Why the Mouse Touchpad Will Prevail
What is it about computer mouse technology that feels rather old, in comparison to the new age devices within the consumer electronics market that have changed the way that we use computers today? For example, mobile tablet devices (such as the iPad) have changed the way the computer is used from an ergonomic and navigational perspective.
You may find that it feels rather cumbersome and perhaps even boring, to use a conventional computer mouse and its wheel to scroll through pages of text and information. Part of the reason why, is due to the fact that we have become accustomed to the interactive nature of tablet devices and touch pads over the past few years.
External touchpad devices are becoming increasingly popular within the desktop computer market, with the consumers who want to take advantage of the latest operating system software that incorporates gesture technology. However, there are still a vast number of computer users who much prefer to use the mouse, despite its apparent limitations in the current progression of software and hardware technology. It is therefore fair to say that many of such users, who prefer the mouse, may wish to somehow combine the best of both worlds.
Thankfully, that sort of technology (where a mouse is combined with a touchpad), is available on the consumer electronics market today. Manufacturers, such as Apple, have developed mouse touchpad devices, that give consumers the experience of a mouse but with some of the functionality and usability of a touchpad.
No longer do the consumers who wish to stick to the mouse feel left out as a result of such technology releases.
Apple's Magic mouse is a state-of-the-art offering from the manufacturer who brought gestures to the mass market with this combination of user-based operating systems and hardware. Users of such advice, are presented with an experience in which they can navigate windows and pages with the mouse itself, but then use the mouse touchpad, located on the top of the device, as a way of navigating and swiping gestures through the operating system.
This type of technology is provided as an alternative to the stand-alone trackpad device that consumers are continually being presented with due to advancements in operating system software and hardware.
By combining the touchpad with the mouse, and losing no features whatsoever, functionality is being increased greatly for mouse users. It therefore presents the thought that conventional mice may no longer be needed in the consumer electronics market. After all, consumers wishing to receive a state-of-the-art consumer computing experience will be able to do so with either a stand-alone touchpad or a touchpad mouse.
As result in the combination of a touchpad with the mouse, the scroll wheel may well become obsolete, and so will any other buttons that may have originally been located on a mouse. The only real button that will be located on a mouse from this point forward, will be the main tactile feedback button that is required to click down.
Every other function and use of the mouse will be controlled with gestures on top of the surface of the device.
Ultimately, the situation that consumers face when choosing either a mouse or a trackpad for the desktop PC setup is becoming even harder. Not only has the mouse gained advantages over the trackpad by acquiring its functionality, but the much–loved usability of the original mouse technology is likely to continue a consumer legacy that will carry on until the device is phased out completely. Until then the touchpad mouse will more than suffice as a substitute for a stand-alone trackpad.
