Possible Multi-Touch iMac at MacWorld?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Y'all dissed my ipod "stick" thread but lemme see you try to ignore this rumor:



Quote:

LG readying multi-touch LCDs, Apple in mind?



LG is developing full multi-touch screens that may have a specific client in mind, a claim from a Stuff Asian correspondent suggests. On a tour of one of the company's Korean factories, the reporter claims to have caught word that multi-touch capable panels are being made for computers and that Apple is a possible candidate for the display given LG's existing deal to produce LCDs for iMacs.

The panel isn't given details but is described as "good?to?go," suggesting that the hardware is production-ready and needs only to be either to be mass produced or simply shipped.



Apple has so far been quiet on the subject of touchscreen displays for its computers and so far has only relied on desktop-level multi-touch through its MacBook lineup's trackpads. However, the company has lately been filing desktop multi-touch patents and has unusually confirmed that it has no plans for fall updates to the iMac or any other desktop. Apple is also rumored to be readying quad-core iMacs for January once relevant Intel processors are available.



http://www.electronista.com/articles...ti.touch.lcds/



Would you all welcome a multi-touch imac where you would have to touch the display?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    AI reads your stuff
  • Reply 2 of 13
    With glass now covering the iMac and new MB, MBP, it does not make sense to implement multi-touch on it. Other than getting all greased up and dirty on the screen, the position is also very un-natural.



    Of course all of us, wanted Minority report style interfaces and they will come in future. In the immediate term, I am sure Apple users are wondering why Apple has not done a discrete TouchPad device ?. No brainer ain't it ?. As with the mouse, the Touchpad device can be wireless with bluetooth or wired with USB.



    On the medium term, I would like to see hand-gesture based recognition. They can build one tracking camera on each side of the screen to track the user's hands and intepret the gestures. In fact, using the microphone to "hear" finger snaps or hand claps. eg double clap to sleep!. Single finger snap to scroll down a page.



    Apple should work with Wacom to implement multi-touch on their tablets. ie using the Pen for precision and using fingers for multi-touch. The sensor can be made to tell the difference between a finger and the stylus.
  • Reply 3 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    With glass now covering the iMac and new MB, MBP, it does not make sense to implement multi-touch on it. Other than getting all greased up and dirty on the screen, the position is also very un-natural.



    Of course all of us, wanted Minority report style interfaces and they will come in future. In the immediate term, I am sure Apple users are wondering why Apple has not done a discrete TouchPad device ?. No brainer ain't it ?. As with the mouse, the Touchpad device can be wireless with bluetooth or wired with USB.



    On the medium term, I would like to see hand-gesture based recognition. They can build one tracking camera on each side of the screen to track the user's hands and intepret the gestures. In fact, using the microphone to "hear" finger snaps or hand claps. eg double clap to sleep!. Single finger snap to scroll down a page.



    Apple should work with Wacom to implement multi-touch on their tablets. ie using the Pen for precision and using fingers for multi-touch. The sensor can be made to tell the difference between a finger and the stylus.



    I REALLY like your hand gesture idea. Perhaps they could implement hand gestures with multi-touch.

    For some input commands you can wave your hands in front of the screen for the camera to catch. And for other commands you could use a full multi-touch keyboard. The combination should advance the state of the art for interacting with a computer and devastate the competition.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    Of course all of us, wanted Minority report style interfaces and they will come in future.



    Like this?



    http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/14/o...ought-to-life/



    It won't remove the need to type and control things accurately. I actually don't see that many uses for that kind of control. Few people have screens that big that they need sweeping hand movements to move stuff.



    I'd personally rather have an anti-reflective glass plate that sits on my lap and I actually slide over the screen. Glass is easy cleaned anyway.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    They can build one tracking camera on each side of the screen to track the user's hands and intepret the gestures. In fact, using the microphone to "hear" finger snaps or hand claps. eg double clap to sleep!. Single finger snap to scroll down a page.



    That's going to be a pain the ass if you have a clap-on light switch.



    I think a lot of hand gesture recognition could be done with just the isight. Facial expressions. When you're sad it knows you're using a Microsoft product and will force quit it. When you're happy, it knows you're watching porn and will turn on privacy mode. I suppose there could be a hand gesture to go with that but it won't know if you're just frantically cleaning your Mighty Mouse to get the scroll ball working again.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    Apple should work with Wacom to implement multi-touch on their tablets. ie using the Pen for precision and using fingers for multi-touch. The sensor can be made to tell the difference between a finger and the stylus.



    I don't think they need Wacom and they will become a major competitor anyway.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    Am I the only person who read through this guys hand gesture idea and then crapped my pants in shock when the next post was someone praising the idea? You guys are absurd. It would be so ridiculous to have cameras built into your mac so that you could sign to it - just click the damn mouse.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    With glass now covering the iMac and new MB, MBP, it does not make sense to implement multi-touch on it. Other than getting all greased up and dirty on the screen, the position is also very un-natural.



    Of course all of us, wanted Minority report style interfaces and they will come in future. In the immediate term, I am sure Apple users are wondering why Apple has not done a discrete TouchPad device ?. No brainer ain't it ?. As with the mouse, the Touchpad device can be wireless with bluetooth or wired with USB.



    On the medium term, I would like to see hand-gesture based recognition. They can build one tracking camera on each side of the screen to track the user's hands and intepret the gestures. In fact, using the microphone to "hear" finger snaps or hand claps. eg double clap to sleep!. Single finger snap to scroll down a page.



    Apple should work with Wacom to implement multi-touch on their tablets. ie using the Pen for precision and using fingers for multi-touch. The sensor can be made to tell the difference between a finger and the stylus.



    Next logical steps for Apple are a larger "touch" appliance of some variety, perhaps paperback-sized, or a multi-touch keyboard or multi-touch mouse. The typical monitor configuration is not ideal for a multi-touch computer. It's tiring and likely makes one less productive than the typical screen-keyboard-mouse combo.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Olternaut View Post


    Y'all dissed my ipod "stick" thread but lemme see you try to ignore this rumor:



    Not all of us. I look at it from the cell point of view, Apple simply needs to meet the requirements of a number of markets and they can't do that whit one cell phone model.

    Quote:





    http://www.electronista.com/articles...ti.touch.lcds/



    Would you all welcome a multi-touch imac where you would have to touch the display?



    In a word NO.



    The problem is usability for such a large device and the types of markets it is likely to fit in with. At some point the size of the device starts to become a big negative for Touch or screen driven devices. To tired to go into details but I think the thing people need to do is to mock up and test out large format devices for themselves.



    For example I could see such a device as being very successful if targeted at iPod people and marketed as a multimedia device. For that the current Mac OS/X would be a big negative and Mobile OS would offer up a better user experience. Sure extending Mobile OS would help a bit, but what you are trying to do is avoid the busy interface Mac OS/X currently has. AS a computer though I just don't see how tablets will work on an ergonomic basis, people would end up using the device as a fancy iPod anyways so why bother with a fancy version of OS/X?





    Dave
  • Reply 8 of 13
    Perhaps, but I don't think so. Apple is a little tepid at adopting new tech these days.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    With glass now covering the iMac and new MB, MBP, it does not make sense to implement multi-touch on it.



    what? like the glass on the new track pads, yeah, terrible idea.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    Other than getting all greased up and dirty on the screen, the position is also very un-natural.



    obviously you don't be in the company of small children while they hang around TVs, they have to be "trained" NOT to touch the screen, for them its natural, for you and I its just a case of re-learning an interface protocol





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    Of course all of us, wanted Minority report style interfaces and they will come in future.



    but isnt THAT just as "un-natural"?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    In the immediate term, I am sure Apple users are wondering why Apple has not done a discrete TouchPad device ?. No brainer ain't it ?.



    is it? you argued above that learning a new interface is "un-natural" with a multi touch screen you touch what you see and manipulate it directly, yet with a pad on the desk top (here I make a presumption) there is a disconnect, so which is more un-natural?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    On the medium term, I would like to see hand-gesture based recognition. They can build one tracking camera on each side of the screen to track the user's hands and intepret the gestures. In fact, using the microphone to "hear" finger snaps or hand claps. eg double clap to sleep!. Single finger snap to scroll down a page.



    so holding your arms out to multi-touch the iMacs screen is un-natural... but the more complex to implement, more draining on CPU resources, gesture control which involves far more flailing about, THAT is better?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    Apple should work with Wacom to implement multi-touch on their tablets. ie using the Pen for precision and using fingers for multi-touch. The sensor can be made to tell the difference between a finger and the stylus.



    at last, something that makes a little sense.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    All I know is that if it is done anything like the HP touchsmart PCs, they shouldn't even bother. I'm still of the opinion that multi-touch on a desktop is nothing more than a highly inefficient gimmick (same with the Macbooks), so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nano2Gfteo View Post


    With glass now covering the iMac and new MB, MBP, it does not make sense to implement multi-touch on it. Other than getting all greased up and dirty on the screen, the position is also very un-natural.



    iPhone? iPod touch?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    The typical monitor configuration is not ideal for a multi-touch computer.



    True. You couldn't just stick a touch screen on the current iMac like HP have done on their new AIOs.



    It would have worked on the iMac G4 design where the screen could be up high and vertical or angled back and nearly touching the desk at the flick of a finger.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    The iMac IMO won't be multi-touch but the next revision should have a multi-touch *keyboard* shipped with the iMac. 50% chance this keyboard thing will happen, is my prediction.



    I don't think as radical as the whole keyboard is multitouch, but it is a normal keyboard but with a glass "trackpad-esque" thingy to do multi-touch gestures...
  • Reply 13 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    I don't think as radical as the whole keyboard is multitouch, but it is a normal keyboard but with a glass "trackpad-esque" thingy to do multi-touch gestures...



    Replace the number pad on the keyboard with a trackpad.
Sign In or Register to comment.