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Scratch, the question mark, i’ll just state it directly: “Multitouch is the new mouse.” The kind of computer input device revolution that comes about every 10 or 20 years. Why?

I’ve been reflecting on the growth of multitouch technology after the introduction of the Apple iPhone last year, and it seems clear to me that multitouch is going to have the impact that the mouse did (and the Tablet PC wishes it could have had) with Apple’s 1984 introduction of their mouse when it released the original Macintosh computer.

The appeal of multitouch technology is immediate and obvious – as opposed to the Tablet PC technology that many companies have tried (and failed, outside of specialized markets) to gain mainstream adoption for, multitouch uses a different metaphor. Instead of trying to have computers replicate a clipboard, multitouch allows users to reach in and interact with the computer directly, using fairly natural gestures.

Apple clearly recognized this trend, moving to acquire their multitouch technology through the acquisition of FingerWorks, a company which developed high-quality multitouch user interfaces. This fits with Apple’s strategy of developing major technology shifts by acquiring little-known companies, which was previous seen in their acquisition of Casady & Greene’s early Mac MP3 player application SoundJam MP, which became the basis for iTunes 1.0.

If you look at the history of the mouse, you’ll see that it had a 21-year history from the time of invention until Apple’s release of a product that made commercial use of the technology. Similarly, if you look at the history of multitouch, you’ll see that it took 25 years until Apple released the iPhone. Both technologies were invented externally, and then later copied/acquired by Apple. (Not a bad way to go — it certainly worked for Google’s AdSense text ads!)

With the future expansion of multitouch in Apple’s product line (in the trackpads of the MacBook Air and future MacBooks, and no doubt in full-sized displays at some point) evidenced from their product line and multitouch application development platform. At the same time, Microsoft has been pursuing multitouch from the high end of the market by developing their massive Microsoft Surface devices (a quick read of their Microsoft Surface press release reveals exactly how important their believe multitouch is). At the low end of the scale, ASUS has been integrating multitouch into the next round of their ultra-low-cost EEE PCs. It seems clear that  the development of surface computing is moving along quickly.

I’m not saying that multitouch will replace the mouse, anymore than the mouse replaced the keyboard (and keyboard shortcuts). But it will add a rich new interface option for modern computers and devices alike.

Update: A delightfully detailed history of multitouch technology has been written by Bill Buxton – I recommend reading it over if you’re interested in this topic.