Ever since the advent of the iPad, Apple has fielded questions regarding the potential for touchscreen Mac computers. If Microsoft can manage it with the impressive Surface range, why can’t Apple?
According to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, it’s not quite as simple as slapping a touchscreen onto its Macs.
In fact, he went as far as calling the concept ‘absurd’ in an interview with BackChannel, given the challenges it would pose for the Mac line as a whole.
iFragmentation
“We think of the whole platform,” said Schiller.
“If we were to do Multi-Touch on the screen of the notebook, that wouldn’t be enough — then the desktop wouldn’t work that way. Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.”
It’s a matter of fragmentation then – while touchscreen iOS devices sit in their own category and share a broadly similar interface (even when taking into account the iPad Pro Pencil), Apple isn’t keen on engineering discrepancies between MacOS experiences across devices.
That’s especially apparent when you factor in how ubiquitous mouse and touchpad input remains.
“You can’t optimize for both. It’s the lowest common denominator thinking,” Schiller added.
That’s not to say Apple hasn’t experimented with the idea, with Schiller admitting the company worked on touchscreen Macs “a number of times over the years.”
But those holding out hope for a touchcreen Mac shouldn’t hold their breath.
“We’ve absolutely come away with the belief that it isn’t the right thing to do. Our instincts were correct,” Schiller concluded.
Sourse: techradar.com
16 comments
The interesting point to note though that Macbooks and iMacs are still seen by the public as the best computers you can get.
Not Surfaces. Which aren’t known about.
Last 3 quarters declining Apple PC market sales tell the other story while Dell, Asus, HP having growth in sales. And it never crossed still less than 7% in the market share!! . If u exclude the USA Starbucks crowd, it will be less than 4% world market share. XPS and HP elite are loved and reviewed better than Macs.
Which public? The one that doesn’t know how to use desktop computers anymore?
Windows 10 still needs a lot of work though. Control Panel is still heavily needed and Office 2016 is barely touch friendly.
But it’s certainly good enough right now to allow for generally useful devices like the Surface Pro.
As other have said the Surface Studio shows it’s possible if Apple are prepared to start innovating again.
“Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.””
That’s why Microsoft decided the Surface Studio so you don’t do that.
I’ve got touchscreen on my PC at work. Haven’t used it once.
U need training for it?
You could do though and many do.
It depends what you work?
The surface studio literally proves you can do all of this.
Windows 10 is optimized for mouse and touch.. yet Apple say this can’t be done?
Similar to the pencil, I am sure Apple will follow trend. They will do the usual “we won’t do this” then do it and claim they invented it.
Snooze.
Windows 10 still needs a lot of work though. Control Panel is still heavily needed and Office 2016 is barely touch friendly.
Control panel is not for surfers, utube watchers and moms and grand mas/pas. It is for more tech advanced who knows how to use the touch + keyboard & a mouse .
Office products have productivity gains with touch capabilities.
How totally out of touch can they get? Apple has come full circle.
> “We’ve absolutely come away with the belief that it isn’t the right thing to do. Our instincts were correct,” Schiller concluded.
As proven by what exactly?
I’m sorry apple but you are just simply wrong.
If they were really “thinking about the whole platform,” maybe they’d consider converging their touch focused platforms and their non-touch friendly platforms. If fragmentation is the issue, isn’t a fully universal platform the real solution for everyone?