Users tell Microsoft: We hate Windows 8 touchscreen PCs

With Windows 8, Microsoft recast Windows as a touchscreen interface, and bet the farm that people would flock to it. Now users have spoken: They hate the devices. New research from IDC shows that as few as 10% of all laptops sold this year will sport a touchscreen.

A look at the current laptop best-seller list on Amazon bears out that people aren't buying touchscreen laptops. None of the top ten laptops have touchscreens. The top ten include Chromebooks as well as Macs. But if you look at the top ten best-selling Windows notebooks, none have touchscreens, either.

O'Donnell notes that touchscreen laptops are typically far more expensive than non-touch ones, with prices at $700 to $800, up to double the price of non touchscreen laptops. The problem goes beyond price. He told Computerworld:

"Touch is just not that compelling for most. There are not that many touch-required apps that people feel they must have."​

As a general rule, apps written for Windows 8 are underpowered compared to desktop apps. In addition, there's a dearth of good Windows 8 apps. Recent research shows that Windows 8 has barely half of the most popular iOS apps.

Users tell Microsoft: We hate Windows 8 touchscreen PCs | Computerworld Blogs

 

[mcnulty]

This is the same old fallacy. Touch will never work because your arm will get tired.

Of course that argument makes sense, if you idiotically believe you will ONLY be using touch on a desktop. Touch will be used in addition to existing inputs of keyboard and mice. It will be used when it's natural to do so, and a mouse will be used when that is natural to do so. And it also makes sense if you idiotically believe that monitors will not become more fluid, allow you to just pick it up and use it as tablet when you want to draw on it, or do something more interactive. (larger screens may fold down to provide a flat drawing surface over the keyboard).

Yep. I'm so looking forward to holding my 23" inch monitor in my arms.

 

[aqibaslam123]

Well, I love windows 8 even it's touch. I love it! It makes us feel the double OS. The start menu, it makes us feel that we can't live in a single world forever with the taskbar hanging down. You can live in a double windows.

 

[davehc]

With respect. The reading in this thread is informative and interesting.
But the article title, echoed in this thread title, is incorrect.
No where, have users "told" Microsoft that they hate the touchscreen. It is wils assumption, drawn fro sales figures. Some of the posts in this thread put the picture more clearly.

One fact which ahs not even been mentioned, is the quite significant extra cost, so far, of a touchscreen device.

There does seem to be a tendency for forum users, to search for bad Microsoft news, but never look for the more positive side. A bit of a shame really, in view of some of the fine, and appreciated products in their history. Certainly a case of hitting a dog when it down.

This one, of many, for example, is worth a read:

Windows 8

 

[Hopachi]

This is the same old fallacy. Touch will never work because your arm will get tired.

Of course that argument makes sense, if you idiotically believe you will ONLY be using touch on a desktop. Touch will be used in addition to existing inputs of keyboard and mice. It will be used when it's natural to do so, and a mouse will be used when that is natural to do so. And it also makes sense if you idiotically believe that monitors will not become more fluid, allow you to just pick it up and use it as tablet when you want to draw on it, or do something more interactive. (larger screens may fold down to provide a flat drawing surface over the keyboard).

Yep. I'm so looking forward to holding my 23" inch monitor in my arms.

Something in that direction: you place the monitor flat on the table.


picture source:
Designing remains no more a tricky task with Multi-function Design Table | Designbuzz : Design ideas and concepts

Size can vary, be smaller or larger, but you'll need to defy gravity less this way because the hand reaches downwards, imitating the mouse that sits on the table height. You can place the monitor where you like though...

I still wouldn't consider it as a replacement for keyboard and mouse not to mention that big prices will still battle with consumers.

 

[Superfly]

No where, have users "told" Microsoft that they hate the touchscreen.

... that's what most of us are doing right here, I would think?

One fact which ahs not even been mentioned, is the quite significant extra cost, so far, of a touchscreen device.

.. read above posts - it's been touched on (no pun intended...

There does seem to be a tendency for forum users, to search for bad Microsoft news, but never look for the more positive side. A bit of a shame really,

.. very little good news coming from Redmond TBH ...

Certainly a case of hitting a dog when it down.

No just calling a spade a spade - I for one have made positive comments on the improved kernel in 8.1... can't think of any other "positive" comments right now, however...

This one, of many, for example, is worth a read:
Windows 8

Well if they instead of blindly going ahead and developing a touch-intensive OS, before doing some market research and pricing models on hardware .. they would not be in that situation now anyway...

 

[Superfly]

I still wouldn't consider it as a replacement for keyboard and mouse not to mention that big prices will still battle with consumers.

Alternatively....

Sorry off topic... but LMAO...

 

[Hopachi]

I still wouldn't consider it as a replacement for keyboard and mouse not to mention that big prices will still battle with consumers.

Alternatively....

Sorry off topic... but LMAO...

LOL
But this might happen in some cases for real, sorry for those involved.
I'm not against the technology I'm just cautious.

What happened?
Seems you got a too big screen or you touched too much... and now you can't touch this.

For the moment, prices too high, older pc's still do their job well.

 

[Rickkins]

If you're an older person like me, I'm sure there are a few of you that hate the thought of using a laptop and having to constantly lift your arm up to the screen to do something. I like my lazy old notebook mouse. Even a touchscreen on a desktop.....it sounds cool, but I can see one arm getting huge from the intense workout.

Quite right Doc.(I assume it's Dr. Sardonicus). I even use a wireless mouse with my laptop because I'm too lazy to lift my hand to use the touch pad....

 

[Gibster]

I've got a 28" desktop monitor at home and will soon be going into the ~30" category (after a few more price drops.) It's easy to see how it takes approximately 1" of movement with my wrist (resting comfortably in a natural position) to move the mouse so that the cursor moves from the bottom left corner of the screen to the top right corner, traversing the full 28" distance. It's something so effortless it can almost be done unconsciously.

If I was crazy enough to want a 28" touchscreen sans mouse instead, I'd actually have to lift my entire arm to "press" with my finger of choice near the bottom left corner, then retract my hand and move my entire arm the full 28" distance so that the finger of my choice can "press" in the top right corner of my screen. If you think that's making a lot of noise about nothing, just try that little experiment for awhile and you'll be surprised how quickly your "pointing" arm will tire. Imagine having to do that dozens/hundreds of times a day. (Imagine how much time you'd spend just cleaning your monitor & hands even if you didn't poke a hole through the monitor in a raging fit!) Although we all take them for granted, a lot of thought and engineering went into the development of the "ordinary" high-resolution optical mouse.

I think touch screens are perfect for 5"-6" cell phones, or even for media consumption devices like tablets, because these are portable devices deliberately designed to be small and portable. But for sit-down desktop computers with comfortably large monitors designed primarily for performance, work, and even play, where portability is of no importance at all, touchscreens make no sense. Pure lunacy, imo. I once had a very brief argument with a guy who kept insisting that sitting in front of a large, perpendicular monitor and constantly traversing it with arm/hand to push buttons and gadgets all day would be no different from using a mouse. He tried something like I suggest above and then I never heard from him again on the subject...

To this day I have no idea what Microsoft was thinking when it decided the next windows UI should be designed around touchscreens even for people who either didn't have, couldn't have, or didn't want touchscreens. Designing a touchscreen UI is OK--what's not OK is trying to force people to use a touch ui whether they like it or not.

I like Win8x64--and I can even truthfully say I like it better than Win7. But I also have to say it's because of 3rd-party freeware developers that I am able to use Win8x64 in the way that I like--with the Explorer UI, booting to desktop, etc--and not because of Microsoft. I'm aware that Microsoft is correcting some of these incredible mistakes in "8.1", but I'm confident the company will be stubborn enough not to get them all. I want the OS I buy and use to shape itself around me as opposed to me having to conform to some nebulous UI "touch-screenish" aesthetic whether I like it or not. That's something like I'd expect to see from Apple, frankly.

Please forgive a new poster, but it occurs to me that as an artist I work on vertical surfaces all the time, (My easel being one example). Seems to me that over time your arm gets used to the repetitive movements, and eventually it becomes the most natural way to paint or draw. I have yet to hear of any professional artist coming down with Gorilla arm. Even tennis elbow goes away as one becomes more proficient in the game. The same goes for puppeteers (I speak from experience). Working constantly with your arm elevated over your head fatigues you at first, but as you grow more dexterous the discomfort goes away. I’m wondering how much time people put into these touch interfaces before giving up. Seems to me it may simply be a matter of allowing the body to adjust to these new motions. I personally don’t use windows 8, as I hate the interface.

 

[Hopachi]

Please forgive a new poster, but it occurs to me that as an artist I work on vertical surfaces all the time, (My easel being one example). Seems to me that over time your arm gets used to the repetitive movements, and eventually it becomes the most natural way to paint or draw. I have yet to hear of any professional artist coming down with Gorilla arm. Even tennis elbow goes away as one becomes more proficient in the game. The same goes for puppeteers (I speak from experience). Working constantly with your arm elevated over your head fatigues you at first, but as you grow more dexterous the discomfort goes away. I’m wondering how much time people put into these touch interfaces before giving up. Seems to me it may simply be a matter of allowing the body to adjust to these new motions. I personally don’t use windows 8, as I hate the interface.

Alright. Case accepted.

 

[SIW2]

One fact which ahs not even been mentioned, is the quite significant extra cost, so far, of a touchscreen device.

It is in the very first post, for a start.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Umm ...

One fact which ahs not even been mentioned, is the quite significant extra cost, so far, of a touchscreen device.

From the article linked in post #1:

O'Donnell notes that touchscreen laptops are typically far more expensive than non-touch ones, with prices at $700 to $800, up to double the price of non touchscreen laptops. The problem goes beyond price.

Oops, SIW2 beat me to it.

This one, of many, for example, is worth a read:
Windows 8

How does Gartner explain the decline in sales of non-touch desktops and laptops?

 

[jimbo45]

One fact which ahs not even been mentioned, is the quite significant extra cost, so far, of a touchscreen device.

From the article linked in post #1:

O'Donnell notes that touchscreen laptops are typically far more expensive than non-touch ones, with prices at $700 to $800, up to double the price of non touchscreen laptops. The problem goes beyond price.

Oops, SIW2 beat me to it.

This one, of many, for example, is worth a read:
Windows 8

How does Gartner explain the decline in sales of non-touch desktops and laptops?

Hi there
GARTNER couldn't organise a piddle up in a Brewery or a Prayer meeting in the Vatican -- they are the MOST useless unreliable source of information on the entire planet.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[SIW2]

While IDC says that win 8 is one of the main reasons why people stay away from new PCs, Gartner analysts point to the price of new computers running Microsoft’s “reinvented” operating system.

Both points are probably valid. Here's a clue for MS:

Start with the customer experience and work backwards

 

[lehnerus2000]

First the wadding, then the shot ...

GARTNER couldn't organise a piddle up in a Brewery or a Prayer meeting in the Vatican -- they are the MOST useless unreliable source of information on the entire planet.

That article confirms their inability.

Both points are probably valid. Here's a clue for MS:

Start with the customer experience and work backwards

You've got it all wrong.

First the executive bonuses, then the product ...

 

[jimbo45]

GARTNER couldn't organise a piddle up in a Brewery or a Prayer meeting in the Vatican -- they are the MOST useless unreliable source of information on the entire planet.

That article confirms their inability.

Both points are probably valid. Here's a clue for MS:

Start with the customer experience and work backwards

You've got it all wrong.

First the executive bonuses, then the product ...

Hi there
You forgot abot THE SHAREHOLDERS -- they come after the executive bonuses and BEFORE the product !!!.

Cheers

jimbo

 

[SIW2]

While we are on the subject, I suppose we will never know what Jeff Ubben is doing. He keeps it quiet. Some comfort for the other shareholders, knowing he is there.

 

[Mystere]

Stop repeating the same argument over and over again. Just because touch may not work in one circumstance doesn't mean it should be scrapped for all the circumstances where it does work. You're being ridiculous. Mice don't work for a TV across the room, so does that mean Mice should be abandoned?

 

[labeeman]

Stop repeating the same argument over and over again. Just because touch may not work in one circumstance doesn't mean it should be scrapped for all the circumstances where it does work. You're being ridiculous. Mice don't work for a TV across the room, so does that mean Mice should be abandoned?

Mice on a TV across the room works a lot better than touch I do not have 12 foot arms.

 

[phillipduran]

I'm OCD about fingerprints on my lappy and desktop screens. No touch for me.