We know from Steve Jobs that Apple’s experiments with touchscreen Macs date back to at least 2008. At the time, he said it was a “terrible” idea.
A lot has changed since then, and reports that we’ll finally see a touch-screen Mac have gained enough credibility that it now seems more likely than not. I was a bit apprehensive about the idea until now, but the latest news reassures me…
A “terrible” Mac touchscreen prototype
Steve said at the 2010 event that Apple has done a lot of user testing over the years. The plural years in 2010 means that the company has been experimenting with touchscreen Macs since at least 2008, and probably much earlier.
At the time, he described it as a terrible idea.
Turns out it doesn’t work. Touch surfaces do not want to be vertical. He gives a great demo but after a short time you start to get tired and after a longer time your hand wants to fall off. That’s not possible. Ergonomically, it’s terrible. Touch surfaces want to be horizontal.
But the iPad changed things
Of course a lot has changed since 2010, most notably the iPad has evolved from a purely touch device to something that can be used as a laptop.
When connected to a keyboard, people can choose between trackpad and touch usage, and it seems most people opt for some combination of the two. I barely use the iPad these days, but when I used it as a laptop I found myself using the trackpad for most interactions but touch for scrolling.
My two stipulations
A few years ago I said I had two conditions to be okay with a touch Mac.
First, I didn’t want to pay a premium for a feature I would hardly ever use. Either Apple needs to offer a choice of touchscreen and non-touchscreen models, or find a way to make it less expensive than existing non-touchscreen models.
Second, and more importantly, I don’t want macOS to be compromised by the touchscreen.
Sure, if people want to do things on a Mac’s touchscreen, let them. But whatever you do, Apple, don’t turn macOS into iPadOS. Leave us with our pleasantly compact menus; the option of an almost equally compact dock; our ability to position and resize windows with pixel-level precision; and so on. Not the inflexible, space-wasting UI that is iPadOS.
That’s why the idea scared me a little at the time: I wasn’t sure how much Apple might be willing to compromise in the name of touch support.
I am no longer afraid of the Mac touch screen
latest Bloomberg The report reassures me that Apple seems to have found a solid solution when it comes to supporting touch without making the UI elements childishly large.
When users touch a button or control, the interface displays a new type of menu around the finger that provides more relevant options for touch commands. The software will also display the most appropriate set of controls based on previous user interaction. And if a person taps an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the set of controls expands for easier finger selection.
That sounds to me like the default macOS look is the same as it is today – unless and until we touch the screen. Only if we do so will the UI scale to a more touch-friendly scale.
With this approach, provided it is done well, I have no complaints. what about you Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo by Karen Grigorean on Unsplash
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