Windows 7 work [has] conspired against blogging here ... I will say that if you are impressed by the "touch features" in the iPhone, you'll be blown away by what's coming in Windows 7. Now if only we could convince more OEMs that Windows Touch Technology is going to drive their sales.
Sigh.
Here's what's wrong with this whole thing: Microsoft has been working on touch technology for a long time. The latest rendition of this can actually be found in Windows Vista, which includes Tablet PC functional support for touch screens, and of course Windows Mobile has had this capability for quite some time as well. But ... by specifically mentioning the iPhone here, whatever Microsoft does with touch support in Windows 7 will always be seen as a response to the iPhone and not as an evolution of the work Microsoft's actually been doing for years. Apple fans, in particular, are quite adept at rewriting history. This just provides more fodder for that, and it makes my job--as someone interested in accurately portraying how things happen--that much harder. Now, there's no doubt that Apple's experience with touch support on the iPhone (both good and bad) will influence future touch tech from Microsoft and other companies. But let's not start pretending that Apple invented this.
Not surprisingly, this post also includes an interesting link to a Dell blog post that includes a long video showing off Tablet PC touch support. This stuff isn't a response to the iPhone. It was part of Vista a year ago.