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Comment by dmz73 | Hacker News Reader

Mac trackpad keeps getting mentioned as something that is leagues above the rest. I recently had to use MacBook air M2 and the trackpad was horrible. It was big but hard to use and it couldn't handle simple click and drag style of gesture that works on both windows and Linux. The buzzing feedback was random and confusing. I had to get a mouse after a few minutes struggling with it. For me experience on 15yo Dell with trackpad 1/4 the size feels superior to Mac.

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Where are you encountering buzzing feedback? I don't think I've experienced that in any Mac laptop I've used in the past 20 years. There's the haptic feedback from clicking but that's singular, distinct, and non-repeating.

Could be the electrical nature of the case? When I used a Macbook for work, if it was plugged in (original charger and cable and all) then dragging my finger over the chassi or trackpad could be described as a "haptic buzz", it felt like there were ridges on it, like corrugated cardboard. When unplugged and on battery, it would feel smooth.

Yep, that's probably because the power adapter wasn't grounded.

Here in Europe, at least in 2013, the adapter had two ways of plugging into an outlet: a cable and a plug that could be clipped on. The plug only had two prongs, while the cable had a ground connector. I'd get the "buzz" if the adapter wasn't grounded.

This also happens with my HP laptop if I plug it into an ungrounded usb-c adapter, so I'd expect the same thing to happen to iPads.

I too experienced this with my MBP. Some thought I was crazy, others felt. My surface pro 2 did this as well!

To me the acceleration of the touchpad of macbooks feels unnatural, even after prolonged used. And this is coming from a linux user on an XPS. It's so rare to find this opinion being shared though.

I actually like the acceleration, and when I switched from the mac to linux, I spent a long time trying to reproduce it. Never quite got there, though.

It's all about what you're used to, they're all fine until you switch.

Nah. I was used to Dell trackpads for years, but I immediately felt the Macbook's was superior immediately.

We have many Windows laptops in the family, and everyone uses mice most of the time. I only use a mouse on my Macbook when it's hooked up to an external display. Even then, I sometimes wish I had a Magic Trackpad.

> We have many Windows laptops in the family, and everyone uses mice most of the time.

Yup, at work we have "high end" enterprise HP Elitebooks. We've had a general refresh 1.5-2 years ago. Basically, everyone lugs around a mouse. And they're not "nice" mice, either, so it's not like they're getting any extra fancy ergonomics or what not. Hell, generally they're the basic 3 button Logitech, without even a back button (don't know how people can go without this today).

Drag and drop is awful on the trackpad indeed.

Sounds like you’re just not familiar with the relevant gestures? I can’t say I’ve had a single issue with my M2 trackpad.

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