Are you REALLY using that touchscreen? - Buying Advice :)

[Laura Knotek]

I never use the touchscreen on my 15.6" laptop. I usually have the laptop on my lap, so typing on the keyboard and scrolling/tapping on the touchpad is easy and natural to me.

 

[Hoppman]

All the time on my Dell XPS 13. On my workstation, no because my 32" monitor is too far away. I won't buy another laptop/tablet without touchscreen, it is so easy to just flick and scroll on a long website when reading.

 

[v_2samg]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a new laptop and I've left Apple behind for now. I've settled on a light, Windows 10 Ultrabook. My favorites seem to be the Dell XPS 13 or the HP Spectre x360 13 (or even the Elitebook x360 G2).

I'm a business user: most of work is done from my browsers, my email client and a couple of productivity apps. When not working I watch stuff on my laptop on the couch. And I play the occasional game (usually strategy games, Paradox stuff like Crusader Kings or Stellaris, nothing heavy).

So, 2-in-1s are all the rage, but I want to ask you other business users: do you REALLY use that touchscreen? Or is it a gimmick?

I can see myself using it. In tent mode, during tabletop wargames (a hobby of mine), on the couch. The pen, maybe, but not so much (although I might use the pen to navigate with, instead of my fingers).

It seems like I can get a more powerful laptop if I forego the touchscreen. But I like buying versatility and be somewhat future-proof. It seems like the touchscreen is the way forward.

Speaking of future-proofing, if I want my laptop to be equally fast in a couple of years (say, at least 3 years in the future), should I shell out for an i7 / 16 GB RAM? Heck, should I perhaps be sure to include a video card? I know the Asus Zenbook 13 has one, so does the Samsung Notebook Pro 9.

Curious to hear your thoughts!

I use it all the time. Especially while browsing with Edge and going through photos.

 

[Michael Bromley]

The simple test as to how much you use the touchscreen is to substitute a non-touch screen where you would otherwise have one. Every time you reach for the screen and say, "oh, damn," and reach back for your mouse or touchpad, that's where you need your touch.

For me, touch is an essential tool, equivalent to my mouse and keyboard, for my tablets and laptops. Just wish I had touch on my desktop external monitors...

 

[Aden Rossinni]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a new laptop and I've left Apple behind for now. I've settled on a light, Windows 10 Ultrabook. My favorites seem to be the Dell XPS 13 or the HP Spectre x360 13 (or even the Elitebook x360 G2).

I'm a business user: most of work is done from my browsers, my email client and a couple of productivity apps. When not working I watch stuff on my laptop on the couch. And I play the occasional game (usually strategy games, Paradox stuff like Crusader Kings or Stellaris, nothing heavy).

So, 2-in-1s are all the rage, but I want to ask you other business users: do you REALLY use that touchscreen? Or is it a gimmick?

I can see myself using it. In tent mode, during tabletop wargames (a hobby of mine), on the couch. The pen, maybe, but not so much (although I might use the pen to navigate with, instead of my fingers).

It seems like I can get a more powerful laptop if I forego the touchscreen. But I like buying versatility and be somewhat future-proof. It seems like the touchscreen is the way forward.

Speaking of future-proofing, if I want my laptop to be equally fast in a couple of years (say, at least 3 years in the future), should I shell out for an i7 / 16 GB RAM? Heck, should I perhaps be sure to include a video card? I know the Asus Zenbook 13 has one, so does the Samsung Notebook Pro 9.

Curious to hear your thoughts!

Touch screen is a MUST have. Use it everyday. Would NOT buy a laptop, desktop without touch AND pen. Also, must be 3:2 ratio. .Microsoft is 100% on these factors, would never consider Apple because of lack of all of the above.

 

[mklwrmrdm]

Yes i use it, every day... for hours + the pen + a mouse, delightful experience.

 

[nlm]

Let me put it this way, the thread should be titled, Are you really using that Trackpad?

 

[JaimitoFrog]

once you start, it is hard to go back. Web browsing, photo zoom, reading is all easier with touch. mouse and track pad are good for editing and typing. pen is for certain tasks like annotating or draw. I will not buy a laptop without touch.

 

[dericslab]

I actually use the touchscreen on the SP4 quite often.

 

[Eric Tay]

It's simple. I have many devices. Tablets, desktop, Surface Pro.

When I'm typing emails, doing software development, play PC Games and editing video. I mostly use kbm.

But when I'm consuming content or doing presentation, I mostly use touch.

When I edit photos, I like touch and pen.

 

[Dush Ku]

touch screen quite a bit, wouldn't want a laptop without it now.
i don't use the pen hardly at all though.

 

[Adventurer64]

Touch screen is a MUST have. Use it everyday. Would NOT buy a laptop, desktop without touch AND pen. Also, must be 3:2 ratio. .Microsoft is 100% on these factors, would never consider Apple because of lack of all of the above.

I agree 100%!

 

[Adventurer64]

Let me put it this way, the thread should be titled, Are you really using that Trackpad?

Yes, on my work Dell craptop because I have no choice. Corporate America has not embraced touch PCs yet.

 

[Guzzler3]

Another SP3 user. I use the touch screen 99% of the time. I've gotten so used to it, that when I have to use someone else's computer I always reach up and touch the screen, only to be frustrated when I realize that it isn't a touch screen.

I have to admit that it does take some time to get used to it, but once you do, you really do appreciate it. Especially with a tablet or a "2 in 1" type of system, which is what I actually recommend to people when they ask me what to buy (I'm a 50 year old ex IT guy).

Think about it, we are used to touch screen on our phones, so it really doesn't take much to move to using touch on a small screen to a big screen. Especially if you have kids around, they EXPECT the screen to be a touch screen. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a kid try to touch the screen on a laptop and get frustrated when it doesn't do anything.

It's actually a very natural act to reach up and touch. Using a mouse/touchpad is a learned action when you think about it.

 

[jtwoodfield]

Sure, one can get by without touch. However, having it there is a bonus that I would now be very reluctant to do without.

Input options are always a good thing.

For example, I generally prefer a Track Point to a touch pad as it is so much more accurate and does not get in the way. But both is even better.

 

[HeyCori]

I will absolutely NEVER buy a laptop without a touch screen. Maaaaybe, if the price is right, I will get a traditional laptop instead of a 2-in-1, but a touch screen is not debatable. It's a mandatory feature that I can't go without much like a (minimum) 1080p screen or a precision trackpad. Having a touch screen just makes day-to-day more convenient. I have two laptops for work. One is a MacBook Pro and the other a newer Dell XPS with a touch screen. Constantly switching between the two has showed me that navigating an OS without a touch screen is vastly more cumbersome. Some times, depending on the situation, it's just quicker to touch what I need. And if I so happen to be holding the device in my hand, touch is a clear winner without comparison.

 

[Wevenhuis]

I've used a surface pro device as my daily driver for over 5 years. I use my touchscreen mutiple times daily. It's very convenient and intuitive. interaction with the screen for scrolling, selecting text and pressing buttons are no-brainers, and similar to using the smartphone. I've run into many times working on non-touchscreen pc and desktop devices at work and friends and family I intuitvely reach for the screen to scroll webpages, press the start button or wanting to swipe open the action center.
I haven't used a mouse with my surface pro over 5 years and I turn off the trackpad by default. navigation is very intuitive and natural in the current age of mobility and the smartphone. I think it should be the new norm, but at the condition that the interaction is smooth, seemless and quick. It should be mid-tear smartphone level interactivity with your screen to go mouseless and trackpadless.

 

[EssThree]

I honestly don't realise how much I use the touch screen until I'm on a computer that's not mine. Then every few minutes I will tap at the screen or swipe on something, "oh right... not touch". Over and over. I guess I use the touch screen so much on my own devices that it's become habitual.

 

[Moskus]

All monitors should support touch by now.

 

[Asbmor]

It has become a must for me. I do not want a non-touchscreen laprop again. Scorling web pages and .pdf's. and alsow hitting buttons in pup-up messages. I even find it easyer in Adobe Lightroom as well. Acctuly I would cut the trackpad over the touchsceen.