The death of the mouse, by Apple

The Mouse (1972–2008)

So, all of the major players (incl MS) are now looking toward making touch devices that interact more like physical objects than computers; i.e. the traditional pen + paper, blackboard or fridge scenario.

Why is this happening? I think the quick answer is that hardware and software have come to the point where touch/pen/voice interactions are possible at the speed that consumers expect. But perhaps a more subjective answer would be that consumers have growing expectations of simplicity and speed when it comes to computers, and perhaps the market has started to show this, and maybe this is why we see hardware and software companies now clammering to react.