MacBook Pro Trackpad fixes

Liz Henry — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:36:11 +0000

The new MacBook models have trackpads with multitouch, and there’s no separate button. Instead, clicking down anywhere on the trackpad has the effect of a mouse click. Great in theory, but in practice, my thumb rests on the bottom section of the trackpad, ready to click.

Because it’s touching the pad, my mousing is often interpreted as a zoom or pinch! This is beyond annoying, and makes the computer almost unusable — especially for people with disabilities or who might have a bit of hand impairment from RSI. (If you don’t have RSI now, you *will* after trying to use NeoOffice while your trackpad uncontrollably zooms you from 5% to 300% every 5 seconds!)

The MacOSX Trackpad control panel doesn’t allow turning off the multitouch and zoom functions!

Kustaa “Kusti” Nyholm lets us know that The New MacBook Pro Multitouch Trackpad Sucks — and best of all, exactly how to fix the problems.

First get this free beta software MultiClutch from Will Henderson’s blog. Assign zoom and pinch to a relatively harmless keystroke like Command-B, and half the problem is fixed!

Then follow Kusti’s instructions to make a trackpad button cover.

I took a DVD case, regular scissors, a pen and a piece of paper, and scotch tape. In less than 5 minutes, I had a new trackpad “mouse button cover”. It’s fantastic!

The mouse button cover doesn’t have to fit perfectly; mine doesn’t, and it still works. The laptop lid closes normally. I recommend this hack for anyone who has a new MacBook Pro !

Hack Ability » Mac

MacBook Pro Trackpad fixes