A few weeks ago, it was reported that Bill Gates and Microsoft were going to go ahead with Multitouch technology in a way that they had not contemplated before. In essence, they were going to combine Multitouch technology with their flagship Windows operating system software, allowing people to experience both in a way that would hopefully make up for the fiasco that was Windows Vista.

Now, as the All Things Digital Conference has come and gone, the picture is starting to get clearer regarding exactly what Microsoft intends to do. Depending on who you are, the news is either very good or somewhat disappointing.

As far as the best estimates go, Multitouch technology on Windows 7 is not going to be all-encompassing. Rather, it will include elements that made Multitouch technology great in the first place. These elements include things like the resizing of different photographs, the tracing of routes on maps to get directions and the painting of different pictures through direct touch with the screen. In essence, specific elements that are obvious places for Multitouch to be introduced will see the functionality installed, while the main part of the system will still be maintained by traditional mouse control.

Depending on how that is interpreted, Multitouch could potentially be seen as a basic alternative to the mouse or it could be seen as an augmentation to the mouse for people that would like to slowly move over. The only sure thing at the moment is that conventional mouse and keyboard interfaces will still be around for a long time to come. This appears to be the message that Microsoft has sent with their latest demonstration of the Windows 7 Multitouch technology.