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MacBook trackpad doesn't feel the same anymore

M

mac000

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 6, 2005
679
0
After cleaning my MacBook with some type of household spray "fantastik" what-have-you. the trackpad is no longer grainy! I liked the feel when i first bought it. maybe i just wore it out?

Has yours lost it's grany feel? or did i simply just do something to take it out because now it's just smooth.
thanks people
 
mac000 said:
After cleaning my MacBook with some type of household spray "fantastik" what-have-you. the trackpad is no longer grainy! I liked the feel when i first bought it. maybe i just wore it out?

Has yours lost it's grany feel? or did i simply just do something to take it out because now it's just smooth.
thanks people
Click to expand...

Who knows what that cleaner did to your trackpad. I really wish people would start thinking before they spray *insert random cleaner/solvent here* on their $1000+ computers. Like all things chemical, there CAN be reactions. It sounds like you found one.

That being said, the trackpad on my mac laptops has always felt smooth to me, but I play piano/guitar and the sensation in the tips of my fingers is probably dulled.

Lesson to be learned: clean your laptop only with products KNOWN to be safe.
 
ormandj said:
Who knows what that cleaner did to your trackpad. I really wish people would start thinking before they spray *insert random cleaner/solvent here* on their $1000+ computers. Like all things chemical, there CAN be reactions. It sounds like you found one.

That being said, the trackpad on my mac laptops has always felt smooth to me, but I play piano/guitar and the sensation in the tips of my fingers is probably dulled.

Lesson to be learned: clean your laptop only with products KNOWN to be safe.
Click to expand...

is there anyway to somehow restore this? maybe a local apple repair show can hit me up with a new trackpad? bc mine wore out?
 
I doubt that the fantastic is what caused it to feel smooth. Over time using the track-pad the plastic texture wears a way. The same thing will happen to your keys and to your wrist rests. This is one of the reasons I hate notebooks. I like to replace my keyboards at least once a year to get that textured feeling back.
 
You'll probably notice if you look at the trackpad in the light at an angle that there's a roughly oblong-shaped area of smoothness about 2/3rds the area of the trackpad. It just develops over normal use, and that's probably the smooth part you mention. You might try rubbing it down with a moistened microfiber cloth, though.

And to HungrySeacow, you should pick up one of those IBM Model M beasts from the 80's. The texture doesn't wear down on the keycaps....if anything grime collects in the texturing and smoothes it out. The feel is great too....I hate typing on anything lacking springs under each key :D
 
mdickson said:
Did you not read your manual? It says to only clean with water.
Click to expand...

I used Pride on my PowerBook and I noticed the area ended up extremely hot, the powerbook was not in use, I just put a little pride, cleaned the wrist rests with it and they were considerably warm, it was amusing, probably won't use Pride on the PBook again for some time.

As for a sidenote, the E key on my keyboard is smooth as hell, I like that better than the bracket, etc keys that are grainy and textured lol.
 
HungrySeacow said:
I doubt that the fantastic is what caused it to feel smooth. Over time using the track-pad the plastic texture wears a way. The same thing will happen to your keys and to your wrist rests. This is one of the reasons I hate notebooks. I like to replace my keyboards at least once a year to get that textured feeling back.
Click to expand...

Depending on how the age I think the track pad is glass not plastic.
 
Household glass cleaners (no idea what you used) often apply a thin layer of polymers to the surface in order to make it more smooth and 'shiny'. Maybe its what is going on here
 
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