Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Others Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Others - Assignment Example The success of these technologies is in part due to their similarity to gestures we undertake in our daily lives, and build on the success of the previous Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointing (WIMP) system that revolutionized the computer world. Those using a Starwood Hotel would benefit in numerous ways from the input of touchscreen technology. Not only would it allow menus and cinema times (as well as countless other pieces of information) to be displayed all on one screen, it would allow the user to browse these in a way that would already be familiar to them. It would allow them to order room service without worrying about a lost menu, and items that were unavailable could be updated in real-time. There may be disruptions in inputting this device, because it would need to be put in every room as well as be linked to a central mainframe service. This would be of considerable economic expense also. It may also cause the loss of several jobs in the area. Other disruptions would come later, when the central server may be down or the technology is updated. The quote by Bill Buxton is interesting, because it suggests that the touch screen technology of today will replace the more traditional WIMP systems. It would probably take a lot for this to occur, because the WIMP system is already fairly intuitive and ingrained into the collective mentality of users. Touch screen technology is not completely intuitive either, because in reality we do not drag two fingers apart to see something more closely, but we simply walk closer. It would be interesting to see this level of intuitiveness involved in the market, and it may be this all-encompassing type of computer usage that gives us the replacement for the WIMP system. Touch technology also has issues when it comes to sensitivity and size, as some users and interfaces are difficult to use in that they are too responsive or not responsive enough, and the size may be wrong for young or very large users. It will