Multitouch interfaces are potentially more
versatile than single-touch interfaces. They allow
you to use one or more fingers to perform special
gestures that manipulate lists or objects on a screen
without moving a mouse, pressing buttons, turning
scroll wheels, or striking keys. They take different
actions depending on how many fingers they detect
and which gestures a user performs. Multitouch
gestures are easier to remember than commands
because they are based on ingrained human movements
that do not have to be learned, scientists say.
The iPhone’s Multi-Touch display and software
lets you control everything using only your fingers.
A panel underneath the display’s glass cover senses
your touch using electrical fields. It then transmits
that information to a LCD screen below it. Special
software recognizes multiple simultaneous touch
points, (as opposed to the single-touch screen, which
recognizes only one touch point.) You can quickly
move back and forth through a series of Web pages or
photos by “swiping,” or placing three fingers on the
screen and moving them rapidly sideways. By
pinching the image, you can shrink or expand a
photo.
Apple has made a concerted effort to provide
multitouch features in all of its product categories,
but many other consumer technology companies
have adopted multitouch for some of their products.
Synaptics, a leading supplier of touchpads for laptop
makers who compete with Apple, has announced
that it is incorporating several multitouch features
into its touchpads.