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macbook pro retina erratic trackpad issues

Mapbook pro with retina display trackpad has erattic behavior after 2 - 3 minutes of use. The behavior is most noticeable in Final Cut Pro X. When dragging and dropping clips, multy touch gestures will trigger unintentionally, causing the app to switch to the desktop, and launchpad and back dozens of times per second. the behavior continues and gets more frequient the longer the computer is awake... I'm hoping its a software issue... spent 3400 dollars on this thing... this is a rather infuriating bug for this, one of the most expensive laptops a person could buy.


ordered around june 18th, recieved around july 10th. upgraded to mountain lion and installed all updates.

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion, trackpad, behavior, erattic

Posted on Aug 13, 2012 10:55 PM

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58 replies

Jun 17, 2013 2:28 PM in response to posborne

I was getting coffee when I managed to spill a couple drops. I started freaking out and frantically drying it, nothing was working! Being severely stressed out I decided to take a nap and figure it out after I woke up. As soon as I woke up (3 hours later... lazy I know) I fired up the Mac and it started working! Then I remembered something... my mac was REALLY EFFING HOT when I left the cafe I was working at. It must have been the power supply that messed with my computer... As soon as it cooled off, it was good to go. Hope this helps! I have a customized 15 inch MBP Retina Customized.

Aug 15, 2013 2:12 AM in response to mvial

Bless you.


Out of the country for a few months, no Apple Store around. Was so frustrated, this was an easy fix. Thank you!


15" MBP (2011?) not Retina.

Nov 14, 2013 5:53 AM in response to posborne

If you are still under warranty, bring it in and it's 3-5 days for them to replace for you for free. Mine started acting up after 6 months of use and I brought it it. The genius was super cool, he plugged my machine into their cable, saw the trackpad moving on its own like a maniac, tested some stuff (I assumed it was just gathering information and testing hardware), checked for dents/scratches on the machine, and said the top cover, trackpad, and batteries were in one piece and it would normally be a $470ish fee for fixing they'd replace it for me for free because I was still under warranty (I forgot exactly what he said they were going to replace... don't think they are replacing the battery I only had under 10 charges it's usually plugged in).


I was freaked out when mine started acting up, but according to the genius this is "normal" and their machines have that from time to time too. Best of luck!

Nov 14, 2013 9:39 AM in response to Community User

Just to be clear: My issue was simply resolved by pushing firmly on the top left and right corners of the trackpad. Eventually there was a sort of "click" and that fixed the issue.

Dec 19, 2013 6:58 PM in response to Community User

when ever i get the erratic moves and clicks, i turn my laptop upside down and press where the battery is place, it seems to help for a while.


i just to fix the problem my pressing the top corners of the trackpad, now i have to press the whole bottom case. took it to an appre store, they told me i needed to change the whole top case (keyboard, battery and trackpad) with is over 600 usd.

Dec 20, 2013 5:57 AM in response to Rolando Mota

That's absurd.


Perhaps you can upgrade to a newer, faster MBP, transfer your data, sell your old one for parts, and still come under the $600 Apple wants.


I just passed off my 2010 MBP to a family member and got the 2012 which handles my workflow better, and used 2012s are pretty reasonably priced now. Heck, for $500 you can get a 1TB SSD and a BT trackpad/mouse and get a very fast computer.


Did you push the top corners of the trackpad until you got a click? Good luck!

Dec 29, 2013 11:51 AM in response to posborne

Okay, check this out:


For three days running I have worked on my 13 in. Retina MacBook Pro at home with no problems. However, as soon as I move the computer to my office, 5 minutes away from my home, neither the track pad nor an external USB mouse will register a click! I can move the mouse, use the return key function, but not click on anything.


I have rebooted the computer in safe mode, reset the power manager, rebooted holding down the command and R keys, rebooted in Target mode (this works, but the MackBook does not show up as shared on a new iMac or MacPro). I also tried turing of the WiFi before leaving home to see if the network at the office is causing the problem.


Then, when I return home, the computer track pad work perfectly. I have tested this after putting the computer to sleep and testing it after turning it off and then on again.


For a year (the comuter was purchased last December) it has worked fine traveling between the office and work. All of a sudden this glitch cropped up!


This has happened for three consecutive days.


Strange but True.

Dec 29, 2013 12:41 PM in response to Community User

It didn't work for long, since almost a year ago I fixed a similar problem by putting pressure to the corners of the trackpad thought this time might work as well, I being trying to find the 5 starts screwdriver to open the bottom case and see if its the battery that is getting swollen and its causing all the mess, havent had luck yet. Found a guide step by step on ifixit dot com, I get extreme irritated when the pointer starts going epileptic so I no longer use that computer anymore.

Dec 29, 2013 12:46 PM in response to ysapr.com

I would suggest you to take it to an apple store and try to get it fixed under warranty, I thought I could fix it my self, thought it was software issue, and now I have to pay for the whole top case to get it fixed, (its $700 for a 15 inch retina) I dunno why apple havent address this issue, it seems to be rather common, and yet the only way to fix it is pretty expensive.

macbook pro retina erratic trackpad issues

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