12-29-2006, 02:48 AM

Hi guys im having some issues with the trackpad...im not sure if i got a faiulty product or if its just because im so used to my old compaq laptop trackpad..


i never had issues with the trackpad on my old PC (compaq presario laptop) because moving no matter how slow my index finger moved on the trackpad it would still be able to go where i wanted it to go with ease...

with my macbook it seems liek the main problem is the lack of responsiveness the trackpad has.. (both my scrolling and trackpad speed are set at the fastest settign)

my main gripe with this is , it shouldnt matter how slow my finger moves acrosss the trackpad the corresponding arrow should still travel the same distance on the screen regardless of how fast my movement on the trackpad is...

in order to better explain my problem heres an example:

if i drag my arrow all the way to the bottom of my screen and mirrror this same position on my trackpad and move from the bottom of the trackpad to the top of the trackpad, i must move my index finger very fast for the corresponding arrow to go from the the bottom to the top of the screen...however if i move my index finger slowly (As i normally would when im browsing the web) from the bottom trackpad to the top of the trackpad..the arrow will barely make it halfway acros the screen...



im trying to figure out if theres something wrong with my trackpad or if its just me..



Does this make sense? ive tried to describe my problem best i can

pls help guys!

12-29-2006, 08:32 AM

Your trackpad seems to be running just fine to me.

I don't know the official name for it, but I call it a kind of acceleration algorithm. In that the trackpad is picking up the speed of your movement and accelerating the pointer in accordance with this.

It is basically so you can do detailed movements in small areas. If the trackpad mirrored your movements (ie. you move your finger half way accross and the arrow is half way accross the screen) then it would be very hard to move it a little bit at a time.

However, go to system preferences and then go to keyboard and mouse. there is a tab at the top for trackpad. Fiddle about with those settings until you are hapy.

I like the way the trackpad works, and have found that my graphics tablet on my pc did the same, and even the scroll wheel on my mouse I have connected to my MBP will adjust the scroll minutely if I turn the wheel one click at a time.

If you are super concerned, just visit any shop that has a MBP on display and play with it's trackpad to see if it is really different to yours.

12-29-2006, 09:29 AM

If anything it's your PC which is more likely to be faulty (non responsive)

12-29-2006, 10:30 AM

Yup, nothing wrong with the trackpad. Its actually a very useful feature for the reasons melmation noted. Once you get used to it you will probably agree.
-d

12-29-2006, 11:38 AM

As melmation mentioned, this is pretty standard "mouse acceleration" which exists with trackpads, mice, and just about every other pointing device. In many WinXP drivers, it's possible to disable the acceleration. Perhaps you disabled it on your PC?

The solution, though it might take a little getting used to, is fairly simple: move your finger faster.

12-29-2006, 12:33 PM

Quite. And for photo editing on the move, the more sensitive track pad is very handy..

12-29-2006, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by eloquence

Quite. And for photo editing on the move, the more sensitive track pad is very handy..

thats my problem , i think that the macbook pro is LESS sensitive in comparison with the pc notebook...

actually i don tthikn it i know it because when i used to web browse with the tracker on the pc i had no problem i didnt even notice any issues with the trackpad but when i browse on my macbook i find myself having to do additional strokes/flicker movements and even when doing that it sometimes doesnt even go the distance i want it to go

12-29-2006, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by MacNewbie

thats my problem , i think that the macbook pro is LESS sensitive in comparison with the pc notebook...

Maybe that's because:

(both my scrolling and trackpad speed are set at the fastest settign)

If you want greater sensitivity, then turn those settings down.

actually i don tthikn it i know it because when i used to web browse with the tracker on the pc i had no problem i didnt even notice any issues with the trackpad but when i browse on my macbook i find myself having to do additional strokes/flicker movements and even when doing that it sometimes doesnt even go the distance i want it to go

Obviously, the word "sensitivity" is being used to mean two totally different things here, that's part of the confusion.

Your issue is that moving your finger across the trackpad results in too fine/small/short an amount of movement of the cursor or scroll, right?

Since the trackpad on your Mac works the same way most PC trackpads, mice, and other pointing devices are supposed to work, there are two possibilities:

(1) There is something wrong with your Mac. Go to your nearest Apple Store and compare one of their showroom samples to what you're used to.

(2) You turned mouse/trackpad acceleration off on your PC, which you cannot do in Mac OS X. Either learn to drag your fingers a little faster when scrolling or continue to bang your head against the wall while screaming "why isn't my Mac a PC?"