[throwaway98121]

I don’t see how a glass screen, no matter how amazing it feels, would be better than a keyboard. Of course, any judgement I pass is far too premature and a tad unfair since it’s just a patent and I haven’t tried out the product that uses the patent.

I do think that Apple is seemingly out of ideas. I’d be happy to buy a MacBook if they fixed the problems since 2016.

[coldtea]

>I don’t see how a glass screen, no matter how amazing it feels, would be better than a keyboard.

2007 called, it wants its arguments back -- for those were the same arguments made in favor of Blackberry and other crappy experiences compared to today's touch smartphones.

[frosted-flakes]

Except modern BlackBerrys provide a far more enjoyable and accurate experience than typing on glass. It's not necessarily faster, but nicer. And you even get gesture support for stuff like adding suggestions and moving the cursors around. Modern BlackBerrys run Android.

[coldtea]

And all 10 people prefer that "more enjoyable experience", so it makes one wonder, more enjoyable to whom?

[frosted-flakes]

I've never understood this attitude toward BlackBerry. Not that I really care, but you'd think more people would rather have more choice, than less.

It's true that BlackBerry the company was unsuccessful at selling phones since its heyday many years ago, but they're not in that business anymore, and haven't been for years. These days, they license the BlackBerry brand and patents to companies like TCL, who've been relatively successful with phones like the KeyOne and Key2. Just because BlackBerrys (BlackBerries?) form an almost insignificant share of Android devices doesn't mean they're not good.

[throwaway98121]

A glass screen on a laptop is worlds different than on a pocket sized device, where the tiny keys were arguably something to improve.

If I can already type 90 words a minute, what problem does the glass solve? I have a glass screen on my iPad, and I never type on the screen keyboard for serious work.

I’ll give Apple the benefit of the doubt and wait to see this in the final product, but your comparison to 2007 is grossly inaccurate.

Apple has yet to put out a device in the post Jobs era that made me feel like I have to have this thing in my life.

[diffeomorphism]

Apple and Microsoft very successfully sell very expensive keyboard covers because this argument has been valid since 2007.

[coldtea]

The keyboard covers are for extended writing and holding the tablet up as a mini-desktop.

There are not people enamored with old style smartphone / Blackberry / T9 keyboards that wear those covers during normal phone/tablet use.