When they were first produced for electronic devices beginning with the iPhone in 2007, touch screens were somewhat of a novelty, largely aimed at differentiating the design of this new phone from its competition. Today, they have been embraced by so many consumers that offering quality products with this feature is arguably necessary for a tech company's survival. 

Touch screens are now produced in 12 different categories of display, ranging from smartphones to laptops with Windows. And new figures released by DisplaySearch suggest that, if trends continue, the touch screen display industry could reach a value of $31.9 billion by 2018, up from estimates which place its current size at $16 billion.

Part of this growth will come from business use. For example, Dean Takahashi of Venturebeat wrote that there is "A big future in 'premium experiences' with touch technology, such as high-quality collaboration systems where enterprise workers share documents."

But other data contradicts this continued growth. A survey released earlier in the week by cell phone maker Nokia found that nearly half of participants prefer a QWERTY keyboard when given the choice between this, a touch screen, a numeric keypad and a voice-dial system.

Other technology makers are trying to make sense of this contradictory consumer data by attempting to combine touch screens with keyboards. Reports surfaced yesterday that Tactus Technology, a startup in Silicon Valley is trying to make a product that combines elements from both keyboard styles.

Regardless of whether they will have buttons, touch screens or something in between, PortableOne has an ideal selection of mobile devices. All of the products we sell, including laptops, ultrabooks and tablets are fully customizable and available at great prices.