Buttons?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I have been surprised that Apple still is persisting in supplying just one mouse/trackpad button on the MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Whilst this was par-for-the-course on the Powerbooks I'm sure I'm not the only one who is surprised about this missing feature on the new lines. After all I've been using a 5 button mouse since 1999 and OS 9 where contextual menus were very much part of the system and very useful in Office and Dreamweaver at the time. Now I've trained myself to have Dashboard; all window Expose and desktop Expose on the spare buttons - very accessible.



Why now do we have this disparity between the Desktops with their "Mighty Mouse" (Apple; please drop this NAF name) and the laptops with their single click. I can't see how these big single trackpad buttons are useful without having the Ctrl-Click option included.



For those nay sayers; I say the presence of a right click does not confuse a user - it doesn't exist until you try it so it's no less simple than a single button option. My wife never uses a right button despite her Windows background - its existence is not apparent to her (I hear the odd groan when she accidentally clicks the scroll wheel and Expose appears - but I'll teach her yet).



I also think Apple could do something funky like instead of just implementing a Ctrl-Click button next to the trackpad (some may call that Right Click) how about a Click-Wheel. The circular motion could be the scroll wheel; the centre button a Ctrl-Click and the 4 buttons - user-definable - but defaulted to Spaces, Expose, Dashboard etc. I realise positioning of a click-wheel on a laptop would be controversial - but it would be a unique selling point for the MB/MBP and a feature familiar to many many non-Mac users.



Just interested in what you guys/gals think. ;-)

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    the new laptops have a "right click" feature which is enabled by having two fingers on the trackpad and clicking. haven't used it myself, but it seems like a reasonable alternative.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by admactanium


    the new laptops have a "right click" feature which is enabled by having two fingers on the trackpad and clicking. haven't used it myself, but it seems like a reasonable alternative.



    Well my TiBook has a right click by stretching my little pinky to the ctrl key and thumb on the trackpad button - but it's not very user friendly nor is the two-finger and click fudge.



    Apple is famous for getting the details right - but IMVHO it's mice have always been a let down.
  • Reply 3 of 11
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    The simple solution would be to have the button look similar to the way it does now, except with a small grooved line down the middle of it that's not too noticeable. Set to one button as default, with an option in System Prefs like the one for the Mighty Mouse. Problem solved!
  • Reply 4 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland


    The simple solution would be to have the button look similar to the way it does now, except with a small grooved line down the middle of it that's not too noticeable. Set to one button as default, with an option in System Prefs like the one for the Mighty Mouse. Problem solved!





    Groove or no groove, I'm with you. If it looked exactly the same but had an option in System Prefs, I'm there. I can live without it (and have switched back and forth between many a laptop), but I would prefer it.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    The two-finger right-click and two-finger scrolling are much, much better than having separate buttons.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chucker


    The two-finger right-click and two-finger scrolling are much, much better than having separate buttons.



    Personal opinion. I've found that anything anyone gets used to is "much, much better", be it word processors or buttons. I find two-finger right-click inaccurate. A button, either on the keyboard or near the pad is better for me.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mzaslove


    I've found that anything anyone gets used to is "much, much better"



    Then you should know I have previously used laptops with two and more buttons for years. So, by your logic, I would find that "much, much better", seeing as I was used to it. Yet, after mere days of using two-finger right-click, I already preferred it by far.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chucker


    Then you should know I have previously used laptops with two and more buttons for years. So, by your logic, I would find that "much, much better", seeing as I was used to it. Yet, after mere days of using two-finger right-click, I already preferred it by far.



    Naw, we get used to things; it's more about how adaptable we are. It was the "much, much better" that kinda got my response. I just find the two-finger approach inaccurate, so a button, any button works better. Can I use the two-finger? Yup. If that's all I used would that work best for me... probably. I never thought a trackpad could be used to edit video with, yet last year I ended up doing rough-cuts on over 200 commercials on one of those things, no mouse, no nuthin'. I wouldn't subscribe that anyone do that, but for me, it worked in the given situation. Weird how adaptable we are. Me, I wish there were an option to set the button to be two buttons. Not gonna kill me either way. Now, lower prices... there's something that's always "much, much better".
  • Reply 9 of 11
    Single button or a click-wheel.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    i haven't used one of the new laptops but i could see that two-finger right click makes more sense because it's more ergonomic. i always find the right click button on windows laptops to be in an awkward place that requires me to move my hand to reach it.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    I prefer the three way split with two buttons, and track-pad. It's just easier al the way around.
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