Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Funny thing abt PC Laptops

I don't have a laptop here in front of me, but the trackpad should be centered directly between the "g" and "h" keys of the keyboard. So, if the trackpad is to the left, you can blame oversized enter/return/shift/arrow keys and the fact that there are just more keys (one column) on the "right" side of the keyboard.

Hickman
 
i like asymmetry

i'm a mac fanboy, zealot, or any other term you wanna call it ... but i think that you guys are just being anal retentive and actually looking for something to pick at.
 
Originally posted by revenuee
i'm a mac fanboy, zealot, or any other term you wanna call it ... but i think that you guys are just being anal retentive and actually looking for something to pick at.
Click to expand...

I second that. There are plenty of reasons to prefer Macs over PCs, but "Apple centers its trackpads" seems pretty...inconsequential. It's perfectly valid to ask why PC trackpads are off-center -- I certainly wondered the same thing the first time I noticed it -- but I don't understand why centered versus not is an integral part to what makes one better or worse than the other.

I also think that sonofslim is pretty close to right. For right-handers, they just have to rotate their wrists down to use the trackpads rather than shifting their whole arms or twisting their wrists to an uncomfortable angle to do so. It made sense at one time (for 90% of the population, anyway), but my guess is that most manufacturers are just copying the design without thinking about why it's like that. I don't know if Apple's way is better, but the symmetry helps maintain the clean, simple, straightforward design of their portables. (And keeps my left-handed girlfriend from cursing their good name.) If they did start to shift the pads to the left (or the right, for that matter), we'd probably all fall over ourselves to compliment them for their attention to detail and user-friendliness.
 
Yeah, Apple's trackpads aren't in the center of the home keys, but I find that it is exactly where I want it and it's dead center of the laptop itself. I personally rather have that since I am really anal about things being symmetrical in the first place.
 
well here is a twist on things ...

the majority of the population may be right handed ... but macs being favored more by artists ... and it is suggested by physiologists that left handed people are more creative ... should that macs be more geared toward the good ole south paws?
 
I personally don't mind Apple being geared towards both ends since I am left handed and it's both rare and nice to have something that isn't right handed biased.
 
Also have you noticed that when a PC user uses a mac track pad they automatically think the track-pad click works. I hate it and all my mac friends never use this function.

I think its funny. They sit there and tap the pad to make it click and it does not. I laugh to myself and then say i have it disabled. They make a mac hating remark and move on with whatever they were working on.
 
Originally posted by mateft
Also have you noticed that when a PC user uses a mac track pad they automatically think the track-pad click works. I hate it and all my mac friends never use this function.

I think its funny. They sit there and tap the pad to make it click and it does not. I laugh to myself and then say i have it disabled. They make a mac hating remark and move on with whatever they were working on.
Click to expand...

wait ... so you just turned it off? when i get my laptop i will have that tap option?
 
i believe it is off by default. If you want to turn it on its under the mouse and keyboard pref pane.
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
Yeah, Apple's trackpads aren't in the center of the home keys, but I find that it is exactly where I want it and it's dead center of the laptop itself. I personally rather have that since I am really anal about things being symmetrical in the first place.
Click to expand...

This is definitely an isntance of Apple's form over function mentality. We have performed quite a few usability tests on trackpads and there are far fewer accidental track actions when the trackpad is centered with the home keys. I guess since Apple has the track click disabled by default, most users won't experience it. But, it is very annoying to me because I use the track click. When I am typing there have been many occasions that I have rested my right hand on the trackpad and accidentally moved my cursor. It is one of the few things that I find really bothersome about my PowerBook

Hickman
 
Originally posted by mateft
i believe it is off by default. If you want to turn it on its under the mouse and keyboard pref pane.
Click to expand...

yep, it's off by default. i know because i get pretty frustrated when i visit an apple store - all the trackpads don't respond to the tapping.

even if you turn tap-for-click on for all the accounts on your mac, it will still be off for the login screen. rather annoying, i must say, always takes me a while to realize that i need to actually click. and afaik, there's no way to change those settings for the login screen... is there? :confused:
 
Originally posted by Brian Hickman
When I am typing there have been many occasions that I have rested my right hand on the trackpad and accidentally moved my cursor.
Click to expand...

I've always just used Mac OS X's ignore trackpad while typing to keep that away. But then, I also tend to have more issues with accidentally having two fingers on the trackpad than hitting it while typing (and I do have big clumsy hands :p ).
 
I'm left handed, so perhaps these issues with "resting their hand on the trackpad" if were centered wouldn't apply to me, which is why it has never been an issue. I do find using the trackpad on many PC laptops annoying, since I do accidentally hit the right button instead of the left one and now it makes sense since the trackpad is too close to my hand that where the left button should be, the right one is instead. This is just another example of the world being right handed biased, which really pisses me off at times.
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
I'm left handed, so perhaps these issues with "resting their hand on the trackpad" if were centered wouldn't apply to me, which is why it has never been an issue. I do find using the trackpad on many PC laptops annoying, since I do accidentally hit the right button instead of the left one and now it makes sense since the trackpad is too close to my hand that where the left button should be, the right one is instead. This is just another example of the world being right handed biased, which really pisses me off at times.
Click to expand...

Do you have your mouse set up for leftie like me? It's hilarious when all my friends try to u se my powermac and every click they do, no matter how many times I warn them they try with the wrong mouse button and get really annoyed. On another note, why is it that all the nicest mice are designed for righties?
 
"I second that. There are plenty of reasons to prefer Macs over PCs, but "Apple centers its trackpads" seems pretty...inconsequential. It's perfectly valid to ask why PC trackpads are off-center -- I certainly wondered the same thing the first time I noticed it -- but I don't understand why centered versus not is an integral part to what makes one better or worse than the other."

coming back to the start of the thread.

I stated that i didn't understand why one way was better than the other, off-centered vs centered. I was just curious that after so many years of all manufactures having centered track pads, now some, just on specific models, have off-centered the track pads.

I was wondering if they did eregomic(sp?) or marketing studies that suggested that left of center trackpads offer an advantage. I am curious if anyone has their corporate research studies available?

this thread was started as a curiousity, not a complaint.

so if any one has any insider info, please share with the rest of us :)
 
Originally posted by spacepower
I was wondering if they did eregomic(sp?) or marketing studies that suggested that left of center trackpads offer an advantage. I am curious if anyone has their corporate research studies available?
Click to expand...

It is ergonomically correct to have the trackpad centered with the home row (trackpad's vertical axis should run directly between the "g" and "h" keys). We have documented research proving this statement. Unfortunately, I work for a defense contractor so there are releasability issues. But, I would also be interested in published findings on this topic to see how congruent our research efforts have been.

Hickman
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back