Unleash hidden hardware features through software upgrade

I'll go out on a limb and say that Apple isn't going to be investing in an expensive touch screen only to activate it 12 months down the road with a major OS upgrade. Better they would release a NEW MacBook Pro with that feature and sell more MacBooks at that point in time.

So, no, I don't think that that unibody MacBook has a touchscreen.

 

That would be an interesting update, however unlikely. Apple is not one to NOT crow about their "features", so the likelihood of that already being in a Mac is less than zero.
Not when they could release that and make everyone re-purchase a new Mac that has a touch screen.
And we could get a billion threads about how much Apple has ripped off the people that don't have it.

 

it is more likely for a cinema display to hide a processor than a touch panel
or a Macbook to become quad core once upgraded to 10.6
let's be serious, come on...

 

This is an idea that maybe looked good on paper.....

 

Just think about how uncomfortable it would be to use a TOUCH screen on the Macbook... Lol...
I'm REALLY trying to be nice.. but why the heck wouldn't they advertise a TOUCH screen on a laptop? I mean, it would be a pretty big deal for Apple!!!
AND don't you think the price would be higher?
AND the glass would look HORRIBLE from the fingerprints!
AND why the heck would you put a touchscreen on a laptop that isn't a tablet? Who would reach across the keyboard to touch the screen instead of using that HUGE trackpad??!!?

AND to answer your question ... YES, somebody has taken the MacBook apart and they didn't find any HIDDEN treasures

 

If I say yes, there is a touchscreen. Are you going to jump up and down?
Yes, there is a touchscreen built in. You can download an app to enable it. It's called srslywtf.dmg. It's on the apple site.

 

Wow and I thought all the kewl multi-touch stuff I was using in 10.6 on my iMac was real!! Now I know it's the drugs. Thanks!!

But seriously the newer Macs don't have the hardware for multi-touch.

 

The glossy screen looks disgusting from the fingerprints from just opening it, making it touch screen? haha funny guy.

 

Really?

I for one would never have guessed.

And to answer your question: No.

10.6 might give early-2008 MBP users the Multi-touch facilities which can be added via a hack - but it's not going to 'add' hardware.

 

The only software upgrade that can possibly lead to a hardware changes, in my opinion, is the ability to support 8 GB of RAM in the future (6 GB now).

 

Correct

If you know enough about programming you can already hack the bios to fix this.

 

I doubt it. People would be hacking it by now if there were hidden hardware features.

 

Companies just don't do this. The sale is made from the features available at the time of sale and they want you to upgrade to a new one as soon as possible (hence planed obsolescence). It defies logic to have hidden features for later. Those new discoveries are up to you... they're called software.

 

The old MBP has multitouch touchpad but it didnt have the 4 finger gestures. By a manipulation of some code in the OSX software, they were able to make the trackpad of the old MBP enable 4 finger gestures. Not a great step as far as display being a touchscreen, but it does show the multitouch trackpad setup was altered by software (course not official apple)

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=6765974#post6765974


But I HIGHLY doubt the screen will be touchscreen

 

Why do you keep using the word unleash?

 

And, as Apple has repeatedly stated in the past, the Sarbanes-Oxley laws in the U.S. would require them to charge money for that software upgrade. So you still wouldn't suddenly get it for free.

 

Point and case. My software comment is directed towards other (both Apple and third party) software utilities that make your computer usage more productive... they can be free... sometimes... but most of the good ones cost a nominal fee.

 

Apple's 802.11n Enabler was a notable exception.

 

I forgot about one... but even that was a paid "upgrade"

 

Which is why they charged $1.99 for the 802.11n firmware for the Late 2006 MB and MBPs.

So, they have done it before, but it wasn't anything revolutionary.

 

Mass OS X update for all Mac users... adds 1 ghz to existing CPU's for $1.99.

 

Where did all the posts go?