comment: >
  
  My keyboard, my mouse, my label maker, my audio interface, the buttons on my monitors, my soldering iron station, led lights remote, my amps and my audio cable tester are the things in my direct line of sight that have physical buttons.
context: This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
  (For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
  Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >
  
  Looks down from screen to computer keyboard. 
  Mmm, not sure about everything. >
  
  Looks at Xbox controller on table . Hhmmmm ... Altho I might like a controller that doesn't go "click ,click clikitty click . Like a touch pad though not a screen . >
  
  And then looks at oven, stove, instant pot, electric kettle, musical keyboard, Bluetooth, speaker, Bluetooth headset, iron, gaming system, lamp… >
  
  Actually a lot of newer appliances have touchscreens >
  
  My toaster has a touch screen. You still have to use the big down lever tho. >
  
  Jesus, imagine if it had vertical "slide to unlock" like the iphone used to have instead . >
  
  That would take half the fun out of toasting, for sure
  ... And now you've given them the idea!! >
  
  I like physical buttons on a remote. Once you get used to it you can use it without looking cause you can feel where the buttons are. >
  
  Which is why touchscreens in cars is such a colosally stupid idea >
  
  My bf has a civic with touch screen volume control. We live in Canada. It freezes on WayTooFknLoud regularly. >
  
  WTFL, AM Rock Radio in Detroit
  j/k >
  
  Video game controller, computer, lightswitch, microwave, wifi router, fan, any physical musical instrument, most of the functions in cars, etc… >
  
  A family member of mine has a touchscreen microwave that you have to hold your finger on a plus or minus to change the time for.
  It only goes in 10 second increments and I hate it. >
  
  That sounds miserable lol >
  
  My dad's old remote used to be a touchscreen, alike a chunky thicc iPhone type of thing, actually not the worst idea in the world because there were SO many channels and so many controls,  having them grouped by category/screen actually made a lot of sense.  This was right before the SmartTV became standard, which made simple directional controls more sensible
  On top of that, I suppose the microphone was the other nail in the coffin, rather than going through all the menus to find what you need, you just say it loud.  Makes a lot of sense. >
  
  I was AV installer for a company that did big tv setups. We always installed touchscreen panels as a controller. Can't walk around with, but never needed batteries. >
  
  I work for an AV integrator and having a 10” Crestron touch panel is definitely nice when controlling a complete AV system. I wouldn’t mind even having one in my house. >
  
  
  Computer keyboard
  Computer mouse
  Car remote
  Car/home stereo equipment
  Microwave
  Oven
  Debit card machines
  ATMs
  Gas pumps
  Car/home air conditioning
  Gamepads
  Mobility chairs
  Digital thermometers 
  Portable heaters/fans
  Desk phones
  Door keypads
  Light switches
  Cameras
  Garage door openers / garage door remotes
  Massage equipment
  Heated blankets
  Washing machine / dryer
  Dishwasher
  Coffee maker
  Electric toothbrush
  Exercise equipment
  Power tools
  Life Alert
  Hot tubs
  Airplane controls
  Humidifiers
  Elevators
  Assisted standing chairs
  Electric recliners
  Remote control cars
  Arcade machines
  Projectors
  Audio interfaces
  Power strips
  Mechanical beds
  Smoke detectors
  I'm getting bored so I'm going to stop >
  
  Am I the only one or do y'all use a button to turn my phone on and off? >
  
  Oh, yeah!  -and the volume keys! >
  
  But the TV remote is great as is.   With physical buttons it doesn't need a sophisticated sleep mode it just sits there drawing zero electrical current until it's needed.   No software updates needed.   Most of us just want it to be ready to go and reliable. >
  
  This is simply not true. Lots of things with only physical buttons. >
  
  Jokes on you, got too lazy to replace the batteries in my remote so I use the Roku app 🤷 >
  
  I have used a remote with touchscreen and it's horrible. You don't want to have to look down to switch to the proper channel or choose the right program on Netflix/HBO Max/whatever.
  There are numerous places where touchscreens aren't very useful. A car is one of those, even though almost all carmanufacturers have switched to them in recent years.  I would love them to bring back physical buttons, so I an keep my eyes on the road. >
  
  This is demonstrably false. I would say that more items in my house have buttons than touchscreens. >
  
  Which way are things trending though. Buttons are on the decline and are being replaced by soley touchscreen options. >
  
  In future: maybe. But that's not what was originally stated. >
  
  It is probably because most of us rely on texture when it comes to remotes. I know where the volume and mute buttons are without having to look at them. >
  
  I'm in awe, really. I cant even imagine being this wrong. Okay I get your parents handle a microwave or a car or a thermostat or ATM or a blender or a dishwasher or laundry machine or all the boring adult stuff. But you don't even consider a keyboard or game controller or as having buttons? >
  
  Microwaves, cars, thermostats and dishwashers don't have physical buttons anymore. Or at least the trend is towards a button free existence.
  I'm not saying buttons don't exist, I'm saying the pre-iPhone world had way more buttons than we do now and the remote is a hold-out. >
  
  
  the remote is a hold-out
  
  So are a lot of other things, you are wrong to say "the remote is the last object that doesn't use a touchscreen", also there are touch screen tv remotes if you really want one. >
  
  Don’t you talk for me. I use Roku remote on my phone and it controls my tv power / volume :p >
  
  It seems my phone still has 2 volume buttons and a power button >
  
  How many buttons did your >2007 phone have? >
  
  Since I was born in 2007... Probably 0 >
  
  That's the thing. All the things your phone does were done by things with buttons.
  Camera, cd/tape player, keyboard, tape recorder. Even TVs had buttons on the front to control them.
  I'm not saying buttons are gone, just that they're reduced by 90% from doing things before you were born.
  Now almost nothing has buttons. >
  
  In addition, it's using a cheap as IR signal with poor range and poorer reliability >
  
  1 of thousands of things. I have 10 just sitting in my kitchen. >
  
  Oh really, let me just type you a response on my fucking keyboard, idiot. >
  
  Moore's Law has reduced the cost of electronics to the point that every button you add doubles the price. >
  
  Your mom still has physical buttons that I'd love to press, L+ ratio (and before u say your mom has them as well, jokes on you, you've been ratioed) >
  
  Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like the TV remote is stuck in the past while the rest of us have moved into the future! Maybe it's time for a modern upgrade? >
  
  A touch screen remote that drains battery faster and requires system software updates? Sometimes physical buttons are fine. >
  
  I use a Roku app on my phone, so my TV remote is indeed a touchscreen. >
  
  False. I use a remote app on my phone and have added it as a widget on the Lock Screen.  
  Game changer.
  Edit: the one I have issues a gesture control from the app and has haptic feedback which meant I can quite easily use it without looking at the phone >
  
  TV remotes, or any buttoned remotes for that matter, are like horseshoe crabs. They are good enough the way they are. >
  
  Actually of all the things that should continue to have buttons, TV remote should’ve been the first leave that list. 
  We hold our phones while watching tv anyways. >
  
  I don’t have a remote in my house.  It’s all done with phone.   So there goes that theory >
  
  Oh… i dont know about that. I use the roku app as the controller to the tvs in my house. I always have my phone in my hand but we can never find the damn remote 😆 >
  
  Microwave, stove, keyboard, and console controllers all still have buttons. Or at least mine do. >
  
  Well, the remote’s trying. Mine has no number buttons on it so the only way I can change the channel us to pull up the TV guide and scroll up and damn down. It also has no last channel button so again the only way to change the channel to go back to what I was watching is to pull up the TV guide and scroll up and down.
  It is incredibly frustrating. >
  
  roku, which is what my tv uses, has a digital remote. you just download the app on your phone, and have it.
  there are many appliances losing buttons, but even tv remotes >
  
  Pff, person over here with buttons on their remote. I control everything from a single tablet. >
  
  Laptop, air conditioner remote, washing machine, my car, bedside lamp ... >
  
  We live in capitalism. So of course there will always being improvements being done to everything….so they can sell it and make money off the same product but a little different. That is the point of capitalism. >
  
  Someone never used a Logitech Harmony or any of the slew of other touch screen remotes there have been the last 25 years.
  And you're better off for it. They suck to use. >
  
  Arthur C. Clarke predicted the end of physical buttons in a sci fi short story many years ago.  Star Trek: TNG's control panels also helped the idea along, no doubt. >
  
  That's cool, but it's not actually the reality we live in yet. >
  
  True--industrial mechanic here for many years, control panels for industrial and municipal equipment are still mostly electromechanical, built to last. >
  
  I wouldn't mind a remote that is a touch screen just for scrolling. The swype kind, not the up-down-left-right button touchscreen kind (this kind you actually have to look at your phone screen to press them accurately). And the rest of the inputs being physical buttons. >
  
  Keyboard, game controllers, car dashboard, oven and microwave buttons... >
  
  In a few years I reckon we will be saying the tv remote is one of the last things with a touch screen now everything has (good) voice activation or something like that >
  
  Check your shower for a gas leak if these are the kinds of thoughts you’re having in there. >
  
  Laptop keyboards, Aircon remotes, game console remotes , portable game consoles , list goes on >
  
  You'd think with all the technology out there, someone would come up with a way to make a remote with physical buttons that still works like a touchscreen...or something like that. >
  
  Think you just melted my brain with that >
  
  Well I lost my remote so I used SmartThings on my phone that...controlls...my tv...through...a...a touch screen.... >
  
  Video game controllers still use buttons which are identical to a tv remote in how the board functions and most car fobs or garage fobs. >
  
  My last TV didn’t even come with a remote, I had to download an app that controls my TV. Stupidest thing ever. 
  It also takes a couple of seconds to even turn on. 
  Think it’s a Vizio >
  
  Door bells, power switches on the phone, shower handles, door knobs, power tools, the toothbrush.. >
  
  False. I bought a universal touchscreen remote about 15 years ago for my inlaws. >
  
  Point 1: I can control my Roku with the Roku app on my phone. The only thing I can do with the physical remote that I can't do with the app is control the volume on the TV. I can even use earphones to listen to the TV while I'm using the app, just like I could plug earphones into the Roku remote to do the same thing. The difference is that my phone battery lasts a lot longer than the Roku remote battery when I'm using earphones. So there are cases where even the TV remote can be replaced by a touchscreen.
  Point 2: There are a LOT of devices that still have physical buttons. The keyboard I'm typing on now is a prime example. Touch typing would be impossible with a touchscreen, or any other type of virtual keyboard. Switches are far less expensive than an LCD touch screen, and there's no point in putting a touchscreen on something that doesn't need to actually display anything. >
  
  But have you seen the ones you just speak into? Why touch anything at all...? >
  
  Don't all smartphones have buttons to turn the off/volume control??? >
  
  Cars often still have physical buttons, and it's good. You want to be able to feel them, such that they can be operated without looking. I can't imagine operating a tesla, sounds like a nightmare to me. >
  
  Plenty of people who have owned a phone with physical buttons have owned a phone that has at least one button that didn't work when pressed.
  Google Nokia keypad not working if you doubt this. >
  
  Lost the remote to my roku TV... now I use my touchscreen smartphone as the remote.