Ondrej Holzman The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display will offer several changes in its internals, but for many users the biggest change will be Force Touch, the new trackpad, with which Apple also installed its new MacBook. How does Apple's "touch future" work in practice?
The new technology hiding under the glass surface of the trackpad is one of the things that allowed Apple to create its thinnest MacBook yet, but it also appeared right after the last keynote in 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.
It is in it that we can get functionality Force Touch, as Apple named the new trackpad, to try. It looks like Apple will want to integrate touch-sensitive control surfaces across its entire portfolio, and after first experiences with Force Touch, we can say that this is good news.
Do I click or not?
An experienced user will recognize the difference, but if you were to compare the current trackpad of MacBooks and the new Force Touch to an uninitiated person, he would very easily miss the change. The transformation of the trackpad is quite fundamental, because it no longer "clicks" mechanically, despite what you might think.
Thanks to the perfect use of haptic response, the new Force Touch trackpad behaves exactly the same as the old one, it even makes the same sound, but the entire glass plate practically does not move downwards. Only slightly, so that the pressure sensors can react. They recognize how hard you press the trackpad.
The advantage of the new technology under the trackpad is also that in the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (and in the future MacBook), the trackpad reacts the same everywhere on its entire surface. Until now, it was best to press the trackpad in its lower part, it was practically impossible at the top.
Clicking otherwise works the same, and you don't have to worry about getting used to the Force Touch trackpad. For the so-called Force Click, i.e. stronger pressing of the trackpad, you really have to exert more pressure, so there is practically no risk of accidental stronger presses. On the contrary, the haptic motor will always let you know with a second response that you have used Force Click.
New possibilities
So far, only Apple applications are ready for the new trackpad, which provide a perfect demonstration of the possibilities of "secondary" or, if you want, "stronger" pressing of the trackpad. With Force Click, you can force, for example, a password search in the dictionary, a quick look (Quick Look) in the Finder, or a preview of a link in Safari.
Those who do not like the haptic response can decrease or increase it in the settings. So, those who did not click on the trackpad of the MacBooks, but used a simple touch to "click", can reduce the response completely. At the same time, thanks to the touch sensitivity on the Force Touch trackpad, you can also draw lines of different thicknesses.
This brings us to the endless possibilities that third-party app developers can bring to Force Touch. Apple showed only a fraction of what can be called up by pressing the trackpad harder. Since it is possible to draw on the trackpad, for example, with styluses, Force Touch can become an interesting tool for graphic designers when they do not have their usual tools at hand.
At the same time, it is an interesting view into the future, as it is likely that Apple will want to have touch-sensitive control surfaces in most of its products. Expansion to other MacBooks (Air and 15-inch Pro) is only a matter of time, the Watch already has Force Touch.
It is on them that we will be able to test what such technology could look like on the iPhone. Perhaps Force Touch makes even more sense on a smartphone than it does on a computer trackpad, where it already feels like a cool novelty.
I also touched it and I have to say that it is a very nice job, hopefully the Magic tracked and Magic mouse and the keyboard will be upgraded to a butterfly design. I'm just a little disappointed that Touch ID couldn't be integrated
The current touchpad/trackpad is already a great thing and far ahead of the competition. Every time I get to the win note, I suffer and can't get used to the discomfort. There really is a need for a cape. With the Apple touchpad/trackpad, I use the mouse only exceptionally - only if I often move something - I haven't quite mastered that with the trackpad yet. A new touchpad? I would say that whoever gets used to it will curse even the great current one, and if he gets his hands on win notas, he won't be able to stand it anymore with his nerves :-)
Will Mavericks be installed on this new MacBook?
Almost certainly not... It wouldn't support the currently used hardware..
Skoda, Yosemite is one hideous, squealing scum like from a circus... I'd like to install Mavericks on it...
I somehow miss the point of what is so brilliant about a laptop. Also, it was difficult to emulate a "long click", when the user simply holds down the mouse/touchpad for a while longer... But maybe it's something that I don't even know I was missing until Apple gives it to me and in a year it will come to me as a matter of course. Like yes, it's great that the touchpad will be clickable all over the surface. What makes me sad is that the new MacBook looks like it's a flourish of the most modern technology and then they put a 480p camera from the last century... It says something when the key points in the video presentation are 1) a cosmetic change to the bottom of the keys, 2) the lighting of the flight of individual key 3) the shape of the flashlight.