Windows 7 Driving Touchscreen Evolution

Windows 7, which hit retail store shelves Thursday, is driving a PC interface evolution from the keyboard and mouse to the touchscreen.

Even before Microsoft's new OS was available, its impact was already being felt as PC vendors unveiled their upcoming Windows 7 desktops and laptops. High on the list of innovations was the OS-powered multi-touch capabilities in consumer PCs from companies Acer, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, and Sony.

With more touch-enabled PCs expected, the evolution from the 30-year-old input devices of mouse and keyboard has begun in earnest. On desktops, this shift is building steam in all-in-one PCs.

"These new AIOs heavily leverage multi-touch capabilities integrated into Microsoft Windows 7 operating system," DisplaySearch analyst Chris Connery said in a recent report on Windows 7's impact.

HP has long been a supporter of touch interfaces on all-in-one desktops, introducing the capability in 2006 in its TouchSmart product line. While the first model was a pricey $1,800, HP's latest systems, the TouchSmart 300 and 600, start at $899. HP has also unveiled a new business model in the TouchSmart line, the 9100, which starts at $1,299.

Gateway's new line of touch-enabled AIOs, the ZX Series, comprises three models that start at $720. Sony, on the other hand, is going after the higher end of the consumer market with its Vaio L Touch HD PC/TV, which is built as an entertainment hub with PC, high-definition TV, and digital video recorder in one unit. The system starts at $1,300.

DisplaySearch said prices for all-in-one PCs running Windows 7 could drop next year, becoming an option for entry-level PCs. While vendors wanted to introduce such models this year, rising prices of LCD panels in the second half of this year put a damper on plans, Connery said.

"Many of these products have been re-positioned to emphasize the enhanced features of Windows 7; lower-priced AIO products, including nettops, may emerge in 2010," Connery said.

Nettops are mini-desktops that typically run Intel's low-priced Atom processors, low-power chips also found in netbooks, which are mini-laptops best suited for basic computing tasks such as e-mail and Web browsing. Such entry-level PCs have been the driving force behind PC sales among price-conscious consumers in the economic recession.

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