Apple’s Magic trackpad is getting more coverage and print than a simple pointing device seemingly deserves. Takethe5th sees it as a delay in game penalty for Mac OS/X. Gizmodo sees the Magic Trackpad as a precursor to the displacement and end of Mac OS/X and the emergence of a new OS4-inspired OSMac operating environ with a whole new UI-User Interface experience driven by multi-touch ; drag, swish, and drop ; other rich gestures; and context sensitive objects with flyout iconbars and menus. But Gizmodo sees a problem with this touchscreen world with monster 27″ and larger Apple screens being too fatiguing for the Cupertino devotees. Their affinity for huge screens will quickly lead to fatigue and stress as they try to manage touch screens all day long. Hence the need for a trackpad.
Takethe5th agrees and disagrees . First, a big point of agreement – for sure there is going on right now a UI “see change”[okay, a poor pun] marked by smartphones from Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android plus the iPad phenomenon with a wave of Android and other tablets arriving this Fall. These touch-smart gadgets mark the end of the old apps with their 3-5 levels deep menubars and their cryptic rows of Mayan glyph-like toolbars. These old GUI interfaces will largely break up and become attached to the various objects and panels on the screen as context sensitive menus, flyouts and a gesture controlled UI. Instead of Image | Adjustment | Resize – pinching the object will cause a resize. For precision control graphics apps touchsmart screens may leave the property bar with precise adjustment fields available if required or a bounding crawling-ant border for touch adjustments. But the new fashion in UI is simplicity and ease of use.
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