zorro macsk adds touch screen functionality to any iMac

zorro macsk: apple has yet to join the touch-screen display revolution with its desktop computers and laptops, despite many of its competitors beginning to investigate the possibilities of the technology. chinese company TMDtouch has decided to step in and fill the gap with a USB-powered cover that can convert any 21.5-inch or 27-inch iMac into a touchscreen all-in-one PC in 10 seconds. the lightweight plastic-and-metal frame houses several infrared transmitters around its super thin 4.6mm inner side. all-in-all, it’s very much like a photo frame with integrated touch screen technology.

components in the box reflects the simple set-up

there’s no extra panel of plastic or glass within the canvas, so the overall picture quality isn’t affected, and there is still the tactile sensation of the iMacs solid glass. that said, the ‘zorro macsk‘ does come bundled with a high quality protective film should you wish to use one. included in the package is also a metallic stylus with a soft rubber head, and conveniently, it’s compatible with capacitive touchscreens as well.

four corners of the frame are held into position on iMac

TMDtouch has a selection of seven color options on its website: silver; black; white; blue; pink; green; and a ‘classic’ silver-and-black combination, reminiscent of the iMac. as you can see, the model we received was the black one with a silver, and it actually looks great on our machine. installation is simply a case of hanging the frame over the front of the iMac (the built-in magnets help lock it in position); applying one tape to each corner of the screen; plugging in the short USB cable located near the iMac’s ports and waiting for about 15 seconds. no additional software installation is required.

USB cable can reach mac ports conveniently

the ‘zorro macsk’ is thoughtfully designed in such a way that it doesn’t block off any of the mac’s holes and ports. the outer sleeve stops just before the microphone on the top side of the iMac, which leaves a space for the optical drive and SD card slots on the right. there’s also an opening for the webcam plus its LED indicator, and again, there’s no plastic or glass here to affect the webcam’s optical performance.

no plastic or glass features on the frame

as soon as the quick set-up is complete users can start tapping random objects on the screen like alchemy and it immediately responds. in principal, most of the basic gestures work fine–even right-click can be toggled by holding down a finger for about two seconds. moving into multitouch territory, pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling works like a charm. the touchscreen display-frame can offer engaging presentations to even applying loose brush-strokes in adobe ‘photoshop’.

video courtesy of designboom

the ‘zorro macsk’ from TMDtouch is a price-friendly solution for adding touch screen functionality to any iMac. it offers artists and designers a large digital drawing panel for cultivating collaboration, or a mess-free solution when forming ideas for projects. for now apple seems not to have plans to add touch gestures to its range of desktop computers, so for many users the ‘zorro macsk’ could be the future for some time.

zorro macsk proves useful with a variety of CAD applications