Touch revolution could kill off the mouse

Analyst claims the mouse could soon go the way of the dodo as consumers clamour for touchscreen technology

Shelf life? iSuppli claims the mouse is under threat from the touch revolution

The mouse could soon be consigned to the annals of history as touchscreen technology comes to the fore, a market watcher has asserted.

According to iSuppli, global shipments of touchscreen systems for slate-type devices such as Apple’s iPad are on course to hit 8.9 million units in 2010.

That is a huge rise on the 176,000 units shipped last year.

However, iSuppli said that although slates may be providing the most dramatic entry for touchscreen technology, netbooks, notebooks, monitors and all-in-one computers are all also embracing touch.

“The revolution has officially begun, and the mouse may soon be headed the way of the dinosaur,” said Rhoda Alexander, director of monitors and sustainability displays for iSuppli.

According to iSuppli, growth of the overall personal computer touchscreen market grew by a modest 26 and 52 per cent in 2008 and 2009, respectively. However, growth is expected to hit 242 per cent his year, with slate being the primary initial driver.

Slates will make up 56.2 per cent of the overall PC touch market in 2010, up from just 3.8 per cent last year, it added.

iSuppli defines slates as tablet computers constructed in a single, unhinged form factor, with the iPad being an archetypal example. It predicted that shipments of such devices with touchscreens are set to boom to 63.9 million units in 2013.