Top Bananas | Tag Archives: trackpad

Right-Clicking on a Macintosh

Posted on December 7, 2015 by admin Posted in User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Right-clicking is a secondary way of giving commands through the mouse.

When Apple first introduced the Macintosh back in 1984, they offered a mouse with a single button. That way it would be impossible for anyone to click the wrong button. In comparison, early PC mice offered two or three buttons, making it easy o click the wrong button by mistake and not know why the computer wasn’t responding the way you thought it should.

Today, Apple’s Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad have no buttons at all, but they still allow you to click just by pressing down on the surface of the mouse or trackpad. This eliminates the ugly appearance of buttons while giving users the ability to press anywhere they wish on the mouse or trackpad.

By default, many Macintosh computers only allow single clicking. If you want to right-click, you have two options. First, you can simply hold down the Control key and click. The Control-click action mimics a right-click.

Second, you can click the Apple icon on the menu bar and choose System Preferences to open a System Preferences window. Now click the Mouse or Trackpad window and select the Secondary click check box. Now you’ll be able to click on the left corner of the mouse for a left click and the right corner of the mouse for a right click. If your’e using a trackpad, you can left click by pressing one finger on the trackpad and press two fingers on the trackpad for a right-click.

Something as simple as clicking and moving the mouse with a mouse or trackpad might seem like a mundane task, but it’s often what separates Apple laptops from ordinary PC laptops. Try a MacBook trackpad and it will feel smooth and responsive to the touch. Try a typical PC laptop trackpad and you’ll notice a difference right away. A PC trackpad is often far less responsive and less accurate. Until you see and feel the difference, you won’t really know how poor far too many PC laptop trackpads can be.

The mouse and trackpad are an important part of communicating with your computer, so don’t accept cheap mice or trackpads. That’s like buying a new car and putting bicycle wheels on it. Get the best mouse and trackpad for your computer. For most PCs, that means buying third-party mice or trackpads. For the Macintosh, you’ll probably be happy with the Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad that comes free with every Macintosh.

Changing the Scroll Direction of the Mouse or Trackpad

Posted on December 4, 2015 by admin Posted in User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Scroll direction defines how content, such as text, moves when you slide your finger up and down the mouse or trackpad.

When people learn one way of doing something, they often think that’s the only way that particular task should be done. That’s why people get stuck in their ways and find new ways of doing that same task foreign, confusing, and even counter-productive. It’s not that the new way of doing a task is bad, but once you’re used to the old way of doing something, anything different will force you to think and change your behavior.

That’s why so many people stubbornly cling to the past because at least in the past, they’re masters of their domain. That’s why typewriter repairmen were so adamantly against word processors and engineers trained on slide rulers questioned the wisdom of letting people use pocket calculators. This stubborn insistence of holding on to the past is what stops human progress in all fields.

So it’s not surprising when people get used to one way of working with a computer and refuse to learn anything new. That’s why so many Windows users used to fear switching to the macintosh because they feared learning something new that would force them to unlearn their ingrained habits. Perhaps one of the strangest ingrained habits of older computer users involves scrolling the mouse or trackpad.

When you scroll down, text in a window moves up. When you scroll up, text in a window moves down. This might seem natural until you start using a Macintosh where the default setting is to make text scroll down when you scroll down and make text scroll up when you scroll up.

This seemingly minor change can still trip up many people trained for years on older Windows PCs. By default, the Macintosh offers what it calls Scroll direction: natural turned on by default, but if your habits are too hard to break, you can switch this scroll behavior off so scrolling up moves text in a window down and scrolling down moves text in a window up.

To change the scroll direction of the mouse or trackpad, follow these steps:

Click the Apple icon on the menu bar and when a pull-down menu appears, click System Preferences. The System Preference window appears.
Click the Mouse or Trackpad icon. This opens the Mouse or Trackpad window.
Click the Point & Click tab for a mouse, or the Scroll & Zoom tab for a trackpad.
Clear the Scroll direction: natural check box.

In general, it’s best to keep defaults and just adapt to a slightly different way of working. That way you’ll eventually get comfortable using both methods of scrolling instead of cringing in fear at the slightest bit of change in using a computer.

Don’t fear change. Embrace it. Everything’s changing around you anyway so you can either keep up with progress or you can hide in a corner and mutter to yourself on how great everything was back in the old days with command-line interfaces and punch cards used to program a computer.

You don’t want to be the old guy (or gal) bitterly complaining about change and become a living antique. Stick with change and you’ll find the world opens up so many more opportunities, but only if you’re willing to adapt new ways of doing old tasks.

Batteries Included

Posted on November 6, 2015 by admin Posted in Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: The latest Apple input devices now come with built-in, rechargeable batteries instead of relying on AA batteries that need constant replacing.

One of the most disappointing experiences occurs when you get a toy and want to play with it right away, only to see the dreaded words on the side “Batteries no included.” That means your anticipation using the toy immediately gets put on hold, disappointing you right away. This sour customer experience is the reason why Apple now includes built-in, rechargeable batteries in their latest input devices, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Mouse 2, and the Magic Keyboard.

All three of these devices can connect to your computer’s USB port using an included USB to Lightning connector. The Magic Trackpad 2 and the Magic Keyboard let you use the devices while it’s plugged in and being recharged. The Magic Mouse 2 requires plugging the cable into the bottom of the mouse, making it impossible to use when recharging.

Prior to built-in batteries, Apple required you to use AA batteries in the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and wireless keyboard. This meant constantly replacing batteries whenever their charge wore off. The typical solution was to keep a pair of fresh AA batteries around at all times so you could replace the worn out ones when needed. If you used rechargeable batteries, you could constantly recharge one pair of AA batteries while using another pair.

The problem with this solution was that it was still a pain in the neck to use AA batteries. If you failed to recharge a pair of AA batteries or keep a spare pair of AA batteries around, then you’d have to wait around and not use your input device, which is just a nuisance you don’t need.

That’s why something as simple as built-in batteries is such a trivial but major innovation. The AA batteries worked just fine, but they made using Apple’s input devices less convenient. By removing this minor irritation, Apple’s latest input devices are far simpler to use with much less annoying problems like constantly changing out AA batteries.

This constant attention to detail is what makes fans so loyal to Apple. Other companies may make rechargeable keyboards with built-in batteries, but you’d have to plug them in a dock overnight, which means if you forget, you can’t use a dead keyboard.

Apple’s solution allowing the Lightning connector to recharge their input devices simply gives you the ability to recharge a device while using it at the same time (except for the Magic Mouse 2). If you want to use a wireless input device, Apple just made their keyboard and trackpad far more appealing. In the PC world, PCs typically come with cheap keyboards and mice, so people often buy better ones. With a Macintosh, you are more likely to keep and use the input devices that come with your computer.

The Magic Trackpad 2 is even more important because it uses Force Touch, which lets you press on its surface to control your Macintosh. While not crucial, it’s just one more way to give you control over your computer that ordinary trackpads can’t offer. This separates the Magic Trackpad 2 from ordinary trackpads and makes those ordinary trackpads obsolete.

By themselves, Apple’s latest input devices aren’t revolutionary, but they are important because they make the user experience just a little bit better. With such steady improvements, the Macintosh is even more appealing. Look in the PC world to see how little low-cost PCs try to improve on the user experience. Microsoft and other companies are now offering premium PCs in an attempt to reverse this cheap perception of PCs, but it’s probably too late. PCs have long been known for their low cost so the majority of PC users will simply accept cheap prices in return for substandard equipment. Macintosh users often appreciate quality, so the Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Keyboard just give them one more reason to stay with a Macintosh.

To read a review of the Magic Trackpad 2, click here.

The Tiny Details of Eliminating Removable Batteries

Posted on October 24, 2015 by admin Posted in Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: The Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and Magic Keyboard all have a built-in battery so you don’t need to replace them.

With Apple’s first generation mouse, trackpad, and keyboard, you had to open up a battery compartment and stick two AA batteries inside. While these batteries lasted a while, there was always the nuisance of replacing them. To make this easier, Apple sold rechargeable batteries, but the batteries took a long time to charge. If you didn’t have a spare set of batteries, you’d wind up with a dead mouse, trackpad, or keyboard.

That’s why the latest Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and Magic Keyboard have a built-in battery. Even better, you can quick charge these devices in 2 minutes to get 8-9 hours of use out of them, or charge them for 2 hours and you’ll get a solid month’s use out of them. Rather than force everyone to buy special recharging cables, Apple simply recycled their Lightning connector used to recharge the iPhone and iPad. Now you just have to buy (or reuse) a Lightning cable to recharge your input devices.

One particularly interesting feature of these built-in batteries isn’t their quick charge capabilities but how they physically changed the way the Magic Mouse 2 sounded when you slid it across a desk. While this may sound trivial, Apple discovered that removing the replaceable battery compartment made the mouse sound differently due to the change of weight. Rather than simply solve technical problems, Apple took extra time to insure the aesthetic feel and sound of the Magic Mouse 2 worked like the previous Magic Mouse.

Why would Apple devote precious time and engineering resources to worry about a trivial matter like the sound and feel of a mouse? Because it matters.

If you’re just used to buying the cheapest equipment possible and boasting how much money you saved, you have to also look at how the cheapest equipment also hampers your productivity. Cheap keyboards have keys where the lettering wears off, the keys feel mushy and unresponsive, and the overall typing experience is marginal at best. Cheap mice feel too light like plastic toys. They may work, but they won’t make you happier using them.

That’s why Apple obsesses over minor details because minor details matter. The minute you take shortcuts on minor details, you’ll be far more willing to take shortcuts on major details as well until you start designing products for the convenience of the company (which means spending less time and money) instead of the convenience of the customer (who want to use a quality product).

Although Apple’s new input devices may seem trivial, they’re not. You can often judge a person’s character by how they treat others in private. Someone who’s rude and arrogant to a waiter in a restaurant probably won’t be any nicer to you in private either. The same general rule applies to companies as well.

Companies that rush products to market with little thought for how it affects the customer are simply trying to make money at the customer’s expense. That’s why so many Windows PCs come loaded with bloatware, cheap keyboards, cheap mice, and mediocre hardware. The goal isn’t to please the customer. The goal is to get by doing as little as possible.

Surprisingly, many people gravitate towards cheap products, but then they dismiss higher quality products all the while secretly wishing they had those higher quality products. But because they insist that cost is the overriding concern rather than quality, they forever cheat themselves of better experiences with better products. By saddling themselves with mediocrity, they angrily denounce anything better that they’re denying for themselves.

Quality can be just as important as price. You can buy a cheap car that falls apart or a quality car that lasts. Quality always gives you a better experience. Some people understand this simple principle. Others do not, and you can tell those who do not because of their obsessive focus on price and technical specifications, whether those technical specifications translate into better user experience or not.

Not everyone wants to buy the best in all areas of their lives and that’s okay. Just don’t criticize those who prefer quality in computer products because that’s what’s important to them. When you look at the Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2, you can see Apple’s insistence on quality. That tells a lot about Apple as a company and also about customers who buy these products.

Quality may not be important to everyone, but to those who care, it’s worth it.

To read about Apple’s latest input devices, click here.

Typing on the iPad

Posted on June 29, 2015 by admin Posted in User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Typing on the iPad right now requires pressing on a hard, non-taticle glass surface and manipulating the cursor clumsily by pointing your finger at text. The keyboard in iOS 9 promises to fix this problem.

Many people don’t like typing on the iPad because the hard glass surface of the screen provides zero tactile feedback. That’s why so many people buy external keyboards that double up as covers to protect and prop up the iPad so you can type. However, external keyboards may soon be unnecessary with the coming iPad Pro, which is rumored to have a larger 13-inch screen to provide a wider virtual keyboard. Not only will this wider keyboard be easier tot type on, but Apple’s tactile feedback technology known as Force Touch will also provide tactile feedback virtually through the glass screen.

If this sounds like science fiction, just realize that the latest MacBook uses Force Touch in its trackpad to simulate pressing on the trackpad to click the mouse. Unlike trackpads on older MacBook models, the MacBook’s trackpad never physically moves when you press down on it. Instead the Force Touch technology tricks your fingers into thinking you’re pressing down on the trackpad when the trackpad surface physically never moves. This allows a thinner trackpad design while still giving people tactile feedback they need when pressing on the trackpad.

Now combine Force Touch with the iPad Pro’s virtual keyboard and you can see how Force Touch should allow you to rest your fingers on the virtual keyboard (something not possible with today’s iPad virtual keyboard) and only record keystrokes when you physically press down on the glass screen. Even though the glass screen won’t move, its Force Touch technology will simulate pressing on actual keys, giving you tactile feedback for typing.

By combining Force Touch with the larger virtual keyboard of the iPad Pro, typing should more closely mimic typing on a physical keyboard. Then to manipulate the cursor, you can press two fingers on the virtual keyboard and it turns into a trackpad, allowing you to manipulate the cursor easily. Lift two fingers off the screen and the virtual keyboard appears again.

The combination of Force Touch and turning the virtual keyboard into a trackpad promises to make typing far easier on the iPad Pro than on current and past versions of the iPad. This will only be possible with Force Touch technology, which has brought tactile feedback as part of the user interface. In the old days, user interfaces are limited to visual appearances. Force Touch brings user interfaces into tactile sensations as well.

Expect the iPad Pro later this fall, just in time for the Christmas shopping season. By making the iPad easier to type on, you can expect even more people will prefer an iPad over a laptop for creating and consuming content. The boundaries between laptops and tablets are about to blur even more. One thing is for certain. Physical keyboards are fast becoming obsolete. Just ask Blackberry what happened to their smartphones with physical keyboards once the iPhone arrived.

Creating a New User Interface

Posted on April 4, 2015 by admin Posted in User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Force Touch is Apple’s latest technology that provides physical feedback and detects gestures involving different types of pressure.

In a review of the Macintosh in The San Francisco Examiner (19 February 1984), John Dvorak wrote the following about the Macintosh, it’s graphical user interface, and the mouse used to control it:

“The nature of the personal computer is simply not fully understood by companies like Apple (or anyone else for that matter). Apple makes the arrogant assumption of thinking that it knows what you want and need. It, unfortunately, leaves the “why” out of the equation — as in “why would I want this?” The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a “mouse”. There is no evidence that people want to use these things. I don’t want one of these new fangled devices.”

Obviously most computers now use a pointing device called a mouse or a trackpad. What the Macintosh did with its graphical user interface and mouse was give us a new way to interact with a computer.

In the past, you had to type cryptic commands. Misspell a command or put in a space or comma in the wrong place and your command would fail. Then you would have to retype the whole thing all over again, which was time-consuming, frustrating, and tedious. Yet tech-savvy users cheered this way of interacting with the computer as if it were the only way to use a computer.

Fast forward to today and you can see these same tech-savvy users claiming no one needs new user interfaces. Yet that’s exactly what Apple has introduced with Force Touch, their new technology that can detect different pressures and interpret those as different commands. Apple originally created Force Touch for the tiny screen of the Apple Watch, but that technology has already migrated to the trackpad of MacBook laptops. That means you can expect Force Touch to migrate to all Macintosh computers and iPhone models in the future.

Today’s Magic Trackpad that many people use to control a Macintosh will eventually get Force Touch technology. This year’s iPhone 6S will get Force Touch technology. Force Touch is the new way to interact with computers through physical feedback.

The Macintosh and the mouse gave us visual feedback. Force Touch will give us physical feedback with the Apple Watch being the best example by tapping your wrist when you get an e-mail message or phone call.

Force Touch is going to revolutionize user interfaces as much as the mouse and graphical user interfaces did for personal computers. Watch rivals play catch up to haptic technology that drives Force Touch.

In the future, look at gesture-based interaction, which Microsoft pioneered through their Kinect device, but which they failed to exploit. Apple bought the company that developed Kinect originally (PrimeSense) so you can expect Apple to introduce gesture-based interfaces soon.

Imagine waving your Apple Watch around in a certain pattern to give it commands. Combining the Apple Watch with Force Touch (haptic feedback), Siri (voice-activated control), and gesture-based movements (based on the Kinect), there’s going to be far more ways to interact with computers than just typing commands or moving a mouse.

The future is clear in this regard, except for people who fail to recognize that present technology will never remain superior for the rest of eternity.

About Force Touch.