Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
new macbook trackpad too big?
- Thread starter suuuii
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I suspect they will have thought of that and enable you to rest the base of your hand on the trackpad whilst typing without activating any activity from the trackpad. No evidence of this yet of course, but I bet they have.
pic for reference
![18808-18297-161026-Hands-3-l.jpg]()
REASONS I will NOT be Purchasing one after just selling my 2014 Macbook Pro for $1,300 myself
#1. The Absurdly giant Track Pad
#2. The tiny slim Touch Bar at least make it the width of the keys
#3. No SD card Slot
#4. Forced Finger Print sensor on Power Button (invasion of privacy) imagine if every device had a finger print scanner on the power button.?
#5. The Prices
#6. Waiting for Kaby Lake Apple won't let 600+ days pass before another refresh and Kaby Lake brings too many improvements.
#7. Insane Bezels Apple needs to refresh the "look" and the giant Bezels don't help
#8. Decent competition with OLED Displays for 13"inch laptops and TouchScreens
ask yourself what is the Future?
a Touch Bar which is a gimmic and won't be used. And a waster of CPU resources and a 13" display with no touch ability and fat bezeles.
OR
a 13" 1440p OLED or 4K display thats also a Touchscreen and offers veratility and does not draw extra CPU resources to keep track of. And provides a better color gamut and more colors which are richer ?
Would be fine if they had Pencil support. As it is the whole machine is a fail for me; the lack of Pencil support ton an oversized trackpad just more icing on that sh*t cake.
Just like touchID on the iPhone, it can be disabled.
Beyond that, Apple has put some thought into the security of the touchID sensor and how your fingerprint data is stored. It wouldn't be IMPOSSIBLE for someone to access that data, but it's not easy either. Additionally, from what I understand, it doesn't actually store a fingerprint anyway. So I doubt any data would be useful even if it could be accessed.
Received my MacBook Pro today and the trackpad is indeed too large. Sometimes I happen to lay left thumb on top of the trackpad and when I try to use the trackpad using my middle finger on my right hand, the tracking is disturbed often. This kind of accidental "touches" is inevitable because the trackpad is so large...
I thought the keyboard might be a problem and I actually kind of like it. I think this is better than the old chicklet Mac keyboards. I can't say this is better than my Thinkpad keyboard though.
Heck, not only can it be disabled but it's not even enabled by default. If you don't add your fingerprint it's not there. This doesn't even make sense.
As per the original topic, the large trackpad is awesome. You can type just fine resting your wrists on it. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how on earth a trackpad can be "too large" short of it being a cause for expanding the size of the machine. If the entire wrist area of the laptop were a multitouch surface with haptic feedback... how would that be a bad thing? Seriously.
I found that disabling Tap-to-Click fixes most of the errant touch issues. Also, learning to type with your hands completely above the keyboard helps--it's taken me a while to adjust to that, but the 2016 MacBook also had the giant touchpad (for its size.) and I had that before this. Good luck!
many are reporting bad palm rejection in the new mbp's. i believe palm rejection can't fix this. only a smaller touchpad will. I'd get some clear plastic or some type of skin and cover up the trackpad to your desired size. Accidental touches will be gone.
I find it incredibly frustrating with touch to click enabled. Palm and thumb rejection is not good enough for the way I use the computer, unintended scrolls, pinch commands and a pointer that won't move. Hope they get this sorted out with a software update.
I found it too large with my thumbs resting on the trackpad and causing accidental clicks. I have always used Tap to Click and disabling it is not an option. Moreover, the keyboard clicks are very loud and can be really annoying in a quite environment.
I purchased it from the Apple online store and returning it today (within the 2 week return window) for a refund. I have been exclusively using Macbooks since 2010, but this one isn't to my liking, and going to be my first return of an Apple product. I'm going to continue using my existing Macbooks until I find a more compelling option.
I purchased it from the Apple online store and returning it today (within the 2 week return window) for a refund. I have been exclusively using Macbooks since 2010, but this one isn't to my liking, and going to be my first return of an Apple product. I'm going to continue using my existing Macbooks until I find a more compelling option.
Last edited:
Doesn't get in the way of typing at all. Those who say they aren't buying because the trackpad will get way of typing are just admitting their own ignorance. It's designed extremely well. It works extremely well. Try one out and see for yourself.
pic for reference
![18808-18297-161026-Hands-3-l.jpg]()
That pic is amazing. Anyone know how to get that setup? I love the table and lighting.
How did they get that lighting?
Let me first qualify my statement in that I don't own one, but from my research on reviews and other people here in the forums (and other forums), the palm rejection logic is not as good as it should and the large trackpad has caused some people issues when typing.
I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around why they did it, its almost like they're provided a solution to a problem that never existed. In doing so they've increased the complexity of palm rejection for no benefit
The trackpad is indeed too big. I have no idea why they made it so big, I don't think it adds anything on top of the previous size trackpad which was good enough.
Unlike many people, I do not have palm rejection or unwanted pointer movement issues.
I do have other issues though: when typing, I rest my palms on the laptop and because of the trackpad size, they partially cover the trackpad. I can feel the ridge which is unpleasant. This is a minor thing.
The bigger issue is the frequent failure to process 3-finger swipe and drag-and-drop. No idea what causes this. It worked perfectly on my 13" Air, but on the new 15" Pro, I have to very consciously do these movements, since they don't always register, and it's alarming that even if I do them slowly and deliberately, sometimes the laptop simply doesn't perform the functions, sometimes repeatedly. It's frustrating.
Unlike many people, I do not have palm rejection or unwanted pointer movement issues.
I do have other issues though: when typing, I rest my palms on the laptop and because of the trackpad size, they partially cover the trackpad. I can feel the ridge which is unpleasant. This is a minor thing.
The bigger issue is the frequent failure to process 3-finger swipe and drag-and-drop. No idea what causes this. It worked perfectly on my 13" Air, but on the new 15" Pro, I have to very consciously do these movements, since they don't always register, and it's alarming that even if I do them slowly and deliberately, sometimes the laptop simply doesn't perform the functions, sometimes repeatedly. It's frustrating.
I don't make any contact with the trackpad at all while typing. Not going to lecture anyone on their typing form, but merely acknowledge that this will depend on how you personally position your hands/wrists while typing. I love the size of the trackpad - it feels like the dimensions of the pad more closely mimics those of the screen so I rarely need to reposition my finger to keep moving the cursor across the screen.
Took me a bit to get used to the force touch, but the size of the trackpad has not been a point of concern for me, personally.
Took me a bit to get used to the force touch, but the size of the trackpad has not been a point of concern for me, personally.
I love the size of the trackpad..in fact i find going back to the small trackpad in the 2015 MacBook problematic as you have a smaller area to work with...plus the trackpad is similar to size to the magic trackpad which I have been accustomed to using on my desk
It's an absolute luxury to barely move your hands in order to navigate the cursor because the TP is that much bigger. The best way I can describe this is that with the smaller TP on the 2015s you would need to shift your elbows and the angle of the wrists much more to access the TP; now you can just bend/swipe a finger in most positions. When I use the TP on the 2015 now it feels so dated in comparison. As for palm detection, I have found this to work perfectly with no false hits at all. I don't understand how people can complain about the palm detection's accuracy as I have tried to emulate false hits on purpose and I have not been able to.
I believe that other laptop manufacturers will follow suit with the size of their TPs - HP already have long rectangular shaped ones.
I believe that other laptop manufacturers will follow suit with the size of their TPs - HP already have long rectangular shaped ones.
Doesn't get in the way you say? Really? Good for you then. But in my use case scenario, it gets in the way. And it's quite annoying.
I always use tap to click, and with that option on, tMBP15 is useless to me. When I'm programming, a lot of times cursor changes to other lines and selects those lines. So I have to focus and keep my hands off trackpad, which is not something you want to do. If you are a developer, you want to focus on task at hand, not about how you use laptop.
Also returned mine. I found trackpad useless, but even worse - TouchBar. But that is offtopic, so I won't get into that matter.
Now please lecture me and other people that find the trackpad experience ruined how we don't know how to use tMBP
everyone has different preferences. i enjoy the larger trackpad especially when paired with the touchbar in apps like Pixelmator. having the tools at the top and basically using both hands to do edits simultaneously without the need of the keyboard is useful and enjoyable. the larger surface area allows me to pan throughout the trackpad without having to lift my wrists as often. palm rejection hasn't been an issue for me when typing, though others have had an less than optimal experience. the only gripe i have with the trackpad is i wish the haptic feedback was stronger. the "clicks" don't feel as strong as the ones in the MacBook or older MBPs. could be placebo, could be not.
it comes down to your own experience. the best thing to do is try it out at the Apple store.
it comes down to your own experience. the best thing to do is try it out at the Apple store.
Speaking as someone who has one, I haven't had a single issue with the palm rejection on the touchpad. Personally, I love the larger trackpad. It allows for much more room for gestures.
I think the new trackpad is great. In general, the entire layout is great. I had to briefly work with my "old" MBP today and I immediately noticed how wobbly, small and uncomfortable the old keys are as well as how small the trackpad is. Have had no issues with palm rejection yet either.
Granted, the new keyboard/touchbar/trackpad need a certain readjustment period. I had to change my hand position slightly, and relearn the key locations, but it went fairly quickly and the overall resulting experience is great!
Granted, the new keyboard/touchbar/trackpad need a certain readjustment period. I had to change my hand position slightly, and relearn the key locations, but it went fairly quickly and the overall resulting experience is great!