OS X Mountain Lion‘s reimagined iOS features may have brought Notifications Center and more gestures to the desktop, but Apple
CEO Tim Cook is playing coy on whether an actual touchscreen will show
up on Macs any time soon. Echoing former CEO Steve jobs dismissal of
touchscreen desktop ergonomics, Cook told the WSJ that
“this kind of reach for me isn’t a terribly intuitive thing” if dealing
with a touch-enabled iMac. However, as for touchscreen notebooks, Cook
declined to answer.
“Well, our notebooks, I wouldn’t want to
answer,” he said, “because that’s sort of a roadmap question, and, you
know, we like to be secretive on those things.” Although Jobs had been
dismissive of all forms of touch notebook and desktop display, Cook
seemed more concerned about the poor ergonomics of finger-friendly
iMacs.
“Other people have tried that with desktops, and I think to say it hasn’t caught traction is probably an understatement of the year” he explained. Whereas, say, an iPhone is “sort of an intimate experience.”
Mountain Lion – which we previewed comprehensively yesterday - borrows many of the concepts introduced in iOS 5.0 for the iPad and iPhone and pulls them across to the desktop. As well as synchronizing data using iCloud, there’s a new Messages app to replace iChat with iOS-compatible instant messaging, deeper integration of sharing options like Twitter and Vimeo, and Game Center for social gaming.
Touch is expected to play a considerable role in Windows 8 hardware later this year, with Microsoft chasing tablet and touch-enabled notebook/desktop sales with its new OS.
“Well, our notebooks, I wouldn’t want to
answer,” he said, “because that’s sort of a roadmap question, and, you
know, we like to be secretive on those things.” Although Jobs had been
dismissive of all forms of touch notebook and desktop display, Cook
seemed more concerned about the poor ergonomics of finger-friendly
iMacs.“Other people have tried that with desktops, and I think to say it hasn’t caught traction is probably an understatement of the year” he explained. Whereas, say, an iPhone is “sort of an intimate experience.”
Mountain Lion – which we previewed comprehensively yesterday - borrows many of the concepts introduced in iOS 5.0 for the iPad and iPhone and pulls them across to the desktop. As well as synchronizing data using iCloud, there’s a new Messages app to replace iChat with iOS-compatible instant messaging, deeper integration of sharing options like Twitter and Vimeo, and Game Center for social gaming.
Touch is expected to play a considerable role in Windows 8 hardware later this year, with Microsoft chasing tablet and touch-enabled notebook/desktop sales with its new OS.
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