Tuesday, January 06, 2009
 
Oct 31

Written by: Rip Rowan
10/31/2008 7:21 AM 

image Well, that didn’t take long.

HP is already rolling out its new line of multi-touch enabled PCs.  Take a look at the advertisement and see what you think.

Here’s what I foresee:  the thing is cool looking, and multi-touch is certainly popular.  So they’ll sell.  HP includes a touch-enabled application suite, which I’m guessing will suck generally compared with the applications it’s designed to replace.  Some people will use the suite, others won’t.  People who use a personal computer as a toy will like it, people who use it for work, not so much.

Here’s what they don’t show.  You have to put the thing close – in easy reach – so it won’t “sit right” for some people.  You’re always reaching for the screen, then back to the keyboard.  And really, most of the time, you’re using the mouse and keyboard.

I’m betting that the allure will fade.  But, then again, a lot of people thought that the mouse was a fad.

I’m interested in your opinions.  Check out the PC and post a comment.  Let me know what you think!

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3 comment(s) so far...

I would agree. Touch requires a certain context and brand new applications. The desktop is not (for the most part) the context, and HP is certainly not the application developer. They need to get out of the software business, big time.

They also need to change their marketing aesthetic. That font and the crappy cartoon overlays have got to go.

By Daniel on   10/31/2008 11:32 AM

Agreed. It will fade.

By Don Worthley on   10/31/2008 12:00 PM

My kids would love it. Heck, I'd love it as something to have in my lap on the couch at home if it had an on-screen keyboard (like a giant tablet PC).

There is definitely a specific market segment for that thing. Serious business users aren't it. Which business users are going to care about LED lights on the bottom of the display? Or want to use two hands when they want to adjust monitor angle?

By Brent Hawthorne on   11/3/2008 7:27 AM

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