SlashGear Japan
Apple have released a new driver for the multitouch trackpad on the late-2008 MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The software attempts to address the poor responsiveness and general performance experienced when running Windows XP and Vista via Boot Camp, where users found dragging and clicking to be erratic. However initial reports suggest that while the update has addressed some aspects of the problem, it has shifted problems onto other areas of Windows functionality.
According to Ars Technica, while the issue where dragging objects would suddenly drop out mid-way through the process has been fixed, single- and right-clicking has now become unstable. Their MacBook has now begun to misinterpret single finger control as other types of input:
“After using two fingers to right click, single clicking again somewhere else with our thumb sometimes registers as another right click. Other times, after using two fingers to scroll and then lifting off the trackpad, a single finger to mouse around will register as a two-finger scroll or a right click”
Apple has previously had to update the new MacBooks to address problems with clicking experienced in OS X. We’re interested to hear about your experiences with this latest Windows update; it’s available to download here.
[via Ars]
3 Responses to “Apple MacBook trackpad driver for Vista & XP released; still flaky?”
James December 23, 2008
I’ve installed it. It’s terrible. Right-clicking in Boot Camp is still almost impossible and the trackpad is erratic.
Makes the trackpad almost completely unusable in Windows, meaning that you have to have a mouse. Not much good for a laptop.
I’m really narked at Apple. I bought the laptop in the knowledge that it can run Windows, only it turns out that it can’t.
Why can’t they just have the same behaviour as they do in Mac OS? Clicking in the corner of the trackpad is a right click on OSX.
NeutralJonas December 26, 2008
Bad news. I guess will buy another PC then… I really got interested in the new MacBook, but I need a proper trackpad when using Windows…
NeutralAlex January 3, 2009
Just installed it (I know it’s been a few weeks since the update came out). I can now say it simply sucks. Whereas before it was unusable in terms of dragging, now it’s simply annoying. I’m experiencing all the issues the article mentions as well the mouse not registering a click when the entire mousepad is clicked down (mechanically).
I’m wating for Apple to release another update, which I hope comes soon. I am very lucky that my job doesn’t depend on me using this notebook in BootCamp on the road, otherwise I would go crazy. Right now I just use an external mouse.
Neutral