MB Air trackpad button - no right click?

[Fishrrman]

Hello all -

I've been considering either a MacBook Pro 13" or a MacBook Air. I'll probably wait until the next MB Pro refresh (looks to be toward the end of March), and either pick up a new one, or possibly a refurb (of the earlier models) or close-out. Not sure yet.

I'm a long-time Mac user, on Macs exclusively since 1987, so no stranger to the platform.

I was checking out the MacBook Air (Apple Store and Best Buy), and noticed something about the trackpad.

It has the "button" at the bottom. But - try as I might - I could not configure it to do a "right click" (that is to say, press "towards the right" on the button to display a contextual menu).

I was able to go to the "trackpad" preference, and was able to set up the "two-finger touch" to invoke the "right click". But there seems to be no way to use the right end of the trackpad button itself to do this.

Is this correct, or did I miss something?

By comparison, it is easy to set up the MacBook Pro to do a right-click, even with its "buttonless" trackpad.

But this feature seems missing from the MB Air.

Is it?

 

[scifiman]

You are correct in that there is no way to do a 1 finger right click due to the physical button. The only way to do it is with 2 fingers and press the button or have tap to click enabled OR hold ctrl while clicking (of which you are no doubt aware being a long time Mac user). Not ideal but that's the way it is. Hopefully the trackpad will be replaced in the next update to bring this feature and the glass surface type trackpad to the Air.

 

[mmulin]

The trackpad button on the MBA is just one traditional Apple button. It doesn't distinguish between left or right. However, as you discovered, you can tap with two fingers on the trackpad to make the secondary click.

Personally, I don't use the button at all. Just tab the trackpad (one finger for primary click and two for secondary click).

The new MBPs, I think you are referring to those, work a bit different since the trackpad itself is also the button.

 

[happyslayer]

As the above poster said... two-finger right-click tapping is the BEST!

Why doesn't every notebook computer do this.

I never use the button except to do dragging and dropping.

 

[reebzor]

The new MBPs, I think you are referring to those, work a bit different since the trackpad itself is also the button.

BUT- you CAN set the track pad to right click when pressed in the bottom right (or left) corner.

 

[mmulin]

BUT- you CAN set the track pad to right click when pressed in the bottom right (or left) corner.

I wasn't doubting that. In fact I have no idea how the new trackpad works. I just posted information about the MBA's.

 

[alphaod]

BUT- you CAN set the track pad to right click when pressed in the bottom right (or left) corner.

That is where people are misinformed. That was for the glass trackpad where everything is a big button. That does not work on the MacBook Air.

 

[reebzor]

I wasn't doubting that. In fact I have no idea how the new trackpad works. I just posted information about the MBA's.

I just posted information about the MBP's. Never said you were doubting it, just clearing it up for OP.

That is where people are misinformed. That was for the glass trackpad where everything is a big button. That does not work on the MacBook Air.

Yes, the glass trackpad in the new MBP's, which if you read my post I was referring to. Reading comprehension.

 

[Scottsdale]

In my opinion, the right click feature is a huge advantage of the glass buttonless trackpad found in all of the other mac notebooks. The MBA was the first to revolutionize the big trackpad, but it still fails because it has a stupid one-tracked button. I would think that one could just set the button to right click, but I cannot find such a setting, so I assumed there is no such thing. It's really a pain and terrible within Windows 7. I definitely hope the next MBA has a glass buttonless trackpad - it's a huge improvement.

Come on Apple, where's our new MBA with glass trackpad?