I've been trying to get back to this discussion. My thinking after three months: The large trackpad is a disaster, the TouchBar's most important use is to demonstrate how often your pinkies stray above the number keys. If you don't need a new MBP, wait.
I've had a MacBook Pro 2017 15" since June. I've suffered the Randomly Jumping Cursor Syndrome. Apple has no solution. Here's what I've learned.
First, my experience is based on having owned two other MacBook Pros 2006, and Early 2011. I never noticed anything like this before. My 2011 MBP is still working, I can go back and forth between 17 and 11, same app. 2017 MBP insane jumping, 2011: NO JUMPING. None.
1. The amount of typing in any application that's done makes it noticeable. Word processor, Mail App, Web Browser most noticeable--but it's ubiquitous. I write a lot,
2. so for me the baseline is about one random jump every minute, or with covering the Trackpad, every 2-3 minutes of typing.
3. There's a negative feedback loop that makes it much worse. When I first got the 2017MBP, I noticed the cursor jumping and thought I was doing something wrong. [I also noticed the (silly) TouchBar was also subject to seemingly near random input. No the (idiotic) TouchBar is just so sensitive that the inputs were not random, it's just that the way I use my keyboard my pinkies often touch the TouchBar. I've eliminated the Siri button, and the window-changing buttons on the far left to minimize this. I still cannot use the keyboard for inputing lots of numbers without my pinky triggering inputs from the TouchBar. Now this is just screen brightness. These unwanted TouchBar inputs are not random. TrackPad inputs are.]
So the normal response is to minimize touching anything to minimize random input. This worked for the TouchBar, but one posting here said that the Touchpad needs to be touched because that makes Palm Rejection work better. So the negative loop is my hands were hovering above the computer and I was trying to only touch the keys. This does seem to make the problem worse. So resting the heels of my hands does seem to help--a little.
4. Desensitizing the TouchPad. What has worked best for me so far, is taking two sheets of 5 mill laminating putting one inside the other to make a piece of clear plastic. I cut this oversize and then Scotch taped it over a couple of thinner sheets of plastic I was already trying out. This has been the most effective solution to the Randomly Jumping Cursor Syndrome. The lamination plastic however isn't slippery enough for effective gliding my fingers. I bought a trackpad cover on Amazon which slides better but only helps the problem slightly.
So why spend $2500-$4500 on a computer that has a TouchBar that causes far more problems than solutions, and a Track Pad that randomly inputs? (BTW the larger size for me has no advantage over the prior smaller ones.)
1. If you have an app like perhaps video editing where there are specific functions that appear contextually, in a useable way, in the TouchBar, great go for it.
2. If your old MacBook Pro just died.
3. If you can buy a new one every year and have an assistant who types faster than you and you'd like to fix him or her. This MacBook Pro will mess that right up.
Caveat: While researching this issue I've learned that track pad random inputs is at least a 10 year problem. I've found more references to Windows laptops. What I wasn't able to find is a general solution to this problem. So there may be something very simple that I've completely missed.
AppleCare: They replaced the machine after about three weeks. None of the diagnostics indicated a hardware problem. The Genius Bar tech wanted to try replacing the TrackPad, but because the machine was so new Apple's protocol was to replace the machine. The replacement worked exactly the same as the original, no difference.
(Apple Care phone passed me along to a grumpy 'manager' who hung up on me when I said I'd repeatedly done all the restart, zapping, turn everything off.... stuff. )
System Settings: I've turned off everything I can. I noticed that one of the random inputs in Nisus Writer Pro, my preferred word processor, was to jump back to the last cursor insertion point. I noticed that the track pad and either of the keys in Nisus shortcut would trigger this move. I've never used this command, so I deleted the keyboard shortcut in Nisus, this also eliminated the trackpad-key combo triggering it.
The tip to turn off track pad, then connect an external mouse, then turn the track pad on.... may at first seem to work. It does not. (Turning off the TrackPad is very effective, the only thing more useful and effective is using an older model MacBook Pro. )
What I think is that this trackpad is far to sensitive, activity above the trackpad is triggering inputs. Apple doesn't have any System Setting to regulate this.
Best bet I've found so far is to cover the TrackPad. (My first attempt was four layers of typing paper. This quickly looked really ratty--which I think is apt criticism to design-fetish over function).
I've had a MacBook Pro 2017 15" since June. I've suffered the Randomly Jumping Cursor Syndrome. Apple has no solution. Here's what I've learned.
First, my experience is based on having owned two other MacBook Pros 2006, and Early 2011. I never noticed anything like this before. My 2011 MBP is still working, I can go back and forth between 17 and 11, same app. 2017 MBP insane jumping, 2011: NO JUMPING. None.
1. The amount of typing in any application that's done makes it noticeable. Word processor, Mail App, Web Browser most noticeable--but it's ubiquitous. I write a lot,
2. so for me the baseline is about one random jump every minute, or with covering the Trackpad, every 2-3 minutes of typing.
3. There's a negative feedback loop that makes it much worse. When I first got the 2017MBP, I noticed the cursor jumping and thought I was doing something wrong. [I also noticed the (silly) TouchBar was also subject to seemingly near random input. No the (idiotic) TouchBar is just so sensitive that the inputs were not random, it's just that the way I use my keyboard my pinkies often touch the TouchBar. I've eliminated the Siri button, and the window-changing buttons on the far left to minimize this. I still cannot use the keyboard for inputing lots of numbers without my pinky triggering inputs from the TouchBar. Now this is just screen brightness. These unwanted TouchBar inputs are not random. TrackPad inputs are.]
So the normal response is to minimize touching anything to minimize random input. This worked for the TouchBar, but one posting here said that the Touchpad needs to be touched because that makes Palm Rejection work better. So the negative loop is my hands were hovering above the computer and I was trying to only touch the keys. This does seem to make the problem worse. So resting the heels of my hands does seem to help--a little.
4. Desensitizing the TouchPad. What has worked best for me so far, is taking two sheets of 5 mill laminating putting one inside the other to make a piece of clear plastic. I cut this oversize and then Scotch taped it over a couple of thinner sheets of plastic I was already trying out. This has been the most effective solution to the Randomly Jumping Cursor Syndrome. The lamination plastic however isn't slippery enough for effective gliding my fingers. I bought a trackpad cover on Amazon which slides better but only helps the problem slightly.
So why spend $2500-$4500 on a computer that has a TouchBar that causes far more problems than solutions, and a Track Pad that randomly inputs? (BTW the larger size for me has no advantage over the prior smaller ones.)
1. If you have an app like perhaps video editing where there are specific functions that appear contextually, in a useable way, in the TouchBar, great go for it.
2. If your old MacBook Pro just died.
3. If you can buy a new one every year and have an assistant who types faster than you and you'd like to fix him or her. This MacBook Pro will mess that right up.
Caveat: While researching this issue I've learned that track pad random inputs is at least a 10 year problem. I've found more references to Windows laptops. What I wasn't able to find is a general solution to this problem. So there may be something very simple that I've completely missed.
AppleCare: They replaced the machine after about three weeks. None of the diagnostics indicated a hardware problem. The Genius Bar tech wanted to try replacing the TrackPad, but because the machine was so new Apple's protocol was to replace the machine. The replacement worked exactly the same as the original, no difference.
(Apple Care phone passed me along to a grumpy 'manager' who hung up on me when I said I'd repeatedly done all the restart, zapping, turn everything off.... stuff. )
System Settings: I've turned off everything I can. I noticed that one of the random inputs in Nisus Writer Pro, my preferred word processor, was to jump back to the last cursor insertion point. I noticed that the track pad and either of the keys in Nisus shortcut would trigger this move. I've never used this command, so I deleted the keyboard shortcut in Nisus, this also eliminated the trackpad-key combo triggering it.
The tip to turn off track pad, then connect an external mouse, then turn the track pad on.... may at first seem to work. It does not. (Turning off the TrackPad is very effective, the only thing more useful and effective is using an older model MacBook Pro. )
What I think is that this trackpad is far to sensitive, activity above the trackpad is triggering inputs. Apple doesn't have any System Setting to regulate this.
Best bet I've found so far is to cover the TrackPad. (My first attempt was four layers of typing paper. This quickly looked really ratty--which I think is apt criticism to design-fetish over function).
