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Yes, that really sounds productive …
Try touch typing on that imaginary Mac.

Yeah i'd have to off myself if there was a software keyboard. The soft keyboard in the iPhone is too slow for my taste. Unlike a mobile phone, I really do need tactile feedback on my laptop.
 
MacPad

I assume by "MacBook" they mean "upcoming new 'MacPad' tablet," and by "glass trackpad" they mean "glass multi-touch over entire surface." :D
 
There's a reason this is page two.

I can however see a programmable wheel on the new iPods.

And a glass touchpad? MBP's already have similar features. There's no need to have a visual for it. And that's all it would be.
Sorry but this goes against Steve's philosophy for portables. Not gonna happen.
 
well, if this happens, then forget the macbook touch, right?

I would say so. There is currently no feasible market for a macbook touch anyway. Really only fanboys would buy the thing because it would be awesome and when we would buy it only to add to our collection of Apple products because more than likely we all have a notebook, an iMac, an iPod and an iPhone; all of which have roughly the same functionality yet we buy them because we love apple and that is the market for this alleged macbook touch. Now if apple were to incorporate this glass trackpad it would get the rest of the public a hands on what glass might feel like which would be the surface on the macbook touch, it would also further introduce the public to multitouch in general if they don't know already further creating interest in a macbook touch, and finally it would offer something new and creative that has not been seen in the computer market. Not to mention apple is just now tapping into the power of multitouch and they, like the public, are not ready to toss everything into a new product and see how it goes. there needs to be some buffer years before a macbook touch will be a super hot item on the market.
 
You just lost your bet, then. I didn't do that with the Iphone, the touch, glossy macs or anything of the kind. I don't fall for stupid things that are merely designed to catch people standing in a shop, not knowing what they want.
/eom.

Looks like I have been Tossed....

Not that the behaviour is getting old or anything....
 
Glass trackpad… hmmm.

Why would Apple make a glass trackpad?

Seriously. What advantage would it give over a regular one for trackpad movement and gestures?

Maybe this trackpad does more than just movement and gestures. The only reason I can think of right now is that there is some kind of display on the trackpad and the glass is a cover for the trackpad. Much like the iMac's screen, but on a smaller scale. The display could run iPhone apps.

The trackpad may not even be the same size as current trackpads. Remember that rumor about a trackpad as wide as the laptop? Everyone thought it would appear on the rumored ultraportable laptop, but it may actually be coming to this device.

If there is a display on the trackpad, there may not be an actual multi-touch display. This would support the theory that Mac OS X is not ready for multi-touch displays. The MacBook touch (if it is called that) would be named not from a multi-touch display, but from a multi-touch display trackpad.

9 to 5 mac was the first to report on the rumored ultraportable laptop's trackpad, so I think they're pretty reliable on this one. There's more info coming (the glass trackpad is just one of the features).


Someone posted this in September 2007.
 
Can we get over this?!

Have any of you used an iPhone?! My fingers are all over it and I rarely have to do much more than wipe a sleeve over it. The coating they use on the glass is fantastic. I hove no case, carry it in my pocket, and it looks like the day I bought it a year ago, with the exception of a few dings on the back.

Plus, of course it would be a display below it ... not just a glass trackpad.

_Glass_ trackpad? Sheesh, I hope not!

It would be yet another thing to acttract fingerprints and I wouldn't see any purpose in making them glass (or even glossy, for that matter).

LOL, if I was buying another mbp after the one I'm writing this on, a glass track pad would be a deal breaker on its own.
 
Who actually looks down at their track pad when using it to move the mouse? I certainly don't! I can't see this one being true!

What would be the point of you having to look away from your main screen to see what is going on down in the wee touchscreen? Silly ideas!

A tablet would probably be a better idea than this!
 
Who actually looks down at their track pad when using it to move the mouse? I certainly don't! I can't see this one being true!

What would be the point of you having to look away from your main screen to see what is going on down in the wee touchscreen? Silly ideas!
A glass trackpad doesn't automatically mean there'll be a display on the trackpad.

We don't look down at our trackpads because there's nothing to look down on. If there's a display on the trackpad, then we'll have reason to do so.
 
A glass trackpad doesn't automatically mean there'll be a display on the trackpad.

We don't look down at our trackpads because there's nothing to look down on. If there's a display on the trackpad, then we'll have reason to do so.

Think that through. Exactly what purpose does it serve?
There's already a much larger coverflow view on you LCD.
 
I have to say - having a second screen does seem a bit silly to me (for now), but I don't see the point in getting as upset as people often do about these vague rumors (eg - everyone getting angry that the logo on the case that was posted a while back wouldn't glow).

I feel certain that whatever Apple has up their sleeves will not only work wonderfully and be a large step forward in the evolution of interface design, but also be something more advanced and practical than what most people are speculating.
 
Here is a wild thought, especially since looking at the detachable screen. What if it had it's own processor in it? You could sync all of your important docs or things you are working on in the trackpad, and if you have to be super mobile, you can pop this thing out and continue working...without the need of carrying around a 15 or 17 inch laptop. I say 15 or 17 because I think it would be too small in anything lower than a 15. Plus you could distinguish the mabook line from the MBP.
 
Here is how i would imagine the glass trackpad, with display. I don't have photoshop at work, so just use your imagination...

On left side column, 4 icons, meaning 4 modes :

- Trackpad : as we know it, with advanced multi gesture
- Dock : so that we have everything at our fingers
- Menu : so we can navigate our application with the touch of our finger
- Exposé : so we can switch spaces and applications in just one slide and one touch

We can even imagine a Finder mode to browse our files, using cover flow or classic version...

Don't you think that would be the future of the mouse...
You will gain time for sure...

Now imagine such a device to replace the mouse we all know ! Oh, sorry, how stupid am i... It already exists... It's called the iPhone !!!!

Of course, palm recognition so that you can safely rest while typing on your keyboard !

John
 
Another thought

Just like iPhone's screen changes based on the program you use, this 2nd screen could change and be either a normal keyboard or use app specific screen commands. It would certainly be in line with the kind of innovation seen in the iPhone. Maybe it would use OLEDs to backlight the glass?
 
I posted this a good few months ago on macrumours when there was talk of a shiny new trackpad

MacBookProTouch.jpg

nice, just change the on/off button and make the keys black
 
Just like iPhone's screen changes based on the program you use, this 2nd screen could change and be either a normal keyboard or use app specific screen commands. It would certainly be in line with the kind of innovation seen in the iPhone. Maybe it would use OLEDs to backlight the glass?

would be great for production apps like photoshop and final cut. Load up photoshop and all the tools pop up on the touch screen. Pretty cool
 
Three versions of the same laptop from September 2007 (note one of the trackpads shows no images).

It's interesting how we're going back to all those mockups back in September when the rumors of a wide trackpad first appeared.
 
i swear!

I swear I posted that idea in january! a iphone screen as a macbook touchpad!

i didnt have a lot of money so i didnt patent it... so i sent apple the idea....
 
My immediate thought with this is that it's not going to happen... more likely some kind of greyscale display that doesn't emit light but merely reflects it (like a calculator display). A big bright trackpad, while there are small perks, would be annoying and redundant.

But thinking about it...

There's something people seem to forget about the iPhone and iMac screen and the fingerprint problem. You're right.. it does look messy.. but only when switched off.

Touch is coming and everyone knows it. But what would you prefer? Fingerprints all over your screen (which is annoying to clean) or all over your little trackpad (which requires one swipe with a decent cloth). If you're going to have a glass trackpad, you need a screen behind it... the two alone, useless... but together... perhaps a very viable touch option.

Beyond that... if you can get a matte overlay for a screen, who says you can't do the same for a trackpad?
 
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