With the release of the Magic Trackpad, the only Apple devices that are not Multitouch enabled are the iPod Shuffle, Nano, and Classic. What do you think this means for the future of Apple as a company, or even for computing as a whole?
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Magic Trackpad "End of the Line" for Non-Multitouch Devices?
- Thread starter TorontoLRT
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I tried all kinds of pointing devices and I can say that I most definitely prefer my MBP's trackpad (soon to be aided by the Magic Trackpad). The range of actions that one can perform using the multitouch trackpad is broader as compared to other devices. Also, I recall seeing (I believe here on MacRumors) a patent application from Apple that outlined even more multitouch actions introduced by Apple. I, for one, do believe that Apple have introduced a device that is in a near future going to replace our computer mice.
Still like my trackball better than the trackpad for actually moving the pointer across the screen. Also, when I had the Magic Mouse, I found that at first I tried all kinds of multitouch commands, but eventually went back to the old ways of doing things with a regular mouse/trackball. Multitouch gesturing strikes me as needing more time to mature, many of the gestures are just not all that intutive / comfortable to execute yet.
I didn't think he was saying that they should implement Multitouch on any of those devices. And I think soon everything will be multitouch of some sort. That's the kind of thing that's been fantasized of the future in literature and films.
Actually, multitouch on a shuffle would be neat, imagine the current shuffle, make the outside of the case 'multi touch', two finger press = pause/play, swipe to the left = forward track, swipe to the right = backwards track.... make the whole case multitouch
Classic = APPLE shout NOT touch it, leave alone and back away...... it's a good device don't ruin it with touch, not everything has to be touch, it's retarded like the new trackpad, if people need it they'd get a proper Wacom tablet.
Actually, multitouch on a shuffle would be neat, imagine the current shuffle, make the outside of the case 'multi touch', two finger press = pause/play, swipe to the left = forward track, swipe to the right = backwards track.... make the whole case multitouch
Classic = APPLE shout NOT touch it, leave alone and back away...... it's a good device don't ruin it with touch, not everything has to be touch, it's retarded like the new trackpad, if people need it they'd get a proper Wacom tablet.
Wacom tablets are garbage for daily desktop use. Apple's trackpad paradigm is superior.
Classic? People still buy them? Apple should can the Classic line. It's 2010. Time to move on.
Absolutely and no it's not time to move on.... £306 for a 64gb Touch or £193 for a 160gb .... hmmm AND you can't operate a touch in your pocket like you can with a Classic.
There will be a lot of people disappointed if they drop it.
Best thing you can do is to prepare yourself *now.*
Apple WILL kill off the iPod Classic. It's only a matter of time, and there's not a whole lot of time left for that dinosaur.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10292951-82.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...c-as-focus-moves-to-touch-screen-devices.html
Doesn't look good for the Classic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ipod_sales_per_quarter.svg
iPod sales overall are down anyway:
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/17/mac-sales-going-strong-but-ipod-sales-down/
Units sold worldwide for 2010 are actually *below* 2006 sales levels! And the weakest link is the Classic.
Touch is not only here to stay, but it'll be *the* dominant form of input from here on in for mobile devices. Apple is moving on.
And if Apple kills off the iPod Classic, I'll be going to a competitor for my portable music player needs. Some of us just want pure storage for our music collection, not fancy features that make it look pretty.
Even competitors are moving toward the Touch paradigm. The trend in tech is to follow Apple.
Although not multitouch, the iPod's click wheel is a touch sensitive input system. So the Shuffle is the last device without touch input. ...that little bastard.
Competitors are moving towards visual gesture recognition. Touch is very 1990s Star Trek. Visual gestures are this decade's Minority Report tech.
People who are infatuated with touch are like kids who just had their first taste of ice cream... they think that everything should be ice cream after that.
Real life is not black and white like that. There are lots of cool foods (input methods), each with pros and cons. It's why we have more than one sense.
1. Not for everybody. I use a wacom tablet as my more or less only input device, I work as a graphic designer and illustrator though, and I am very fast with the tablet and don't use it only for photo editing and illustrations.
2. While I like my mbps trackpad for browsing etc. when it comes to work the wacom wins hands down, and when it comes to games a mouse wins hands down.
3. Leave the Classic alone. Not everyone wants or needs one of Apples iOS toys. I certainly don't.
It's 2010. There are many other very innovative things out there without a fruit on them.
Says the person who is in love w/all things Apple and hates anything else. I've been using a Wacom for the past few years instead of a mouse and don't see any need to switch back. I don't game on the Mac though so that might be one area where a mouse would perform better. Can't say for sure though. But like chaosbunny said, it's not for everyone.
Lethal
Touch-based input on a Wacom Bamboo Touch vs. a macbook trackpad (for desktop navigation) is inferior. Period. Read the reviews. I had one for two weeks and took it back.
- Poor button placement
- Overly-sensitive double-tap recognition
- Can't match Macbook trackpad gestures
Overall, a surprisingly amateurish showing by Wacom, but forgivable, because NO ONE can match Apple's multitouch implementation to begin with.
Same. The iPod touch maxes out at what? 64gb? That might have been okay a few years ago but libraries grow, especially with Apple throwing out video content now. My 4 year old iPod 5.5G holds more than the latest, greatest iPod. Something isn't right there.
If all you want to do is just compare the Bamboo's touch abilities to the Magic Trackpad then you need to specify that because that is a far different thing than what you said before.
Lethal
I've got one still sitting by my computer, as I was hoping that I'll somehow get to like it. When I tried it initially with the intent to replace my MBP trackpad, I found that it simply wasn't working well enough. Should have returned it....