MBA Trackpad gestures: Making their way to MB/P?

[wallaby]

Apologies if this has already been posted.

I know all the current excitement is on the Macbook Air, but watching the demonstration with the new trackpad features (such as wipe, rotate, and all that) makes me wonder: couldn't these features be implemented onto current Macbooks and Macbook Pros with a software update? Unless there's some large difference in trackpad technology between the three machines, I don't see why not: my MBP can recognize three fingers on a trackpad. I know this because two-finger scrolling cuts off when a third finger is placed on the pad, so obviously it can tell that many digits. I know I wouldn't mind some extra functionality on my MBP.

Do you guys think Apple will keep this a MBA feature just as a selling point? Or do you think we'll get multi-touch in the future?

 

[coolant113]

they most likely will i really hope they do..

 

[rendezvouscp]

I don't expect them to do this, but if they did it would be a paid upgrade. I believe the MacBook Air has the same multi-touch technology as the iPhone and iPod touch; while they might be able to do it with the current technology in other MacBooks, I would expect the next hardware release for the other MacBooks to have multi-touch (over Apple re-developing the touch software for the older trackpads).
-Chasen

 

[Consultant]

I will be surprised if mutli touch is not on the next version of MBP.

Actually I am surprised that the MBP didn't get an update this week.

 

[Brianstorm91]

It'd better be, and it'd better be sharpish too.
I'm fed up of waiting.

 

[byeehaaw]

i doubt they;ll put it on until maybe the next revision. they goign to try to milk it and make it exclusive on the air i think for now.

 

[Dobiewonkanobie]

There is really no reason they shouldn't. All the hyped features could easily be adapted to the MBP. I'll tell you, I wouldn't mind trimmed down MBP w/o a optical drive. A portable external drive would be just fine, I could take it only when I needed it. Jobs is right, you really don't need one anymore. I only use mine to load software, which isn't that often, or to burn assignments to disc to hand in. And most any of that could be done online.

 

[wallaby]

I don't think you guys are reading closely enough. The current MB/P trackpads are capable of reading more than two fingers, if you don't believe me try two-fingered scrolling and then put a third finger on the pad (it stops). So wipe is definitely possible, as would be twisting/zooming. It's not a question of hardware, but of software. It wouldn't take another revision to get these things working. The question is whether they will release a software update to allow MB/P's to use these multi-finger gestures. My guess is no, or at least not for a long while.

There is really no reason they shouldn't. All the hyped features could easily be adapted to the MBP. I'll tell you, I wouldn't mind trimmed down MBP w/o a optical drive. A portable external drive would be just fine, I could take it only when I needed it. Jobs is right, you really don't need one anymore. I only use mine to load software, which isn't that often, or to burn assignments to disc to hand in. And most any of that could be done online.

Except that the MBP is meant for professional consumers, and pros would never do without an optical drive, at least not for a long time. I use my drive all the time as a design student.