Apple SVP Phil Schiller Says Multi-Touch on an iMac 'Becomes Absurd'

Apple SVP Phil Schiller says that using an iMac equipped with a multi-touch display is absurd, in an interview with BackChannel.

“We think of the whole platform,” he says. “If we were to do Multi-Touch on the screen of the notebook, that wouldn’t be enough — then the desktop wouldn’t work that way.” And touch on the desktop, he says, would be a disaster. “Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.” He also explains that such a move would mean totally redesigning the menu bar for fingers, in a way that would ruin the experience for those using pointer devices like the touch or mouse. “You can’t optimize for both,” he says. “It’s the lowest common denominator thinking.”

Notably, Schiller says that Apple has repeatedly tested this thinking over the years to make sure it was the right decision.


“Our instincts were that it didn't, but, what the heck, we could be wrong—so our teams worked on that for a number of times over the years,” says Schiller. “We’ve absolutely come away with the belief that it isn't the right thing to do. Our instincts were correct.”

Schiller did not comment on Microsoft's new Surface Studio which addresses the issue of needing to reach over the air to touch and do things by folding down.

Hit the link below for the full interview.

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