6. Black Keyboard and Black Mighty mouse to go with the Black iMac, entry point to the enterprise.
An iMac would never cut it in the enterprise: emterprise class desktops now have 3 main properties.
Cheap (~$500 before software license)
separate display (also cheap)
extreamly easily serviceable: I can change any part in an HP 5000 series SFF in under 3 minutes (except the mother board)...can your iMac have a stick of ram added, or optical drive replaced in the time it takes for the user to go to the copy machien, xerox one page and come back? I can... Or a pre-imaged HDD tossed in and fully configed (joined to the domain, printers set up and outlook set up) in under 15 minutes to keep the engineers up so they can keep the enterprise moving?
A touch screen iMac is just plain unergonomic. Think about it.
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
I agree!
Here's an experiment for all the rest of you; using your hands (fingers) touch the four corners of your iMac's display, one corner, the next, the next and the last (looking with your eyes at each corner you touch each time). Now using the mouse, do the same thing with your mouse's cursor. Not repeat the experiment 10 TIMES and see which method has you more tired?
A touch screen iMac is just plain unergonomic. Think about it.
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
Because touch screen technology has only, in the past year, gotten to the point where it's feasible?
Why have we been using the printing press since the 1400's when Macintosh is clearly superior as a publishing tool? Oh, because it was released in 1984
Here's an experiment for all the rest of you; using your hands (fingers) touch the four corners of your iMac's display, one corner, the next, the next and the last (looking with your eyes at each corner you touch each time). Now using the mouse, do the same thing with your mouse's cursor. Not repeat the experiment 10 TIMES and see which method has you more tired?
Haha, I made up the worst benchmark ever, hahaha, hysterically funny!
Do you have any actual productivity research that shows that the mouse is superior, in anyway, to a touch screen, for actual work?
Single-point touch screens have the same target acquisition times as a mouse, the only benefit is greater intuitiveness (for first time computer users). While multi-point touch screens are too new to have had any studies on them, they seem likely to greatly boost productivity for certain tasks (image editing, image layout, and sound production are probably likely targets). Also, pretty much the entire iLife and iWork suits would be pretty amazing.
A touch screen iMac is just plain unergonomic. Think about it.
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
I'm not proposing it as a replacement merely an addition.
I think because I'm on an iMac G4 I forget how fixed the screen position is on the new models. On the iMac G4 the screen moves in to nicely accessible positions.
Actually the second touch display is the most interesting idea as a keyboard replacement in a Nintendo DS ish style.
I can't believe how aggressive some people are getting about a simple suggestion.
The iMac isn't even positioned for touching, it would be a useless add-on expense. The last thing the user wants to be doing is lifting their hand up to the screen every time they want to close a Window or change a tab.
Well Duh. Which is why a touch based iMac would be much more like an inclined Cintq in than the current verticle iMac. Possibly as a second monitor which is how my Cintq was set up: vertical 30" Dell monitor, 21" inclined Cintq in front, keyboard and mouse on a tray pulled out as needed.
The limitation of the Cintq is that it's pen, not touch based. The other limitation is single contact only. A touch based iMac would also likely be multitouch to support a gesture interface.
The ultimate interface would look something like the interface designed at Sun while Tog was there.
The video looks dated because its oooold and even it's future is in the past (2004). We don't quite have the technology to build that even today. Detailed info on the Human Factors research behind Starfire is in Tog's book..."Tog on Software Design".
For a more recent example of multi-touch interfaces see:
If you're wondering what I was using the Cintq for it was much where in the FITR video when he's navigating around a globe and zooming in and out of maps, images, etc in World Wind. The FITR interface is much better suited for that but NYU wasn't sharing.
Eventually a 30" multi-touch display (desktop) with a virtual keyboard (possibly with a physical keyboard overlay to get the tactile response if one wants) and virtual mouse implemented like the FITR interface will be available commercially. NYU can build one today (the display has a projector underneath so 30" is no problemo) as can others.
That gets us a good way toward that Starfire concept.
The iMac isn't even positioned for touching, it would be a useless add-on expense. The last thing the user wants to be doing is lifting their hand up to the screen every time they want to close a Window or change a tab.
so its only "think different" when it suits you? :P
6. Black Keyboard and Black Mighty mouse to go with the Black iMac, entry point to the enterprise.
Uh...how many enterprise purchasers care what color their PCs are? Unless its a garish color its a non-issue. Beige, white, gray, black, whetever Dell ships except for the Alienware wannabe XPS...
Personally I would really like a touch screen iMac, and here's why...
Ever go to a bar / club and select your favourite songs on a touch screen juke box? Really easy and quick. Select your songs by pressing album art pics. Nice.
This is the type of feature IMHO that iTunes is missing. You've already got album artwork built into iTunes, now throw a party and select your tunes the easy way.
Touchscreens could only become a reality when we have a resolution-indepedent UI. Right no, OS X's UI elements are too small for touchscreens. People with fat figure will have misclick rates going through the roof.
And who's gonna hold their arm up to the screen for long periods of time. No one. TenoBell is right in saying that it would be a lot of work to move things around a 24" screen. And things become complicated if the user wants to click once, or double-click, or drag, or simply select a bunch of files.
Efficient touchscreens now boil down to TWO things...resolution-independence as well as a revamp of the way a user can interact with the OS.
Simply slapping a touchscreen on the iMac won't be enough...Apple would have to add new behaviors to the OS to allow manipulation of screen objects via gestures using anywhere between 1 and 10 fingers.
Right now it's a pretty stupid idea. I know gregmightdothat saw a tech demo of all this and thought "Holy shit, that's the future". But he has to realize the people were demoing apps that made perfect use of touchscreens. But the use of such an interface is limited...it becomes much more difficult to use this input method with current OSes. OSes would have to be rewritten with touchscreens in mind for this method to become efficient...
...the same could be said about a voice-input. Current OSes aren't geared towards things other than mouse and keyboard input.
Comments
You don't get it.
and neither do you
will they have any processor upgrade and stuff by april? just wondering
there is a santa rosa chipset with a new socket P Merom
- Although this is more far-fetched the keyboard could even appear on a particular stroke as a semi transparent overlay for short data entry.
Not far fetched at all; Windows Tablet, Palm and Windows Mobile do exactly that.
iMac redesign:
6. Black Keyboard and Black Mighty mouse to go with the Black iMac, entry point to the enterprise.
An iMac would never cut it in the enterprise: emterprise class desktops now have 3 main properties.
Cheap (~$500 before software license)
separate display (also cheap)
extreamly easily serviceable: I can change any part in an HP 5000 series SFF in under 3 minutes (except the mother board)...can your iMac have a stick of ram added, or optical drive replaced in the time it takes for the user to go to the copy machien, xerox one page and come back? I can... Or a pre-imaged HDD tossed in and fully configed (joined to the domain, printers set up and outlook set up) in under 15 minutes to keep the engineers up so they can keep the enterprise moving?
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
A touch screen iMac is just plain unergonomic. Think about it.
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
I agree!
Here's an experiment for all the rest of you; using your hands (fingers) touch the four corners of your iMac's display, one corner, the next, the next and the last (looking with your eyes at each corner you touch each time). Now using the mouse, do the same thing with your mouse's cursor. Not repeat the experiment 10 TIMES and see which method has you more tired?
A touch screen iMac is just plain unergonomic. Think about it.
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
Because touch screen technology has only, in the past year, gotten to the point where it's feasible?
Why have we been using the printing press since the 1400's when Macintosh is clearly superior as a publishing tool? Oh, because it was released in 1984
I agree!
Here's an experiment for all the rest of you; using your hands (fingers) touch the four corners of your iMac's display, one corner, the next, the next and the last (looking with your eyes at each corner you touch each time). Now using the mouse, do the same thing with your mouse's cursor. Not repeat the experiment 10 TIMES and see which method has you more tired?
Haha, I made up the worst benchmark ever, hahaha, hysterically funny!
Do you have any actual productivity research that shows that the mouse is superior, in anyway, to a touch screen, for actual work?
Single-point touch screens have the same target acquisition times as a mouse, the only benefit is greater intuitiveness (for first time computer users). While multi-point touch screens are too new to have had any studies on them, they seem likely to greatly boost productivity for certain tasks (image editing, image layout, and sound production are probably likely targets). Also, pretty much the entire iLife and iWork suits would be pretty amazing.
A touch screen iMac is just plain unergonomic. Think about it.
If mouses are so terrible, why have you, and the entire rest of the computing world, used one for decades?
I'm not proposing it as a replacement merely an addition.
I think because I'm on an iMac G4 I forget how fixed the screen position is on the new models. On the iMac G4 the screen moves in to nicely accessible positions.
Actually the second touch display is the most interesting idea as a keyboard replacement in a Nintendo DS ish style.
I can't believe how aggressive some people are getting about a simple suggestion.
Single-point touch screens have the same target acquisition times as a mouse,
It would be much more work for your arm to move an object across the screen of the 24" iMac with your finger than it is with a mouse.
The iMac isn't even positioned for touching, it would be a useless add-on expense. The last thing the user wants to be doing is lifting their hand up to the screen every time they want to close a Window or change a tab.
Well Duh. Which is why a touch based iMac would be much more like an inclined Cintq in than the current verticle iMac. Possibly as a second monitor which is how my Cintq was set up: vertical 30" Dell monitor, 21" inclined Cintq in front, keyboard and mouse on a tray pulled out as needed.
The limitation of the Cintq is that it's pen, not touch based. The other limitation is single contact only. A touch based iMac would also likely be multitouch to support a gesture interface.
The ultimate interface would look something like the interface designed at Sun while Tog was there.
http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/g.w....N-Starfire.mpg (Warning 213MB...should stream maybe...)
The video looks dated because its oooold and even it's future is in the past (2004). We don't quite have the technology to build that even today. Detailed info on the Human Factors research behind Starfire is in Tog's book..."Tog on Software Design".
For a more recent example of multi-touch interfaces see:
http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/index.html
If you're wondering what I was using the Cintq for it was much where in the FITR video when he's navigating around a globe and zooming in and out of maps, images, etc in World Wind. The FITR interface is much better suited for that but NYU wasn't sharing.
Eventually a 30" multi-touch display (desktop) with a virtual keyboard (possibly with a physical keyboard overlay to get the tactile response if one wants) and virtual mouse implemented like the FITR interface will be available commercially. NYU can build one today (the display has a projector underneath so 30" is no problemo) as can others.
That gets us a good way toward that Starfire concept.
Vinea
http://ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=j_han
Jeff Han talks about how this interface works. The photo example is very applicable to Apple...
It also helps you implement the Raskin like zooming based UI.
Vinea
The iMac isn't even positioned for touching, it would be a useless add-on expense. The last thing the user wants to be doing is lifting their hand up to the screen every time they want to close a Window or change a tab.
so its only "think different" when it suits you? :P
iMac redesign:
6. Black Keyboard and Black Mighty mouse to go with the Black iMac, entry point to the enterprise.
Uh...how many enterprise purchasers care what color their PCs are? Unless its a garish color its a non-issue. Beige, white, gray, black, whetever Dell ships except for the Alienware wannabe XPS...
Vinea
Ever go to a bar / club and select your favourite songs on a touch screen juke box? Really easy and quick. Select your songs by pressing album art pics. Nice.
This is the type of feature IMHO that iTunes is missing. You've already got album artwork built into iTunes, now throw a party and select your tunes the easy way.
Just a thought.
it couldnt be from fred...
<edit>it was from fred, just goes to show you can't trust rumors
And who's gonna hold their arm up to the screen for long periods of time. No one. TenoBell is right in saying that it would be a lot of work to move things around a 24" screen. And things become complicated if the user wants to click once, or double-click, or drag, or simply select a bunch of files.
Efficient touchscreens now boil down to TWO things...resolution-independence as well as a revamp of the way a user can interact with the OS.
Simply slapping a touchscreen on the iMac won't be enough...Apple would have to add new behaviors to the OS to allow manipulation of screen objects via gestures using anywhere between 1 and 10 fingers.
Right now it's a pretty stupid idea. I know gregmightdothat saw a tech demo of all this and thought "Holy shit, that's the future". But he has to realize the people were demoing apps that made perfect use of touchscreens. But the use of such an interface is limited...it becomes much more difficult to use this input method with current OSes. OSes would have to be rewritten with touchscreens in mind for this method to become efficient...
...the same could be said about a voice-input. Current OSes aren't geared towards things other than mouse and keyboard input.