santa rosa mbp with multi touch?

[fromalk]

Hello all,

so I was just looking at the new macbook pro's which look pretty identical. So I started wondering if it wouldn't be possible for santa rosa macbook pro's and core duo's to have this feature by simply installing the new keyboard and trackpad plate?

Basically, sizes are identical. Both have backlighting and it can't be that much more hardware.

I don't know and doubt that others can be sure if there where any changes made to additional hardware such as the logic board or that it the whole multi touch stuff is completely handled by the trackpad and an attached chip or something?

Hope my intentions are clear since my English is far from perfect.

 

[PlaceofDis]

as far as i know, there is an added controller chip that is also found in the iphone and ipod touch, that is now in the new MBP that allows the multitouch feature to work.

i don't know where its located, but i'd guess the logic board, so it probably can't be ported back to the older machines.

 

[matticus008]

as far as i know, there is an added controller chip that is also found in the iphone and ipod touch, that is now in the new MBP that allows the multitouch feature to work.

Yes. This precludes a software-only upgrade (though some third-party developer might be able to code something that approximates the new hardware).

i don't know where its located, but i'd guess the logic board, so it probably can't be ported back to the older machines.

Touchpad hardware is in the touchpad. The touchpad is connected to the logic board as a USB device.

In theory, you could replace the topcase unit and have the hardware, although it's not clear at this time whether OS X would recognize it, given that there hasn't yet been an update to OS X since their introduction today. It's also not clear that the multitouch would be enabled by software on a machine where it is not anticipated.

The ~$300 price of a new topcase probably is not worth the gamble. At the moment, the multitouch trackpad isn't terribly exciting, either. It's not nearly as effective or intuitive as on the iPhone. That's not to say it won't eventually mature into a useful feature, but only that there's no rush.

 

[wildatheart]

You need a Penryn top casing; the Penryn functionality is contained in the circuit board under the trackpad (the function keys and multitouch trackpad). I installed the Penryn casing on my Santa Rosa machine and I am really loving the iTunes keys (and quite liking the multitouch). You don't actually need a new keyboard; the old one will start to 'act like' a Penryn keyboard straight away, but of course, the symbols on the function keys no longer match. I got hold of some Penryn function keys to replace my Santa Rosa ones, and swapped them around on my original keyboard.

The keyboard/trackpad preferences pane now reflects the multitouch trackpad.