With the emergence of the touch screen and Apple’s domination of the electronic market, it is clear that with every new computerised update, the touch screen is becoming a common thing to see in a store. Does this mean that physical keyboards are becoming obsolete? This list will explore this issue to assist any client of CCL Design with choosing the best suited keyboard.
The Rejection of the Past
Even though it is natural to yearn for the nostalgia of a physical keyboard, it is becoming clear that 2018 has only increased in its assimilation of the electronic keyboard. Although many dual laptops have tried to offer both a physical and electronic keyboard, such as the Iconia 6120 Dual Touch Screen and the Toshiba libretto W105-L251 7-Inch Dual Touchscreen, these laptops were ultimately rejected by the public. With new technologies augmenting your typing, such as AI assistance, Grammarly, voice input and auto correct, sometimes a keyboard is not even needed to complete a writing task. The public wishes for results quickly; the electronic keyboard brings these results.
Touch-Typist’s Nightmare
Whilst new technology improves the quality of our keyboards, all is certainly not lost for the physical keyboard. Touch Typing is usually very quick to learn as typists learn which key surfaces relate to each letter. However, with the electric keyboard Mike Levin, vice president of Haptics Technology Provided Pacinian Corp, says ‘On a touch screen, you lose all of that surface feel…You don't have those surface features to locate your fingers on.’ Whilst this may not be a problem for the slower typist, for the typist that can touch-type it presents the possibility of additional typos and a slower rate of writing, as the writer must always go back to correct the mistakes.
Improving the Past
It is inevitable that designers wish to enhance previous technology, meaning that it is only a matter of time before the electronic keyboard is made to feel physical rather than a brief vibration. To make the electronic keyboard more appealing, companies, like Apple, are planning on using a flexible display with a keyboard like structure beneath it. With keyboards that are planned to look, sound (through a “Taptic engine”) and feel like a true keyboard, it is clear that the physical keyboard may no longer serve a purpose.
The Future
Whether you prefer an electronic keyboard or physical keyboard, the future is clearly the emergence of the modernised “Dual Screens,” which allow users the opportunity to use either options. Whilst we may not be fully ready to leave our physical keyboards behind, it is important that we keep striving with the latest technology to assist in the work of any client.
