sore finger and thumb

[tecru]

Then get a wireless mouse. And I guess I am still confused how tap to click hurts your finger. It's a very light touch to the trackpad.

How am I supposed to use a mouse if the LAPtop is on my lap?
You want me to have an extra flat surface that I have to carry around with me for the mouse, something that doesnt actually come with the laptop, but that makes the laptop....usable.

 

[gnomie]

maybe try to take it to apple to see if the screw holding the trackpad in (you can open the laptop up and adjust a screw to tighten and loosen the trackpad click) is too tight.

Hey tecru, dont know if you have tried this, but perhaps this person's suggestion would be worth a try? It's possible that your trackpad is set extra tight.
I found my trackpad hard to click at first, but after a few weeks of loads of use, it seemed to loosen up and get easier.

 

[headcase]

Tecru - here's the solution, as you can have a local Apple Genius or if you feel up to it, you yourself can adjust the pressure of the trackpad:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/602718/

If you do the adjustment yourself, just turn a quarter way between turns, as it doesn't take much.

And don't feel like you're the only one thinking that the unibody MBP's require too much pressure to click... I've been using Macs, PowerBooks and MBPs for 20 years, and the unibody trackpads are the first I've come across that require so much pressure, to the point that folks are coming up with workarounds.

 

[dsprimal]

do finger exercises! but i will admit, my right wrist (the one i use for the track pad) is beginning to get sore. sucks.....

 

[tombilske]

yes, tap to click takes slightly longer to respond to a click than a hard click does, but its only by a fraction of a second. and i dont think you understand how you are supposed to use the trackpad on the current MBP. the ONLY time i put my thumb on the trackpad is to drag something. that is the ONLY time. any other hard click is done with my index finger, and all movement of the cursor is done with my index finger. i hold my hand the same way all of the people who posted pictures do. you're not supposed to use your finger and thumb in a claw except for dragging. i think you just need to use the trackpad properly for a few days, without clicking with your thumb, and you will get the hang of it.

 

[thedarkchariot]

+1. The gay character from Glee comes to mind. Not that I watch that show.

What the f does that mean?

Back to the topic: Again, the trackpad should be pretty easy to click if you are used to Mac trackpads. Perhaps your trackpad is broken? You can enable tap-to-click (which means you simply "touch" the trackpad and that registers a click). You can also just get a mouse. Finally, remember to click the bottom of the trackpad.

Your thumb has more force than the rest of your fingers. Use your thumb to click the bottom of the trackpad (again, just like you would for an old Mac trackpad).

 

[gayle28607]

I have been trying to use the tap to click only for the last week or so since all you people said oh use tap to click only with pointer finger and index, its so great.

Tap to click with pointer finger and index is really really annoying. I find myself tapping a billion times, then it doesn't select or it deselects in the middle of doing something. It is way slower than just clicking with my thumb. Way less control over moving around. "click" and drag is difficult.
If I want to get anything done fast, I use the thumb.
If tap to click is so great, why is it off by default? I think the fact that the trackpad is more difficult to use is a design flaw.
I can't believe everyone is just giving up usage of the cool opposable thumb just because of this terrible design. It would serve apple engineers right if their thumbs evolved away.

Furthermore, I have to hold my hand sideways to use the fingers only tap to click and that is making the side of my hand hurt.

I really just hate this new trackpad. I hate it. I don't care if you apple employees and engineers say it's retarded or whatever to hate it, this is the worse apple laptop I have ever had.
The trackpad sucks, is not conducive to repetitive motion, and requires you use a desk to be comfortable. If I wanted to use a desk, I would have gotten a desktop computer with a mouse!

I was working on someone's machine today thinking omg I love using a mouse, it's so easy compared to the horrible trackpad on these laptops.

Those of us who are having the same problem will take this seriously. It may be rare, but it exists. I've used MBP's, mostly 17 inch versions, for the past 6 or 7 years. Tap to click worked fine on those, as did clicking.

I have a new-ish unibody dual core MBP, 17 inch, and I found this thread because tap to click works maybe, at most, 10% of the time, and clicking is not ergonomic, it is loud, and it, too, is not entirely reliable, though it seems to work better than tap to click.

The clicking function of my trackpad is bad enough that I'm wasting my time looking for solutions. I'll try to get the trackpad replaced. Good luck with yours, too, tecru.