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realchimera

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 23, 2011
161
1
Boston
It's really difficult, sometimes it's impossible, to drag a file or highlight a sentence with only one hand. It's 100 times worse than thinkpad's keyboard and touchpad.
 
I find the exact opposite to be true. After using a Mac touchpad, I find ALL windows trackpads to be nearly unbearable.

Do you have 3 finger drag turned on? It took a couple days to get used to but I find it significantly more efficient. I pretty much do everything touchpad-related with the middle three fingers on my left hand, save the rare occasions I use a 4 finger gesture.

EDIT: I cannot speak for the newer models as I don't know if anything has changed. I have a late-2009 MBP 13"/
 
It's really difficult, sometimes it's impossible, to drag a file or highlight a sentence with only one hand. It's 100 times worse than thinkpad's keyboard and touchpad.

You are kidding me right? The touchpad is the most fluid, dynamic and sensitive touchpad I have EVER used.

You obviously do not know how to use it.

Dragging files is so easy, (assuming you've set it up correctly in system preferences) quick double tap drag locks it and you can drop the file where you like.

Slow double tap on a filename and it'll highlight, then simply type....

You need to rethink your statement.
 
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You could also try BetterTouchTool. Good stuff and free.
 
Maybe you have a faulty trackpad, but the Mac's trackpad is the best on the market out there. Every time I got to use a PC laptop I get frustrated with the trackpad after only a couple minutes because of the lack of gestures, no multitouch, and I just hate the feel of most PC trackpads. If you really are having problems with the trackpad, maybe have someone at the apple store check it out or, in the event you are doing something wrong, teach you how to correctly use it.
 
I hate trackpads. Until I used the macbook pro trackpad I thought I always would. Now I would rather use the macbook pro trackpad than any other interface including a mouse.
 
many PC users struggle with the ease of the magical trackpad ... once you become used to that red knob on a thinkpad ... anything easier becomes a challenge
 
I use both the trackpad and the Magic Mouse. Before Lion, I could switch between the two pretty seamlessly, but I still preferred the trackpad but a slight bit.

After I first installed Lion, I was still switching between the two. The trackpad still supported more of the gestures, but it wasn't a huge deal to me. However, once I took the time to get used to natural scrolling, it was over. For some reason, I found it to be a really cool experience when flipping through webpages on Safari, in iCal, and using all gestures just helped tie it all together for me.

But alright, this topic has become a trackpad lovefest. For the OP, what makes it so difficult? I feel that the trackpad is sensitive (in a good way), and to me dragging and highlighting is like using any other trackpad. I hold my thumb down on the bottom left of the trackpad (as if there's a button actually there), then I move around using my middle finger or index finger.
 
many PC users struggle with the ease of the magical trackpad ... once you become used to that red knob on a thinkpad ... anything easier becomes a challenge

I'd pay good money to have a pointing device as nice as the IBM Trackpoint on my Macbook...

A.
 
I love the trackpad on post-'06 macbooks. The previous trackpads were a lil' rough. I can't even stand to touch any other trackpads other than apple's now. Once you go mac, you'll never go back.
 
I love the trackpad on post-'06 macbooks. The previous trackpads were a lil' rough. I can't even stand to touch any other trackpads other than apple's now. Once you go mac, you'll never go back.

I'm the exact opposite. I love the non-unibody trackpads. The new glass trackpad is a part of why I didn't get a mac when I got my new laptop. The buttonless design drives me nuts. What I wouldn't give for a two-button non-glass trackpad, with the amazing drivers that Apple has for OS X.
 
I only owned IBM thinkpads before. Their touchpads are awesome and very very sensitive. They are the best ever. I could keep hands on the keyboard typing and use thumbs the move/edit files at the same time. As for other PC laptops, they are just way too cheap and crappy. That's the reason why I switch to Macbooks. PCs are cheap and dying. IBM sold thinkpad to Chinese and HP just decided to spin-off their PC department too. Macbook's touchpad is hard to use. One-figure drag is fine but it's still hard to drag a file across the whole screen. And you need to press down the touchpad to highlight a sentence, which is a big pain in the ass.
 
I am a recent mac user , and wow, I love the trackpad!

now when I go on my friends/parents laptops I hate using their terrible ones,

The apple is one is more intuitive and fluid
 
I just bought MBA just because I couldn't deal with PC's trackpad anymore. I had $3000 all pimped out sony sz and all sort of HPs. But they all sucked azz seriously.
 
click on the type you want with fore finger ... then slide index finger along trackpad until type is selected ... once you get the hang of it ... smooth sailing
 
ugh... can you tell me how you highlight a sentence on Mac touchpad?

I just tap and tap and start dragging - I.e. On the second tap I don't lift up, just start the drag. Make sure you have tap to click, and tap to drag turned on in the trackpad preferences in the system preferences. Have you looked at the trackpad preferences?
 
I just tap and tap and start dragging - I.e. On the second tap I don't lift up, just start the drag. Make sure you have tap to click, and tap to drag turned on in the trackpad preferences in the system preferences. Have you looked at the trackpad preferences?

This is really awesome! Thanks!
 
Anyone notice the original all glass trackpads (first Unibody MacBooks) were easier to glide your finger across than the current ones?
 
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