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Mac OSX and masking tape?
I just couldn't help telling you about a situation I came across when doing some support for a customer with a Mac.
He has recently upgraded his macbook air to the latest OSX version and this has taken away a tick button that allowed him to disable the trackpad whilst using an external (USB) mouse. He phoned Apple support and was informed this was a feature of the latest release. The Apple support person was very helpful and whilst there is no easy fix, told him that there was a code that could be typed in to turn on and turn off the trackpad, but there were issues with advising him to use that.
Helpfully, he said that on his own Mac he uses masking tape to cover the trackpad whilst he is using an external mouse. I can imagine the Apple ad now "..engineered from a single block of aluminium to tolerances beyond compare, and now comes complete with a roll of Apple masking tape to disable the trackpad while typing". You couldn't make it up.
Still, even with masking tape OSX is still head and shoulders above Windows, but come on Apple, think before you change things. I suppose it just goes to show, nothing's perfect and even Apple can make silly mistakes.
Do you think Apple will give a free upgrade to masking tape v1.0 to all affected notebook users? By the way, I'm a mac user and mac fan.
Phil Cox
On a Windows laptop, I could turn off the trackpad in the BIOS. Strange that it doesn't simply default to external mouse if one is present. Anyway, I take issue with the ad, surely engines, processors etc are engineered to much greater tolerances?
Posted by JH | June 20, 2009 6:32 PM
Most Windows laptops allow you to use the blue Fn keys to turn the trackpad off and on at will. All mine do.
Posted by Wandering | July 22, 2009 2:57 PM
I recently switvhed over form OSX to Win7. Have to say I'm very impressed with the latest Win, and would totally disagree that OSX is 'head and shoulders above'.
Posted by brindleoak | November 26, 2009 6:51 AM