Microsoft tries to bank Windows 7 on iPhone’s success
Touch screen technology on CE devices up till recently have been a mere novelty with nobody taking the technology seriously; that was until the iPhone was released. The iPhone put touch screen technology in the forefront and brought mainstream acceptance as a method of navigating a graphical user interface.
Recently at the All Things Digital D6 conference, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer unveiled details on Windows 7 and demonstrated the multi-touch or touch screen capabilities of Windows 7. Apparently Microsoft seems to think touch screen maybe the future of OS’s on tablet PCs.
According to InfoWorld Microsoft during the conference indicated the same technology used in the Surface will be used on Windows 7. For those who are unfamiliar with the Surface, it’s an interactive coffee table with an OS built into it. Users can navigate the UI via touching the table top ‘surface.’
Users could drag pictures around and zoom in or out as well, all with their finger, sounds familiar doesn’t it? Sounds just like what the iPhone is capable of, albeit since Windows 7 is a complete operating system there will be more functionality.
Touch screen technology is rapidly becoming a viable method of interfacing complex graphical interface and Microsoft is banking on its continued momentum onto portable Tablet PCs with Windows 7. Windows 7 have been receiving much criticism for being too similar to their failing Vista except for the multi-touch capability.
Multi-touch maybe the feature that could propel Tablet PCs and Windows 7 into the limelight, or not, only time will tell.
