If you've used one of the new MacBooks that has a trackpad that is clickable instead of having a separate button, I'm interested in what you think of it. I'd appreciate it if you could answer the following totally unscientific poll. If you want to explain your opinion or share any other thoughts, please leave a comment or email me directly. Thanks!
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June 22, 2009
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About Me
Kevin Arthur is a usability analyst working with touch interfaces at Synaptics in Santa Clara, CA. This blog is a personal project and the opinions here are strictly my own.
My other blog: Question Technology
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I really like the new trackpad, but I still have a couple of issues with the way it has been designed. And they are both related to the hinge at the top of the trackpad area.
First, it is not true to say the whole trackpad is a button. Because of the hinge, the top one third of the surface isn't really clickable.
The other problem has to do with precision. Since the top part is fixed to the case, the bottom part moves downward while you press, making your finger slide slightly towards the bottom. Which makes it difficult to hit small targets.
Both of these issues are not permanent problems, you quickly learn how to circumvent them. But it is a tad disappointing, coming from Apple's design teams.
Posted by: Thomas Didrel | June 23, 2009 at 06:55 AM