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simple_mech t1_j42pw6e wrote

Reply to comment by Youvebeeneloned in Apple might finally make a touchscreen Mac by No-Drawing-6975

I just don’t understand the benefit other than for art stuff.

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ssylvan t1_j436j0f wrote

It's for one off tapping. So you're sitting with your hands on the keyboard typing and you need to just click a button or switch to a different app or something. Just a very short one-off click, and it's just much faster to reach up and tap it than it is to move your hand to the track pad (esp awkward in tight spaces like a airplane), figure out where the cursor is and steer it in to the button and click.

The other big benefit is just a quick scroll. You just reach up and flick to scroll a web page or whatever. Scrolling with multi-finger gestures on the trackpad isn't too bad, but only when you have enough space to push the laptop far enough out that your hand isn't cramped/awkward just keeping it near the trackpad at all times. In a small space, the trackpad will likely be right up against your body so it would be super awkward to have your hand there. The natural position of your hands is next to the laptop right where the screen is (elbows in line with your body and where the trackpad is). Perfect for reaching in from the side and doing a quick scroll.

Nobody would use 100% touch screen all times. It's not replacing the trackpad on windows laptops. It's a multi-modal thing where you use the touch screen for ergonomics/convenience every now and then, and trackpad for sustained precision work.

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simple_mech t1_j43dq7m wrote

I think the scrolling is a moot point.

How many “one off” clicks does someone do? Like 2-3/day let’s say?

You’re going to put an entire touch screen on a laptop to save like 1,000 seconds a year? Or 16 mins/year. That’s like an hour or two for the lifetime of the laptop; not worth it imo.

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Flippinsushi t1_j43qapx wrote

Yes, I literally am. I have been wanting a touchscreen Mac since the second I got an iPad specifically for the one-offs. I don’t need to use it constantly to justify it, I just need the option so there isn’t anything standing between me and whatever I’m doing.

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tinasnow-poty t1_j454jxa wrote

I do way more than that. Instead of moving the mouse, you click it instead, that’s like dozens of times a day. It’s one of those things where if you don’t have it, you don’t see the need for it but I personally love it.

I think it’s a great option if you don’t want to/can’t spend on a laptop and a tablet

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simple_mech t1_j469tgt wrote

I've had two touchscreen laptops, and I NEVER used them.

You have to remember in that split second to use the touchscreen, which goes against the habit of going right for the touchpad/mouse, so it takes even longer because you have to think about it.

If you built up a new habit, that's a bit different. But how many one-off clicks does that take to build a new habit?

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tinasnow-poty t1_j46ehkb wrote

Fair enough! It’s automatic for me, I don’t think I ever had to think about it

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ssylvan t1_j4a16pp wrote

2-3/day? Lol no, at least 10x that, if not closer to 100x. Scrolling is not a moot point, it's an extremely common use case of a touch screen on a lap top. I try to scroll my macbook screen all the time because of muscle memory and it's just the most convenient way of doing it.

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This isn't some hypothetical. There already are laptops with touch screens. We know how they work and what the touch screen is used for, and plenty of people simply will not buy a laptop without a touch screen once they got used to it. That's not every single person, perhaps, but there are plenty of us. I have a macbook for work, but I simply wouldn't buy a laptop without a touch screen. It was a very clear "epiphany" for me after using a surface book for a few days. Like, yup, this is just what laptops are for me now, and I'm not going back.

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simple_mech t1_j4be9er wrote

Why is scrolling on a screen better than a touchpad.

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ssylvan t1_j4c67ke wrote

As I already explained, because it’s easier to reach in cramped spaces like a plane or other small tables or, gasp, your lap. When the laptop is close to you, using the touch pad is awkward where you have to do that t-Rex arm thing to reach it, but the screen is by definition approximately a forearm’s length away due to the geometry of a laptop. So the screen is right where your hands are naturally when your elbows are at your side. It’s also more direct. If you want to scroll two inches, you move it two inches with your finger - with a track pad it’s not 1:1. You can also directly scroll any window, with a track pad you have to click an inactive window first before the scroll gesture gets routed the right way. Touch is fast and intuitive.

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simple_mech t1_j4caxw2 wrote

So it’s for cramped spaces? Lol

You’re grasping at straws. Enjoy your touchscreen.

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ssylvan t1_j4cdyhf wrote

LAP top. It's literally in the name. This isn't some fringe use case.

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