- Pronouns
- he/him
Look, touch screens are good. I’m typing this on a touch screen right now. They are without a doubt intuitive, easy to understand, infinitely modular and, if designed well, offer a near-magic way for anyone to interface with computers and technology.
But fam I gotta ask: you ever twist a good-ass knob/dial??? You ever press a satisfying button??? It’s an irreplaceable feeling. Having a tactile physical input that results in a digital input will always feel more impactful to a tech user than tapping a touch screen.
I know it may be first instinct for many folks to blame Apple; the iPhone popularized the “big glass square” style of device, and I don’t think that’s wrong in any way. But I will also posit they’ve done more good than harm by keeping the porch light on for pseudophysical inputs: ever since the completely solid home “button” on the iPhone 7, their Taptic motor has worked wonders in making a touch input feel eerily indistinguishable from a moving button. Don’t get it twisted: it’s not a simple rumble motor, it’s incredibly precise. Next time you’re near an Apple Store, give their laptop trackpads a click or two; those aren’t moving, they just trick your brain into thinking they’re moving. The Digital Crown on the Apple Watch is an S+ tier knob, especially if there’s a light buzz as you scroll giving you a light “ratchet” to the scrolling action. I genuinely wish they’d put that crown on iPhones where the lock button is. I’d much rather scroll with a wheel than slide the screen around, but I understand I’m probably in the minority.
The sad thing about Apple and inputs is that they made maybe the best portable device non-intensive menu-selection input scheme of all time with the Click Wheel, but sadly haven’t used it meaningfully in a decade.
I do miss tactile inputs. Thankfully game controllers are still physical buttons, so I get my fill there. I just wish non-screen inputs would make a more meaningful comeback.
Thanks for reading my rambles about inputs.
P.S.: Mechanical keyboards feel nice but are too loud. That’s all I’ve got to say about those.
But fam I gotta ask: you ever twist a good-ass knob/dial??? You ever press a satisfying button??? It’s an irreplaceable feeling. Having a tactile physical input that results in a digital input will always feel more impactful to a tech user than tapping a touch screen.
I know it may be first instinct for many folks to blame Apple; the iPhone popularized the “big glass square” style of device, and I don’t think that’s wrong in any way. But I will also posit they’ve done more good than harm by keeping the porch light on for pseudophysical inputs: ever since the completely solid home “button” on the iPhone 7, their Taptic motor has worked wonders in making a touch input feel eerily indistinguishable from a moving button. Don’t get it twisted: it’s not a simple rumble motor, it’s incredibly precise. Next time you’re near an Apple Store, give their laptop trackpads a click or two; those aren’t moving, they just trick your brain into thinking they’re moving. The Digital Crown on the Apple Watch is an S+ tier knob, especially if there’s a light buzz as you scroll giving you a light “ratchet” to the scrolling action. I genuinely wish they’d put that crown on iPhones where the lock button is. I’d much rather scroll with a wheel than slide the screen around, but I understand I’m probably in the minority.
The sad thing about Apple and inputs is that they made maybe the best portable device non-intensive menu-selection input scheme of all time with the Click Wheel, but sadly haven’t used it meaningfully in a decade.
I do miss tactile inputs. Thankfully game controllers are still physical buttons, so I get my fill there. I just wish non-screen inputs would make a more meaningful comeback.
Thanks for reading my rambles about inputs.
P.S.: Mechanical keyboards feel nice but are too loud. That’s all I’ve got to say about those.