The hoopla around the launch of the iphone is further proof of the power of multi-touch interfaces to transform the way we use computers.  Jeff Han blew away the TED audience in Monterey in February with his pioneering demo.

There were rumors that Apple had tried (unsuccessfully) to hire Jeff at one point to work on the launch of the iphone. NY Times techie David Pogue even asked Steve Jobs about him on the day of the launch. So I pinged Jeff to see if he had any comment on it. Here’s his response:

"The iPhone is absolutely gorgeous, and I’ve always said, if there ever were a company to bring this kind of technology to the consumer market, it’s Apple.  I just wish it were a bit bigger so I could really use both of my hands."

Something tells me there will be a LOT of ongoing excitement and delight around multi-touch in the next couple years. Hopefully Apple will publish APIs to allow third party apps on the iphone. Yesterday’s outpouring of geekjoy could be just a foretaste.