My new pet peeve is when technology pundits that use the phrase (or a variation thereof), "designing for 1985" when talking about traditional mouse/keyboard input modalities.  This is usually said as a derogatory comment to Microsoft, but also includes other companies that have not yet jumped headfirst into the latest fad of iPad computing (if you can call running applets on a multimedia presentation device "computing.")

I think touch screens a la cell phones and slate devices have their place and can be awesome, but just, for a minute, try imagining typing a long document on an iPad compared to basically any traditional computer setup.  The very thought of it is tiring to me.  I need a nap.  My point is that mouse+kb has been successful for so long because when you know how to type (probably not many tech magazine writers know how without staring at the keyboard and pecking with their index fingers, unfortunately), the keyboard is incredibly fast for input.  And for situations that you can't use the keyboard, the mouse is still faster than touch screens.  With a mouse you can quickly jump from one part of the screen to the other and precisely zero in with just the smallest flick of your wrist.  Touch screens require your arm and hand actually extend to each of the affected areas on the screen.  When you have two or three monitors, having to touch for all direct-contact input with controls on the screen would actually be quite slow, even if it is satisfying in a "I feel like I'm on Star Trek" kind of way.

All that said, kb+mouse+touch is the ultimate win.  You get the best of all possible worlds.

Which brings me back to the original article that sparked this rant.  I completely disagree with the unimaginative Lenovo Technology Director.  Windows 7 on a slate device sounds incredibly awesome.  I would take that in a heartbeat over iOS, Android, or the other proprietary OSes.  Apparently somebody hasn't gotten the memo about all the touch work that went into Windows 7.  It does everything your precious, precious iPad does, plus it can actually run real productivity software.