Microsoft’s iPhone-like Multi-Touch Technology for Windows 7

Microsoft has signalled the end of the traditional mouse “click” navigation with its next operating system, which aims to build on the success of its rival Apple’s iPhone touch screen. The next version of Windows, code named Windows 7, will include support for a multi-touch user interface.

Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 7 in late 2009 or early 2010. The next Windows OS will include multi-touch powered tools for editing and arranging digital photos, as well as interactive mapping applications similar to the Concierge offering developed by Microsoft’s Surface team.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “A key feature of the technology allows for multiple touches simultaneously; for instance, dragging five fingers across a screen would draw five separate lines.” The use of a keyboard is also expected to become unnecessary. Whether PC users will be able to type on a touch-screen remains to be seen. In its latest post published on Windows Vista Team blog, Microsoft demonstrated its upcoming multi-touch technology in a video presentation, which you can watch here.

Director at Microsoft working on the Windows Client Communications Team, Chris Flores recently wrote on the same blog: “We’re not yet ready to discuss timing and specific plans for any Beta releases.” Instead, he praised widely criticized Windows XP:

The business results speak for themselves. As of March 31, we had sold more than 140 million Windows Vista licenses, and analyst firm forecasts indicate that Windows Vista adoption among businesses is on a similar pace as Windows XP in similar timeframes.

According to Flores, Windows 7 will be improved version of Windows Vista:

Contrary to some speculation, Microsoft is not creating a new kernel for Windows 7. Rather, we are refining the kernel architecture and componentization model introduced in Windows Vista… One of our design goals for Windows 7 is that it will run on the recommended hardware we specified for Windows Vista and that the applications and devices that work with Windows Vista will be compatible with Windows 7.