TrackPad

The TrackPad is one of the more appreciated features of a Mac computer relative to some of the TrackPads that exist on Windows computers. It is sensitive and accurate to touch and supports gestures making it a powerful tool for those who are kinaesthetically oriented. The TrackPad on both Mac laptops as well as the external Magic TrackPad is a single sheet of metal with no visible buttons. Underneath the TrackPad however, are sophisticated sensors which can detect the difference between a single or multiple finger taps. Furthermore, it is calibrated to register complex gestures allowing for a variety of actions not unlike an iPad (even though the mechanisms may be different).

The TrackPad's primary function is to control the cursor in lieu of having a mouse. Although there is no physical button, the entire surface can be depressed to activate actions or lightly tapped. Tapping or depressing the TrackPad is the equivalent of a left mouse click. A right mouse click which is so integral to the Windows user can be emulated by holding down the Control button and clicking or tapping the TrackPad or by performing a two finger click/tap.

Some laptops/TrackPads (Magic Trackpad 2) offer an additional sensor called haptic touch. This is distinguished from a regular click by the amount of force that is required to activate it. A haptic touch is the in-between step between a full press and a tap. For that reason, it is sometimes also referred to as force touch. The force/haptic touch is typically used to access tertiary information. For example, performing a haptic touch on a word brings up the dictionary. On websites in Safari, using force touch on an address brings up Apple Maps. On devices that do not support this feature, it can be easily replaced with a three finger tap/click. For users that find this feature unnecessary or annoying, it can be turned off under System Preferences -> TrackPad.

Gestures

The TrackPad is like having a miniature iPad at your disposal to interact with the computer. There are some "universal" gestures that work as well on the TrackPad as they might on an iPad. There are also other gestures that are unique to the TrackPad which include:

• scrolling through a page using two fingers (multidirectional)
• zooming in and out by pinching or spreading two fingers
• "smart zooming" by double tapping with two fingers
• rotating an image with making a twisting motion with two fingers
• navigate between Spaces (full screen apps) with a three or four finger swipe to the right or left
• opening the Notification Centre by dragging with two fingers from the right hand edge of the TrackPad
• activate Mission Control by swiping up with three or four fingers (swipe down to exit Mission Control)
• activate Launchpad by pinching with three fingers and the thumb (exit by spreading with the thumb and three fingers)
• navigate between webpages by swiping right or left with two fingers (this is web browser dependent)

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