It’s All About Touch, Or Is It?

Apple changed the market a couple years ago with the initial release of the iPhone. I’m not talking about releasing a revolutionary phone, because I don’t think the iPhone is that. But that’s a topic for another article. What Apple managed to do was re-energize the mobile touch screen world. Before the release of the iPhone we were seeing a steady increase in non-touch screen devices as manufacturers tried to copy RIMs approach and market share.

With the release of the iPhone, many manufacturers are now releasing touch screen devices and the non-touch screen phones releases are dropping off. Is there a different demand from the public now versus before? I’m not so sure. I think that manufacturers are worried about Apple and feel that a device with similar specs and design would be the best way to mitigate that risk. When, in reality, the best solution would be to innovate and release a unique phone with new and exciting features that takes the market in a whole new direction.

Take a look at the latest release from Nokia; The N97 is loaded with all the bells and whistles that Apple loaded on their iPhones while adding a QWERTY keyboard and of course, S60 for an operating system. Another great example is the Samsung Omnia which has a very similar form factor to the iPhone with a stylish and eye-catching face lift for the underlying Windows Mobile operating system. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the looks, design and features of these phones, but I would rather spend my money on something different and exciting. Both Nokia and Samsung have built great phones with no touch screen in the past. But the latest releases from these, and other companies, are all focused on touching the screen.

So what’s the appeal with touching your device? For me it feels so “1990’s” – back when mobile keyboards were big and bulky. Most were add-ons that you had to unfold or plug the device into. And when it comes to everyday usage of a touch screen device, typically I find it’s slower and more awkward to navigate and enter data on the device. Maybe that’s just me, but I can move around my BlackJack II much faster than the Touch. And there’s no comparison when it comes to typing emails or entering data.

The other big drawback is the one-handed factor. There’s so much more I can do and access with a non-touch screen device using just one hand, than I can on most touch screen devices. It doesn’t take long on a touch screen before you have to put down whatever you have in the other hand and pull out the stylus or lick the ketchup off your index finger so you can poke away at the screen. Who wants to do that?!

Much like the rant I posted the other day in regards to flip phones; There is a demand for non-touch screen devices, but manufacturers are so caught up in coping Apple that they are losing out on other parts of the market. Here’s hoping that the manufacturers wake up and start to offer new and innovative products once again.

Comments

Additional comments powered by BackType