Today, researchers in human-computer interaction, a field of computer science that has seen a spike in consumer demand thanks to a new, seemingly ubiquitous technology: Touch. According to the technology, media and telecommunications company IHS iSuppli, global shipments of touch-screen cellphones and tablets have gone from 244 million units to 630 million units in just two years. This year, iPad sales nearly quadrupled compared to 2010. The touch explosion has been long in the making, it's part of a theory he calls The Long Nose of Innovation and it says that much of the innovation behind any technological breakthrough actually takes place over a long period of time.
According to Apple, more than 2,300 school districts in the U.S. have iPad programs for students or teachers. But the benefits of having iPads in the classroom don't come free. Teachers say you have to invest time into the technology in order to get something out of it, which means much of the iPad's usefulness will depend on the applications both teachers and publishers discover as adoption grows. Hospitals are also exploring the usefulness of iPads. At the University of California, San Diego Hospital, physician's assistants use iPad 2 to update a patient who just received a brand new kidney on his recovery.
More information:
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/26/144146395/the-touchy-feely-future-of-technology
More information:
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/26/144146395/the-touchy-feely-future-of-technology