Do you keep the laptop on a desk when you're using the touchscreen? I don't think framework has hinges that convert it into a tablet-esque form, so I'm kinda flummoxed on how a touchscreen is useful for long articles. Something about reaching out and touching the screen seems laborious compared to scrolling on a mousewheel or swiping slightly on a trackpad (or even just pressing spacebar). Laptops just don't seem to designed for that.
Not OP, but I enjoy touchscreens on laptops also. I can get by without it. I see it as a nice to have but not a necessity. It won't make or break a decision when choosing a laptop for me. Here are some reasons I like it when I do have a laptop with it:
- I think it's a better zoom experience. You can get a similar experience with a touchpad, but it's just nicer to touch the screen where you are pinch zooming IMO.
- Signing documents. I don't do this often but much prefer to use a touchscreen over a track pad when I do have to.
- Some games are better. Again not a big part of my life, but occasionally I'll play some drawing game where a touch screen shines.
- My kids understand a touch screen better. Occasionally I am on my laptop showing them something and them having the ability to reach over and touch the screen directly is a better UX for that situation.
- I do kind of like to scroll with it sometimes, but I can't really say why.
Again, not a make or break it feature for me, but all things being equal I'd choose to have it rather than not.
Wow some other great use cases - thanks for mentioning these. I do also use the touchscreen when playing among us, it gives the game a more tactile feel, while you still have a full keyboard for the requisite chatting.
I have a Lenovo Yoga 2 laptop that flips around to Tablet mode and found that I almost never use that mode. I do however use the Touchscreen all the time for reading.
When you're sitting with a laptop on your lap using the keyboard, you typically have it pushed out resting on your thighs toward your knees so that your hands can access the keyboard and touchpad.
When you have a touchscreen, you can pull the laptop closer so that your hands are behind the screen like when holding a book or magazine. The touchscreen allows you to thumb scroll up and down. And because it's a laptop and not a tablet, you don't get fatigued holding it in this reading position because the chassis is supporting the screen and not your hands.
It's actually quite nice and I will likely never purchase a laptop without touch again for that reason alone. The touchscreen is definitely niche, like Thinkpad nubbins.
It's actually very nice, you can scoot the laptop closer to you while lounging on a couch, and scroll the screen naturally with your thumb. Again, reading long articles is my common use-case, but I've occasionally used it to read through large source files as well.
Easily the best use of a touchscreen is developing mobile websites/apps. I only buy laptops with touchscreens as its indispensable for mobile development.
Do you keep the laptop on a desk when you're using the touchscreen? I don't think framework has hinges that convert it into a tablet-esque form, so I'm kinda flummoxed on how a touchscreen is useful for long articles. Something about reaching out and touching the screen seems laborious compared to scrolling on a mousewheel or swiping slightly on a trackpad (or even just pressing spacebar). Laptops just don't seem to designed for that.