The Wall Street Journal, is reporting that Microsoft is following Apple’s iphone lead and working on similar technology, for personal computer screens, that could eventually replace the computer mouse.
N-trig Ltd., an Israeli start-up that makes touch-sensing screen hardware, is expected to announce that Microsoft is the largest investor in a $24 million round of funding that also includes several venture-capital firms.
According to the Journal, Microsoft is investing in N-trig to quickly adapt its technology to work well with Windows 7, the coming version of Microsoft’s dominant operating system.
The Journal, reports that 
Microsoft is more deeply integrating touch features into Windows 7, than in any previous version of Windows.
“The mouse, I think, is gone,” says Amichai Ben-David, CEO of N-trig. “I don’t see a reason to have one.”
So the obvious question is if people start using their fingers to do the walking and can navigate the internet without a keyboard, what does that mean for domains and specifically type in traffic?
Sure this is not the first time the question has been asked and everyone knew some day PC’s would have some touch screen applications, but it seems someday is now going to be someday soon.
I played with the touch screens at best buy before on the big 22 inch toshiba or whatever that was…I wouldn’t want to hold my arms up for hours…just in case though sell all your .cm names NOW
I don’t get the concern, Mike.
The touchscreen replaces the mouse NOT the keyboard.
I use my IPhone all the time and still have to type in the URL’s I want.
When Windows goes 100% voice command, I still will have to type in the URL’s.
Tony
I think if you have a widely used touch screen, your going to have the use of large Icon’s to navigate the net, like bookmarks are now but more noticeable.
Don’t know what the effect will be that’s why I’m asking for opinions
Where does it say “navigate the internet without a keyboard”? This technology may make the mouse obsolete but everyone needs an address and navigating to these addresses need a keyboard. The keyboard will most likely be a part of the touch screen – much like the iphone.
Domains have become brands. They’re not going anywhere soon.
An address will always be needed, how will someone get to where they want to get to, and many people will still want to use a mouse, I have 2 computers on my desk the monitor on the desktop is not in reach for me to touch I use a mouse and also, Touch Screen people with fat fingers will get tired of hitting the wrong link and people are freaking lazy, your hand and arm is down and resting on a mouse, people are not going to sit all day with one arm up in the air hitting a screen all day. It will be the new Carpal Tunnel problem, Touch Screen Elbow or Wrist. Kidding about the last part but it might not be a joke.
what does that mean for domains and specifically type in traffic?
it means that type-in traffic will be perhaps replaced by tap-in traffic?
whether type-in traffic or tap-in traffic, this should not affect quality domains in a revolutionary way because quality domains will still maintain their visual appeal, memory appeal, … and other variables which compromise a premium domain
that are not affected by change in behavior of direct navigation.
Speaking of direct navigation, which one do you think gets more type-in traffic ?
1. hotels.com
2. plentyoffish.com
It’s time to expand one’s horizon beyond Type-In Traffic, as it is clear that outside forces, forces within your control and power, have a much bigger influence on type-in traffic than the domain name itself,.
I would go as far as suggest that brandability of a generic domain dwarfs the value of type-in traffic to the margins of statistical noise.
Should you be worried? Always!
I used a touch screen Toshiba computer on a project for a U.S. govt. department . Most people used a stylus and not their fingers. You can also use the eraser end of a pencil to navigate. The biggest problem I had with the touch screen was keeping it calibrated. ..otherwise it worked great.
Microsoft Surface is in development along these lines. Agree that in the near term the keyboard will stay. Financials may drive more domains away from type in for ppc and to development.
Long term i wonder if domain names and addresses will be needed to navigate the web – they may become submerged.
Reminds me of this Onion video about Apple’s new keyboardless laptop:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary
I hold my mouse for ten+ hours a day. I have this funny muscle on my right forearm that I show my friends and family to freak them out.
You can only get that weird muscle by holding a mouse for so many hours per day everyday.
I am happy to see the mouse go but if Microsoft is involved, expect three revisions and three upgrades before they get it right.
Voice recognition could threaten domain names. Do you say hypen or dash? What is you had the-domains.com and thedashdomains.com and thehyphendomains.com?
How would you differentiate each of those domains to a voice recognition software?
That will make for some interesting typos in the future 🙂
UPDATE
Guess you will be able to Touch an Apple before a PC.
Like right now:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/13/apples-24-inch-led-cinema-display-goes-touchscreen-courtesy-of/
I cant see domains ever disappearing.
Even once we have touch screen pcs we shall still have to enter our domains into a url bar.
Regards,
Robbie
I don’t think there will be any effect whatsoever. I don’t see the two related imho.
I track emerging technology domains and saw this coming… put up websites for screennotebooks.com and screenlaptops.com. Not only the mouse, but the old fashioned keyboard will be replaced with touch screen and soon voice, in my opinion.
One distinct threat I see is the voice recognition system for search. I saw this demonstrated by Microsoft in an investment seminar at GS. I noticed that not one person in this group would say “.com” or “.net” after they said what they wanted searched. They would just say the simple term. I found that very interesting. Maybe it was because the person from Microsoft (and the video presentation) actually emphasized that they did not need to know the actual extension UNLESS that is where they wanted to go. What does that foretell? Nothing good as far as I can tell.
Yea, i dont think this will have any effect on domaining, in fact… behind touch screen will come voice recognition, where speaking keywords or products/services will become the norm… which may even HELP … displaying or ‘hearing’ the results may end up being the domain itself.
… Makes me think of Google’s GOOG411 (http://www.google.com/goog411/)
Just a thought…
Joel
It’s funny….It so often seems like domainers are always waiting for the next nightmare to hit…. I for one can admit that I’m hoping for not much change over the next few years…. This damb economy is the biggest problem right now.
David, I’d make that “soon”… never.
Even if navigation by just thinking ever happens (not), people would still need to “think” the URL where they want to go.
Experience, knowledge, … should affect type-in in a higher scale.
Everyone has experienced that when you type-in what you get is a parked page of LOW interest and when the keyword is less popular it is really worst, ads are not even relevant.
Everyone is no longer an internet newbie and landed few times in such pages generaly no longer type-in.
How much did you type-in yourself to serach something?
Almost never, you simply google the keyword.
Except for access sites you know the URL you never eneter a something.com
This is what will kill type in, much more faster than anything else: Internet usage and the poor implementation and interest of parked domains.
The web is increasingly becoming a place where you must “pay to be found”. That’s just a natural evolution of the business.
Domains Should always be relevant for their advertising, branding and keyword advantages.
But…as time goes by, search engines could attempt to diminish the visibility and importance of the domain name to the surfer.
As each search engine strive to be THE gatekeeper to the Internet, they will want to direct you to the places that profit them the most. Relevancy and natural serps could slowly take a back seat to paid results.
It may take a while, but eventually search engine results may be much more like GoTo / Overture: Paid Results. Just like TV advertisements, the one with the most money wins. You aren’t going to get your ad on the Super Bowl because it’s the most relevant.
This would all be determined by the browsers and the search engines. A browser with a search box but Not a URL bar would eliminate the ability to type in a domain. Of course, you would have to pay a browser some pretty big bucks to get them to do this. Or, uhhh, maybe …make your own browser.
As domainers, we would correctly see this lack of freedom of choice as unacceptable. But, it boggles the mind to see how many average web users don’t even know WTF a domain is or how it works. Even after you explain it to them, they Still just look for a search box. So, you try to explain where the actual URL / domain is on the search results page. But, they don’t even get that. There eyes simply go Straight to the Title in the description.
On one hand, that scenario could be a threat to domians.
On the other hand, it might mean there is only one way to have any chance at all to compete with big brands that have huge budgets: Good Domains.
Type-in is so yesterday.
What matters today is the memorability of a domain name the least number of times it is read or heard. This is what branding is all about. And branding done correctly is worth millions, if not billions, to a company.
When you watch the SuperBowl ads pay close attention to the millions being spent to drill those domain names into the public’s collective brain. They will all be dotCom and they will all be easily memorable. Otherwsie, they’ve just thrown their advertising dollars away.
Search engines have ZERO to do with domain branding and that will always be their biggest limitation. If a company has to consistently worry about their domain name/company being found through their search engine rankings they’ve already lost the war.
I have a few minisite .coms indexed in search engines and they get a disproportionate number of clicks from what keyword research would suggest they should get. The public trusts .com and like David said — I certainly wouldn’t go for anything else if I was big business.
I believe it’s $3MM or so for 30 seconds during the SuperBowl. If even 5% of would-be visitors confuse the URL and type the .com when the .net, etc is owned — you just wasted $150,000+ of advertising.
What I think will result in an increase in touchscreens:
An increase in values of typo-domains. I think that if more people use an on-screen keyboard without tactile feedback, there will be alot more typos. And although it is a shady practice to reg a typo for a TM, its not shady to get a typo for a generic (well it depends on the situation right).