According to IMS Research, 230 million touchscreen handsets are expected to ship this year -- in 2007, when Apple introduced the iPhone, only 30 million touchscreen devices shipped. At Mobile World Congress this year there were a number of new touch-enabled phones introduced.
Today the touchscreen is a common feature in the smartphone market, but touch-enabled screens and navigation are moving from the smartphone realm into other device categories. Among the categories touchscreens are migrating too are the notebook and desktop computer categories.
Adding a touchscreen alone to a smartphone doesn't ensure a hit as many phone makers have found out when their touch-screen devices failed to be popular among consumers. Andrew Hsu from Synaptics said, "The trend that we're seeing is that devices are getting smaller and more powerful. This issue is now how to improve user access to data and applications. We believe that touchscreens are really the most efficient way for providing user input control."
In the post iPhone technology market, it’s common to see touchscreens used on netbooks, notebooks, desktop computers and other devices like digital photo frames. The best use for a touch interface is in smaller devices where touch makes sense as a navigation method.
Touch-enabled screens in the notebook market aren’t new with Microsoft introducing touch control to tablet computers in the early days of Windows XP. The difference between the early touch-enabled systems and those of today is that early machines needed a stylus to operate. Today we have screens that operate by capacitive touch relying on the conductive properties of our skin and resistive screens that rely on pressure. No matter the screen type, the software is the most important aspect of a touch-enabled navigation system.
The best screen using sub-par software won’t find its mark with consumers. Software has to be easy to use and make sense to users, which is one reason the iPhone did so well in the market with its touchscreen and intuitive, easy to use software.
Hsu said, "I think that touch tech is going to become an essential component of a much broader input solution. People are already seeing limitations of current touchscreen tech, but these issues are being addressed. You'll see an evolution of touch hardware. Now that people are beginning to understand what it can really do for the user experience, more and more companies will deploy it. We're seeing a lot of interest from non-traditional vendors based on the success of touchscreens in handsets. Automotive makers, larger form factors and so on. The usage model of touch input is becoming more widespread and will expand to devices other than media payers, handsets, and laptops."
Many analysts and even major computer makers don't believe that touch is the input method of choice on notebook and desktop computers. It makes little sense to scroll through a document on a notebook or desktop using your finger when a mouse can do it faster and easier. Apple's Steve Jobs said that adding touch capability to its laptops hasn’t made a lot of sense this far.
Despite that, several new touch-enabled desktop and notebook computers have made it to market.
