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Current MacBooks to get multitouch support? Apple says Multitouch is software-based.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
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MacBook Air's multitouch is software based - www.t3.com
As we might have expected, it would seem that the multitouch support in the MacBook Air is a software add-on to the hardware functionality of current touchpads.
I thus suspect that any machines with the latest iterations of the touchpads could get multitouch support. That would leave out older machines like G4 iBooks and stuff, but that's OK.
I wonder if Apple will release this in 10.5.4 or something. In the very least, somebody could release a hack to enable Multitouch support. This might actually be easier than adding two-finger scrolling on older machines.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
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If it is indeed actually just software Apple could still chose to not bring it to older MBs and MBPs. Marketing reasons for one, but also technical issues: the MBA trackpad is significantly larger. Maybe Apple thinks MT is of real use only if you have a sufficiently large trackpad.
I'm not at all expecting to see Apple introduce MT on my 2.4 GHz MBP. I would like it though.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
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Casual MB user here. While the features are cool, I can't really see the actual usefulness. IMHO, of course. 
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jul 2006
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I agree with Gankdawg, it's a cool feature but I don't think it would help me too much, especially since my MBP sits on my desk most of the time and is very seldom used without an external keyboard and mouse.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Originally Posted by Simon 
If it is indeed actually just software Apple could still chose to not bring it to older MBs and MBPs. Marketing reasons for one, but also technical issues: the MBA trackpad is significantly larger. Maybe Apple thinks MT is of real use only if you have a sufficiently large trackpad.
I'm not at all expecting to see Apple introduce MT on my 2.4 GHz MBP. I would like it though.
I agree. However, the possibility of a third party hack still exists even if what you say turns out to be true.
Originally Posted by bballe336
I agree with Gankdawg, it's a cool feature but I don't think it would help me too much, especially since my MBP sits on my desk most of the time and is very seldom used without an external keyboard and mouse.
Well, I have several dedicated desktops, so 99% of the time I have no external keyboard or mouse hooked up to the MacBook. However, even if I did, having Multitouch support could be cool, for images for example.
No, Multitouch isn't a make-or-break feature IMO, but it's potentially a nice bonus in certain situations. The same goes for 2 finger scrolling.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Nov 2002
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Humm.. looks like t3 has now removed the article..
Hopefully because it ruffled some feathers at Apple, and not because it was untrue.....
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2001
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In the iFixit teardown ( iFixit — MacBook Air), they found the same Broadcom touch screen controller chip attached to the touchpad that the iPhone and iPod touch use. If the original comment was true it was likely taken out of context. Odds are, it meant the Air uses software to read what is done on the touchpad, and additional gestures could be added. IE, the gesture recognition is not hardcoded into the hardware.
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