Stupid MBA...

[ss284]

The threshold for tracking is lower than that for tapping, and the lightest touch of my finger will move the cursor, which is great. However, osx's threshold for tapping is much higher, so tapping with that same amount of "finger area" doesn't result in a click.

 

[Rottie]

The little eraser nub thing you find on Thinkpads, and business systems.

oh yeah I used this one on old laptop long time ago.

 

[Rottie]

thank you for the picture 🙂

 

[Emulex]

this will change with windows 8 and their foray into touch. the apple magic trackpad is not magic - the drivers and gui hooks are the magic!

 

[Tyranicus]

this will change with windows 8 and their foray into touch. the apple magic trackpad is not magic - the drivers and gui hooks are the magic!

To some extent, you are correct. However, many PC laptops have ridiculously tiny trackpads. Drivers and GUI hooks can't fix that.

 

[Cogman]

Meh, my dell has one finger scrolling, just go to the side of the pad and drag up and down. I would go nuts if that wasn't there.

 

[nageov3t]

most of the trackpad gestures seem kinda gimmicky, but after using my MBA all weekend and returning to a windows machine for work today, I keep trying to scroll up to move the page down 🙁

 

[TheStu]

To some extent, you are correct. However, many PC laptops have ridiculously tiny trackpads. Drivers and GUI hooks can't fix that.

They are getting a lot better. At least in the size department. Look at the Ultrabooks that the various OEMs are unveiling, MBA sized trackpads (a lot of them made of glass too.) Whether they will be MBA quality.... that is another issue.

Meh, my dell has one finger scrolling, just go to the side of the pad and drag up and down. I would go nuts if that wasn't there.

Have you used an Intel Mac laptop? With the 2 finger scrolling on there you can scroll in any direction from anywhere on the trackpad. You can right click anywhere on the trackpad (with 2 finger tapping/clicking) instead of trying to make sure that you hit the right button. That and when you are in OS X, there is no concern with accidental inputs either. Once you start typing it deactivates the trackpad.

 

[Cogman]

They are getting a lot better. At least in the size department. Look at the Ultrabooks that the various OEMs are unveiling, MBA sized trackpads (a lot of them made of glass too.) Whether they will be MBA quality.... that is another issue.



Have you used an Intel Mac laptop? With the 2 finger scrolling on there you can scroll in any direction from anywhere on the trackpad. You can right click anywhere on the trackpad (with 2 finger tapping/clicking) instead of trying to make sure that you hit the right button. That and when you are in OS X, there is no concern with accidental inputs either. Once you start typing it deactivates the trackpad.

I haven't used a macbook, no.. However, I haven't really had an issue with accidental scrolling either. I can still pinch zoom, scroll in any direction, etc, without much of an issue. It seems to me like having the two/three finger gestures wouldn't be that great of a boon.

 

[TheStu]

I haven't used a macbook, no.. However, I haven't really had an issue with accidental scrolling either. I can still pinch zoom, scroll in any direction, etc, without much of an issue. It seems to me like having the two/three finger gestures wouldn't be that great of a boon.

Well, a lot of the 2-3-4 finger gestures are only applicable on OS X if only because Windows doesn't have counterparts to what they do. Though 3 finger left/right for back/forward is really nice and could work in Windows. It is 3 finger up/down for expose/app expose that you cannot replicate.

 

[Paperlantern]

Tap to click is terrible, i turn it off on every PC, I don't understand why Microsoft and PC makers feel they know whats best for every user and assume that everyone wants it on. It should come OFF by default. On PC's i CLICK the mouse buttons, and on my macbook, i CLICK the trackpad.

 

[nageov3t]

Tap to click is terrible, i turn it off on every PC, I don't understand why Microsoft and PC makers feel they know whats best for every user and assume that everyone wants it on. It should come OFF by default. On PC's i CLICK the mouse buttons, and on my macbook, i CLICK the trackpad.

I'd imagine more people want it on than off. I was really surprised that it wasn't defaulted on the MBA.

the only time when I've clicked my trackpad was when I was enabling tapping.

 

[GTSRguy]

Lol! Party like its 1994!

 

[Ns1]

Tap to click is terrible, i turn it off on every PC, I don't understand why Microsoft and PC makers feel they know whats best for every user and assume that everyone wants it on. It should come OFF by default. On PC's i CLICK the mouse buttons, and on my macbook, i CLICK the trackpad.

that's why you bought a mac instead of a PC, so you don't have to do stupid shit like physically depress a button.


tap to click anywhere on trackpad > depress to click a 1x1" square

 

[Red Storm]

Tap to click is terrible, i turn it off on every PC, I don't understand why Microsoft and PC makers feel they know whats best for every user and assume that everyone wants it on. It should come OFF by default. On PC's i CLICK the mouse buttons, and on my macbook, i CLICK the trackpad.

Tap to click works pretty damn well with a Mac. I agree I also do hate it with Windows, though honestly I just don't like using Windows on any laptop regardless of hardware.

 

[Paperlantern]

that's why you bought a mac instead of a PC, so you don't have to do stupid shit like physically depress a button.


tap to click anywhere on trackpad > depress to click a 1x1" square

Physically depressing a button gives you more control over what is happening I think. Tap to click makes dragging a bit sloppier, while I can do it, because a s a tech I got in the habit of NOT messing with user's settings while working on their machines and the double tap hold technique isn't difficult, but it is less efficient than using the physical click available on any laptop. It's more what I prefer.