Touchscreen computers

[ElPolloDiabl]

I found you can get a netbook now (10 inch, x86, win7) for AU$349 with touchscreen.
  It's a cool feature, but I think it would be clumsy. I think I would accidentally bump the screen.
  A low footprint desktop with touchscreen I think would be great and plan to get one in future.

It's a nice hobby and I am continually impressed when things go right.

[MicroStrand]

It depends on what you like to do with it. But it also reminds me of the 19th Century, when the schoolchildren had to lug around even their own small blackboard with.

[CritAnime]

We had a Windows 7 HP laptop that had touchscreen. I doubt we ever used it, I know I didn't. I know windows 8 is trying to force you into the whole touch approach but to be honest It's annoying to keep reaching over to fondle the screen just to close a program.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

They have their place - interactive kiosks to register at the doctor's office, or to order food at a gas station, etc., but for day-to-day computing they're more of a fancy show-off gimick.  Come to think of it, those two examples I gave are probably pretty bad if you're a germaphobe, also.  Heh.  

[MicroStrand]

Come to think of it, those two examples I gave are probably pretty bad if you're a germaphobe, also.  Heh.  

On my desk at least I can do without it. I've had enough already, if I have to clean once a week my screen because I don't even have to remove my fingerprints still daily. Moreover, it would be completely inappropriate even for anthropotechnical reasons.

[bloodline]

Touchscreen has its place my iPad and iPhone would suck without one... But just as the mouse has never completely replaced the keyboard, so the touchscreen will never replace the mouse. But I wouldn't complain if my next computer had one (I might not use it much though ).

[Karlos]

Touchscreen has its place my iPad and iPhone would suck without one...

Boo! They'd suck regardless :lol:

Seriously though, it's an interface mechanism that works extremely well on mobile/tablet. However, I do find the recent trend towards making desktop interfaces more like tablets irritating in the extreme.

[pwermonger]

I have one of the Lenovo Yoga convertible laptops. I don't use the touch screen all the time, it still has a trackpad so you don't have to reach up to touch the screen to close apps. Alt+f4 also still works fine.
 
But I have been using it more and more, and always found working in IT on peoples machines, laptops always come in with many fingerprints on the screen anyway. If people are touching it, might as well make those touches able to do something. More input methods rarely is a bad thing since it gives people choices, and developers more flexibility in how they make their apps work.

[gertsy]

I touch screen now on machines that don't. You get used to it, and miss it in some circumstance. Especially when you start to get older and the eyes start to dim. Zoom click on Amiga Org.

Kids expect it now.

[klx300r]

Can't stand them! My desk is fairly deep and I always have all kinds of papers between my keyboard & monitor so it would be beyond clumsy having to reach over to touch the screen constantly.
Keyboard & mouse combo for me for 'real' work thank you very much.

Now for playing games with the kids of course a touchscreen tablet is great.

[persia]

Won't replace a trackpad, but are sometimes nice, a big touch screen is really nice with working with spacial information, maps, pictures, etc.  Touch screen and trackpad aren't either or devices, each have their place and use.