They’re great, now if apple could concede that right click is an important thing that’s not going away and not relegate it to a corner barely larger than my finger then they’d be perfect.
EDIT: I forgot the default way to right click on Mac is two finger click, I changed it in the settings when I first got it to be click in the bottom right. If you’ve gotten used to two finger click good on you, but point still stands for us who like the “right” way.
I’m not sure I understand your complaint – if you two-finger tap anywhere on an Apple trackpad made since around 2009, it’s interpreted as a right-click.
Reply to edit: “I forgot that I changed it to make it worse and I’m mad at Apple about it” is maybe the most Lemmy comment I’ve ever read
Not an Apple user, and curious: If you double click a movie file it does not open it but gives you the menu? How do you open it? Triple click? Or one click? If one, how do you just mark it?
Anything you do while touching the trackpad with one finger at a time is the same as though you were using a mouse. Tap once to select, tap and drag to move, double tap to open.
If you tap with two fingers on the pad at the same time, it reacts as if you’ve right-clicked. I usually use my index and middle finger.
Oh yeah, I changed it so long ago I forgot that’s the default. Changed it to bottom right corner in the settings when I first got it since I am used to windows laptops, but the area for the bottom right corner that apple designates is very small.
The default is for two finger click, I forgot that’s the default way since I changed it so long ago, but you can change it to a click in the bottom right is right click, like on a windows laptop, in the settings. it’s just the area in the bottom right that qualifies as the corner is very small.
Thanks for the pointers! Like the meme though I keep it plugged into a mouse, keyboard etc. so don’t really use it but when I do it’s good except that one issue.
At worst, perhaps you can put Linux onto your existing Mac hardware and therefore configure it more directly?
I wish, it’s my work computer though and even though all the software I need and the software I’m developing runs on Linux, I think IT would get mad If I loaded Linux on it. Also why I probably can’t do any of the other changes you suggested
Seconding this. My company issued me a MacBook and I was really surprised by how well the touchpad worked, and how smoothly gestures work with it. For as much hate as Apple gets, a lot really Just Werks™. Windows and KDE (Wayland) (I haven’t tested other DEs) are certainly improving, but they’re still nowhere near as smooth as what MacOS has had for a pretty long time now.
The crazy thing is that I’ve hackintoshed a ThinkPad T430 and T480, both with full gesture support (but no force touch, though to be fair I don’t use that anyway). In both cases, using their touchpads on MacOS was much better than on Windows or KDE. Though some touchpads aren’t that great to begin with (like, the one on the T430 is pretty small), it’s crazy how much of a difference good software can make to how they feel to use.
what usually gets lost on people is how Mac tended to have had things first, like everything has Bluetooth now, but Mac OSX had it long before Windoze did
That’s just not true - in fact, Apple is well-known for repeatedly releasing ‘new’ products/features that already existed elsewhere, but acting like they invented it. That goes all the way back to the original Macintosh.
Or, to use your example, everything I can find says MacOS added Bluetooth support in 2004, while Windows XP was patched to support Bluetooth in 2002.
MacOS is good software, but let’s not pretend Apple hasn’t built their entire empire based on pinching other people’s ideas and marketing them better.
People hate on apple coming out with features later than other companies but then they usually blow the competition out of the water in terms of ux. It’s not marketing them better, it’s implementing better.
It’s like valve helping develop proton vs making another nvidia shield or windows handheld.
It’s not just the software either. I really like the feel of the Apple trackpad. It’s glass instead of plastic like a lot of others. And the haptic feedback feels exactly like what a click would feel like
Yep exactly, a Magic Trackpad is my main input device. It’s great for design work where you often interact with canvases and might need to scroll in every direction. It’s also more comfortable to use for long time periods.
It’s great but I’ve had greater sensitivity in my finger tips after trying to get used to it. Then typing hurt so I had to switch to a trackball and just regular vertical mouse. I miss the gestures for virtual desktops.
Yes. But you have to understand that it is a custom keyboard. It is not meant for the mainstream. For people interested in the hobby; it’s not an issue that it comes without keycaps or switches. You get to choose what you want switches to put in it. I personally have over 400 switches and like 6 sets of keycaps. And that’s just what I’ve been collecting over the past five or so years.
It’s all I know. It was my first one and I got a good deal. Now that I know I like it I’d consider getting a better model but so far I’ve had no pain with this one.
Seriously, they ALL fucking suck. I honestly kinda miss the old nub thingie that IBM (now Lenovo) had (has?). It took some getting used to but it was so much better than a touch pad.
They still have them, along with some Dell and HP laptops too I think. Honestly I like both. My laptop has that and I find myself switching between them mindlessly. Touch pad is great because of gestures. But the nub is more comfortable imo.
I have. The Steam Controller (and Steam Deck) trackpads are very nice, mostly because there are two of them and they are thumb operated. The haptic feedback is really nice as well.
Aside from my linux macbook, the steam deck trackpad is one of the best trackpads I’ve ever used. The “taptic engine” (don’t know the generic term) simulated clicks and feedback on the deck’s trackpad feel so much more refined compared to the standard tactile button used in the original steam controller. Being able to adjust the click pressure level too is a nice bonus.
I just wish the Deck trackpad was better at ignoring finer movements closer to the click threshold, like a standard trackpad - likely something that could be added with a future update I guess?
The keyboards are garbage too. Can’t stand typing on laptop keyboards and every one I’ve tried (mostly Dells at work) has been shit for the last 15 years. I bought a $10 bluetooth keyboard for my tablet that’s a better experience and smaller than a laptop for fucks sake.
Yea I have an old Toshiba Satellite laying around that has an awesome keyboard. It’s too old to really do anything with but I love the design of it. The annoying thing is that Bluetooth keyboard I mentioned is compact as most laptops yet it still manages to have a good tactile feedback when you type on it and it was cheap so we know it can be done. Most laptops just feel “squishy” and start missing keystrokes if you type too fast. The worst I’ve encountered was one of the ones Microsoft offered for the Surface that was just a solid rubber thing. The keys didn’t actually press at all. I can’t understand what they were thinking with that. They had another option with actual keys but it wasn’t very good either even by laptop standards.
![Portable convenience [The Square Comics]](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/c7f3f18b-c775-419c-ac9d-f0beb9f6f4e0.jpeg){kind=link}
Guilty of this. I’ve never used a track pad that didn’t feel like complete ass.
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They’re great, now if apple could concede that right click is an important thing that’s not going away and not relegate it to a corner barely larger than my finger then they’d be perfect.
EDIT: I forgot the default way to right click on Mac is two finger click, I changed it in the settings when I first got it to be click in the bottom right. If you’ve gotten used to two finger click good on you, but point still stands for us who like the “right” way.
I’m not sure I understand your complaint – if you two-finger tap anywhere on an Apple trackpad made since around 2009, it’s interpreted as a right-click.
Reply to edit: “I forgot that I changed it to make it worse and I’m mad at Apple about it” is maybe the most Lemmy comment I’ve ever read
Not an Apple user, and curious: If you double click a movie file it does not open it but gives you the menu? How do you open it? Triple click? Or one click? If one, how do you just mark it?
Clicking once with 2 fingers on the pad is what they meant
Anything you do while touching the trackpad with one finger at a time is the same as though you were using a mouse. Tap once to select, tap and drag to move, double tap to open.
If you tap with two fingers on the pad at the same time, it reacts as if you’ve right-clicked. I usually use my index and middle finger.
Interesting, thank you!
Oh yeah, I changed it so long ago I forgot that’s the default. Changed it to bottom right corner in the settings when I first got it since I am used to windows laptops, but the area for the bottom right corner that apple designates is very small.
Yeah, that’s easy to miss since Apple removed the super helpful tutorial shorts in the touchpad settings. The new menu is less clear imo.
Sorry, the great prophet Jobs (pbuh) has decreed that one button is all you need.
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The default is for two finger click, I forgot that’s the default way since I changed it so long ago, but you can change it to a click in the bottom right is right click, like on a windows laptop, in the settings. it’s just the area in the bottom right that qualifies as the corner is very small.
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Thanks for the pointers! Like the meme though I keep it plugged into a mouse, keyboard etc. so don’t really use it but when I do it’s good except that one issue.
I wish, it’s my work computer though and even though all the software I need and the software I’m developing runs on Linux, I think IT would get mad If I loaded Linux on it. Also why I probably can’t do any of the other changes you suggested
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Seconding this. My company issued me a MacBook and I was really surprised by how well the touchpad worked, and how smoothly gestures work with it. For as much hate as Apple gets, a lot really Just Werks™. Windows and KDE (Wayland) (I haven’t tested other DEs) are certainly improving, but they’re still nowhere near as smooth as what MacOS has had for a pretty long time now.
The crazy thing is that I’ve hackintoshed a ThinkPad T430 and T480, both with full gesture support (but no force touch, though to be fair I don’t use that anyway). In both cases, using their touchpads on MacOS was much better than on Windows or KDE. Though some touchpads aren’t that great to begin with (like, the one on the T430 is pretty small), it’s crazy how much of a difference good software can make to how they feel to use.
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That’s just not true - in fact, Apple is well-known for repeatedly releasing ‘new’ products/features that already existed elsewhere, but acting like they invented it. That goes all the way back to the original Macintosh.
Or, to use your example, everything I can find says MacOS added Bluetooth support in 2004, while Windows XP was patched to support Bluetooth in 2002.
MacOS is good software, but let’s not pretend Apple hasn’t built their entire empire based on pinching other people’s ideas and marketing them better.
People hate on apple coming out with features later than other companies but then they usually blow the competition out of the water in terms of ux. It’s not marketing them better, it’s implementing better.
It’s like valve helping develop proton vs making another nvidia shield or windows handheld.
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It’s not just the software either. I really like the feel of the Apple trackpad. It’s glass instead of plastic like a lot of others. And the haptic feedback feels exactly like what a click would feel like
I’ve used a few trackpads on PC laptops that were almost as good as on a MacBook, but yeah, most of them kind of suck.
Yep exactly, a Magic Trackpad is my main input device. It’s great for design work where you often interact with canvases and might need to scroll in every direction. It’s also more comfortable to use for long time periods.
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It’s great but I’ve had greater sensitivity in my finger tips after trying to get used to it. Then typing hurt so I had to switch to a trackball and just regular vertical mouse. I miss the gestures for virtual desktops.
Trackballs have ruined trackpad a for me.
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Lol the price of these fad keyboards are comical… 180€ with no switches and no keycaps?
And it looks 3D printed?
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I printed and assembled one myself for about $90 for all parts, so I can somewhat understand some of the the prices… But whew that’s expensive
180€ is like a day or two of work. It is a fair price in my opinion.
Except it isn’t 180€ cause it’s missing parts
Yes. But you have to understand that it is a custom keyboard. It is not meant for the mainstream. For people interested in the hobby; it’s not an issue that it comes without keycaps or switches. You get to choose what you want switches to put in it. I personally have over 400 switches and like 6 sets of keycaps. And that’s just what I’ve been collecting over the past five or so years.
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Standard galactic alphabet?
This looks rad
Do you have specific keys for SimCity disasters?
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That particular model makes my wrist hurt almost instantly.
It’s all I know. It was my first one and I got a good deal. Now that I know I like it I’d consider getting a better model but so far I’ve had no pain with this one.
Haha I have the same ball
Seriously, they ALL fucking suck. I honestly kinda miss the old nub thingie that IBM (now Lenovo) had (has?). It took some getting used to but it was so much better than a touch pad.
The old clit mouse was my favorite!
They still have them, along with some Dell and HP laptops too I think. Honestly I like both. My laptop has that and I find myself switching between them mindlessly. Touch pad is great because of gestures. But the nub is more comfortable imo.
The little red dot is in the ThinkPad logo, at that point they are acknowledging its central to their brand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinkPad
One of my old laptops had the little nub mouse, but it would rub my finger tips raw if I used it too much, from the grippy texture on it
I’m sure they do make trackpads that don’t have a hole in the middle.
I have. The Steam Controller (and Steam Deck) trackpads are very nice, mostly because there are two of them and they are thumb operated. The haptic feedback is really nice as well.
Aside from my linux macbook, the steam deck trackpad is one of the best trackpads I’ve ever used. The “taptic engine” (don’t know the generic term) simulated clicks and feedback on the deck’s trackpad feel so much more refined compared to the standard tactile button used in the original steam controller. Being able to adjust the click pressure level too is a nice bonus.
I just wish the Deck trackpad was better at ignoring finer movements closer to the click threshold, like a standard trackpad - likely something that could be added with a future update I guess?
The keyboards are garbage too. Can’t stand typing on laptop keyboards and every one I’ve tried (mostly Dells at work) has been shit for the last 15 years. I bought a $10 bluetooth keyboard for my tablet that’s a better experience and smaller than a laptop for fucks sake.
They got a lot worse after 2010 when “thin” happened. I’ve got an NEC laptop from 1998 that has an excellent keyboard.
Yea I have an old Toshiba Satellite laying around that has an awesome keyboard. It’s too old to really do anything with but I love the design of it. The annoying thing is that Bluetooth keyboard I mentioned is compact as most laptops yet it still manages to have a good tactile feedback when you type on it and it was cheap so we know it can be done. Most laptops just feel “squishy” and start missing keystrokes if you type too fast. The worst I’ve encountered was one of the ones Microsoft offered for the Surface that was just a solid rubber thing. The keys didn’t actually press at all. I can’t understand what they were thinking with that. They had another option with actual keys but it wasn’t very good either even by laptop standards.
I use a Logitech keyboard + trackpad and it works great.
But yeah, laptop ones I’ve tried always sucked.