Some technology industry pundits are starting to ponder whether or not the trend for clamshell computers with a touch screen – as well as a keyboard – could soon be a thing of the past.
This is according to Asgar Mahomed, MD of Esquire Technologies, an international award winning company and one of the leading distributors in southern Africa of IT, mobility, digital and consumer lifestyle products.
He said the launch of Windows 8 in August 2012 was meant to usher in a new way of working on a computer. “This methodology was one that combined the best features of using a tablet with the practicality and ease of use of physical keyboards, track pads and a mouse in a single operating system.
“But just a tad over two years after Microsoft integrated touchscreen commands into its software, a number of the world’s leading PC makers seem likely to phase out production of touch screen notebooks,” said Mahomed.
According to Digitimes research, orders for these types of computers built in Taiwan have all but ceased to exist and “this type of notebook will be phased out of the industry,” claim the publication’s sources.
“For some people this might be something of a sad occurrence,” said Mahomed.
But although a portable computer that can be used for serious productivity and for casual browsing via the screen seems like a great idea, the on-the-ground reality is quite different – because trying to use the two input methods is counterintuitive when both are contained in a traditional clamshell form.
Tablets and notebooks with docking stations and detachable screens are excluded as they act independently of the keyboard.