What exactly is wrong with the current trackpad that needs to be fixed? 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Those massive trackpads look hideous!
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Those massive trackpads look hideous!
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.
Thin MacBook Laptop Concept Images
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
What exactly is wrong with the current trackpad that needs to be fixed?
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Those massive trackpads look hideous!
Having several
notebooks over the past 10 years, I will have to say that my PowerBook G3 Pismo had the best trackpad to date. Yet they changed all that with the generations. Even my present MPB trackpad feels awkward.
That is Sci-Fi talk, though if you were to supply 100% power the screen has a solid background.
Nah it only looks good in movies, not practical at all. Consider privacy void at this point.
For the record, the design where the Mac breaks up into pieces, such as the keyboard with the trackpad above it, is atrocious. There's no way that's what Apple would come up with.
In any case, a laptop slimmer because it does away with an optical drive is nothing special, even if it has a giant trackpad. Basically, a duo. I think Apple would pass on such a product.
I'm holding out for the two hinged 9" touchscreens, that you open like a book, and can then turn on one side so one screen becomes a virtual keyboard/trackpad (like the iPhone screen) and the other displays the desktop/applications. (Imagine the Macbook screen split in half.) Bonus points if you can open them up all the way around and have one screen facing you and the other facing away, for reading books. (Or, better yet, don't fold it all the way back, and show facing pages.)
In any case, a laptop slimmer because it does away with an optical drive is nothing special, even if it has a giant trackpad. Basically, a duo. I think Apple would pass on such a product.
I'm holding out for the two hinged 9" touchscreens, that you open like a book, and can then turn on one side so one screen becomes a virtual keyboard/trackpad (like the iPhone screen) and the other displays the desktop/applications. (Imagine the Macbook screen split in half.) Bonus points if you can open them up all the way around and have one screen facing you and the other facing away, for reading books. (Or, better yet, don't fold it all the way back, and show facing pages.)
That's what I was talking about earlier. You really could put content on one screen and the controls on the other. Would be kinda not intuitive though so 2 full blown touchscreens are more likely. Then again, one large screen is better than 2 tiny ones, right? Bam, tablet!
Face it, we have no idea what to expect from the keynote. I for one will check the text feed here and probably bite a piece of wood till the end.
the track pad of my MBP is really enough, I don't think what the suppose for such wider track pad(But it's beautiful anyway). The height is amazing though.
And I think we will see a SDD+HD for data saving (like Sony)
And I think we will see a SDD+HD for data saving (like Sony)
aka Tablet
I'd buy. I've been lusting after tablets for a long time now, but have never gotten one because I think they've all being inelegant solutions to what I think could be a great product. And Apple, known for design and intuitive use, is just the company to break it mainstream.
You know, all the talk about a long trackpad button supposedly interfering in typing bugs me, because typing with any part of your hands on the laptop is bad ergonomics. The vast majority of people do it, but that doesn't make it healthy.
Now, I don't really believe that image is genuine, but if it was, the long button wouldn't be any kind of problem. Maybe it would get a few more people typing ergnomically.
Now, I don't really believe that image is genuine, but if it was, the long button wouldn't be any kind of problem. Maybe it would get a few more people typing ergnomically.
one thing i thought of when i first saw that was "it being big, would people accidentally hit it more often"
Image 1 is what the next MacBook (not pro) will look like.
As for Multi-Touch, it only becomes effective when there is an LCD behind it.
As for Multi-Touch, it only becomes effective when there is an LCD behind it.
What exactly is wrong with the current trackpad that needs to be fixed?
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Those massive trackpads look hideous!
What if they where an iPod touch
I too would be happy with this if it had a mobile penryn processor.
Alternatively I would be blown away by a proper touch system. Doesn't matter what cpu they give it!
Either and I'll be happy =)
"Do a shake gesture to erase everything"
Oops, forget that, those are my secret plans for a glorified etch-a-scetch
A lot of people want a Mac tablet but I don't think it will be that useful using standard OSX. You can't use standard applications on a touch screen, Windows failed miserably at this. Apple does not like the stylus (neither do I) so it would be painful to use you stubby fingers to hit a small toolbar button. THe iPhone has the magnifying glass thing which works great for text selection but would annoying for normal desktop apps.
Yeah this is certainly the case and is another reason why I don't think the ultra portable is really what consumers want in a small device. I looked recently at SONY's little "laptop" PC at the CompUSA fire sale and frankly the whole unit was flimsy. The screen assembly was extremely thing and did not look very durable at all.
Tablets are the way to go with respect to very small and thin devices. It just makes for a more rigid and durable device.
Dave
An implementation where the keyboard is omitted and replaced by a digital equivalent displayed and controlled on a touch screen sounds rather unpractical.
Without actually being able to feel the layout of a physical keyboard beneath your fingers, there is no way you could type properly while looking away from the keys at other areas of the screen (to check if you're not making any typos for example). You'd constantly have to be looking at your fingers to see if they line up correctly. And this raises another problem.
The average posture of a person using a laptop (or any keyboard for that matter) places the users eyes at quite a bit of angle away from the plane of the keyboard.
Considering the limitations of small scale LCD screens in regards to viewing angles, looking at such screens under strong angles does no favors for their legibility.
Touch keyboards make sense for tiny consumer devices such as iPhones and iPods, but not for a laptop where productivity (read: text input) is likely to be vital.
Without actually being able to feel the layout of a physical keyboard beneath your fingers, there is no way you could type properly while looking away from the keys at other areas of the screen (to check if you're not making any typos for example). You'd constantly have to be looking at your fingers to see if they line up correctly. And this raises another problem.
The average posture of a person using a laptop (or any keyboard for that matter) places the users eyes at quite a bit of angle away from the plane of the keyboard.
Considering the limitations of small scale LCD screens in regards to viewing angles, looking at such screens under strong angles does no favors for their legibility.
Touch keyboards make sense for tiny consumer devices such as iPhones and iPods, but not for a laptop where productivity (read: text input) is likely to be vital.
