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General discussion

Why are there so few desktop monitors with touch screens?

Feb 19, 2016 5:13PM PST
http://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/2015/07/28/302d8395-8fb7-4e37-b204-9102f4c63d86/78ad799871a89bec3fe4ae01ba1052d3/microsoft-windows-10-screen-edit-touch-7222.jpg

With Windows 10 having millions of installs, and the best way to use it being with a touch screen, why are there so few desktop monitors with touch screens available? Is it because it is low in demand by consumers? Or more costly for consumers? Or are people simply leaving the touch screens for tablet and phones? Can you please give me some insight as to why there isn't a faster shift to touch screen monitors? If you are currently a touch screen user for your desktop, do you use it frequently or do find yourself using the mouse more often than not? Thank you.

--Submitted by Paul F.

Discussion is locked

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I use mine occasionally
Feb 20, 2016 6:51AM PST

I have a touchscreen 27" monitor $248 from an online vendor and I do use it occasionally but as many have mentioned, it's simpler to use the mouse on the desktop. I don't use the touchscreen on my Surface Pro 4 unless I'm in tablet mode either.
However, we are planning to convert 40 stores desktops to touchscreen monitors to take advantage of the ability to sign documents and email and save paper, ink, and postage. I think as prices come down, more will be installed but on a tabletop monitor the ergonomics are awkward.

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Touchscreen monitors are not better for desktop applications
Feb 20, 2016 1:25PM PST

I was holding out on getting a new desktop monitor until touchscreen monitors came down in price, and then I would upgrade from Windows 7 to 10. I have since bought a convertible laptop with a touchscreen and find that the touchscreen is very infrequently used. And, as others have said, it would be awkward to use on a large 23 inch vertical monitor.

Now I see no reason to upgrade my desktop from Win 7 to 10. 10 seems somewhat clunky and less smooth in operation - no reason to put up with this as I do not need a touchscreen for my desktop.

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You're starting off with a baseless assertion
Feb 20, 2016 10:23PM PST

I'm referencing this: "Windows 10 having millions of installs, and the best way to use it being with a touch screen,"

... in no way, shape, or form is touchscreen the best interface for a desktop computer. Doesn't matter the OS in question, nor even the size of the screen really, although the larger the screen, the less ergonomic it is to have to rub your hands all over it to get work done.

The reason that smartphones and tablets have touchscreens is because they are portable devices, and keyboards & mice are simply not portable-friendly. The fact is that the bestest/fastest screen toucher on this earth is still not anywhere near as productive as the most skilled mouser/typist. The ergonomics of rubbing your fingers on a screen are simply that you cannot possibly be as precise as a mouse nor able to input data anywhere near the speed and efficacy of a keyboard.

Hence, touchscreen is actually not the best input for Windows 10. Touchscreen is for casual or unskilled use, or for those with physical impairments that prevent them from being able to effectively use a keyboard and/or pointing device. This is why Windows 8 was relatively a commercial failure and that Windows 10 returned a huge amount of focus to keyboard & mouse controls in the interface.

So all that feeds directly to answer your the primary question ... there are 'so few' touch screen monitors for desktop computers because most computer buyers are aware that touchscreens are simply neither efficient nor cost effective for the uses that most desktop computers are put to.

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A reiteration.
Feb 21, 2016 1:03PM PST

Well, it seems that most everything to be said about this has been said (multiple times), so I'll just give my experience with owning a touchscreen laptop.

An article I came across regarding laptops, but most of the points they make apply still to a desktop monitor. laptopmag: don't buy a touchscreen laptop<br>

I spent well over a thousand to buy a a top of the line 15.6" thinkpad yoga laptop with a touchscreen. And I've regretted it ever since. I've hardly used the touchscreen, because when it comes down to it, it's just -soooo- inefficient to try to use our fingers, compared to even touch pads, which are known for being finicky. Even the fact that I can fold my laptop in half and use it as a tablet is a useless feature, since this laptop weighs 5.5+ lbs, and ends up being WAY to heavy to even think about carrying one-handed.

All in all, touchscreens have their place, and that place is on the front of small, light tablets and phones, devices that cannot be used with mice, since we carry them all around with us and usually use them in locations without a stable, solid surface.

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I don't agree.
Mar 1, 2016 2:32PM PST

I've had an Asus Q200e for 3 years (Missed getting the model with the faster CPU and built in bluetooth by just a couple of weeks) I love it and the recent upgrade to Win 10 is NICE. There are things for which touchpad and keuboard are required but a lot of the control I accomplish via te touchscreen. I use the ASUS for most of my computing by far. It's so much that frequently when I'm using my desktop I find myself reaching toward the screen to operate it. That's to no avail of course as it's not touchscreen and runs Win 7.
Also,both my family doctor and my EENT guy's practices have gone paperless in the care areas. The nurses at my GP's practice all carry IPads and my GP an HP flipover 14" laptop also running a voice recognition system (medical record specific) for dictation of text. The clerks aren't using touchscreen yet but that may be due to lagging clerk interface to the EMR system developement. Last I visited the EENT the nurses were using flipover laptops as do the physicians in that practice. A lot of the automated medical equipment maintenance in my former career field ( I retired 6 years ago from my 35 year role as a biomedical engineering tech at my local VA hospital) were already going totally controlled by laptops and tablets, with touchscreen designed programs. The utility of the latter and the nurse / physician devices is all about how thoroughly familiar the software system designers were with the target user group and necessary user actions they involve.

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We use touch screen monitors via desktops and laptops
Feb 22, 2016 12:39PM PST

Hi Paul,
Replaced standard desktops with Dell all-in-ones 2330 touch screen in 2013. Works perfect with windows 8.1.

Also use Dell 23" touch screen stand alone monitor with Surface Pro 3 and ASUS Zen 13" laptop (with touch screens) for the road warriors so they can come in and just connect to the monitors via the mini display port. Thus they have a big screen to view their road work.

Surface Pro 3 is W8.1 and the ASUS Zen is W10. Have the Surface and the Zen set up w/bluetooth mouse and bluetooth keyboard if the user so desires.

Use the bluetooth items so as not to limit the use of the USB ports.

You can also use the surface and the zen with a standard montior but the standard won't work as touch screen but if you touch the screen on the surface or zen and it is connected to the monitor via mini display connection, the standard monitor will respond.
Heard the same arguments that are presented here when we
investigated the use of the touch screens back in 2013.
Our users here use both the touch and the mouse. Everyone involved likes the setups. They frequently use fingers going from app to app- program to program or from desk top to start/tiles or vice versa in both modes.

You clean the screens easily and with little effort using the micro fiber cloths . If you eat with your fingers, don't use a handkerchief, or wipe your rear with your fingers then the screen will be nasty and harder to clean.

I don't know if Dell makes the stand-a -lone anymore or not but they still make the all in ones with touch screens.
We like the touch screens. It is hard to realize that you can't do touch-screen work when you go back and work on a standard screen.

Try it, you might like it. If you don't then you can use a mouse full time on that monitor.

I'm sure there will be negative responses to this reply. But we like the touch screens and would buy them again and again til new tech comes about.

Post was last edited on February 26, 2016 11:52 AM PST

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Sorry, not an answer to the question that is actually asked.
Feb 24, 2016 12:25AM PST

The question is
"Why are there so few desktop monitors with touch screens?"
You are clearly a niche user, a small minority . There is not one thing wrong with that! But you mention that your people still use a mouse as well and don't / can't counter any of the myriad practical reasons given as to why desktop touch screens are so few.

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you are correct
Feb 24, 2016 8:45AM PST

John-Tropi,
You are correct. We are niche users. Plus we made a mistake and didn't heed the old adage about assumptions. We assumed that due to all of the replies against touchscreens that Paul would understand that most commenters don't like them, are probably representative of a lot buyers, and therefore there is probably hardly any demand for them which makes the price high. If the price is high and lots of people don't use them thus there is low consumer demand. Paul seems an astute person and most likely understands that. We passed along our use of touchscreens and how sometimes we use the mouse and sometimes the touchscreen. Amputees are also a minor niche. Our amputee says that at times it is more difficult for him via his prosthesis to pick up the mouse and manuever it than it is to just touch the screen with his finger on his good arm/hand. It is also sometimes easier for a person with all working physical attributes to just touch an icon and get results that he/she wants vs. picking up the mouse,moving the cursor to an icon and click the mouse when a simple finger touch suffices for that instance. If the reasons given by other commenters for not using touchscreens fits a person, then don't buy a touchscreen. We are not using the touchscreen for small screen targets and detailed work. We're attempting to pass along our usage of the touchscreens. Again, we say that we would make the same general purchases for our setup and personnel. We have associates and friends who have touchscreens on laptops and desktops. Some of them like them and some them don't like them.

The original comment, and this comment too, wasn't meant to be a thesis or dissertation but just simple comments about how we use the items. It is always informative for us to read other peoples like/dislikes to see how their thoughts etc fit with our situation. And sometimes folks even appreciate our input concerning how we use assets..no matter how minor.

Post was last edited on February 26, 2016 11:55 AM PST

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Text entry problems with Asus laptops that era
Mar 1, 2016 2:52PM PST

Did you experience any text entry cursor wandering with your Asus laptops? I acquired my Q200e Vivobook the day after Thanksgiving day 2012. With the original Win 8 I routinely experienced the typing cursor jumping back into the text with no discernable reason. That following summer I was visiting my relatives in Omaha. It so happened that a group of Fukuda Denshi reps were staying at our hotel. I noticed they had the same laptops when wer were all eating breakfast there one morning and I mentioned I had one too and asked if they had the same problems. We commiserated over our shared issues. When I upgraded to 8.1 that went away. Go figure.

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Touch displays
Feb 23, 2016 8:19PM PST

Back at the end of the 80's, Bell & Howell made some large, vertically orientated displays that had rows of IR emitters and receivers built into the bezel. The inside of the bezel would get dusty and cause erratic and intermittent cursor movements. Since then the advancement into capacitive cells on a clear membrane, but they were prone to getting "jammed" when a stylus or pen is used to touch the display. My display is farther than I can reach, so touch is not convienent.

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I don't even like them on cellphones
Feb 24, 2016 3:28AM PST

but at least that's easier to hold and use than a desktop screen. Using a desktop monitor with touchscreen instead of a mouse is like getting out of your car to manually kick your wheels in the direction you next want to go instead of just using the steering wheel.

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Here's why...
Feb 26, 2016 5:35PM PST

Because it is a total pain, not to mention uncomfortable to reach for the screen on a desktop as opposed to using a mouse.

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Touchscreen Technology is a wasted feature on Desktops
Feb 26, 2016 5:36PM PST

Because it is a wasted feature and annoying. C'mon Fingerprints people. You pay extra for some idiot (Microsoft) to try to force an un-needed feature down your throat. Than they do the same thing with the hardware. I saw a coworker who was used to touching his screen while thinking or pointing things out in a design. The hardware boys gave him a new Touchscreen. He was so frustrated within a week, that he threw it in the trash and pulled his old monitor out of storage. Everytime he touched it, something weird happened. Most of the rest of us booted the new touchscreens also and got back our old monitors. It basically caused a mini-revolt. On a personal level, I know I will not buy one. They are a waste of money, if you have no intention of ever using the feature. I'd rather spend my money on a reduced response time (2ms or better)

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Desktop Touchscreen Monitor
Feb 26, 2016 5:46PM PST

I purchased an HP Compaq L2206tm for about $200 on eBay just to test my web site redesign so it would work with touchscreen devices.

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Some of us are using them!
Feb 26, 2016 5:49PM PST

I have 2 32" touchscreen monitors working with two desktops (different zip codes). I much prefer the touch feature to using an air mouse.

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About Touch Screens
Feb 26, 2016 5:51PM PST
I hate them. Had one and every few days I was wiping off finger prints and smudges. Same thing in the car, every few days wipe off the screen Sad(
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The Obvious
Feb 26, 2016 5:52PM PST

Try one your self and then you will know how stupid your question is.

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Great for tablets, not so great for desktops
Feb 26, 2016 5:58PM PST

I love the touch screen on my Surface Pro and my son's Lenovo Yoga, not so much on a Dell Venue Pro 11. However, when I connected a Lenovo 24" touchscreen monitor and a keyboard to the Surface Pro, I discovered that the distance to the screen was a problem--it took more effort and time than using a mouse.

So, I really like touchscreens for devices that sit at the end of your arm, like tablets or laptops. I especially like them for notetaking with a stylus. For desktop work, a mouse and keyboard are more efficient/comfortable, at least with current configurations.

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Try Three
Feb 26, 2016 6:08PM PST

I use all Dell 23" Touchscreens with Windows 10. Frankly, it's great but 99% of the touchscreen use is with the primary display. BTW, I have long arms and that sure helps.

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Not much use for 1 and who wants fingerprints?
Feb 26, 2016 6:19PM PST

Because almost anything on a desktop can be done easier and quicker with mouse and keyboard. And, that way no smears and fingerprints.

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Excuse me?
Feb 26, 2016 6:28PM PST

1. Why in God's great name would anyone want touchscreens on computers that have keyboards and a mouse?

2. Why in God's great name would anyone want Windows 10?

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Really?
Feb 26, 2016 7:23PM PST

I like Windows 10. To each his own.

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screen
Feb 26, 2016 6:36PM PST

Personally would not want to muck up the screen with prints endlessly.

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Unless your fingers are made of Windex...
Feb 26, 2016 6:54PM PST

...but why would anyone want a fingerprint-ridden dirty smudged up display? I'm tired of cleaning my girlfriend's iPad.

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I wouldn't use a touch screen laptop either
Feb 26, 2016 6:59PM PST

It's hard to add anything to what has already been said but I don't want to sit at my computer waving my hands all over the place.
I use a mouse with my laptop too, would even it HAD a touch screen and know all the keyboard shortcuts I need to even lessen mouse usage.
If I want exercise I'll go a gym.

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keyboard over touch screen
Feb 26, 2016 7:03PM PST

I don't use a touch screen because I can't type 90 WPM on a touch screen.

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Ergonomics works against them
Feb 26, 2016 7:43PM PST

Usually, a desktop screen is about 24" away from the user. Each time something has to be done, such as closing a screen, or opening an app, or dragging or dropping, the user has to stretch his hand, and carry out the task. One may have to do such had movements several hundred times, if not thousands of times in a day, especially when the desktop is used for productive work. Touch screen desktop just does not seem economical when it comes to hand movement. In my experience, a touch screen is best on a device which can be held and read or used at a distance such as reading a book.

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Why are there so few desktop touchscreens?
Feb 26, 2016 7:46PM PST

That's an easy one: cats. My cats like to lie between the keyboard and screen, so with my current touch screen, they are constantly clicking me in and out of programs, changing screens or positions on the screen. Yep. Cats.

Oh - and no, I hardly ever use the touch screen. I thought I would, but it's much less handy than the mouse and the position of the arm is less comfortable. Perhaps if my arms were a bit longer, or the screen a lot closer, but in the current configuration, I'd rather use my mouse.

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Hybrid Control
Feb 26, 2016 7:59PM PST

Maybe we'll get a chance to pair the handheld with the monitor so that the two share screen functions in realtime by adopting mutual "screen real estate."

When handhelds -- touchscreens being obviously handheld -- become virtual remote-control input devices, there won't be any typical need to smear up your monitor. Then forget the mouse pad, and also the mechanical-or-ball mouse at your leisure. Simply launch something like a "Window frame app" and see the results of touch on either screen.

Microsoft seems to want to sell us on the idea of getting a handheld touch screen and using it with a keyboard (Surface Pro, for example). I love the keyboard, I love Palm Graffiti as well (for touchscreen devices). But Microsoft isn't catching on that computers should be making things easier and not more difficult.

In other words, don't expect the monitor to become a touch-screen until the day that everyone has only a monitor to play with Wink There may also be a possibility that the technology would become cheap enough that it will simply become implemented but not obligatory to use.

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One more regarding touch screen monitors on desktops
Feb 26, 2016 10:20PM PST

In general, I agree with the annoying issue regarding fingerprints on my PC. In my case I have a Dell 27" all-in-one. It does have a touch screen, but the only time I use it in that mode is when I'm designing and I prefer to draw directly on the monitor. When using it in this mode, I reposition my screen at an easel-like angle, which works very well.

For general purposes - it's keyboard and mouse or my Wacom tablet and stylus. I did recently find a rather ingenious brush stylus by sensu, and was pleased to discover that it works on my touch screen too - but not on my Wacom tablet. Like most phone and tablet styluses, it requires no batteries, Blue Tooth or configuring. I admit I use it primarily on my iPad.