Force Touch Trackpad input while typing

I have exactly the same issue with a Macbook 12". It is soooo annoying. This is the first Mac that I have this problem with having 'upgraded' from a MBP mid 2012. Please Apple, fix the issue fast!!

This surely cannot be as a result of 'faulty' hardware on a few new machines? The problem, reading this tread, appears to be common and seems to be a design issue with the new 'Force Touch Trackpads'?

Wait until you enable "Tap to click" and you will see how frustrating this is even with the 'Click' option set to 'Firm'

I am afraid that's true, and for that reason I'm not too hopeful about the outcome of my repair. But, on the other hand, not everyone with these notebooks experiences this. The 'genius' that looked at mine said he has the exact same model as I do and it's never happened to him.

On the other hand, all the models for people to try out in the store have 'tap to click' unchecked.....

Here is my experience. I took my original MBP to the Apple Store twice. The first time the Genius said I was holding my hands wrong. I did my best to contort my hands while typing and still had the issue. I took it back the second time and they said they would look at it. I got a call a day later and they said nothing was wrong. I put my foot down and they wound up replacing the top unit (keyboard and trackpad). It was much better but I had other issues. I finally decided I had a lemon.

As it happens, I run IT at my company so I said "get me another one". The new MBP is much better across the board but it still had trackpad issues (although not as bad). As this long, long thread makes clear: The design of the trackpad and its software is very poor. It misinterprets light touches by the side of your hands and crazy, maddening things happen (or don't happen). Apple is using this design in the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Soon I'm sure it will use it in the MacBook Air. This issue must be fixed.

I am using BetterTouchTool and have described the configuration I use in another post in this thread. It hasn't solved the problem entirely but between BTT and a replacement Mac, I feel like I'm using a real Apple product once again, not a piece of junk.

I love the "holding your hands wrong" explanation. I had a 2006 original Macbook for 5 years, then the 2011 11" Air for 4 1/2 (which I am using again while I wait for my Macbook to be fixed) and never had this problem before. Mac OS X used to have an "ignore accidental trackpad input" setting -- and I think they could use it again on their Force Touch machines. Either that, or I wish they could install a non-Force touch trackpad on my machine!

IMO, the 2011 Air screen, keyboard, and speakers are terrible compared to the 2015 Macbook -- but I'm so happy that the cursor NEVER jumps, no matter how I hold my hands!

I had three MBAs prior to my MBP experience. I had three MBAs because I worked for three different companies during that time, not because they had issues. To the contrary – I loved each one. Ironically, my IT team still had the MBA I was using prior to getting the "lemon" MBP. So while it was in for repair (after I put my foot down), I used my old MBA for a week. I absolutely agree with you – I missed the Retina display and a few other MBP features but the trackpad worked flawlessly!

If they could take the current MBA and add a Retina display, I would get one in a heartbeat. The design may be a little old at this point but it is rock-solid.

I picked up my computer at the Apple Store at 10 this morning, was home and getting to work by 10:30. Now it's 5:30 and I've been working on it for 7 hours - without a single skip. Who knows, tomorrow I may be writing that it's skipping again, but today it's been perfect.

They replaced the top case, meaning the keyboard, trackpad, etc., under warranty. The tests they performed in the Apple Store the day I brought it in did not detect anything wrong, but thank heavens, when I demonstrated typing for the Genius, the cursor skipped, so he believed me.

I really hope this turns out to be a cure -- and one available to all of you, too.

dobes918 wrote:

I picked up my computer at the Apple Store at 10 this morning, was home and getting to work by 10:30. Now it's 5:30 and I've been working on it for 7 hours - without a single skip. Who knows, tomorrow I may be writing that it's skipping again, but today it's been perfect.

They replaced the top case, meaning the keyboard, trackpad, etc., under warranty. The tests they performed in the Apple Store the day I brought it in did not detect anything wrong, but thank heavens, when I demonstrated typing for the Genius, the cursor skipped, so he believed me.

I really hope this turns out to be a cure -- and one available to all of you, too.

That's awesome! Sounds promising!

Please keep me up to date in a few days, and if it still doesn't skip then I might make the sacrifice and take mine in for repair too!

It would be interesting to know what Apple said was the cause the initial problem. Was it hardware related to specific product range? It appears to be the case.

Stick the following command into the terminal and see what happens. I found this on Reddit thanks to tombiscuit:

defaults write -g com.apple.trackpad.setWantsRestingTouches -bool TRUE

What is this supposed to do? If you don't like what it does, how do you cancel it? If you do like what it does – is it persistent or do you have to reissue that command after every reboot?

It is a little scary to mess around in Terminal. But in general, you don't have to re-enter commands, and you can negate them if they don't work or do something wonky by repeating the command exactly, only with FALSE instead of TRUE at the end.

If mine skips again, I'll try it. But I tried to find the conversation on reddit, and couldn't. If anyone finds it, post a link?

dobes918 wrote:

...I tried to find the conversation on reddit, and couldn't. If anyone finds it, post a link?

I think this might be it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/4dqmqs/force_touch_trackpad_input_wh ile_typing/d1teibu

Can anybody confirm if it works?