Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by pjc50 2418 days ago
This. It's not the glass specifically (you can still buy cheap androids with polycarbonate screens), but the capacitative touchscreen, which is more expensive and requires a much fancier controller to read. But without it, either you have to use a stylus, which despite Samsung's belief hardly anyone wants, or press fairly hard. And you can't do multi-touch at all.

Capacitative touchscreen + "real" web browser (not WAP!) was the key capability of the iPhone. The fact that it subsumed the already successful iPod was a big benefit too.
2 comments
canuckintime 2418 days ago
> you have to use a stylus, which despite Samsung's belief hardly anyone wants

That's an odd swipe in an otherwise good post. You don't have to use a stylus with the Galaxy Note series but the option is quite popular

link
diffeomorphism 2418 days ago
> which despite Samsung's belief hardly anyone wants

Which is why nobody is buying ipad pros or surface pros and Wacom is bankrupt /s.

Having a pen in addition to capacitive touch is great. Having only a pen was not. Though the resistive screens in the Nokia N900 or the Nintendo DS for example were not bad.

link