iPhone Keyboard: Good or Bad?
There’s a lot of iPhone bashing going on right now. The victim is in fact the non-existing iPhone mechanical keyboard. People are arguing that without a mechanical keyboard that gives a feedback to the user, iPhone users won’t be able to type as fast as they do on their Blackberry for example. Thus, business people won’t adopt the iPhone.Apple’s executives already said that a few days were necessary to become comfortable with the device. This is perfectly normal for any new type of devices.
The first week I had my first Blackberry was a real nightmare. I really thought I would never be able to write a mail on such a tiny keyboard. But you know what, after only ten days I was perfectly capable of writing long mails. After a few months, using the Blackberry was like a second nature for me.
What I mean is how can we judge a user interface we haven’t tried yet? Yes, the mechanical response is an important factor and users will have a hard time without it at the beginning. But the iPhone is not just a touch screen. It’s a multi-touch interface with gesture recognition. The mechanical response is gone but the screen gives back more than a mechanical keyboard would ever be able to give back.
The mechanical keyboard is not what would stop Apple from reaching the business people. The lack of a full integration program is what really missing. RIM does it for the Blackberry and this is why they have so much success with business people.
Look at Microsoft Surface technology. No keyboard. Many types of keyboard-less devices will appear on the market. Surface and the iPhone mark the beginning of a new era. We better get use to it! No? I will at least give it a try!
