Should Touch devices use standard OS's?

[marcopolo007uk]

I see many posts from people disappointed that the iPad does not run a full or cut down version of OSX and is therefore not a full blown Laptop replacement.

I owned a HP TouchSmart TX2 laptop for a number of months as the idea of a touch capable device really appealed to me. How ever it didn't take me long to hate the damn thing.

1) It was heavy.
2) It's battery life was terrible.
3) The standard OS (Vista) wasn't sophisticated enough to deal with touch input.
4) HP touch designed software was not as good as freeware software. (TouchSmart Software v Windows Media Player)

After a few days of trying the stylus and the finger touch input, writing notes that could not be translated with 100% accuracy to Text, sketching some drawings, swiping thu some photo's and movies the novelty wore off really quickly, and soon I looked at how I was using the device and realized that I found it better and easier to use the keyboard and mouse. Touch actually slowed me down.

The device was sold and I brought a MacBook to replace it.

To me, current Win7 or OSx operating systems would be laborious to use with a touch only input and I think that any hardware company who releases a touch device using a standard OS will struggle to sell to the general public.

Geeks like you and I maybe tempted, but I think the only way forward for touch devices is with specially designed cut down OS's like the iPad and maybe Andriod when it's released. Designed from the ground up with it's Touch experience first on the drawing board.

 

[seepel]

It definitely should not run a full OS. That being said, I think it should still stand an its own. For the most part I like the hardware in the iPad (certainly the battery/power profile), and it is priced somewhat reasonably. What I would like to see is integrated ports, at least some sort of video out and usb. And some sort of software similar to iPhone OS that I don't HAVE to sync with another computer.

 

[Lesser Evets]

DEFINITELY....

If the size and weight can allow a fast running full OS. Since they can't (yet) they shouldn't. These highly portable devices need to be light and have certain functions; they don't need full laptop function. In time they will have full OS functioning on them, but it isn't necessary to make a popular and useful device.

 

[Rapmastac1]

Seeing what the iPad is marketed for, no. Seeing a future Tablet, maybe, as long as the OS has a specific version developed for touch input. That means all the applications have been modified for touch input. Not an easy task.

The iPad is growing on me as I see more and more what its intended market is. It fits me quite well now.

 

[Gav2k]

I think it should run it's own os like the ipad. But have the ability to access and use files from a standard os like the ipad. A standalone os without that ability is of no use. Hence why I think they got it just right with the ipad.