The following is an imaginative piece called 10/GUI:

http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2009/10/13/10_gui/

While the proposal here is theoretical, it is definitely not out of the realms of the plausible.

However, as 10/GUI correctly points out, the human hand rests flat, whereas the human eyes looks straight ahead. Ergonomically, the hand and the eyes therefore work in two separate spaces. And because of this... touchscreen will never achieve any serious application and adoption.

To be sure, the Microsoft Surface technology is very tantalizing. And who knows, perhaps touchscreen will still become a norm input device some day. However, we will always have two separate work spaces.

In the meantime, Apple's multi-touch pads, especially on laptops and iPhones, have proven that such a technology is not only feasible, but actually practical. iPhone being the exception to the two-space rule.

So, that's what I see in the near-future. Multi-touch pads that may be able to supplement and perhaps even displace the mouse as the de-facto input device. Or perhaps even two multi-touch devices. One for each hand in ergonomically-correct spaces (to the left and right rather than the center).

Whatever shape and form multi-touch pads may evolve into the future, I do agree that the future appears bright.

Will Microsoft remain relevant ? I don't think we have anything to worry about on that front.

Apple controls every aspect of their users computing experience.

Google monitors every aspect of their users so they can turn that information over to the government at a drop of a hat

Microsoft - as long as they get their 30 pieces of silver don't care how you use their OS and what hardware you employee it on.

Cloud computing will only be for sheep who don't mind having all their data hacked on a regular basis

I'm sure both Apple and Google will have comparable products in the not too distant future (I say comparable instead of competitive because they are in no means real competition for MS) although Apple should be very worried about Google.

Google will have a better chance because of the freedom of choice in the hardware market and the fact that more people use Google services than Apple (even Apple users use Google). Unless Apple allows freedom of hardware they will stay a niche product. Google will also have the benefit of taking advantage of all the morons being raised by morons today, as long as they don't care about privacy (it is different than security).

I do hope that someone somewhere is working on something better (probably some form of Open Source) and eventually a new regime will be developed. Probably not in my lifetime, though you never know.

Anyway you slice it with SSD's and OLED's and "multi touch" capabilities. The future of computing looks pretty interesting.

It's the tablet stupid!

Yes, tablet computers have been tried before and pretty much failed. What's different now is the multi-touch user interface.

In the near future, tablets will become *the* universal PC architecture --- displacing both desktops and laptops. Microsoft, Apple and forward thinking hardware vendors have all started moving in this direction.