Most Laptop Owners Only Want Touchscreens on Convertibles, GSMArena Poll Finds

Touchscreens belong on laptops that can turn into tablets — and most people do not want to pay extra for one on a regular laptop. That is the verdict from a GSMArena poll of 2,785 readers, which asked a simple question: do touchscreens on laptops make sense?

The results

The largest group, 43.6% of voters (1,215 people), said touchscreens are only for laptops with a 360-degree hinge or on 2-in-1 convertibles. The second-largest group, 31.4% (875 votes), said they do not want a touchscreen and are not paying extra for it. Another 13.6% (380 votes) said they use the touchscreen on their laptop only occasionally, while 9.1% (253 votes) — the smallest group — said their laptop must have a touchscreen. The remaining 62 votes, about 2.2%, chose none of the above.

Why touch works on convertibles

Readers who like touch on laptops point to quick, easy navigation: tapping links, scrolling through pages and drawing or doing artwork. That tap-and-scroll use is also why Apple added touch to the MacBook Pro. But the poll suggests Apple picked the wrong model — readers argue touch should have come to the 14-inch MacBook Pro rather than the heavier 16-inch, where the screen sits further away, while touch stays off the cheaper 14-inch Pro and the MacBook Air.

Nearly a quarter of voters do use the touchscreen on a non-convertible laptop, but most of them only occasionally. On Windows, touch remains awkward because many apps still open the desktop and are not designed for touch, so most Windows users reach for the screen only now and then. Google, meanwhile, is working on Android-powered laptops under its Googlebook project, aiming for one operating system across laptops, tablets and phones.

Sources

• GSMArena — Weekly poll results: touchscreens on laptops only make sense if you can use the laptop as a tablet
• Innopark IT — Touchscreen MacBook Pro reviews