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I just watched an old clip of Steve Jobs talking about touchscreen Macs.
While showing a picture of someone touching the screen of an open laptop, Jobs said:
“Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical. It gives great demo, but after a short period of time, you start to fatigue, and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off. It doesn’t work. It’s ergonomically terrible.”
Of course, Jobs was great at denying Apple was working on something while, in secret, the company was working on something.
In this case, however, it was probably true. Jobs was speaking in 2010, and back then, a touchscreen Mac was a terrible idea.
But in the 16 years hence, touchscreens have massively proliferated. And tbh, any screen now that isn’t interactive seems hopelessly outdated.
What about vertical surfaces, though? Wasn’t Jobs right? Obviously, your arm will get tired.
Well, yes and no. Jobs was right about the ergonomic impact if touch is the main interface, but what if touch isn’t the primary input?
This seems to be the crucial insight Apple’s engineers are working around with the new touchscreen Mac that will likely be released this year.
The solution, typically of Apple, is super-clever.
Also in today’s newsletter:
It’s kinda sad that everyone used to rave and rave about 1Password, the favorite password manager of many Mac users, until the company announced something that turned the tide.
Downloading videos from Netflix or YouTube for offline viewing can be a royal pain. Keeprix makes it easy.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Save 25% on this high-power, fast-charging MagFlow Wireless Car Charger from trusted brand Ugreen.
If you’re wondering when the new season of Ted Lasso starts, one of the stars just leaked it. (I’m not, btw!)
Cult of Mac writer Ed Hardy swears that portable screens like this one are “a game changer.”
And Ed loves this tiny new smart charger from Anker, which he reviewed. And yes, he uses the word “love.”
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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One more thing ...
So we walk over to the car, Woz and me, and I’ve got the Blue Box in my hand, and the guy gets in, reaches under the seat, and he pulls out a gun. So he’s pointing the gun right at my stomach, and he says, “Hand it over, brother.” My mind raced. There was the car door here, and I thought maybe I could slam it on his legs and we could run, but there was this high probability that he would shoot me. So I slowly handed it to him, very carefully.
Today’s poll
Now are you interested in a touchscreen Mac?
Results from yesterday’s poll: Do you use iPhone's two-finger select gesture?
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