I lost so much work from that stupid trackpoint trackpad that would pick up false gestures and navigate backwards for no apparent reason and that cursor drift was always at an inopportune time. Good riddance to it! Apple has managed to solve the trackpad problem and actually made the trackpad more useful than the mouse! Pinch to zoom, two finger rotate, all so effortless. So effortless that I don't even click, I just double tap and hold, it's so easy, can't believe a trackpad can be this easy to use!
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Former Thinkpad Owners - Miss Trackpoint?
- Thread starter Dunbar
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I lost so much work from that stupid trackpoint trackpad that would pick up false gestures and navigate backwards for no apparent reason and that cursor drift was always at an inopportune time. Good riddance to it! Apple has managed to solve the trackpad problem and actually made the trackpad more useful than the mouse! Pinch to zoom, two finger rotate, all so effortless. So effortless that I don't even click, I just double tap and hold, it's so easy, can't believe a trackpad can be this easy to use!
When I had a Thinkpad the only thing I would use is the Trackpoint and I loved it. Afterwards when I went to an Acer Extensa I didn't mind the trackpad...I liked how on the right side you could slide down to scroll, but it was no where near as good as it is on my current MacBook Pro..the trackpoint is nice, but after using this I do not miss it at all
X201 Owner here!
Whilst I used to use the trackpoint a lot on my older IBM machines (T30 and T41) once I bought my first gen Air a couple or years ago I really fell in love with the touchpad, and when I ditched it to get the X201 (needed the power) I found myself not using the trackpoint much, as even the gesture support on the miniscule X201 trackpad is OK. Not a patch on Apple trackpads, but bearable for me.
When the new Airs come out, I will be jumping ship from the X201 back to Apple, but if the keyboard is anything to go by on my work colleagues 11" Air, I am sure as hell going to miss the keyboard on my Lenovo, but the trackpoint, not at all, not with all of the gestures Apple throw in. As others have noted if you're a fingers on keyboard 24/7 type person you'll probably notice it's gone for a bit, but for me the benefits hugely outweigh the cons.
As a side note I actually prefer the older trackpads with the seperate button as opposed to "clicking" the pad itself, but i'll live....
Whilst I used to use the trackpoint a lot on my older IBM machines (T30 and T41) once I bought my first gen Air a couple or years ago I really fell in love with the touchpad, and when I ditched it to get the X201 (needed the power) I found myself not using the trackpoint much, as even the gesture support on the miniscule X201 trackpad is OK. Not a patch on Apple trackpads, but bearable for me.
When the new Airs come out, I will be jumping ship from the X201 back to Apple, but if the keyboard is anything to go by on my work colleagues 11" Air, I am sure as hell going to miss the keyboard on my Lenovo, but the trackpoint, not at all, not with all of the gestures Apple throw in. As others have noted if you're a fingers on keyboard 24/7 type person you'll probably notice it's gone for a bit, but for me the benefits hugely outweigh the cons.
As a side note I actually prefer the older trackpads with the seperate button as opposed to "clicking" the pad itself, but i'll live....
The problem I keep running into is that stuff like Chrome and IE9 hate corporate networks or really anywhere you have one-word machine names. If I type "mygreatserver" into Safari, it takes me to "http://mygreatserver/". On IE9 and Chrome, it takes me to the search engine and searches for "mygreatserver" instead. It's not a deal breaker, but it is annoying in practice.
I will say this about Apple's trackpads though... I'm actually buying one for my desktop because I miss the trackpad gestures when using 10.7 on the desktop. It's actually slower to use the mouse for some things now (having to click to bring things up and mouse around rather than just gesturing).
... i started using this. i wouldn't call it effortless, for me, because you still have to smush down on the trackpoint, which can be awkward. (it's possible my trackpoint is unusually tough?)
however, one thing i like is that you can click the middle button, then set an automatic scroll with the trackpoint. you can't do this on a mac, afaik.
what did you end up doing? did you try out the mac trackpad?
Most trackpad implementations I've used really svcked.
When I went to a Macbook Pro 13 last year (2010 model) I had reservations about losing the trackpoint.
Apple pleasantly surprised me -- with gestures (like two-finger scroll) and general accuracy, I find using a Macbook trackpad really effortless.
In a nutshell, I don't miss the trackpoint at all.
As I type this post I have my Lenovo Thinkpad X61s right next to me (work laptop). I was a eraser head freak. Always avoided PC laptops without it.
I can tell you the Air will grow on you and you will wonder what you did without it. The gestures make scrolling a breeze. It sure is different, and may take you a few minutes/hours/days to get used to it, but it certainly has its advantages. I find I have much more control and work more effortlessly on my Air than my Thinkpad.
I can tell you the Air will grow on you and you will wonder what you did without it. The gestures make scrolling a breeze. It sure is different, and may take you a few minutes/hours/days to get used to it, but it certainly has its advantages. I find I have much more control and work more effortlessly on my Air than my Thinkpad.
I've just gone for my first Macbook and half always been using my work Thinkpad's prior to this. Over 10 years of track point use that I really enjoyed. I have never got on with any PC trackpad at all. Hate the ones on the thinkpad but loved the track point, specially with the middle button scroll.
I have to say the air trackpad is by far the best I have used..that said I still miss my trackpoint. I would rather still have it as an option.
Hopefully over time I will forget missing the track point
I have to say the air trackpad is by far the best I have used..that said I still miss my trackpoint. I would rather still have it as an option.
Hopefully over time I will forget missing the track point
As far as PC laptops go the only laptop mouse device that I like (or can even stand to use) is the Thinkpad Trackpoint. That said I absolutely love Apple's newer trackpads. Once you get used to the two finger scrolling and gestures it makes even the Trackpoint feel clunky.
The only exception really is when doing work that requires lots of very precise clicking and dragging, like Photoshop or UI designers. Having a mouse to plug in for heavy work like that might be a good idea if that's what you'll be doing.
The only exception really is when doing work that requires lots of very precise clicking and dragging, like Photoshop or UI designers. Having a mouse to plug in for heavy work like that might be a good idea if that's what you'll be doing.
Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint USB Keyboard 55Y9003 works GREAT with MacBooks. Really!
Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint USB Keyboard 55Y9003 works GREAT with MacBooks. Really!
The MacBook's built-in Trackpad is wonderful. Howerver, the red Trackpoint eraser head stick that IBM innovated into the Thinkpad Laptop Notebook computers in the 1990's is in some cases quicker and more accurate to use.
To my surprise, the USB External Thinkpad Trackpoint Keyboard (55y9003) works very well with MacBooks. I connected it one day and it started working. I've used it with MacBook Pros, Retinas and Airs for the last three years.
And, it fits over/on top of the MacBook keyboard as though it was made for a MacBook. Crazy good fit.
This particular model (55Y9003) of the Lenovo USB Trackpoint Keyboard is VERY thin, very light, sits nicely on top of the MacBook keyboard (all models) or in front, and it fits easily into almost any Laptop case/backpack because it's so light, thin and small…and btw: relatively Cheap (apprx. $50 U.S.).
I love my MacBook Pro built-in Trackpad. And I have found that my Trackpoint (The red eraser head stick thing) to be simply faster in some cases because you don't have to take your hand(s) off the keyboard to mouse around. It's even more accurate than a Trackpad for certain use cases, because you can click independantly of moving the mouse, which is a big benefit for graphics, drawing and other mouse-intensive activities.
Both the Apple Trackpad and the Thinkpad Trackpoint have their sweet spot use cases.
Here's when I use each...my main use cases:
- If I use my MacBook for <1hr I tend to just use the built-in Trackpad
- If I use my Macbook for an extended period, I pull out the Trackpoint Keyboard. It's just faster to use and easier on my hands.
If you keep an open mind and actually use the Trackpoint built into the external USB keyboard for 2-3 days, you may find that it is much faster than taking your hand(s) off the keyboard to use a Mouse or Trackpad. It's just that simple, and truly compelling..
Here are some pictures of the Trackpoint Keyboard sitting on top of my Retina MacBook Keyboard. It looks ridiculous on first glance...but it is also extremely useful. It fits perfectly over the MacBook keyboard and works great:
http://soapower.com/Pics/ThinkPadTrackpointKeyboardOnMacBook-1.JPG
http://soapower.com/Pics/ThinkPadTrackpointKeyboardOnMacBook-2.JPG
I hope this helps.
Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint USB Keyboard 55Y9003 works GREAT with MacBooks. Really!
The MacBook's built-in Trackpad is wonderful. Howerver, the red Trackpoint eraser head stick that IBM innovated into the Thinkpad Laptop Notebook computers in the 1990's is in some cases quicker and more accurate to use.
To my surprise, the USB External Thinkpad Trackpoint Keyboard (55y9003) works very well with MacBooks. I connected it one day and it started working. I've used it with MacBook Pros, Retinas and Airs for the last three years.
And, it fits over/on top of the MacBook keyboard as though it was made for a MacBook. Crazy good fit.
This particular model (55Y9003) of the Lenovo USB Trackpoint Keyboard is VERY thin, very light, sits nicely on top of the MacBook keyboard (all models) or in front, and it fits easily into almost any Laptop case/backpack because it's so light, thin and small…and btw: relatively Cheap (apprx. $50 U.S.).
I love my MacBook Pro built-in Trackpad. And I have found that my Trackpoint (The red eraser head stick thing) to be simply faster in some cases because you don't have to take your hand(s) off the keyboard to mouse around. It's even more accurate than a Trackpad for certain use cases, because you can click independantly of moving the mouse, which is a big benefit for graphics, drawing and other mouse-intensive activities.
Both the Apple Trackpad and the Thinkpad Trackpoint have their sweet spot use cases.
Here's when I use each...my main use cases:
- If I use my MacBook for <1hr I tend to just use the built-in Trackpad
- If I use my Macbook for an extended period, I pull out the Trackpoint Keyboard. It's just faster to use and easier on my hands.
If you keep an open mind and actually use the Trackpoint built into the external USB keyboard for 2-3 days, you may find that it is much faster than taking your hand(s) off the keyboard to use a Mouse or Trackpad. It's just that simple, and truly compelling..
Here are some pictures of the Trackpoint Keyboard sitting on top of my Retina MacBook Keyboard. It looks ridiculous on first glance...but it is also extremely useful. It fits perfectly over the MacBook keyboard and works great:
http://soapower.com/Pics/ThinkPadTrackpointKeyboardOnMacBook-1.JPG
http://soapower.com/Pics/ThinkPadTrackpointKeyboardOnMacBook-2.JPG
I hope this helps.
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The entire time I had my thinkpad (several years) I tried to use that damn trackpoint. I could never understand how anyone would prefer it over the trackpad (and the thinkpad trackpad on the R60 I had was pretty lame).
Probably it is just what you are used to. But the macbook pro trackpad with gestures is 1 million times better IMHO.
I DO miss the thinkpad keyboard however. Mine was a bit loud but it felt wonderful!
Probably it is just what you are used to. But the macbook pro trackpad with gestures is 1 million times better IMHO.
I DO miss the thinkpad keyboard however. Mine was a bit loud but it felt wonderful!
To those who mentioned they found the transition to a non-trackpoint macbook easy, I have one question; Were you a 100% trackpoint user when you had a thinkpad, or were you a trackpad/mouse user?
In my experience I've found the ease of transition depends heavily on which of the two camps you come from.
Myself I've been using macs for a short while now (about 3 years) and I still miss the trackpoint every single day.
The first month after I went to a MBA from a T60 my productivity on the machine dropped to about 60%. That's a steep productivity loss. Today after having heavily customized the current MBP with various third party keyboard remapping and macro tools, I estimate I'm at about 90% productivity compared to when using a Thinkpad. It's close, but some tasks are still a *lot* slower.
For example, when I'm coding (mostly VIM and iterm, without need of using the trackpad) productivity is almost on par with the thinkpad. But when I need to jump to documentation in web browsers, or to diagram creation mode, I have to move my hands from the keyboard to the trackpad and fumble around with that horridly imprecise tool. That's when I really miss the trackpoint, as the latter tool allowed me to perform GUI-related tasks as fast as (or faster than) with a mouse, and at the same precision. Additionally, there was no break to the flow when using a trackpoint so there were no transitions at all. With trackpads transition stops are unavoidable.
For this kind of workflow and computer use, the ergonomics are also coming into play. Had been using thinkpads for 15 years and never had even an indication of stress on wrists or hands. With the macbook however, I have to take frequent pauses and will sustain serious injury I think if I don't find a better device input scheme.
Thankfully this thread pointed me to a possible salvation, buying an external thinkpad keyboard. Just managed to nab the last in stock from an e-bay company in Malaysia, so I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the package.
PS. I know this thread is old, but there will soon be a hundred thousand IBMers or so that will have this exact same question, judging by the new Apple - IBM partnership.
In my experience I've found the ease of transition depends heavily on which of the two camps you come from.
Myself I've been using macs for a short while now (about 3 years) and I still miss the trackpoint every single day.
The first month after I went to a MBA from a T60 my productivity on the machine dropped to about 60%. That's a steep productivity loss. Today after having heavily customized the current MBP with various third party keyboard remapping and macro tools, I estimate I'm at about 90% productivity compared to when using a Thinkpad. It's close, but some tasks are still a *lot* slower.
For example, when I'm coding (mostly VIM and iterm, without need of using the trackpad) productivity is almost on par with the thinkpad. But when I need to jump to documentation in web browsers, or to diagram creation mode, I have to move my hands from the keyboard to the trackpad and fumble around with that horridly imprecise tool. That's when I really miss the trackpoint, as the latter tool allowed me to perform GUI-related tasks as fast as (or faster than) with a mouse, and at the same precision. Additionally, there was no break to the flow when using a trackpoint so there were no transitions at all. With trackpads transition stops are unavoidable.
For this kind of workflow and computer use, the ergonomics are also coming into play. Had been using thinkpads for 15 years and never had even an indication of stress on wrists or hands. With the macbook however, I have to take frequent pauses and will sustain serious injury I think if I don't find a better device input scheme.
Thankfully this thread pointed me to a possible salvation, buying an external thinkpad keyboard. Just managed to nab the last in stock from an e-bay company in Malaysia, so I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the package.
PS. I know this thread is old, but there will soon be a hundred thousand IBMers or so that will have this exact same question, judging by the new Apple - IBM partnership.
had a thinkpad once, but the trackpad on MBA is wayy more superior. Never looked back.
Yes,I was a heavy trackpoint user for years. (Worked for IBM for 30 years) I found the transition to the MBA touchpad a bit of a challenge. I now love it but still desperately miss the trackpoint.
I have found that using apps in fullscreen mode and making liberal use of touchpad gestures has helped to make using my 11" MBA easier. I need to spend more time with the different customization options.
I have found that using apps in fullscreen mode and making liberal use of touchpad gestures has helped to make using my 11" MBA easier. I need to spend more time with the different customization options.
what I'm really going to miss is the thinkpad keyboard. I love everything else about macbooks but the mac keyboard compared to a thinkpads doesn't compare
Realizing I'm zombie threading, check out this guy. That's hilarious. I bagged a ThinkPad USB compact keyboard a month ago to use when I'm in the office with my Mac, and wondered if anyone had modded a MacBook to use a TrackPoint. Not sure if this counts, but it's not a horrible idea...
I've got a USB cable right out of the back of my keyboard, which would make it cover some of the trackpad, but the Bluetooth version seems like a perfect overlay.
(Fwiw, I use the TrackPoint when I need to move the mouse once -- & just a little -- and don't want to move my hands all the way off of the keyboard... Also like the feel of the keys. Almost enough that I'd break one out at the coffee shop to lay over the MacBook if I had the Bluetooth one!)