>Apple or HTC could easily come out with a similar device before MS hits the market.
Sure, but that is if they see it as viable. Unless it's just an add-on secondary input device and display, it'll require that the OS and apps all work really well with it. So there's the big issue... would it work great with existing software or require a fresh start? Can it work well for mainstream use including things like word processing?
The work doesn't seem particularly new. If one looks closely at the first picture "Bill Buxton using the Active Desk he helped develop at the University of Toronto" we can see the older Apple color icon at the top left.
Of course it still is a very cool technology to respect and admire even if existing OSes aren't quite ready for it.
The biggest problem I see with touch interfaces on legacy OSes is that they can work better on large screens, but don't scale down well.
Sure, but that is if they see it as viable. Unless it's just an add-on secondary input device and display, it'll require that the OS and apps all work really well with it. So there's the big issue... would it work great with existing software or require a fresh start? Can it work well for mainstream use including things like word processing?
The work doesn't seem particularly new. If one looks closely at the first picture "Bill Buxton using the Active Desk he helped develop at the University of Toronto" we can see the older Apple color icon at the top left.
Of course it still is a very cool technology to respect and admire even if existing OSes aren't quite ready for it. The biggest problem I see with touch interfaces on legacy OSes is that they can work better on large screens, but don't scale down well.