I had a new experience as a computer user today.  I had to use my laptop to connect to work.  I have an HP lappie running Windows 8.1 that has a touch screen.  The built in mouse pad is god awful so I keep a USB mouse with me.  Unfortunately, the battery died today.  I started using the mouse pad but it is practically useless so I started using the touch screen.

It was not an enjoyable experience.  I use an iPad all the time and I love love love it, but the same interface on a laptop was just painful.  I think it might have been an ergonomic thing.  I hold the iPad close to my body, where the laptop had to be held further away, on a desk.  Something about having to reach for the screen to tap something made it almost unbearable.  Fortunately for me I was able to snag some batteries.

It just makes me wonder.  If I were using an Apple laptop with a touch screen, would the form factors have been different somehow?  Apple is all about design.  I don’t get that vibe off of HP.  HP seems to be all about getting cheaper machines onto the street.  I just can’t imagine how Apple would have done anything different.

Needless to say, my MacBook Pro comes with me tomorrow instead of the HP.