Mouse vs. Touch screen

Mouse vs. Touch screen

  • Mouse will always be superior to the touchscreen

    Votes: 15 23.4%
  • Touchscreen will soon take over the functions of the to-be-outdated mouse

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Both will co-exist and both are very useful and necessary but in their own respects

    Votes: 46 71.9%

  • Total voters
    64

LP

Your Brown Banana for Scale
DONOR
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
8,406
Location
East-Timor, USA
Car(s)
206 HP N/A washing machine
I read this interesting article on engadget about the impending death of the computer mouse. The article argues that mice are still active and more useful and with more functions than ever, but that touchscreen has started making its mark in the world and might usurp the function of the mouse as a navigation tool.

The article is located here: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/25/the-mouse-aint-dead-yet-five-of-the-best-mice-reviewed/

But I want to know, what are your guys' take on this?

3 questions really:

1. Do you think the mouse is soon going to become outdated?
2. Do you think touchscreens are the future of navigation?
3. Which is your current preference and might that change in the future?
 
Both have their uses. I like my iPhone, but it has issues. It gets dirty and while using it and your fingers block the screen (annoying while playing games on it).
 
1. I dont think the mouse will soon be outdated. For desktops & desktop replacement laptops they are just the more comfortable way of working.
2. Touchscreen will become more popular I think, but I hope more as an interface for control devices ("next gen" keyboards or something, or for handheld devices. I wouldn't want to be holding up my arms to poke my screen all day.
3. I love my logitech illum. & g9 to death and would want nothing else on my desktop, but I do use the touchscreen on my laptop quite allot for small things (ie changing tabs, windows, minimizing etc).

Also fingerprints fffffffffffffu :D
 
Last edited:
1. Do you think the mouse is soon going to become outdated?
2. Do you think touchscreens are the future of navigation?
3. Which is your current preference and might that change in the future?

No, never
They're an alternative, like laptops are alternatives to desktops, deepends on the function
Prefer mice all the way, but touchscreens help on smaller devices, it's just not accurate enough for a a desktop unless all the buttons ever become huge....
 
Touchscreen is good for portable devices like iPhones and such but it is very difficult to do real work on. Imagine having to press your screen all day at work, you either gonna have biceps the size of Jesus or you will get tired 20 minutes into it :p
 
Neither. Touch screen forces your arms into an uncomfortable long-term position and you block your own view. Mouse is limited to a single point on screen.

http://10gui.com/

I want that in my life, and I see it as a very real possibility for the future.
 
It's only useful for mobile devices (such as the iPad) where a mouse isn't practical.

A mouse is a million times faster, etc. I don't want to have to reach my hand up to my desktop monitor to use it.
 
Only Stevie Jobs thinks the mouse is done for... touchscreens have extremely limited functionality really, and good for limited devices like phones and the iPad.

Not saying he won't try and push the market towards dumping the mouse though. Knowing Apple, I wouldn't be surprised if their next keyboard is just a big capacitive panel with virtual buttons on it. We all know Steve Jobs is terrified of buttons... when that iPhone 4G was leaked/stolen, everyone was saying that can't be the real finished product because it had up and down volume keys instead of one rocker switch - the horror!
 
Neither. Touch screen forces your arms into an uncomfortable long-term position and you block your own view. Mouse is limited to a single point on screen.

http://10gui.com/

I want that in my life, and I see it as a very real possibility for the future.

In some ways, that's already been utilized in the form of multi touch enabled track pads. Though I do agree that OSs will have to become more touch friendly in the future.
 
I don't think touch screens will ever replace mice for desktop use. Touch pads on the other hand, using touch screen tech to make them work much better might start to be a more reliable option.

Edit: Haha LM GTR beat me to it. :D
 
I can't reach my monitor without bending forward quite a lot, so no touchscreen for me, thanks.


PS: Those two above me, how about a touch pad with an integrated additional monitor? :lol:
 
PS: Those two above me, how about a touch pad with an integrated additional monitor? :lol:

Well at first I searched and found this:
dualdisplay.jpg


but then I realised there was an even better example staring at me in the face.
ds_112.jpg

And now, after the threadjack is complete, for something completely different.
 
Last edited:
To elaborate on my earlier post (was pressed for time), multitouch screens are awesome and intuitive, but something like 10/GUI, i.e. multitouch pads separate from the screen, retain all of the ease of use but overcome the weaknesses. The ideal screen position is very different from the ideal keyboard/mouse/hand-operated input device position, for one. There's also the problem of blocking your line of sight... but one of my biggest problems with touch screens, especially on small ones, is that fingers are fat. The tip of my finger covers a huge area of the screen, and sadly, a link on a website does not. Having a pad at the normal "keyboard" position allows you intuitive access with all fingers, and a small, precise on-screen indicator of finger position can help with small interactions.
 
Screen is too far away. Mouse can work from belly.
 
I can see a touchscreen being pretty useful for arty things, but I would rather have a threesome with Brian Blessed and Meatloaf than type on one on a regular basis, and constantly reaching to select something would be annoying in that case, so the keyboard mouse combo must stay.
 
I want 10gui...

I just rewatched that video for the first time in a while.... it's such a great idea. Something about the one-dimensional desktop needs tweaking but it just looks really easy to use.
 
I think the death of the mouse is greatly exaggerated. I think that there are situations where a mouse is more useful than a touchscreen and vice versa. A touch screen on a phone or mobile device and a mouse for my computer works well enough for me.
 
I wonder how the 10gui would work with CAD and drawing programs like Pro/ENGINEER or Photoshop...
 
Top