If there is one thing that defines the latest version of Windows, it is touch. Redmond designed its latest operating system from the grounds up for touchscreens and touch input.
For reasons mysterious, the slow uptake of touch enabled devices affected the sales and acceptance of Microsoft’s newest operating system. Even though the software titan had clearly emphasized its new strategy, the hardware vendors were rather slow to bring touchscreen devices to market.
At the very least they were not as lively to do so early on after the launch of Windows 8.
Several factors, including price and supply issues played their role in this. But the latest statistics provided by Displaybank show that touchscreen computers are a fair bit more attractive right now — so much so that Windows 8 itself is expected to register a noticeable boost in the coming months.
During the first quarter of 2013, shipments of touchscreen notebooks reached 4.57 million units, and this actually represents a remarkable increase of 51.8 percent compared to the previous quarter.
Better yet, touchscreen units are projected to continue their upward growth in the future.
One important reason for this is that Microsoft gearing up to release a major operating system upgrade in the second half of the year — one that looks set to increase the focus on touch even further.
The technology titan has already confirmed that it will be taking user feedback into considerations for Windows 8.1, but the emphasis on touch looks set to be a continuing factor.
