Touchpad Sensitivity Appauling

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Touchpad Sensitivity Appauling

Hi All,

Brand new MacBook Air, 13" i5, 256 SSD, 4GB (Samsung thankfully!), running Lion.

The sensitivity of the built in multi-touch pad seems to be very sporadic. Sometimes the slightest touch on the pad will trigger a click, which is what I am used to on my old MacBook Pro and other times, within a few seconds of the ultra sensitive instance, I can sit there tap the pad 6 or so times before the click is actually acknowledged.

This is very frustrating especially when working away from a desk/mouse/keyboard. In addition to the click feedback, I have also noticed that when tracking the cursor across the screen, it pointer will occasional just stop, then it will catch up again a few seconds later. It is almost like the touch-pad is loosing connection or the software for the touch-pad is have delays processing my input.

I have tried changing the universal settings to slow for double click, as a few other folks have suggested, but it does not seem to make any difference.

This coupled with the fact I've 8 Kernel panics in the past 24 hours, I'm starting to get a little irritated,

Has anyone had any similar experiences with their new Airs running Lion and if so, any tips on what might be going on or how I might be able to fix the issue?

Thanks in advance,

Mitch

Posted on Jul 28, 2011 1:45 PM

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Answer 1

JE13

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3,938 points

Jul 28, 2011 1:51 PM in response to MitchyB

Have you done the other, usual things? Repair permissions? Re-start and all that?

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Answer 2

MitchyB Author

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Jul 28, 2011 2:05 PM in response to JE13

Hi JE13,

Thanks for the reply,

I have reset the permissions and rebooted a few times, I also reset the SMC, all to no avail so far.

Thanks,

Mitch

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Answer 3

Jul 28, 2011 2:10 PM in response to MitchyB

Hi there, something I have read about MacBooks but do not know if it applies to the Air, does this happen more when the laptop is plugged in or unplugged? I use my macbook with the plug straight into the adaptor, but it comes with another cable which has a proper earth.

Do a test and see if this happens when you 'ground' your hand on the body of the laptop at the same time.

If it makes a difference, use the extension lead, as you may have a bad earth.

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Answer 4

MitchyB Author

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Jul 28, 2011 2:18 PM in response to aircanman

Hi Aricanman,

I've just tested and can confirm that the issue is present with or without the power connected.

I did try and earth myself but it made no difference.

Any other thoughts?

Mitch

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Answer 5

Jul 31, 2011 7:54 PM in response to MitchyB

I too have the new MacBook Air 13" i5 with Lion and have this same basic problem (haven't noticed the cursor lag but I will look for it). It goes from doing all sorts of unintended clicks to completely unresponsive. This trackpad was supposed to be an upgrade but I am now missing my old white MacBook.

Luckily, I have not experienced the kernal panics but have had ocassional weirdness with Safari in full screen mode.

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Answer 6

mixman_

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Aug 8, 2011 2:22 AM in response to MitchyB

Same problem on a brand new 13" Macbook Air (i7, 256GB). I'm used to the buttery-smooth trackpad performance on a standalone bluetooth trackpad on Snow Leopard. On the Lion, sometimes tap-to-click does nothing for many, many clicks. Then it suddenly responds. Frustrating.

Will have to return my purchase within the 14-day return period if no fix is forthcoming.

EDIT: Lion has also completely frozen the system once. Unstable.

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Answer 7

mixman_

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Aug 8, 2011 2:38 PM in response to MitchyB

Screencasts to demonstrate the problem:

Slow movements version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM71ra7avlY

Fast movements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLkmqqQpGjw

In the videos I move the cursor, then tap -- all the time repeating this pattern. If the cursor is still, I'm just tapping, waiting for a response, then moving on.

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Answer 8

MitchyB Author

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Aug 15, 2011 12:36 AM in response to mixman_

Hi All,

An update for all on my situation, I took my Air back to the Apple store. The genius tried to run a couple of low level diagnostics, all of which froze up before they even got started.

He scratched his head and then swapped it for a new one.

Since getting my new one, the track pad has been fantastic, smooth and responsive.

If you guys are still having isues, I'd really think about taking it back.

Cheers,

Mitch

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Answer 9

Aug 20, 2011 11:53 AM in response to MitchyB

Esperiencing the same problem on a macbook pro about three years old, just upgraded from snow to lion. Major pain. I tried fiddling with all the trackpad settings, to no avail. Very inconsistent problem, comes and goes, sometimes a restart will help. When the problem is present the trackpad is jittery, with frequent unintended clicks causing various unwanted windows to open and close, text to be highlighted when I dont want it to be. Can't return it like Mitchy did..pain.

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