Dell's Della and its new tech designs: Apple-esque?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Saturday, 16 May 2009 12:24

Opinion and Analysis

An obvious idea for the Adamo 2 and the the next version of the Mini 10, and indeed eventually everyone’s note and netbooks: Give them a swiveling multi-touch screen that can fold over the keyboard, like a Tablet PC.

Clearly, the cost of a multi-touch screen, and a swivelling one at that, adds to the cost. I’m sure there will be models that are multi-touch, but won’t have swivelling screens, just to bring down the price.

But in amongst all of the moves to create cooler, sleeker, smoother and nicer looking computers, to compete against Apple, HP and everyone else, we’re still in that generation before touch is pervasive. Dell's trying to look cooler, but is it "Apple-esque" enough?

Not yet. It looks more like following than leading.

Windows 7 should ignite touch interfaces and UI designs as never before for many people, bringing that elements of the touch aspects of Surface PC technology to consumers and businesses on their everyday computers.

The other elements of being able to detect and interact with items placed onto the Surface PC's screen would work with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in the meantime, and Microsoft is working on those Windows 7 sensors.

Apple has already done that with its iPhone, Palm is promising to do the same with its Pre, and Microsoft says Windows Mobile 7 will knock our socks off, although at this rate Apple will be on to iPhone OS 5.0 or later.

I haven’t investigated much of what OS X 10.6 will deliver in touch, but with everyone assuming some kind of iPhone Pro, or Mac Tablet, is in the pipeline, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a fully touch-screen Mac Tablet of some kind appearing this year or next, and Apple undoubtedly working on all kinds of its own touch technologies for desktop computing, the future for touch is brighter than it has ever been.

If a Mac Tablet comes this year from Apple and before multi-touch Windows 7 note and netbooks emerge and become common, and the experience is at least as good as the iPhone, Apple would continue being perceived as the leader in the touch space.

Either way, the iPhone is here to stay and will keep getting better, and Windows 7 is poised for a touch screen revolution in 2010, already available today to those running Windows 7 RC and using an HP or Dell with multi-touch drivers.

Next year we’ll hopefully a huge increase in models of notebooks and netbooks from all the world's competing computer companies with that missing factor: the multi-touch screen. And hopefully more stolen Apple cool, and the real thing from Apple itself!