Microsoft on track to release Windows 7 multi-touch SDK in October
By Donald Melanson 
posted May 29th 2008 1:22PM
posted May 29th 2008 1:22PM
Microsoft may have only offered a glimpse of its promised multi-touch support in Windows 7 at D6 earlier this week, but the company apparently already has some of its longer term plans lined up, with it reportedly on track to release its multi-touch SDK at its Professional Developers' Conference in October of this year. Details on the SDK are otherwise expectedly light at the moment, however, with Microsoft only going so far as to say that its session at PDC will "highlight the new multi-touch gesture APIs and explain how you can leverage them in your applications."
[Via Tablet PC Talk]
[Via Tablet PC Talk]
well considering vista was supposed to be XP SP3, you really cant expect them to make that many drastic changes. windows 7 has been in development for awhile now, so look for big changes in the OS's inner workings as well as appearance.
and to everyone whos saying its "vista + multi-touch", thats not tru. yes it looks like vista but cmon now...do you really think theyre gunna show us the new desktop/OS look this early?
Sooo you have a multi-touch API.... How in the world are you going to test your app if you can't buy a multi-touch screen to test it out (>_
likely some sort of emulator.
You could also buy a Latitude XT. That has a multi-touch screen.
Dual mouse? Multi-touch pad on a laptop? Other external multi-touch pad attachments?
Now I get why Apple makes so much money. They come out with hardware and software that has shortcomings but they tell people how they are to use it. The users drool. Microsoft comes out with software but doesn't spoon feed the applications to the users and they are lost. The users call it useless.
I guess all these people that don't get it will have to wait for Apple to release a product with a locked down, limited use. Then there will be praise for touch sensitive operating systems from the ignorant masses.
"I guess all these people that don't get it will have to wait for Apple to release a product with a locked down, limited use. Then there will be praise for touch sensitive operating systems from the ignorant masses."
That's pretty much what the whole attack is based on.
They see MS pushing to put this on the desktop. The Apple fanatics believe the technology belongs to Apple alone, or at least should belong to them, so they attack this as stupid, dumb and useless, not because they really believe so, but because they want to plant in the public's mind that Microsoft couldn't possibly do something like this right.
It's all to buy Apple time so they can release something similar, with a pretty interface, so then the Apple fanatics can swoop in and proclaim the genius of Apple and how innovative they are.
Dishonest and transparent, but Apple fanatics thrive on those types of tactics.
@fred,
When rumors were floating about that Apple was going to release a multitouch tablet and a large desktop display, lots of [Apple] users were saying that this is useless because there are no applications, and no real practical use for it to be worth noting. It certainly works for a cell phone, because it helps to increase control on a pocket-sized quasi-computer, but really, why does it matter on a laptop or desktop?
That said, multitouch support is always a good thing, and as far as I'm concerned, there's no real negative to have it, but there's no immense positive either. It won't make production apps work any better, since an artist or engineer is likely never going to actually need or find much benefit in having two or more points of contact to control the interface.
Lots of Apple fanatics praised the multitouch trackpad, others said "So what?" They aren't all clamoring for this, and not all of them care, myself included.
im kinda curious on why every time new technology comes out (ie multi-touch) people wonder why we need it. before mice, i bet people thought "why need a mouse? i can do everything by keyboard!". there will always be uses for new technology, its just a matter of finding out what those uses are. myself, being a developer, cant wait to see the api to see what new things microsoft thought of
I admit it I didnt use a mouse and used DOS up until 1999. Alot of linux buffs/geeks still think you need a mouse. For alot of tasks going mousless can be faster.
One of the biggest improvements in Vista, in my opinion, is the way the new start menu search bar makes going mousless most of the time much easier.
This is awesome! Imagine touchscreen photoshop - you could literally finger-paint an image. Imagine touchscreen webpages powered by flash. Imagine a touchscreen Tetris-like game. Imagine touchscreen camera control from your monitor.
You nay-sayers are ridiculous. Windows 7 is essentially everything Vista was supposed to be, and they're throwing in multi-touch support!? What's not to like? Also notice they never said "multi-touch requirement". It's just support, meaning you can still use your mouse and keyboard. No one has to tell anyone that prolonged typing on a vertical surface is a horrible idea, and that in terms of cost-effectiveness, you can't beat a $15 keyboard.
DB9 hit it right on the head... Microsoft is leaving the possibilities open to the developers and manufacturers, something Apple has refused to do since day one. It seems like unless they say "multi-touch to move icons on your phone around", most people would declare it confusing and useless - only because they can't consider possibilities that Steve Jobs didn't dictate to them. Apple fanboys are muppets. Ooooooohhh it's shiny and white, let me blow 2x as much money as I need to so I can say I have the newest shiny, white POS from Apple! How do you like your locked devices, fused batteries, non-user-serviceable/upgradeble iMacs and lack of software freedom?
bravo, i completely agree
Lack of software freedom? This is more a matter of developers wanting to make applications for OS X, not Apple restricting people from doing so, but as one who runs XP SP2 in VMWare, and can run any of its applications with Unity, I challenge that whole lack of freedom thing.
Well, bear in mind that up until this point, because we've only been able to have one pointer on the screen, applications have been limited to accepting one point of input.
Once the functionality is in place to allow more than one point of input, applications will be able to take advantage of that - you might not be able to think of anything right now that would benefit from this new input method, but I'm sure once multitouch input devices are a bit more widespread throughout the consumer level grade of equipment there'll be programs appearing that use this technology to it's full potential. Right now we're limited to seeing people slide pictures around the screen.
As a laptop DJ, I think this technology has many uses in terms of live sound production. For example - with only a mouse/keyboard, I can only operate one control on screen at once, making many common DJ tricks impossible without a MIDI input device. With a mutitouch display, I could manipulate my pots and faders directly on the screen - ok there's no tactile feedback and it won't be for everyone because of that, but it's another option at least. Look at the JazzMutant Lemur and the boundaries that device is breaking in this field, and now imagine the things it can do built directly into your audio program on your laptop/tablet.
Using multitouch with Traktor sounds exciting enough, but when you think of the multitouch possibilities something like Ableton Live would give you... the ability to see which samples you're firing off, and control more than one at once, controlling many different effects at once, zooming and scrolling the waveform... well, I think I just came in my pants a little.
But if you're stuck in your cubicle day in day out looking at excel spreadsheets and YouTube, then no, perhaps multitouch won't bring you any benefits.
True, I do production using Fruity Loops, and I was thinking the same thing... Imagine a multi-touch effects panel. You could go crazy onscreen! Not only that but you wouldn't have to drop hundreds on external controllers - saves dollars and desk space. I could shrink the size of my studio by 75% if I could use this technology now.
Oh, and so I don't sound like a Microsoft fanboy, (i hate hypocrisy of all kinds) let me state for the record that I am an XP user who WILL NOT upgrade to Vista. I feel like Vista is what Windows ME was like 8 years ago - craptastic and sure to fade from everyone's memory soon.
Windows 7, if it is what they say it will be, is the OS to best improve upon XP.
2 decades ago people didn't know they need a computer or a cellphone. Who is to say that multi-touch will not make current I/O ridiculous. Personally I'm looking forward to massaging my applications. There are so many uses for this thing from playing checkers to navigating a spreadsheet a lot faster.
Anybody have someone come over to your desk and puts his fingerprints all over your monitor because he is pointing things out?
"Dude, please don't touch my monitor- I just cleaned it."
With this, I can only see this problem getting worse.
"Dude! You just ate a bunch of fries & now you're using my touchscreen????"
nice point!
I have this problem every day, and I hate ppl leave fingerprints on my monitor, and even worse they are usually come with potato chips...
For the very first thing before using a multi-touch monitor, there should be a Fn key allocated to disable touch function....
by the way I assume my 23 inch monitor would still work fine even after the new Multi-touch OS comes out...so...I don't have to spend extra money to buy another monitor...
Man there are some very shortsided commentors in here. First Off: Hardware upgrades happen hardware gets faster and better so Vista was trying to keep up. You can't expect your 900 mhz machine to run the most current hardware forever, so either keep xp or get over it.
Granted there have been a lot of problems with Vista's implentation, However when 90 percent of the world develops software for your os, problems are going to arise. Windows 7 will most likely take a lot of components from Vista, so what. If Windows 7 runs better and faster then how is that bad?
Microsoft is obivously looking to the future with the multi-touch technology. Most poeple may no need it in the very near future, but The Iphone has ensured that the touch screen era is here. Pretty soon keyboards and mice won't exist it will all be a touch screen.
And enough of the Apple/Microsoft bashing. Apple makes specific hardware for there os. It's great for people who don't need a lot of choice or the headaches of multiple hardware vendors. However the majority of poeple like variety and that's what Microsoft provides.
I'd care about this, but I have an iphone.
But your iPhone is a cell phone, not a computer. They're used for two totally different things. It's like saying you'd try Ventrilo to communicate with your WoW buddies but you've already got a home phone.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE SMUDGES ON THE SCREEN?! you couldnt even eat at the computer anymore if you were just doing the touch screen... I thought taht windows 7 was supposed to be a faster, lighter OS , did they decide not to go that direction?
Then, don't eat at the computer? Unless it's some kitchen PC, it's not healthy to eat finger foods and touch the mouse and keyboard with the same hands. Did you not see the articles about how keyboards can even be more dirtier than toilets?
Use a cloth, or hope that computer manufacturers will develop a less fingerprint-catching screen in the future.
Where did it say MS will not make a lighter and faster OS? Nowhere. You're making assumptions on just a simple demo. Chill a bit, and read up on the facts
Um... All this bitching about replacing old monitors with new touch screen enabled monitors, how are you sure they aren't releasing 2 separate versions of Windows 7( both touch screen and non touch screen versions) and they just haven't released details yet?
My understanding is that MS has been working on this for quite a while and they were first to market with full touchscreen enabled computers. Everyone conveniently forgets XP Tablet PC Editon, along with Windows Mobile when appropriate. Apple just innvoated and made it look prettier.
From an application standpoint, MS Powerpoint, Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and other great apps could really benefit from touch control. It is exciting to see the SDK rolling forward. Can't wait to do touch based Powerpoint slide layouts. You can finally put your thoughts into quickly assembled ideas. Same for Publisher. For Adobe Photoshop touching and zooming in to edit certain section would rock.
FYI I am a Mac user running boot camp, and I have an iphone. so I don't want any drama from the Apple fanboys. Competition is healthy.