4 ms·

I really have zero desire to touch my laptop screen. Maybe it's years of conditioning to not smudge my screen or it could be that lifting my hands off the keybo

by DIVx0 14y ago

I really have zero desire to touch my laptop screen. Maybe it's years of conditioning to not smudge my screen or it could be that lifting my hands off the keyboard to pinch and swipe at my screen would be more irritating then using a mouse. With that being said. I'm all for high density screens in laptops!

zmmmmm 14y ago
I'm kind of opposite. All these years now of using touch tablets makes me frustrated that I can't touch the screen to do simple things that would be much easier with touch than with a mouse (dragging stuff around, for example, which requires holding a mouse button down and moving the mouse at the same time).
rorrr 14y ago
Gorilla arm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#.22Gorilla_arm.22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#.22Gorilla_arm.22
- dntrkv 14y ago
  I think the more common use case for a touchscreen laptop would be when it is sitting on your lap, which feels a lot more natural than sitting a desk and trying to swipe your 20+ inch monitor that is 2 feet away from you.
- rlu 14y ago
  Gorilla arm really only applies if you have your arm extended the entire time (or simply "a lot"). With a touch screen laptop you'd a) still have mouse/kb input so you wouldn't always be using touch and more importantly b) when you're not interacting with touch, your arm will be resting - i.e. you only extend your arm for a few seconds at a time and don't hold it there for long. I haven't experienced gorilla arm at all on my Surface (which I use in "laptop mode" often - for what it's worth I no longer use a laptop.)
bjustin 14y ago
I can see uses for a touchscreen, for example I think some of Apple's trackpad gestures would be better. Think three finger swipe to switch virtual desktops on a 15" screen instead of a 4" trackpad. I do hope they work out a good solution to smudges.
rlu 14y ago
You know, I thought the same thing but it's surprising how often I touch my Surface when I'm using it as a laptop. I don't think about it, it sort of just happens sometimes...like to tap a button or go back in IE by swiping backwards, or even just scrolling in a webpage I sometimes use the arrow keys and sometimes use my thumb. It's odd. Equally surprising was how I would have to restrain myself from touching my non-touchscreen desktop monitor sometimes that I've had for much longer (i.e. years). Happens a lot as I'm sitting down and want to launch a few initial apps. I think if you ever get a touch screen laptop you'll be as surprised as I was to see how much you do end up using the touch screen, even if it is "unintentional".
- Encosia 14y ago
  I've had exactly the same experience. I've always hated people touching my displays and rolled my eyes every time I watched someone demo Windows 8 touch screen computers on stage. I was very sure that I'd never want to use them like that. After I got my Surface, I can't imagine buying a laptop without touch. I had to use my MacBook Air (which the Surface has largely replaced) for a few hours last week and found myself unconsciously reaching for the screen very often.
- DeepDuh 14y ago
  Isn't that just because their touchpads are so tiny? If you sit at a larger laptop with good touchpad, do you still feel that need?
  - rlu 14y ago
    Unsure since I don't have a larger laptop. Though I'll say that I don't find the Surface's trackpad lacking for what I would use it for - and yet I don't always use it. It's mostly unconscious like one of the other people said.
- bergie 14y ago
  This was more or less exactly my experience when using the Transformer Prime in laptop mode. Touchscreens give you much more space and comfortable gestures compared to a typical laptop trackpad.
ithkuil 14y ago
indeed. Perhaps stuff like this will make it more practical: http://blog.liangzan.net/blog/2013/02/06/first-impressions-of-leap-motion/ http://blog.liangzan.net/blog/2013/02/06/first-impressions-o...

by DIVx0 14y ago

zmmmmm 14y ago

I'm kind of opposite. All these years now of using touch tablets makes me frustrated that I can't touch the screen to do simple things that would be much easier with touch than with a mouse (dragging stuff around, for example, which requires holding a mouse button down and moving the mouse at the same time).

rorrr 14y ago

Gorilla arm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#.22Gorilla_arm.22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#.22Gorilla_arm.22

dntrkv 14y ago
I think the more common use case for a touchscreen laptop would be when it is sitting on your lap, which feels a lot more natural than sitting a desk and trying to swipe your 20+ inch monitor that is 2 feet away from you.
rlu 14y ago
Gorilla arm really only applies if you have your arm extended the entire time (or simply "a lot"). With a touch screen laptop you'd a) still have mouse/kb input so you wouldn't always be using touch and more importantly b) when you're not interacting with touch, your arm will be resting - i.e. you only extend your arm for a few seconds at a time and don't hold it there for long. I haven't experienced gorilla arm at all on my Surface (which I use in "laptop mode" often - for what it's worth I no longer use a laptop.)

bjustin 14y ago

I can see uses for a touchscreen, for example I think some of Apple's trackpad gestures would be better. Think three finger swipe to switch virtual desktops on a 15" screen instead of a 4" trackpad. I do hope they work out a good solution to smudges.

rlu 14y ago

You know, I thought the same thing but it's surprising how often I touch my Surface when I'm using it as a laptop. I don't think about it, it sort of just happens sometimes...like to tap a button or go back in IE by swiping backwards, or even just scrolling in a webpage I sometimes use the arrow keys and sometimes use my thumb. It's odd. Equally surprising was how I would have to restrain myself from touching my non-touchscreen desktop monitor sometimes that I've had for much longer (i.e. years). Happens a lot as I'm sitting down and want to launch a few initial apps. I think if you ever get a touch screen laptop you'll be as surprised as I was to see how much you do end up using the touch screen, even if it is "unintentional".

Encosia 14y ago
I've had exactly the same experience. I've always hated people touching my displays and rolled my eyes every time I watched someone demo Windows 8 touch screen computers on stage. I was very sure that I'd never want to use them like that. After I got my Surface, I can't imagine buying a laptop without touch. I had to use my MacBook Air (which the Surface has largely replaced) for a few hours last week and found myself unconsciously reaching for the screen very often.
DeepDuh 14y ago
Isn't that just because their touchpads are so tiny? If you sit at a larger laptop with good touchpad, do you still feel that need?
- rlu 14y ago
  Unsure since I don't have a larger laptop. Though I'll say that I don't find the Surface's trackpad lacking for what I would use it for - and yet I don't always use it. It's mostly unconscious like one of the other people said.
bergie 14y ago
This was more or less exactly my experience when using the Transformer Prime in laptop mode. Touchscreens give you much more space and comfortable gestures compared to a typical laptop trackpad.

ithkuil 14y ago

indeed. Perhaps stuff like this will make it more practical: http://blog.liangzan.net/blog/2013/02/06/first-impressions-of-leap-motion/ http://blog.liangzan.net/blog/2013/02/06/first-impressions-o...