# Are people expected to type on a touchscreen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786 "2012-06-11T03:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/21 "2012-06-12T22:58:43Z")
I’ve noticed an odd phenomenon when typing on an ipad. On a regular keyboard I use the Dvorak layout. I’m pretty quick now, though not yet as fast as I used to be at Qwerty. If I try typing on a real Qwerty keyboard now I’m useless - barely better than hunt-and-peck. But on the ipad, which is Qwerty, I’m faster. Almost as fast on the ipad now as before I switched to Dvorak I think. Something about the virtual keyboard triggers the old muscle memories without interference from my Dvorak training. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/22 "2012-06-12T23:17:03Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I don’t know if Apple supports Swype, though. I think that, technically, Swype doesn’t support Apple. When I started using Swype on my android phone, I checked their web page out. The business model is apparently to sell to the device maker, and be included in the shipping SW. Apple hasn’t paid to include it for everyone, so it isn’t there. That being said..I’m a fan of Swype. I prefer to type with it on my phone than use the virtual keyboard on my Playbook. But I’m a bigger fan of real keys. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/23 "2012-06-12T23:30:22Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Tablet + keyboard = netbook That’s exactly what I would say, although you normally can’t take the keyboard off a netbook. And let’s face it, the vast majority of usage of smart phones, tablets, ect. isn’t for doing productive things, like typing extended, coherent discourse. Why have a permanent keyboard, when the default usage for these devices doesn’t require one? Most of what people do with these things is just dicking around. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/24 "2012-06-13T09:04:53Z")
People are starting to demonstrate physical feedback touchscreens. There are electrical field devices that can make it feel like a flat smooth surface has an indent/bulge. With more resolution, each button on the onscreen keyboard could feel like an indent (or maybe just the home keys). Another experimental technology uses microfluidics to “pump up” regions on the surface of the touchscreen to form buttons you can feel. Currently, these regions have to be pre-defined, but I expect that in future, this technology will be enhanced. I’d link to a recent NewScientist article, but it is still subscriber only, sadly. Si ---
**Author:** ![TheBori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@TheBori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBori)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/25 "2012-06-13T13:58:06Z")
This very topic is what annoys me so about the iPad. A very expensive machine that is always shown (advertised) swiping photos. That a pretty pricey slideshow. I’ve never been one to drink the Apple Kool-Aid, but the iPad seems to be an expensive toy. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/26 "2012-06-13T14:11:28Z")
> [@TheBori](#): > > This very topic is what annoys me so about the iPad. A very expensive machine that is always shown (advertised) swiping photos. That a pretty pricey slideshow. That’s right - the only thing the iPad is used for is looking at pictures. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786/27 "2012-06-14T03:13:49Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > People are starting to demonstrate physical feedback touchscreens. There are electrical field devices that can make it feel like a flat smooth surface has an indent/bulge. With more resolution, each button on the onscreen keyboard could feel like an indent (or maybe just the home keys). I had a device with this at my old job. It was pretty damn impressive. I used to show it to people..have them play with the keypad, and then turn the device off. They were always amazed that there were not any buttons there. Haptic feedback, when done properly, is very impressive. I was working on a commercial product to include that when..well..the company decided my division wasn’t important enough to keep around. Oh well. -D/a [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-people-expected-to-type-on-a-touchscreen/624786.md?page=1)