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Comment by weberc2 | Hacker News Reader

Also, the trackpads on Mac just work. I recently made a foray back into Windows a few years ago and was disappointed to learn that PC trackpads have made little progress in the intervening decade. Is it really easier to touchscreenify your entire software stack than to build a sane touchpad?

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In terms of sensitivity it's good, but the new MBPs also have this enormous trackpad that makes it so I can't use the keyboard without accidentally swiping it all the time and moving the cursor in a way that does something I don't want.

I know I'm in the minority here, since I do so much on the keyboard and don't use the mouse or the fancy trackpad features, but it's really infuriating.

Edit: I must be getting old, because I much prefer the ~2015 MB Airs: no touch bar, yes appropriately sized trackpad and magsafe.

I'm 'old' too: when I finally decided to replace my 2010 15" MBP last summer I opted for a 2015 model. Keyboard durability, battery life and ports were the main considerations, but ease of repair factored in, too. (I mean, 1/10 is better than 0/10, right?)

The work-issued 2017 MBP I was using at the time is bit smaller and lighter but the bigger trackpad and brighter screen were not worth the downsides for a personal machine that I expect to use for at least five years.

I got my company to purchase me a 2015 last year too. Best choice ever. Love the keyboard, have spilled wine on It and it still works and I have all the ports I need!

The bigger trackpad is a huge downer in other ways too. I can't keep the laptop on my tummy while lying on a sofa.

Does anyone know the motivation for making them big and so close to the edge?

Older Apple laptops had palm rejection that basically worked, but the palm rejection on the MacBook Pro trackpad doesn't work properly for many people, and there's still no fix for it.

This is surprising and disappointing, because Apple's iPad (for example) still has excellent palm rejection.

Combining the awful butterfly keyboard with the disaster of a trackpad, it's really one of the least usable laptops Apple has ever produced.

The only thing that has worked for me is to use an external keyboard and trackpad. ;-(

Meanwhile, if you're like me and don't like how the mouse or trackpad respond, you're SOL, because there is zero configuration allowed. Try using a non-magic mouse on a mac. It's hell.

What? I do have a non-magic mouse. What issues do you have?

Pointer speed was atrocious and turning off stupid acceleration was impossible without crazy plist hacking

I paid $20 for USB Overdrive, an excellent third-party driver, so I could continue using my ancient MS Intellimouse when its drivers took a turn for the worse. You can set speed and acceleration separately, and the curves are as good as the MS ones.

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