Touchscreens are small, slick, responsive, and ubiquitous these days but it wasn't always the case. While touchscreens were invented in 1965 and have been sold since the early 80s, YouTube channel Lazy Game Reviews takes a look at one of the earliest successful attempts at a mass-produced touch screen, the IBM 8516 Touchscreen CRT Monitor from 1992.
The screen can't quite keep up with speeds, going to fast or too slow makes it finicky. Fitting for a machine that was used in train stations and in informational kiosks at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, it works great with large, general spaces on a screen. Try to get too specific, though, and you'll end up frustrated. We've made a little bit of progress since then.
Source: Lazy Game Reviews
David Grossman is a staff writer for PopularMechanics.com. He's previously written for The Verge, Rolling Stone, The New Republic and several other publications. He's based out of Brooklyn.
