The Dead mouse!

Ironically Apple computers which popularized the mouse interface to the personal computers is the one killing it. Steve Jobs by launching the new iPAD has provided a new human interface to the computer, “The touch interface“. As one of the analyst after the launch put it; “you can now touch the internet”. With an iPAD the user while browsing the internet clicks the hyperlinks to various webpages with their fingers. Yes, that is a huge change from what we have been doing till date i.e. clicking the hyperlinks using the mouse pointer. Will this spell end of the interface which we have learnt to call as mouse? Only time will tell, meanwhile here is what is happening.

Internet <- Mouse <- Human hand

Now replaced by

Internet <- Human hand

Thus the removal of one intermediate device to access the internet will change the speed and the ease of accessing the internet. This means that with computers you no longer need to be sitting and working as there is no need for a separate mouse surface. Now you can relax in any position and directly communicate with a touch sensitive screen.

Touch sensitive screens are not new but the older versions very not suitable for a human finger. Remember the older PDA (Palm) and smartphone (Ercicsson P800) required a pointer interface called a “pen” for pressing against the screen and activating links. This also meant that the screens did not last longer and had to be replaced. I have used Palm earlier and now using Apple iphone and the difference is huge. With iphone you can work much faster and with the additional pinch and flip features you can zoom and scroll very easily & quickly. Finger interface is more natural in experiencing the internet than the mouse. Just like how you are used to flipping pages of a paperback novel, now you can get the same flip experience reading a electronic book stored on iPAD, browsing pictures or surfing the internet.

So after killing the mouse Steve Jobs and team should see how eliminate the keyboard by give us a natural writing interface!

Other interesting related Blogs:

The Best Mouse models you have ever clicked on.
The Mouse Turns 40
IPAD: Your Grandpa can also use it!