In today’s WSJ (Jan, 12th, 2009), one of the company’s behind touch screen technology, N-trig Ltd., has their CEO saying, “The mouse, I think, is gone…I don’t see a reason to have one,” said Amichai Ben-David, CEO, N-trig.
Say what?!
Does this guy even know how much PC gaming contributes to the world of PC usage – especially at the high end? While in 2007, PC games sold as measured by NPD represented only 14% of the total, that total only measures games sold at retail and not through digital distribution. One could argue then that the total number of PC games sold, such as through Steam, jack that number up even higher.
But let’s just concentrate on the sales of PC games sold through retail outlets and in 2007 dollars (2008 year end dollars are still being tabulated as I write this), and that number is almost $1 billion dollars!
Just as not everyone is going to want a mouse to play games there are just as many that will not want a touch screen at home to produce their Quicken sheets. What are they trying to do? Make us a bunch of McDonald’s checkout wienies?! Let’s leave the punch screen stuff reserved for our iphones, MDAs, and retail checkout devices shall we?
Meanwhile, I think I will wait for Windows 7 to work its way out of the tech sector’s system.
MSFT has ALREADY cannibalized PC games sales by promoting their own failed, money-losing XBox platform. Now, with many gamers on consoles, all some of these people need for general computing are low-power “net-books”– which means even LESS revenue for MSFT. I can see why Gates called it quits!