Technology

James Francis

Multi-touch screens are magical. Nearly two decades ago, a researcher named Jeff Han demonstrated a multitouch system at a TED conference. It was mind-blowing, showing off a technology about to reach its prime. That same year, Apple launched the iPhone, and it was the end of physical keyboards on smartphones.

Virtual keyboards were simply more versatile. They can have larger on-screen keys than compact physical keyboards. They support multiple languages, and there are numerous third-party keyboards to serve different typing tastes. Some of the advantages only arrived later, and early touchscreens were often frustrating to use. But they won out.