Computer Mouse Heading For Extinction 625
slatterz writes "The computer mouse is set to die out in the next five years and will be usurped by touch screens and facial recognition, analysts believe. Steven Prentice, vice president and Gartner Fellow, told the BBC that devices such as Nintendo's MotionPlus for the Wii and Apple's iPhone point the way to the future, offering greater accuracy in motion detection."
The end of one-handed surfing? (Score:5, Funny)
But ... but ... I have a relationship with my mouse! It's one of the two things I have my hand on all day long. Oh, behave! I meant my keyboard.
Somewhat more seriously, do you really want your screen to have ... stuff all over it? Personally, I don't let anyone touch my screen. Or imagine an office with everyone yelling at their computer, "No, God damn it! The other left!"
Another GUI intervention lies just ahead (Score:5, Funny)
Re:analysts...or just bored idiots? (Score:5, Funny)
Not Until They ... (Score:1, Funny)
Remember how keyboards died out? (Score:4, Funny)
If the keyboard could get killed of then why can't the mouse?
People bitch about RSI etc when using a keyboard/mouse. VR or reaching across your desk to operate a touch screen will be far more strain over a day of desk work or a few hours of gaming/emailing whatever.
About the only area where touch screen is practical is in walk-up kiosks and handheld devices.
Re:Mice are not going anywhere. (Score:5, Funny)
I haven't had mod points since... ...2003, but if I had some now they would be yours.
Re:In theory, I'll agree. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:The end of one-handed surfing? (Score:5, Funny)
Just dip the hands in some liquid nitrogen no need to pry just smash
Analysts headed for extinction (Score:5, Funny)
The profession of "analyst" is set to die out in the next 5 years. The use of analysts to predict the future based on unsupportable extrapolation of early technology trends will start to decline in 2008 and the profession will be totally gone by 2014. These analyst predictions will be replaced with predictions from other sources such as Ouija boards, re-purposed water witches, and randomly clicking on a document with a computer mouse and forming a sentence with the words.
Of course, the best way to tell the future is to wait until it becomes the present and then watch what happens. News sources once used that method to report news, but it fell out of favor due to narcissism and delusions of grandeur among journalists. Journalists found that the couldn't always control events that happened or the facts reported. Predictions don't have this limitation because the predicted events are fictional at the time the story is written.
Re:In theory, I'll agree. (Score:5, Funny)
I know what a PS/2 port is, and my father-in-law showed up with one of these so-called "floppy" disks once so I know what that is...
But just what the heck is a parallel port? :)
Re:Another GUI intervention lies just ahead (Score:4, Funny)
Re:In theory, I'll agree. (Score:1, Funny)
Yep, the mouse will go away, about the same time we all have flying cars like the Jetsons! Stupid analysts!
Re:Another GUI intervention lies just ahead (Score:2, Funny)
I read "Naomi Campbell" and for some reason unknown to me, thought you were making a reference to Metal Gear Solid, which made no sense to me what so ever. It took me a solid 2mins to actually figure out you were talking about a real person and not a fictional character who's name I still managed to get wrong.
It's 5am here. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
Re:Gorilla Arm Syndrome (Score:5, Funny)
Kids can shuffle papers, pick them up, do all sorts of things. If the screen's built into the desk you're limited to shuffling your arse and picking it up.
Re:Mice are not going anywhere. (Score:3, Funny)
If their goal is to write a controversial article that will show up on front page of slashdot and drive gazillion of clicks to their site then they are very very smart
If that's their goal, then they don't know Slashdot very well. No-one is going to click the link!
Follow the logic here... (Score:3, Funny)
Idiot: "The computer mouse will be extinct with a few years."
Computer user: "But the mouse is ubiquitous, it very easy to use, is cheap, and it simply works.
Idiot: "You'll use touch screens."
Computer user: "My new monitor does not act as a touch screen."
Idiot: "Well, the monitor as you know it will also become extinct."
Computer user: "Fine, let's say I choose to replace my 20 dollar mouse with a 300 dollar touch screen monitor, but why would I want to constantly reach up and touch the screen when I can simply use my mouse to control the cursor while comfortably resting my hand on the desk?"
Idiot: "You don't understand, there will be a whole new paradigm for monitors. They'll be built into surfaces like the top of desks."
Computer user: "So what you're saying is that the computer desk, as we know it, will also become extinct?"
Idiot: "Oh certainly, you're catching on."
Computer User: "Let me get this straight, you want me to replace my current monitor and my computer desk, for a desk with a built-in monitor, probably costing about one grand, which will need to be replaced about every four years, the average life span for a monitor, because for some bizarre reason you think my 20 dollar mouse is too hard to use?"
Idiot: "Yeah, isn't this exciting?!"
Computer user: Sound of gun being loaded, sound of gun fire, sound of idiot dropping dead. End scene.