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See the original image at blogs.siliconvalley.com —

Steve Jobs’ war on buttons claims another victim

blogs.siliconvalley.com — If buttons had an anti-defamation league, there would be permanent pickets outside Apple HQ. Steve Jobs hates buttons.

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  • HolyMan28, on 10/16/2008, -11/+32New Macbook Pro's are looking good, but they're just too damn expensive.
    • nkassi, on 10/16/2008, -0/+11Agreed, they should have stuck with the old price points on both series.
    • hexcr03, on 10/16/2008, -22/+6I never understand when people say they are too expensive.... If you cant afford it, buy a ticking time bomb... AKA: Cheap PC
      • polalion, on 10/16/2008, -9/+6They're ticking time bombs only when you use it.
      • smirkypants, on 10/16/2008, -0/+7Some of us do not have infinite funds. I really wanted to buy one to replace my first generation MacBook Pro, but even the low end version with AppleCare, a couple of meg upgrade and tax ends up being over $2500! It made my stomach clench (not to mention my ass twitch).
      • sdevinen, on 10/16/2008, -6/+1I hear that they're fairly safe when used as paperweights. Please remember to unplug them and never ever feed them the network cable.
      • TrueXtremeIcon, on 10/16/2008, -3/+1when I saw it, it made my stomach twitch and my ass clench.
      • KibibyteBrain, on 10/16/2008, -1/+11When you can get one of the new Macbooks and a desktop faster than the fastest Macbook Pro for less than or equal to the price of a Macbook Pro, I'd say it's pricepoint is expensive for the desktop-replacement/high performance notebook category.
      • HonestAbe, on 10/16/2008, -2/+9OMG you mean PCs explode and burst into flames??

        http://www.appledefects.com/?cat=25

        http://www.lullabot.com/blog/attack_fifty_foot_mac ...

        http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=28693 ...

      • prophetpimp, on 10/16/2008, -0/+2my ticking timebomb lasted me for 6 years now and still running strong as a secondary Laptop in the office running 10 to 12 hours a day. IBM Thinkpads FTW.
      • urbandistrict, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3Calm down... unless you own stock does it really matter?

        Pick your tool of choice. You can drive a Aston Martin or a Hyundai and it will take you to the same place. Some people pay a premium for form and function.

        A wise man once said "It's my prerogative. I do what I want to do."
      • CCmachined, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2Linux. Doesn't Suck. Runs on PCs. Ha!

        my PC is a Leenux Box now.
    • urbandistrict, on 10/16/2008, -10/+9You get what you pay for. I've always been impressed by Apple's offerings.

      Sadly, I can't afford to indulge.
      • mrraven200, on 10/16/2008, -3/+1Craigslist used Macbook for about 700 bucks and about the same specs as a budget PC notebook FTW. And you can XP under parallels at near native speed if you need to run Windows apps.
      • fasda, on 10/16/2008, -1/+1and for the simlar specs as a used mac book you could buy a new hp budget laptop and still save 100 bucks
      • urbandistrict, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3Thanks guys, Maybe I should have been more clear.

        I use both the PC and Mac at home. On the mac side I have a Mac Pro, my wife has a Macbook, and in the office I work on a Mac Pro as well. I am also familiar with where to buy well-priced goods.

        I was simply stating that I can't afford to get all the goodness AAPL has to offer. iTV, iPhone, iTouch, on and on. Thought it sure would be nice if I could.

        I have yet to hear "damn I wish I would have gotten a PC instead." from anyone. I however I said the opposite and have heard others as well.
      • dragon76, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1PC notebooks have backlit keyboards with ambient light sensors that adjust the keyboard and screen brightness?
    • kraetos, on 10/16/2008, -2/+6It's all because of the manufacturing process. The new MacBooks and MacBook Pros are some of the sturdiests notebook ever made because of the unibody enclosure. (a very welcome change from the previous plastic MacBooks) That kind of quality obviously comes with a price tag.

      Scuttlebutt is, the profit margin on the $1299 MacBook is thinner than the one on the previous $1099/$1299 MacBook because the manufacturing process is so expensive.
      • mrraven200, on 10/16/2008, -1/+10Too bad they got rid of firewire on the MacBooks. As a minidv camcorder owner and firewire external drive fan that IS a dealbreaker for me. It makes me glad I got a used MacBook with firewire.
      • kraetos, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3100% agree. Nuking FireWire to save .13 inches. Bad Apple.
      • mrraven200, on 10/16/2008, -2/+4I don't care if the case is plastic or aluminum as long as I can do my work. Apple is making a big mistake if they think all MacBook users only listen to music, surf the web, and check e-mail. A core2duo machine is WAAAY overkill for such basic stuff, if I ONLY did that I'd have an eepc netbook and not a full fledged MacBook. Some of us edit video and audio, do web development, work in photoshop and NEED firefwre ports for mindv cameras, audio breakout boxes, and SERIOUS external drives. The new MacBook is just a chunkier MB Air and a fashion accessory. :( And I never thought I'd say that but this time it's actually true. Please, please, don't abandon entry level media workers Apple. :( Now this leaves Vista notebook (sucks), Linux (no quality graphic design apps) or MacBook without firewire (sucks) at the under 2000 level. We are going backwards now!!!????
      • mrraven200, on 10/17/2008, -2/+1I got a burry, so there is someone out there who thinks an aluminum case is more important than being able to do serious media work? Show yourself fashion whore. 1/2 :)

        And no I'm not a hater in fact being typed right now on Hard Heron under Parallels on a MacBook.
  • colincornaby, on 10/16/2008, -2/+28Well, the justification isn't that they hate buttons. It's that by getting rid of the button you have more trackpad space.

    Whether that matters to people, I don't know, I'm not posting the comment to pass judgment. I'm just saying, there's a reason besides "Steve Jobs hates buttons!"
    • nkassi, on 10/16/2008, -1/+5I just hope the new pads have less friction than the old one. I hated the macbook pro's.
    • Urkel, on 10/16/2008, -0/+16People need to call this change as it is. It's not about "removing a button", it's about creating the biggest button ever to be on a laptop.

      The button is still there. It's just gigantic now and can do a dozen more things. I can't judge how well it works yet, but it definitely is interesting.
    • Radan, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1Just one thing that I have been thinking about. I often rest my thumb on top of the trackpad button when I move the cursor. Isn't there a rather great possibility of the user accidentally doing the pinch command when navigating?
    • rpgmaker, on 10/16/2008, -7/+2Wait, now Steve Jobs invented the 'trackpad clicking' or just reinvented it? Seriously, we've been able to click tapping the trackpad for years. The gestures is one thing but stop acting like Jobs invented the goddamn trackpad clicking.
      • meatmcguffin, on 10/16/2008, -0/+5At least think before you post moronically.

        The entire trackpad on the MacBook is a physical moveable object; as in, the entire trackpad can be depressed and therefore act as a button. Know any other manufacturers that have done this?
      • rpgmaker, on 10/16/2008, -4/+2It's not necessary if you can just tap the trackpad.
  • tomis, on 10/16/2008, -1/+28Mildly amusing. Not as insightful as I had hoped.
  • BrendanSheehan, on 10/16/2008, -2/+31So they got rid of a button and replaced it with, a button. Big ***** deal. Now you have have 4 buttons, and loads of configurable gestures. Click with one, two, three or four fingers and you can perform four different action. Left click, right click, quit app, sleep computer, set it the way you want it.

    There's a lot more to the supposed lack of buttons here than meets the eye. And the trackpad is glass, so no more wearing and finger marking on the trackpad.
    • freezerburn666, on 10/16/2008, -3/+6i fail to see how GLASS is going to eliminate finger marking but we'll see won't we?
      • dext3r, on 10/16/2008, -0/+12go look at a laptop that is used daily. after a year, you can clearly see wear marks on the surface. it makes it look like a greasy pile of crap. I suspect glass will not deteriorate in such a manner, and finger smudges on GLASS will easily WIPE OFF. OTHER RANDOM CAPITAL LETTERS.
      • AndrewWiggin, on 10/17/2008, -0/+2wiTH aLl dUE resPecT YoUR CaPITAL letTerS werE Not ACTuaLly rANDOm. i PUt mine tHRoUgH a RaNDOm NumbER GenERAtor.
    • buenit, on 10/16/2008, -2/+5Um, I think glass will show finger markings a little more than a regular trackpad.
      • gerbco, on 10/16/2008, -0/+7but will it wear out like a regular trackpad?
      • buenit, on 10/16/2008, -3/+1No but it will probably turn into a greasey smudgy piece of crap really easy. I have a 4 year old laptop with a trackpad, and yes, it has wore out a little bit, but not to the point where it affects performance or usage.
      • nicc, on 10/16/2008, -2/+1a trackpad has worn out?!
        my friend has a ibook g3 and the trackpad still works fine.
      • KibibyteBrain, on 10/16/2008, -0/+6I think he means the little hole/discolored indentation by the place that you naturally tend to click that can form in the paint or plastic of some notebook mouse buttons over a long time of significant use. Almost all of my old laptops have this.
      • s0ny, on 10/16/2008, -0/+5You guys fail to realize that this isnt a glossy peice of glass. Its etched and looks exactly like any other trackpad youve ever used and actually feels much better. There is no finger markings or smudges at all.
      • BrendanSheehan, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1That's what he means.
  • protogenxl, on 10/16/2008, -5/+4Well I personally hate Tap-Click so I hope you can at least assign a section of the trackpad to work like a normal trackpad button.
    • slicecom, on 10/16/2008, -1/+4You can.
    • ghall, on 10/16/2008, -1/+3I believe you can. The lower section can be assigned to left and right click.
    • JayClark, on 10/16/2008, -3/+20It's NOT tap to click, the whole trackpad is the button. Like, a real physical button. They mounted the track pad on top of the button, like they did with the iPods' click wheels.

      Why is this so god damned hard for people to grasp?
      • counterplex, on 10/16/2008, -2/+1Wow, _that_ is something I could get behind. I gotta play with it a bit. Still, sounds much better than being restricted to just tap-clicks.
    • JayClark, on 10/16/2008, -6/+1It's NOT tap to click, the whole trackpad is the button. Like, a real physical button. They mounted the track pad on top of the button, like they did with the iPods' click wheels.

      Why is this so god damned hard for people to grasp?
    • Radan, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2The entire trackpad is now actually a button. It works similarly to how the Might Mouse works, where you press down on the whole trackpad to click. It's essentially the same as before, but the actual trackpad area is a lot bigger now (I think I read that it would be around 30% larger or something like that), and you can now also assign the right side of the "touchpad-button" to work as a right mouse button (which if I may add, is in an ergonomically perspective stupid for a right handed person.)
  • scoot2006, on 10/16/2008, -4/+64"...which has gone from a minimalist one-button configuration to a positively Zen no-button design".

    The entire trackpad itself is a physical button. The author is a tard.
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 10/17/2008, -0/+1Even though I am a Windows user I think this has great potential. Rather than having to move down to click on the button, the trackpad can just be pushed. Not a big deal, but nice to see some progress. I'm a thinkpad user so I've just gotten used to the red trackpoint.
  • jonr, on 10/16/2008, -3/+2And the blogger hates his readers... WTF is it with the fontsize on this blog?
  • raublekick, on 10/16/2008, -4/+2I accidentally click stuff while using the trackpad on my Inspiron. No idea if macbooks are less sensitive, but it's ultra annoying and I can't imagine using just a trackpad. Ooops tapped with three fingers by accident.
    • cawpin, on 10/16/2008, -1/+5I don't understand how people can have trouble with that. I HATE it when tap-to-click is turned off.
    • Mohonri, on 10/16/2008, -1/+1The tap-to-click can be useful, but I've found that most laptops have the sensitivity turned so high that the trackpad detects a tap when none is intended. Once I turned down the sensitivity, tap-to-click stopped being annoying.
    • JayClark, on 10/16/2008, -0/+4It's NOT tap to click, the whole trackpad is the button. Like, a real physical button. They mounted the track pad on top of the button, like they did with the iPods' click wheels.

      Why is this so god damned hard for people to grasp?
      • raublekick, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1Wasn't aware that it was an actual button underneath. Either way I'd rather separate navigation (track pad) and action (button). In other words, fingers do the navigating and thumb does the action.

        That's my preference and the macbooks don't offer that anymore.
      • JayClark, on 10/21/2008, -0/+0@raublekick Yes they do. They're multi-touch trackpads which means you can click with your thumb while navigating with your finger, exactly as you do now. They're even hinged at the front (closer to the screen) so that the back portion feels more like a real button. If you didn't look at it you wouldn't have any problem using it exactly the way you use a trackpad today.

        If there's an Apple Store near you, go in and mess with one for a bit. At first it seems odd, but once you realize what I've described above it makes perfect sense. All they've really done is make the tracking area huge to allow for comfortable gestures.
    • Radan, on 10/16/2008, -0/+4Like JayClark said, the whole pad is now an actual mechanical button. However, I got to agree with you; tap-to-click is completely worthless and I get utterly frustrated every time I use a computer that has it activated (though for some reason, people always get confused when they notice that the tapping is turned off on my computer, and just can't figure out how they are supposed to click without it)
  • bongfarmer, on 10/16/2008, -2/+17Steve jobs? JOBS? More like Steve Button-factory-layoffs!
  • aolshove, on 10/16/2008, -1/+10Like pushing buttons? Sex Offender.
  • cawfee, on 10/16/2008, -4/+4This is new how?
  • uknowwhoibe, on 10/16/2008, -13/+5138 diggs and already down!

    Go Diggeffect!

    EDIT: 142
  • tourettes1992, on 10/16/2008, -1/+9I like pressing buttons, they are concrete, I like concrete.
    • cheapotheclown, on 10/16/2008, -2/+10Actually very few buttons are concrete -- most are plastic.
    • tourettes1992, on 10/17/2008, -1/+1Retort: I wasn't speaking literally, I was speaking figuratively.
  • frogman54, on 10/16/2008, -0/+72Steve Jobs was attacked by a button as a child. It scarred his neck. So, ever since he has worn turtlenecks and tried his damnedest to eliminate buttons. He even had his nipples removed.
    • krahzee, on 10/16/2008, -0/+7Apparently, this button was also a shade of bright red so intense, that until this very day, Steve has sworn of all colors as well.
    • rimantas, on 10/17/2008, -0/+1Btw, he does not have belly button either. Do you understand the implications?
  • Upon66, on 10/16/2008, -1/+8Steve Jobs needs a Jitterbug because less buttons = less confusing.

    http://jitterbugphoneblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2 ...
    • stubear, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1He's already got an iPhone with only five buttons (if you could the rocker as two). Given enough time I'm sure he'll eliminate these too and replace them with little finger olympics on the multi-touch display.
    • coredump0x01, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1Correction: He reinvented his nipples with the introduction of the all-new Apple iNipples featuring multitouch interaction, WiFi, and Bluetooth-enabled temperature adaption.
  • chrissku, on 10/16/2008, -0/+25This explains why he Always wears turtlenecks. No buttons.
  • 4NDr01D, on 10/16/2008, -0/+4Zippers for the Win!!!
  • jboswell2000, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3Damn you, Gravatar!
  • adml_shake, on 10/16/2008, -1/+11Steve is just waiting for the day when he can interact with a computer using nothing but the power of his ego.
  • SkippyDoorknob, on 10/16/2008, -1/+7"He hates these cans!!!"
  • ConeBone6t9, on 10/16/2008, -2/+12Steve Jobs’ war on buttons claims another victim

    If buttons had an anti-defamation league, there would be permanent pickets outside Apple HQ. Steve Jobs hates buttons. On mice, on phones, on remotes, on elevators, on shirts, whatever — the Apple CEO, perhaps scarred by some early and unspeakable horror, regards the common button as an offense to good taste, inelegant and overly complex with its tricky up-and-down movement. So among the assorted upgrades to the MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup that Jobs unveiled today, you have to figure his favorite is the new glass trackpad, which has gone from a minimalist one-button configuration to a positively Zen no-button design. Instead, the multitouch trackpad becomes button-like, responding with tactile feedback when pressed with some intent.

    Beyond that design statement, the new MacBooks are shinier (with aluminum unibody construction), greener (fewer toxins in the innards and new LED-backlit displays), and graphically more powerful (with a new Nvidia GPU and chipset). And while the company did not make a dramatic new play for the low-end market with a new machine, as some rumors speculated, it did knock the price of the original white plastic 13-inch MacBook down to $999. Also offered for your consuming pleasure was a new 24-inch, LED-backlit Cinema Display. Oh, and there was also a Steve Jobs health update: According to one of the slides in the presentation, his blood pressure is

    Google's cache:
    http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:RYbmFBiwXxEJ: ...
  • bbardlbradd, on 10/16/2008, -11/+6Yeah, Apple has made a few mistakes with the new models... and this makes me somewhat unhappy. I know that I need a new notebook, but the older Macbook/Pros are still out there.

    1. No Firewire for Macbooks
    2. No buttons for trackpad
    Because most computer's don't work like Macs, so why change something this drastically, to where you CANNOT use it as you would any other notebook?
    3. No matte display.
    I'm not even a graghics artist or anything like that, I just want to be able to see the display from more than one angle and I don't like looking at myself in rooms that have lights.

    Apple sometimes takes things too far. :/
    • 4NDr01D, on 10/16/2008, -8/+11there's no floppy disk drive either

      the nerve!!!


      really stop living the past

      we'd be hiding in caves unable to build fire
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 10/16/2008, -4/+7None of those things he mentioned are removed as result of being obsolete.
      • bbardlbradd, on 10/16/2008, -3/+3@4NDr01D

        "really stop living in the past"

        Are you ***** kidding me?

        Firewire is used less frequently, but it is BETTER than USB, and there are two USB ports on the Macbooks. Firewire>USB, and when i complain about there being a lack of Firewire you tell me that I'm living in the past???? THERE ARE TWO USB over 0 FIREWIRE. How is that living in the past???

        The trackpad will not replace the mouse. So why are they improving on the trackpad at all? It's not really an improvement as it is... stalling on a full touchscreen display. It's just a neat little hybrid touchpad/touchscreen. It does neither job well, and understanding this, makes me "old".

        Also, the matte display is all around better for everyone. I would assume that when something progresses, it gets easier to use. Matte displays are clearer, more accurate, stay cleaner, and are viewable from a wider angle than any gloss display.

        ATTENTION FANBOY: APPLE CAN MAKE MISTAKES. THEY ARE NOT PERFECT AND THEY DO NOT DEFINE *NEW* OR *OLD*.
      • TheAbsintheHare, on 10/17/2008, -0/+1As for the glossy screen, they offered both matte and glossy for a long time. Very very few people ever bought the matte screens, so they stopped making them. That's how the market works.

        (If you've ever compared them side by side, the glare from a matte screen is actually worse because it's diffused)
    • junkwheel, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2That just all functionality stuff though.
    • sheepzilla, on 10/16/2008, -2/+6But macs are for people who like to look at themselves...


      /matte screen MBP owner
    • CalcProgrammer1, on 10/16/2008, -1/+4Why are buttons a thing of the past? I'd like to see you type using a touchscreen keyboard, click with only tapping a trackpad, etc. The tactile feedback that a real, separate button gives is unmatched by tapping and gestures. The real problem is Macs are overboard about the look and sleek design so they cut functionality to get that look. Form follows function, not the other way around.
      • mishaneah, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2I type just fine on the iphone touchscreen. I hate tiny little buttons because of my stubby fingers. I'm willing to forgo the tactile feedback for the superior functionality with right click and scroll, zoom. As a product designer, if form followed function, we'd be back to sheet metal stampings like the PC towers are stuck in. Apple tries for both and drives a lot of the cutting edge UI design out there.
      • thinkdifferent, on 10/16/2008, -1/+3The new Macbook touchpads have tactile buttons... the difference is the whole trackpad is the button. Earlier trackpads allow touch-tap to mimic a button, but no tactile feedback. These make it so the whole trackpad can move. Even cooler you can set areas to mimic different buttons, much like the Mighty Mouse... so click on right side of trackpad, it's a right click, click on left, it's a left click.
    • LukeHenry, on 10/16/2008, -1/+61. I agree that there should be firewire for the Macbook

      2. you do realize that in how they do the trackpad there are now two instead of one button. it is not "tap-click" the track pad is an actual button with movement and feedback. and you can assign a right and left click.

      3. have you ever looked at a comparison between the matte and glossy displays. the glossy displays work much better when in bright light.
    • phunlee, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2I got one. It's pretty sweet. None of the things you mentioned have come up. I don't use firewire anymore, so that's moot for me.

      No buttons conjures up a lot of imaginative workarounds, but in fact the the touch pad is so easy to get used to it basically took NO getting used to.

      I was outside yesterday afternoon and have positioned the screen facing the open sky, I did not have any (i'm serious) ANY trouble seeing my screen. I was nervous about that the most b/c I am a freelance 'graghics' artist, but It's a great thing.

      Also, I was about to buy a refurbed black Macbook and ended up spending a little more than $150 additional to get this one. Well worth it. Oh, I do get a discount from work, tho. That did help on my price point.
  • smackydoodle, on 10/16/2008, -7/+5What if I am dragging something like an icon to another location? Am I going to start dragging, run out of trackpad space, drop it, click and drag again, then drop to where I want it? What if the destinations go right to left then back to right? Am I going to be dragging and dropping the same icon four times? Boy that'll be irritating.
    • LukeHenry, on 10/16/2008, -1/+4No ... you will click with your thumb on the bottom of the track pad and drag to your hearts content with a finger.
    • mykelsuthertun, on 10/16/2008, -1/+1I was worried about the same thing, but I guess it's not the case.

      http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/ ...

      We'll see.
    • phunlee, on 10/16/2008, -3/+2That's the dumbest thing I've read all day. Since when would Apple make you do more work than you're used to. It works just like every other trackpad on the planet. Click w/thumb, drag w/finger --while still holding the click--pick up your drag finger and drag some more.
      I hope you were kidding.
      • smackydoodle, on 10/16/2008, -0/+2No, I was not kidding and as you can see, others were curious as well. My apologies for not being the almighty God of Technology as yourself, kind sir.
      • mykelsuthertun, on 10/17/2008, -0/+0Irritable people are funny.
    • mishaneah, on 10/16/2008, -2/+2if you don't like trackpads, plug in a mouse.
  • slord54, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3Especially right mouse ones.
  • cuevas4711, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1Looks like he got the server as well...
  • eeclark, on 10/16/2008, -0/+6He opposes buttons because he is Amish.
    He prefers Hook-and-eye closures or straight pins as fasteners on his dress clothing.
  • tbredofsin, on 10/16/2008, -6/+4The lack of a full, physical keyboard is what's holding me back from an iPhone. I need to be able to feel the buttons. So on I wait for cell phone makers to get their act together and release *my* smartphone--full keyboard, headphone jack, great MP3/media player, e-mail, GPS, Google Maps, and an easily replaceable battery/expandable memory.
    • sirjimithy, on 10/16/2008, -0/+2I personally don't mind the lack of physical keyboard on the iPhone, but I guess it's not for everyone. Sounds like you're probably looking forward to the Android G1 then? 6 more days.

      PS - awesome digg handle. "Make the Bad Horse gleeful, or he'll make you his mare!"
      • tbredofsin, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3 Yeah, but the lack of a headphone jack, substandard media player, and a few other technical kinks are holding me back from the G1... maybe a future Android phone, I hope.

        And thanks :) Gotta love Dr. Horrible.
  • qbthemc, on 10/16/2008, -6/+1Wait hold up a sec this article is talking about Steve Jobs. If so macfanbois PHAILLLLLLLLLL.
  • junkwheel, on 10/16/2008, -4/+3If he makes the keys on Apple keyboards any shorter they will all be gone too.
  • hexcr03, on 10/16/2008, -2/+1LOL... eek i hate the ol ass twich!
  • Trooper77, on 10/16/2008, -0/+12Buried as inaccurate, the trackpad actually has two buttons. The main portion is the normal click, and you can configure either bottom corners to be right click.
    • cschiffner, on 10/16/2008, -8/+1Such a damn fanboy - "virtual buttons" have been pressent in PC's for years in the form of tap to click. Its not the same as a physical button. Just try and click and drag with virtual buttons.
      • LukeHenry, on 10/16/2008, -0/+8sorry .... it is not a "virtual button". the track pad is actually a button. it clicks and it moves.
      • CPOliver, on 10/16/2008, -1/+3Mac have had tap to click too, just like many trackpads on PCs. However, the new glass MacBook (Pro) trackpad does have some features never before implemented on Macs or PCs. Stop flaming! Fanboy flamers who don't RTFA are as bad as fanboys themselves.
      • JayClark, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2It's NOT tap to click, the whole trackpad is the button. Like, a real physical button. They mounted the track pad on top of the button, like they did with the iPods' click wheels.

        Why is this so god damned hard for people to grasp?
    • phunlee, on 10/16/2008, -1/+4In the battle for semantics, I challenge you. The trackpad IS the button, it's a very smart button that knows which side of the trackpad you've clicked down. There is no additional physical button.
  • wolfing, on 10/16/2008, -6/+1hmm... how can I make a Palin joke out of this?
  • tomazws, on 10/16/2008, -0/+2http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/MacBook_13inch ...

    Starting from page 24. It teaches you how to use the new trackpad.

    I donno... it seems weird, but I can't comment on it until I hit up an Apple store and actually try it out.
  • BradBrown, on 10/16/2008, -0/+7Mark my word - the next upgrade will be a lickable button. I'm not sure how it would work, but I'd like to be in the beta test.
  • aqzman, on 10/16/2008, -0/+2Just because it doesn't look like a ***** button doesn't mean it's not a ***** button.
  • evilregis, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1I hate establishing database connections!
  • sirjimithy, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2I used one of these at the Apple store yesterday. The entire trackpad being a button along with the multi-touch gestures is actually really awesome and intuitive. Sometimes less really is more!
  • kingofthisnight, on 10/16/2008, -0/+3I would much rather plug in a USB mouse than use the new trackpad.
  • mdman, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2Boy, its about time Digg creates a filter to filter out blog spam
  • jaywalker, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1I thought he was against buttons buttons. Since he's always wearing those douche-looking buttonless t-shirts...
  • vroom171, on 10/16/2008, -3/+1digg effect...Mirror please
  • choppergirl, on 10/16/2008, -2/+5I'll never buy a computer or any device without a reset button. Learned that from the C=64 days and having to use a paperclip to short out a line to reset the computer. Computers crash. Period. Macs too, ergo the unhappy mac face. First thing I did to my Mac SE back in the day was clip in the little plastic Programmer switch that had a tab to reset and a tab to bring up the monitor.

    Or, for that matter, any device without a real "hard" off switch. Instead of ***** vampire electronics that suck power even when they are off because their power brick /supply is still running. With the exception of XP/VISTA/PDA sleep modes, when a device is OFF, it needs to be OFF. Completly off. Unlike, say for example, the f**king iPod, that if you leave it fully charged and turn it off, in two weeks you come back and its completely dead. Because its not off. Its staying on to monitor of all things, you pressing the power button to wake it up. A 2 cent hard switch of any variety would of been superior.
    • corpski, on 10/17/2008, -0/+2Macs do have a "hard" off switch. It's called the power button, and you press it down for a few seconds to shut off the system regardless of the OS' state (stalled / running).
  • falafelkiosken, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2I never use the trackpad button my older MacBook, tapping is easier and faster, right-clicking too. I would love to get rid of it. The decision was right to remove it for it isn't about features, but how well it works that matters in the end
  • arkavat, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2I am illiterate in terms of mac... so pardon me if this feature already exits? but I am curious how they will handle drag and drop operations? pressing the pad down and sliding finger on it at the same time seems a bit uncomfortable.
  • solarisom, on 10/16/2008, -1/+1This trackpad has a great deal of potential, with software available to customize gestures. I don't know if you guys use quicksilver, but combine that with gesture customization software, and it'll bring a whole new meaning to owning your computer.
    • TheAbsintheHare, on 10/17/2008, -0/+1I love quicksilver, but it's been in the same beta build for foreeeeeeeeeever
  • boxarox, on 10/16/2008, -1/+2Can't wait to enroll in JESTURE classes at the Mac Store. After a few hours of hands-on, I'll remember a few of these " intuitive" track pad jestures and be able to a simulate a button push.
    Oh , and tell me again how to delete and rigth click? I seem to have forgot those intuitive commands as well...
    This cult has more secrets than the Free Masons....I guess there's a learning curve for thinkin' different.

    • TheAbsintheHare, on 10/17/2008, -0/+1*gesture

      To right click, you click the right side of the trackpad... That's pretty intuitive.

      You don't have to use any of the gestures. You can still click on things, but why are you scared of having to put effort into learning something new that could make your experience more enjoyable?

  • Kebie, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1We all saw what the new macbooks have. Why is this a dugg article? *****.
  • mentor972, on 10/17/2008, -0/+1First of all, it's not touch tap like the article makes it sound like. The whole pad is a real button. Second of all, what a pointless article. Buried.
  •  

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