[nilkn]

I've had a Macbook Air for a while now and my problem with the Surface is simply that I've never once desired to have a touchscreen on my little laptop. The large trackpad and keyboard are superior to a touch interface in almost every way for me.

I have an iPad that my parents got for me, and I struggle to force myself to use it because the entire touch interface seems inferior. Every time I lay down in bed with my iPad, I end up regretting it as soon as I have to type anything or use a website that doesn't have a really well-engineered mobile version or iPad app.

The touch interface seems ideal on much smaller devices, like phones, where it's not even remotely feasible to have a keyboard and a trackpad. I personally don't understand the desire to transfer it to larger devices, though.

The one major saving grace of touch-centric devices like the iPad, IMHO, is that it has made computing and the internet more accessible to people who otherwise wouldn't have learned to use traditional interfaces for whatever reason.

[fumar]

I used to agree with you. Never did I wish to have a touchscreen on my Macbook. In my head it manifested a cumbersome scenario. Then, my lady bought a Surface RT. I use it as a laptop often, and find that having a touchscreen is great. I often find myself trying to touch the screen of my iMac or Macbook, after using Surface RT.

I hooked up the Surface to a 21 inch Samsung tv through the microHDMI. It is a great way to watch a movie and surf the web, all from the little guy. I have cranked out serious work through the Surface Type Keyboard as well. The best part is the tablet can live without being a parasite to my main computers.

It would be great if every device had many types of inputs, touch, voice, or gesture.

[nilkn]

Well, maybe I should just give one a whirl. Maybe I'm missing something.

[WalterBright]

I bought a new Windows 8 laptop specifically because of the touchscreen. A touchscreen makes it usable, for me anyway. In fact, I'd prefer getting rid of the touchpad on the laptop altogether.