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Snow Leopard to Add 4-Finger Multi-Touch Gestures to Original MacBook Air

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Apr 12, 2001
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When Apple introduced the new MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros in October, they also introduced a new four-finger multi-touch trackpad gesture that allowed users to easily switch between applications (swipe left/right) or invoke Exposé (swipe up/down). While it's long been known that the original MacBook Air and early 2008 MacBook Pros were also capable of detecting these 4-finger gestures, Apple has not yet announced or provided software support for the feature.

The latest Snow Leopard developer seeds, however, reveal that Apple will be adding support for these gestures to these "1st generation" multi-touch trackpad devices. Based on reports, this functionality has finally been added for the original MacBook Air (and presumably the early 2008 MacBook Pros).

The original MacBook Air was the first Apple laptop to incorporate a multi-touch trackpad when it was introduced in January 2008 and the MacBook Pros quickly followed with multi-touch support in February 2008.

Article Link: Snow Leopard to Add 4-Finger Multi-Touch Gestures to Original MacBook Air
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/03/09/snow-leopard-to-add-4-finger-multi-touch-gestures-to-original-macbook-air/
It's probably just me...

... but who cares? I use my MBAir (original model) all the time, and frankly, I'm quite satisfied with what it does already. :)
 
Ahh I've been waiting for this! As long as it's added to the my early 2008 Macbook Pro I'll be a happy camper. :D
 
It's a bit misleading to say the first Macbook Air was the first apple laptop with multitouch support. My first gen intel macbook has 2 finger scrolling (and I think it even goes back to the last of the powerbooks), albeit they say the trackpad isn't up to snuff to do the more complex multi-touch capabilities, but it's still a multitouch gesture.
 
Chobit said:
It's a bit misleading to say the first Macbook Air was the first apple laptop with multitouch support. My first gen intel macbook has 2 finger scrolling (and I think it even goes back to the last of the powerbooks), albeit they say the trackpad isn't up to snuff to do the more complex multi-touch capabilities, but it's still a multitouch gesture.
Click to expand...

I think you are missing the point.
 
ozone said:
... but who cares? I use my MBAir (original model) all the time, and frankly, I'm quite satisfied with what it does already. :)
Click to expand...

Exactly. While I would love this on my MacBook pro early 08 that I got new via apple friend for $1400, a report came out that said 90% or more didn't use these new features after a week so I find it intersting that instead of a free update, Apple wants to get you money by forcing an upgrade if you want this feature. Plus of course, releasing all this new hardware so everyone will have to upgrade. Next mac will probably be another new Mac Pro via apple inside discount as the 8 core would be cheaper then the new 4 core and give better rendering. For me FPU is critical for logic plug ins and virtual instiments, orchestal samples.

Peace.
 
Old news

Old News, I posted this fact over two months ago in the forums. This has been in Snow Leopard way back since build 10A222. Try to keep up.
 
rjheys said:
Old News, I posted this fact over two months ago in the forums. This has been in Snow Leopard way back since build 10A222. Try to keep up.
Click to expand...

it really hasn't. this is brand new.

arn
 
very exciting, no need to hack osx to get that same feature. it seems silly to prevent a feature like this simply based on release day and not the technology it has build in it.
 
This is old news. It's been reported a while ago that they would enable multitouch gestures on portables that it currently does not work. I'll search for a link...
 
Chobit said:
It's a bit misleading to say the first Macbook Air was the first apple laptop with multitouch support. My first gen intel macbook has 2 finger scrolling (and I think it even goes back to the last of the powerbooks), albeit they say the trackpad isn't up to snuff to do the more complex multi-touch capabilities, but it's still a multitouch gesture.
Click to expand...

No, that's not multitouch in the sense we mean it. Yes, it involves 2 fingers, but by that definition a 2-button mouse is multitouch! (Heck, "holding a cookie" is also multitouch if you mean it that way.)

When we use the word multitouch it implies that the computer knows where each finger is in relation to each other. This makes things like 'pinch to zoom' possible.

Your laptop could detect if 1 or 2 fingers was touching it, but that was it. It didn't know how far apart they were or where they were moving. It just used 2-fingers as another modifing 'control' key, basically.
 
Wayfarer said:
Ahh I've been waiting for this! As long as it's added to the my early 2008 Macbook Pro I'll be a happy camper. :D
Click to expand...

Yessssssss!

I have to say that I bought the MBP with Multi-touch as an investment. I expected Apple to expand those capabilities. When they did, they left me behind b/c I bought my laptop 6 months too early.

About Damn Time.
 
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