MultiTouch Trackpad Added to MacBook Pro

The MacBook and MacBook Pro line was updated on Tuesday, providing more momentum to a strong line of Apple products.

The new Penryn chips are now providing the processing power, but I was most excited about the addition of the MultiTouch trackpad which was added to the MacBook Pro. The MultiTouch was first introduced in Apple’s MacBook Air laptop. It allows the user to pinch, swipe, or rotate to enlarge text, advance through photos, or adjust an image.

I think we are going to soon begin to see a number of significant changes to input technology. It is only a matter of time before our MacBook screens are touch-sensitive, similar to the way the iPhone interface responds to direct contact to the screen.

The trackpad and keyboard have remained relatively unchanged since they first appeared in tandem, but we are due for a massive shift. My best guess is that we will look back on the iPhone as a precursor to a new way of entering and rearranging data in our typical user interface.

(All the new specs are well-outlined here at MacWorld’s site)

Leopard Update Straightens Stacks

If you haven’t noticed yet, there is a 10.5.2 update awaiting you in Software Update. It has the usual under the hood tweaks to the operating system, but it also makes a significant change to the way the Stacks feature works in the dock.

This feature allows users to click on folders in the Dock and see the icons of its contents either fan out across the desktop or show up on a grid. I was one of those who wasn’t thrilled with the feature because of the number of items I have in those folders; most of the time I ended up opening up the folder instead of using Stacks. Also, the look of the icon in the dock was a little sloppy. It appeared as a pile of icons with only the topmost icon showing. I prefer a more consistent look, where it simply shows the icon for the stack folder.

Both of these issues have been addressed. Now we can control click on a Stack to reveal new options, such as making the Dock icon appear as a folder and setting the folder’s contents to appear as a list, which is better for folders with a lot of items. I’ve set each of my stacks to do something different, based on how I like to access that folder and based on how many items are there (for example, I have my Applications stack expand as a traditional menu, because I have so many of them).

And who says Apple doesn’t listen to their users! See the complete list of changes included in the 10.5.2 update here (including the ability to turn off translucency in the menu bar!).

iPhone and iPod Touch Capacity Doubles

Apple has granted my wishes and doubled the iPhone’s capacity to 16GB.  They’ve also made available a 32 GB iPod Touch.   Both are available for $499.   I guess they figure that if people are willing to spend $399 that they would easily drop another $100 for double the space.   Press release with all the details here.

So once again, those who are waiting have to ask, “How long can I wait for the next generation?”

If more capacity is what you wanted, then you might as well jump on it now (that would be me).  But if you are holding out for the 3G network and GPS capabilities, then you may be texting on your Nokia 9210 until August or later.

“I’ll take one iPhone, please.  Hold the 3G and the GPS.  Add extra drive space though.  Thanks!”