Apple investigating problems with MacBook Pro's glass trackpad

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  • Reply 41 of 82
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post


    It's only a bummer if you are slouching really low with the laptop up in the air on your knees. You gotta figure that the percentage of users that do that is small.



    No, you and Apple 'want' to believe that that is the case.



    I wonder what your reaction would be if you had cause to slam on the brake peddle in your car with every ounce of your strength and it broke off, and as a consequence, you submarined under the back of a truck.



    From your vantage point in heaven, I am sure you would be reassured by the car manufacturer pointing out to your widow that only a tiny fraction of 'users' would ever have cause to exert as much force as you did, so in the scheme of things, the design flaw was not of great consequence as it only affected a very small minority.
  • Reply 42 of 82
    I've owned an old PowerBook G3 -- the one in the old shark advertisements..ate Pentiums for breakfast or something to that nature. Its trackpad worked just fine. It's button was reliable and I never had to think about it. It just worked. I NEVER had a complaint about the screen being matte, nor did I ever hear anyone else complain about it. What a quality product!



    Fast forward a few years and now we have glossy screen complaints, trackpads that are so complex that they are not reliable, and screens that are nearly as loose as my now 10-year-old PowerBook. Is this progress? Maybe they are making the screens loose as a way to do away with the screen glare? If your screen is constantly closing, you probably aren't going to notice that you can see yourself in it.



    I've also owned the Mighty Mouse as well, and about every week I used to clean the little scroll ball out using a tedious "Scotch tape method" I found online. I eventually replaced it with a nice Logitech MX 400. Now I rarely have a problem. I hope Apple doesn't get too far beyond the realm of simplicity. I really would like for grandparents and computer illiterate folks to continue being a part of Apple's customer base.



    "Okay Grandma, um, no the button is there, you just can't see it. You have to push down on this part. No...move your thumb a little more...almost....yep, you've got it! See now wasn't that easy? Now didn't I tell you Macs were user friendly? Oh wait, I think you just changed your font size. Let me just change that back for you."
  • Reply 43 of 82
    wircwirc Posts: 302member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cnocbui View Post


    No, you and Apple 'want' to believe that that is the case.



    I wonder what your reaction would be if you had cause to slam on the brake peddle in your car with every ounce of your strength and it broke off, and as a consequence, you submarined under the back of a truck.



    From your vantage point in heaven, I am sure you would be reassured by the car manufacturer pointing out to your widow that only a tiny fraction of 'users' would ever have cause to exert as much force as you did, so in the scheme of things, the design flaw was not of great consequence as it only affected a very small minority.



    Hyperbole much? Isn't this complaint from Hard Times, where Sissy argues with Gradgrind over whether a few deaths in a factory are good? Take your fanciful arguments back to the circus.



    If Apple is getting complaints they won't talk about them. They'll just appease people with quick responses until the sales charts or Steve tells them to do otherwise.
  • Reply 44 of 82
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by timgriff84 View Post


    My mighty mouse really really annoys me every week when it stops recognizing right clicks, not to mention the ball now only recognising scrolling up.



    I used to have that problem. I found that it happens when you click one side while your other finger is still resting on the other side. That's why I bought a proper mouse
  • Reply 45 of 82
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hands Sandon View Post


    You can easily clean that ball with a wet rag or by (as seen on YouTube) place a clean A4 sheet of paper onto a hard surface and press the ball firmly onto the paper whilst in random strokes moving the upside down mouse around for a minute or however long it takes.Use the corner of the sheet of paper to get any dirt out from around the track ball.



    I think that is the single most helpful piece of advice I've read on these forums.



    My Mighty Mouse is restored to it's original glory.



    Thank you very much indeed!



  • Reply 46 of 82
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Messiah View Post


    I think that is the single most helpful piece of advice I've read on these forums.



    My Mighty Mouse is restored to it's original glory.



    Thank you very much indeed!







    Your welcome. I thank the guy who posted it on YouTube. Some times it takes a couple of tries. I find that if I press harder it works better.

    Scroll on!
  • Reply 47 of 82
    I too can confirm on the MacBook Pros that the hinge doesn't offer a good deal of resistance to keep the weight of the display from closing it's self when held at "unnatural" angles. When the notebook is held with the bottom parallel with the floor the display does not collapse on itself. When the notebook is tilted to around a 25 - 30 degree angle then the display will then start to close itself.



    Other than that the trackpad works great on my model, and the display hinges work well, just not when the laptop is being held in an awkward position. Plus if you are having to tilt your notebook up at those angles, you are going to want to tilt your display back in which case does not affect the display and it does not close onto itself.



    I don't really see anything to fix here, other than that twitchy trackpad you may have. The only thing where you may not be registering clicks is if you have another finger slightly touching the trackpad in a corner or something.



    Good luck with your problems.
  • Reply 48 of 82
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MuncyWeb View Post


    Fast forward a few years and now we have glossy screen complaints, trackpads that are so complex that they are not reliable, and screens that are nearly as loose as my now 10-year-old PowerBook. Is this progress?



    Yeah. You do have to wonder. I suspect there will be a small number of 'old timers' on these forums, all of whom will agree with your post. The days of Apple designing functional kit seem to be behind us. Say hello to an age of pretty, 'unfunctional' kit.



    It seems as though Apple are no longer worried about getting the BASICS right. They are more bothered about designing products that look great on the sales floor. So what if it has major functional issues – we got the sale right?



    I have say, disappointedly, that this strategy seems to be working. Apple has a larger market share, and more money in the bank, than at any other point in its history.
  • Reply 49 of 82
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Skaag View Post


    I don't like the "It was designed this way" response on the hinge issue. And the assumption that it is rare that users put their laptop on their lap is flawed. I bought my laptop at the Apple Store in 5th Ave. and took it home very happy, then that same night it happened to me, and the very same night I went back to the Apple Store to replace my "faulty" laptop. When I got to the store, I tried the other laptops on display, and they were all faulty!



    My experience is exactly like yours. At the Apple Store in San Francisco [Stonestown], every MacBook Pro on display had the loose hinge problem. Apple's statement that it was designed that way doesn't pass the smell test - it's pure cover your a$$. If that were true the new MacBook would have this same "feature." My thought is that they used the same hinges on both models and the MacBook Pro's display is simply too heavy for the hinges to support it when it's tilted at an angle.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Skaag View Post


    Let me tell you, I have owned an iBook G4, then a MacBook 13", then a MacBook Pro 15", and now the Unibody MacBook Pro 15" and the hinge pisses me off. Both me and my wife frequently use our laptops in bed before we retire for the night, to read news, get some laughs on YouTube, etc. And my previous model MBP never did this thing with the hinge. So if it was designed this way, this is a flawed design decision. Laptops are not always used on a flat table, never mind when I'm on a boat and the boat is rocking from side to side and my screen closes!



    Almost everyone I know that has a laptop uses it this way. For me, this ended up being the deal-breaker. I returned my MBP and got my money back. I'll wait for them to announce a fix and I'll get another one.
  • Reply 50 of 82
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Messiah View Post


    The days of Apple designing functional kit seem to be behind us.



    I wouldn't say that. I've been using Macs since I have a 33MHz Performa with 5MB RAM. The new MB is most durable Mac I've ever owned. I can feel the 1/2 lb pound difference and there is no flex when I pick it up from one hand by a single corner.



    The difference may be that there are so many more people buying Macs that those with issues seem like the issues are more ubiquitous. Add in the speed of negativity on the internet, compounded with the tech and consumer attraction to the new Apple and you have normal growing pains making the front page for the page hits.



    That isn't to say that Apple hasn't let it self go in both SW and HW QA, but their are other factors to consider, and I don't think they are easily quantifiable.
  • Reply 51 of 82
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 7egend View Post


    I too can confirm on the MacBook Pros that the hinge doesn't offer a good deal of resistance to keep the weight of the display from closing it's self when held at "unnatural" angles.



    This statement is ridiculous. How is any angle unnatural?



    Every Apple laptop I've ever owned [Original white MacBook, Powerbook G4, iBook G4 14", iBook 12", original MacBook Pro] the display stayed open when the base was tilted to any angle. All current shipping Apple laptops behave the same way - with the exception of the MacBook Pro.



    It's bullshit, and Apple needs to fix it.
  • Reply 52 of 82
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by guriboy View Post


    This statement is ridiculous. How is any angle unnatural?



    Every Apple laptop I've ever owned [Original white MacBook, Powerbook G4, iBook G4 14", iBook 12", original MacBook Pro] the display stayed open when the base was tilted to any angle. All current shipping Apple laptops behave the same way - with the exception of the MacBook Pro.



    It's bullshit, and Apple needs to fix it.



    1) He agrees with you.



    2) An unnatural angle in this sense is one that is not natural to a normal computer user. Like holding the keyboard vertical with the keyboard screen facing down in a horizontal position like you are holding it while laying down and looking up. The display should stay where it is without succumbing to gravity. Not enough friction means it'll fall closed.
  • Reply 53 of 82
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MuncyWeb View Post


    I've owned an old PowerBook G3 -- I NEVER had a complaint about the screen being matte, nor did I ever hear anyone else complain about it.[/I]



    Not once in the past did I ever see someone say "I wish Apple used glossy screens" on a board such as this. Now I see tons of complaints and I hate them myself. It's beyond comprehension.
  • Reply 54 of 82
    I have the clicking issue as well, on my new MBP. Super annoying, I figured it was just mine but I already returned my first MBP for a dead pixel, which it seemed the track pad was fine on....hmmm...I can deal with it but it IS super annoying to have to deal with, especially having to click like 6 times to highlight and delete web browser addresses. \



    Other than that I LOVE my MBP with all my heart.
  • Reply 55 of 82
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by guriboy View Post


    Every Apple laptop I've ever owned [Original white MacBook, Powerbook G4, iBook G4 14", iBook 12", original MacBook Pro] the display stayed open when the base was tilted to any angle. All current shipping Apple laptops behave the same way - with the exception of the MacBook Pro.



    It's bullshit, and Apple needs to fix it.



    Well, have you ever owned a PowerBook G4 17"? I have one. The behavior of that hinge is exactly like the one complained about here on the new MacBook Pro. I've seen the new MacBook Pros in the Apple Stores and it's exactly like the 17" has been since their intro in 2003.
  • Reply 56 of 82
    Oh and in reply to the glossy screen everyone seems to complain about, I have had my MPB since the 17th and have not once wished it was not glossy, I could care less. LOVE IT!
  • Reply 57 of 82
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    People should watch the video referenced in the article. The diplay only falls when you hold the MacBook Pro with the keyboard perpindicular to the floor....standing the MacBook Pro up vertically on the front edge. Who would ever do that, even in bed? You wouldn't be able to type or view the screen that way, even if it was fully opened.



    I like the display in the video...more precise with no more "wiggle room" to get it where you want it.
  • Reply 58 of 82
    eluardeluard Posts: 319member
    For me the issue with the MacBook Pro is not the lid falling forward too easily, but rather falling backward too easily. When I put the PB onto the coffee table the screen/lid tends to fall backward unless I am very careful. And falling backwards it has knocked against a firewire drive case that is sitting there. My real concern is with the hinge getting even looser over time.
  • Reply 59 of 82
    I have both problems. The hinge thing doesnt really bother me but the missing clicks does annoy me a ton, because I use tab browsing a lot so i have to the command+click more then one. I thought it was just me no clicking properly. Hopefully its just a software issue that they are able to fix with a update
  • Reply 60 of 82
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Viggin View Post


    I am having the non-registering-clicks problem too.



    The place it seems to show up the most for me is when I am trying to Apple Click (Oh gosh I'll show my Mac Age), er.... Command-Click a link in Safari to open a new tab. My personal opinion is that it's a software issue, with the algorithms that determine whether a click is intentional or not perhaps being a little too aggressive. As I've never ever clicked the pad on accident, while mousing around or otherwise, I'd hope they could just scale it town.



    I hope you're right. It may be partially a software issue. I'f had worse problems in Safari than in others. But on my own MBP, there seems to be a particular spot in the trackpad that's more likely to get me a missed-click. I wondered if it was that I click with the base of my thumb insensibly somewhere on the trackpad, and the software is getting confused. But even when I click with my index finger pointed straight down, I miss clicks. I'm afraid that it's going to be a hardware issue, where the trackpad has some areas where it's just not registering. I hear and feel the click, though. It's odd.
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