Why Windows 8 touch sorta stinks in the Consumer Preview edition

29.03.2012

= Taps don't always work, especially when typing. This may be due to touch screen response rate and the number of touch points. Or it may be that the user is typing too fast, leaving more than two fingers on the screen at the same time.

= Trouble detecting swipe-to-select motions. This could be because some systems ignore the first few values of a touch, throwing off its interpretation of a swipe.

= Swipe-and-slide can be interpreted as a tap. Again, if the first values are ignored, the swipe is misinterpreted. Slower swiping and sliding can help.

= Swipe from edge doesn't always work. Similar causes to the previous two issues and the same solution: slower swiping.

In its Windows on Arm (WOA) devices, in which the hardware is wed to the software with tight restrictions, Microsoft is shooting for responsive touchscreens that will inevitably be compared to the performance of iPads, since many WOA devices will be tablets.