% of my previous productivity using just my voice. I still use it sometimes even though my RSI is fully healed.
elzbardico 3y ago
> Maybe if someone makes a really, really good voice to text interface. Maybe it could work, unless you're programming in APL :-)
bamfly 3y ago
I could see walking around the room thinking and doing clicky-stuff and looking at things, then sitting in front of a keyboard to type. Basically, what I do when I'm on a call and have wireless headphones on.

ladberg 3y ago

I agree the keyboard will remain as the best text input device but I'm pretty confident that eye tracking will be categorically better than a mouse/trackpad. I'll expect that eye tracking solutions for normal monitors will also become more mainstream once people get used to it in the Vision Pro and want to use it elsewhere.

samwillis 3y ago
As we use an iPhone so close to our face, I would love to see an eye tracking system work for them. But maybe it really need that incredible close proximity, two cameras per eye, and IR illumination in the Vision Pro to work.
henryfjordan 3y ago
How do I click though? Blink? What about a right-click? Asking me to "blink twice" or anything like that is going to make my eyes lose focus on the screen/content
- samwillis 3y ago
  On the Vision Pro, tap your index finger and thumb together. Maybe they could add other features from just your face though for other platforms, wiggling nose, raise eyebrows, stick out tong, blow a raspberry? That or they add voice commands, "open", "select" and such. I suppose ultimately in spatial computing with voice interface and eye tracking the concept of a "click" may die.
  - crooked-v 3y ago
    There's also apparently other gestures and voice commands that can be selected in the settings, though I haven't seen any real detail on it other than "they're there".
- ladberg 3y ago
  The pinch gesture on Vision Pro is pretty smooth and easy, about as much physical exertion as a mouse click. Right click is harder, I'd expect most app developers to do something similar to iOS and treat long clicks as right clicks but that's pure speculation. I'd love to have an eye tracking setup though on a normal desktop computer where I could devote a keyboard key to clicking and I'd never have my hands leave the keyboard.

waboremo 3y ago

As usual, the devil is in the details. We can see this with voice to text, in which despite in theory being so much faster than typing things out, tends to not be due to these details (processing lag, clunkiness of handling different forms such as whether a word is part of a command or should be added to the text). Same will happen here. People will get over the hype period and then realize hey this isn't actually faster or more efficient than a traditional tool. Apple knows this as well, it's why they're marketing it as a media consumption device first and foremost, where a lot of these problems can be safely ignored.

nektro 3y ago

i fully plan on using a keyboard with the vision pro, that doesnt make me any less excited for it

crazygringo 3y ago

Well, touchscreens are generally smaller than laptop screens, and a lot of productivity requires a keyboard. But the screens on Vision Pro are larger, and it works great with a keyboard. So anything that requires larger/more screens seems like it might be more productive than a laptop.

mbesto 3y ago

It's all very well researched that touchscreens above our arms can't be used with longevity: https://www.wired.com/2010/10/gorilla-arm-multitouch/ https://www.wired.com/2010/10/gorilla-arm-multitouch/