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MacBook Users Fix Trackpad Problem with Origami Paper

Posted by CowboyNeal on Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:35 AM
from the unfolding-answers dept.
Hardware Hacking Portables (Apple) Businesses Hardware Apple
yonnage writes "Some Apple MacBook owners are plagued with what seems to be a defective trackpad button. The button, when pushed, seems "squishy" and sometimes even unresponsive. While these MacBook owners are getting turned away at the Apple Genius Bars, they have come up with a custom and unique solution to the problem. A piece of paper, placed strategically under the battery pack where the trackpad is located, seems to fix this problem for most users."
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MacBook Users Fix Trackpad Problem with Origami Paper 50 Comments More /

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  • Could work, but for how long? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by IntelliAdmin (941633) * on Friday June 30 2006, @12:37AM (#15634323) Homepage
    Looks like the solution is to fold up a piece of paper, and put it under the actual mouse button. This might work for a little while, but it is a laptop. I can see this paper falling in some other part of the laptop, like say a fan or a hot battery - and you will have a more interesting problem of fire, or CPU death.

    Disable USB Drives - Remotely [digg.com]
    • Actually if you look at the pictures (not sure if these articles have the full pictures, I RTFA'd earlier when it was posted on the Apple forums) the paper is held in a small circular indent above the battery. The battery holds it in place and it should not escape, unless Macbook batteries start swelling like the Macbook Pro batteries and push some gap into the mix.

      • Re:Could work, but for how long? (Score:5, Funny)

        by KiloByte (825081) on Friday June 30 2006, @03:25AM (#15634767)
        the paper is held in a small circular indent above the battery

        I wouldn't trust "circular indents" in a tossed about laptop. And what's the solution?

        The force that holds the Universe together.

        Duct tape.

        (well, well, I would actually use some crappy adhesive tape instead of the spacecraft-grade variety, but you got the idea)

    • It's not quite that simple. (Score:4, Funny)

      by Ohreally_factor (593551) on Friday June 30 2006, @01:44AM (#15634541) Journal
      Looks like the solution is to fold up a piece of paper

      It's not quite that simple.

      The article is inaccurate. It says you you can fold an origami star or merely just fold the paper in a square. Neither of these methods will work. Instead, fold the origami (or other, but origami paper is preferred) into a crane, as shown here [monkey.org]. Then smash the origami crane with your fist, using a quick up and down motion, as if you were masturbating.

      From here, follow the rest of the directions in the article, and your trackpad should soon be clicking like there's no tomorrow.
    • and you will have a more interesting problem of fire, or CPU death.
      apple cares about CPU temp???

  • you COULD do that, (Score:5, Funny)

    by killa62 (828317) on Friday June 30 2006, @12:37AM (#15634325)
    or you could just buy a malfunctional battery (one the buldges) and it'll just work just as well

  • Paper Over Hot Battery? (Score:5, Informative)

    by PRC Banker (970188) on Friday June 30 2006, @12:39AM (#15634329)
    Paper over hot battery? Fire risk?
  • Are these the same batteries we saw pictures of heating up and warping a few days ago? Are these Mac users trying to make their own exploding Japanese Dells?

  • stupid Macbook tricks make frontpage? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Doppler00 (534739) on Friday June 30 2006, @12:45AM (#15634350) Homepage Journal
    Why is it that a silly trick like this makes front page of slashdot? If I submitted a blog article of how I used a toothpick to fix the mousebutton on a generic ACME brand laptop would anyone give a care?

    Same thing with this whole "discoloration" thing about the palm rests. People, laptops are machines, they wear out, they have flaws. It's like some people get so emotionally attached to their computer that if they see one flaw with it they have to write an article about it.
      • because the mac fanboys always claim apple has the best hardware out there, but from here it looks like apple is just as bad, if not worse than the average PC maker.

          • Re:stupid Macbook tricks make frontpage? (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Mr. Underbridge (666784) on Friday June 30 2006, @06:48AM (#15635228)
            They used to be the best. It looks like the move to Intel has been a lot more than just a processor move. These new Macbooks are plagued with problems that PC laptops have had for years, and some issues are even never-before-seen. I don't know if Apple just decided to disguise the cheapening of their laptop line with the chip move, but if they did, it's a big mistake.

            Um, Apple was having these sorts of problems loooong before the intel switch. Logic boards on iBooks? Hinges/latches on last gen powerbooks? Etc, etc, etc.

            The public is still being charged a premium price for comparitively less powerful hardware.

            I'm going to assume you completely missed the last 5 years of PowerPC development which ended up with a G4 chip that could barely run a calculator, and a G5 that would initiate nuclear fusion if placed into a laptop. They switched because they had basically no choice if the wanted to remain in the computer business.

            The move to standard hardware now provides consumers with a basis for comparison. Before, you couldn't compare megahertz to megahertz because the G3/G4/G5 processors were more efficient than standard desktop Intels. Now you can because Apple is using the same hardware, and they can't hide behind motorolla/ibm anymore.

            So now it's not that PowerPC is more powerful - it's just that they can't dupe consumers into thinking it is? How about just make good computers and let the public decide instead of lying to them? And if you're still trying to suggest that the new dual core Intel chips are slower than a G4, you're nuts. Talk to anyone who's used both.

            Software and software alone is what's driving Macintosh sales, since quality and performance are no longer viable selling points.

            One chip does not a whole machine make. Compare Thinkpads (pre Lenovo especially) with, say, eMachines - they both use Intel, but there the similarities stop. Honestly, as a latecomer to the Apple camp, I've never understood the obsession with microchips among a group of people who wouldn't recognize one if they were staring at it. Apple makes its money through an OS that many people feel is far superior to Windows, and by creating well-designed machines that are very functional and visually striking. This has not changed with the Intel switch. And like most makers of functional, pretty machines, something comes up lacking and sometimes that's component testing (kind of like a European sports car). But the thing is, that is NOT new.

      • Re:stupid Macbook tricks make frontpage? (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Baricom (763970) on Friday June 30 2006, @12:59AM (#15634402)
        The story isn't the solution; the story is that there's yet another defect with Apple portables. The somewhat recent changes to Apple's hardware quality are surprising considering the past obsessiveness with getting the design right. That's why these stories keep coming up.

  • Useless tricks become useful (Score:3, Funny)

    by freemywrld (821105) on Friday June 30 2006, @12:52AM (#15634379) Homepage
    Woo! I knew all that origami that I learned while bored doing tech support would come in handy some day!

  • Same problem... (Score:5, Informative)

    by shadowmatter (734276) on Friday June 30 2006, @12:52AM (#15634380)
    I purchased a MacBook two weeks ago. At first, it was slightly irritating me. I like that responsive, affirming click when I press the mouse button. But then I realized that only the left and right sides of the button are squishy. The middle of the button doesn't have this problem, so train yourself to push it there. It becomes second nature quickly. (Perhaps YMMV.)

    Or go into the system preferences and set it so that tapping the trackpad clicks. (Tapping it with two fingers to 'right-click' is nice too...)

    - sm
  • ... as a non-Mac user, is that Apple's after-sales service seems to suck. Sure there seem to be lots of hardware problems, but that's not really uncommon these days. However I would have expected reports of better service given Apple's reputation for "quality products" and the cult-worship it seems to get from it's fans. It's like it's giving a big "fuck you" to its users while at the same time expecting them to whoop and holler everytime Steve Jobs farts out something new.
    • To provide a bit of balance - my Powerbook was delivered with what turned out to be a faulty PSU. One call led to the machine being collected the next day (at my request) and replaced. Since then I've had no problems whatsoever. More importantly, I'm enjoying using the best user OS out there, since I didn't take one dodgy machine to mean that all Apples are now completely unreliable.

      And before someone feverishly responds "What does one data point prove?", I only mention this episode because someone is extra

    • All about the Apple Care problem (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ModernGeek (601932) on Friday June 30 2006, @02:20AM (#15634611) Homepage
      I've had excellent results when dealing with apple, however there seems to be a problem with their system. If you call to an operator and say, "I'd like to make a warranty claim", they will make the claim as long as you emphasize that it is for a faulty part. Otherwise, if you say, "My computer randomly shuts off" they will say you need phone support, because in essence, they are helping you diagnose a problem. I talked to one lady at AppleCare telling her I needed to make a warranty claim, and she said that I would need to purchase the three year plan so that I can get the one year of phone support. I asked her how to make a direct warranty claim, and she said I can't do that, I have to go though her, and purchase the agreement with the phone support. She told me I needed to pay $49/hr if I took the machine to a Genius Bar for them to diagnose and send it off. She spread FUD. Their purpose isn't to help people, it is to get those plans sold and extended. They are going about the whole thing the wrong way. "AppleCare sales are low, push them!" The applecare system needs to be revised. It used to be that the Genius Bar provided free help, and that you shouldn't have a problem with getting defective things fixed. I can see charging tech support over the phone to a certain extent (maybe each call gets a free 30 min, or everyone gets 30min/week for free based on your phone #/appleID), but this is just ridiculous. I'd be a much happier apple customer if they would simply help people without all this garbage. I feel like I'm taking an HP laptop to the GeekSquad whenever I talk to Apple. Like they are trying to make a buck off my problem with their product!
    • I'm a recently-converted mac fanboy (used to be a linux zealot until about 1.5 years ago). It seems to me most of the problems are with the latest rev of laptops, which I'm happily naive to. I only have a mac mini (actually it's my girlfriend's), and we haven't had any problems in hardware or software.

      The other thing is that I know quite a few people with macbooks and none has yet had any problems as those mentioned on slashdot. My guess is that many mac users tend to be more active online than other l

  • Why all the blogging? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Pliep (880962) on Friday June 30 2006, @01:01AM (#15634411) Homepage
    Someone must explain something to me. I am a European (Netherlands) so possibly it's to do with consumer laws or something.

    When I buy a new computer / household device that does not live up to my expectations, I return it to the store and demand a refund or a new one that works properly. I always get what I want, including from vendors such as Apple.

    Now why does no-one in the blogosphere think of that? Why start fiddling around with pieces of paper, toothpicks, reinstalling software, "trying this and that because a friend told me". Why? WHY?

    GO BACK TO THE STORE AND DEMAND A PROPER PRODUCT!

    • I could never understand that, either (Score:4, Insightful)

      by melted (227442) on Friday June 30 2006, @02:25AM (#15634624) Homepage
      I bought a Mac mini a few months ago and experienced wireless issues. I took it to the store and had it back in three days with wireless seeing some access points in the vicinity that I wasn't even previously aware of.

      But you should see the GIGANTIC thread about this issue in Apple forums. Folks try everything except for the right thing - take it to the store and have it repaired or replaced. Some folks have been posting into that thread for MONTHS.
    • I think it's a geek thing. Geeks take pride in fixing things for themselves. Geeks take pride in never having to go back to a shop and ask for help.

          • Re:I blame the switchers. (Score:4, Interesting)

            by mrcaseyj (902945) on Friday June 30 2006, @04:52AM (#15635005)
            Apple consistently ranks at or near the top for free tech support; Dell at or near rock-bottom.
            The link you provided doesn't seem to be consistent with your characterization of Dell at or near rock-bottom. For example in the desktop PC category it lists "...eMachines at 62, ...Dell at 54,... and Compaq cruising in with a 46." Apple is listed at 82. That's low for Dell, but still beats out or matches a couple other major companies, and is middle of the pack for Windows desktops, from what's shown at the link.

            The site seems to contradict itself when it says "Lenovo managed to tie Apple in each case in the laptop survey" but then says "...Apple also scored an 82, with Lenovo at 69..." Or maybe the numbers are just different than the survey.

            I wonder if Apples numbers could be skewed because Apple owners are sort of a special group(no insult or compliment intended by special). There is probably much less brand loyalty among the owners of Windows machines. I also wonder what the price difference is between comparable Apple and Windows machines (if any), and what kind of support and quality that could buy if a Windows vendor would/could/does sell it.

            Maybe the lesson to take from the report is that if you're going to buy a Windows box, that you shouldn't buy it from any of the companies listed, because Apple proves that they could do much better.

            I wonder if you would get better support if you told them you were a consumer reports member and you always fill out their surveys.

  • Not sure what it means (Score:5, Insightful)

    by eyrieowl (881195) on Friday June 30 2006, @01:05AM (#15634426)
    but the volume of posts I see on Slashdot and Digg about fixes for various MacBook problems both astound and amuse me. I could write it off as very poor quality control on Apple's part...and there may be something to that, but I wonder to what degree the Apple users are being more picky than the average bear.... I, for one, can't imagine buying, say, a Dell laptop and getting at all exercised about the clicky-ness of its buttons. But here we have evidence that not only has it bothered many MacBook owners, but one of them was so concerned that he gave it the thought to come up with a completely unusual solution to the problem. So...was the quality control really THAT bad? or are people just being very sensitive?

  • First Generation (Score:4, Interesting)

    by rramdin (857005) on Friday June 30 2006, @01:24AM (#15634484)
    You see problems like this all the time with first generation models, especially from Apple. Almost half of the Apple first-gen hardware that my friends and I have purchased over the years have been completely replaced by Apple within a year of purchase. Don't get me wrong, I swear by my PowerBook, but I'll never buy a new product before the kinks can be worked out.

  • That's the evidence (Score:5, Funny)

    by Advocadus Diaboli (323784) on Friday June 30 2006, @01:55AM (#15634564)
    that even with computers you will never have a "paperless office". :-)

  • FUD tag (Score:3, Insightful)

    by skinfitz (564041) on Friday June 30 2006, @01:58AM (#15634569) Journal


    Cue FUD tag on this story in 3...2..1..

  • Other MacBook problems (Score:3, Informative)

    by otisg (92803) on Friday June 30 2006, @02:55AM (#15634684) Homepage Journal
    For what it's worth, I just spent a few hours reading MacBook reviews, researching whether I should buy one or go with a regular Wintel laptop.
    Here are the MacBook problems people wrote about:
    1. the bottom gets very hot (one person compared it to a vulcano), not suitable for laptop work
    2. plastic around the screen likes to come off
    3. the white MacBooks get "stained" where people rest their hands. These stains cannot be cleaned with any kind of a cleaning agent.
    4. trackpad problems like this one.

    Guess which type of a laptop I'm now leaning towards? :(
    • Seems like you've made up your mind, but you might seriously want to consider the ACTUAL frequency of these problems, or whether it's just a few noisy bloggers. That said, go with the solution you truly think would be happiest, instead of being swayed by bloggers eitherway. Better than living in a world of buyer's remorse.

    • Re:Other MacBook problems (Score:4, Insightful)

      by node 3 (115640) on Friday June 30 2006, @03:36AM (#15634806)
      1. the bottom gets very hot (one person compared it to a vulcano), not suitable for laptop work
      All fast Intel notebooks get hot. Apple users are used to the cooler running G3's and G4's. That said, there were a number of units that ran exceptionally hot. Every report I've read where someone with that problem actually tried to have it replaced got a new one.

      2. plastic around the screen likes to come off
      Never heard this one. As long as you didn't abuse it, I'd expect Apple would replace it.

      3. the white MacBooks get "stained" where people rest their hands. These stains cannot be cleaned with any kind of a cleaning agent.
      Actually, nail polish remover (non-acetone, non-isopropyl alcohol kind) does the trick. Also, this happens to a small number of people. Perhaps if you just have unlucky skin chemistry?

      4. trackpad problems like this one.
      Test one out at the Apple Store.

      In fact, I suggest looking at all of those issues at the Apple Store. I tested the heat on the MacBooks/MacBook Pros, which are all running full-time on power, and while they were all warm, they were not "OMFG BBQ!" hot.

      In the end, pick the computer you think will serve you best. If you do decide to get a MacBook, you're already ahead of the game by being aware of the problems others are having, and can quickly take it to Apple for replacement. I would definitely check out the heat and the trackpad on the display models so at least you'll have reasonable expectations.

  • Steps: (Score:3, Funny)

    by kahei (466208) on Friday June 30 2006, @03:26AM (#15634770) Homepage

    1 -- Buy hardware from a company whose business model consists of selling brand hardware with particularly high margins.
    2 -- High margins != high price. High margins > high price. High margins = high price + low costs.
    3 -- ???
    4 -- Profit! For Apple!

    This is my first time ever with the 'Profit!' cliche and I promise it will probably be my last.

  • WOW... (Score:3, Informative)

    by atarione (601740) on Friday June 30 2006, @03:54AM (#15634854)
    i'm not at all trying to bait y'all mac people... but if i paid as much as the macbook costs for a laptop... i'm expect the thing to work... without me having to fold up little pieces of paper and cram them in the battery compartment. i'm just wondering... kinda makes u wish you run osx on commodity x86 hardware???? seriously i swear i've never had to cram little pieces of paper into my thinkpad.

  • Should be a sign: Early Adopters beware! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ducomputergeek (595742) on Friday June 30 2006, @04:12AM (#15634901) Homepage
    Anyone that has followed Apple products over the years knows not to purchase the first generation of any Apple redesign. I did buy the 1st generation snow white iBook (the ones with all the Logic Board problems) and I had reservations from the git go, but timing was the big issue. (I was leaving the country for a year and needed a new laptop, fortunatly I was back home before the problems began) I had a friend that is an Apple Early adopter. He had about a 1-yr old PowerBook (1.25Ghz, 2GB RAM, all the other fixings) the he sold to me for a going rate below Ebay so he could get one of the brand new MacBookPro's. So far he's happy, although the week after he bought it he realized there wasn't any software available and he had to run everything through rosetta. This PowerBook should last me a couple years at least into Law School at which point all the major software applications (office, PS, Pro Tools, etc.) will be converted and any design flaws caught and fixed (hopefully). The lesson here is: (and goes for any technology really) Early Adpotors beware!
    • Anyone that has followed Apple products over the years knows not to purchase the first generation of any Apple redesign.
      Anyone that has followed Apple products over the years knows that Apple never learns from their mistakes and will continue making faulty hardware. Whilst at the same time, not admitting there are any problems.

  • Some perspective here folks! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by mubes (115026) on Friday June 30 2006, @04:43AM (#15634978) Homepage
    It's not very often I can be bothered to login to reply to something, but on this occasion I think we need a little perspective...

    Let's start off with an admission - I use Apple products. There, I've said it. I find OS X to be the best OS for what I do, full stop. OK, my servers are all Linux and _occasionally_ I have to use 'doze, but OS X is my bread and butter OS. My Macbook is one very capable machine.

    Now, I don't think you'll find many people who've used it who don't rate OS X. It's a _very_ capable and compelling system which has most of the advantages of a real OS with most of the advantages of a windowing interface - it wins. It ain't perfect, but it's pretty fine. OK OK..enough already. Let's not get into the relative merits of all that...suffice to say, for joe user, it's pretty good. Two of the primary reasons for it's stability are it's compartmentalization of legacy/back compatibility issues (Rosetta and prior to that the mechanisms for OS 9 and 68K compatibility) and the fact that it only has to work on a limited, well defined, set of hardware...these are both big bonuses.

    Apple hardware, on the other hand, is slightly less slick, in my experience. QC and design quality are both slightly lacking, resulting in products that don't Quite Work Right. Now, Apple deliberately set themselves up as some kind of centre of design excellence so they are (and should be) judged against higher metrics than your bucket-pc-producer and, against those metrics, their hardware just ain't so good at the moment. Go google the issues on the MB and the MBP or pretty much any of the machines over the past few years and you'll see issues.

    Now, my point is, we need to keep this in some sort of perspective - can you imagine Dell taking a machine back because it has a soft trackpad button, or the screen doesn't lie flat against the base of the machine? No, nor can I.

    So, Apple isn't perfect, it needs to improve its hardware QC and QA (especially on rev 1 kit), but the only real reason they get such a lot of headlines on these issues is because they've set themselves up as Something Better.....live by the sword, you'll die by it too.

    Please, take all these reports with a pinch of salt. Out of the set of compromises you always make when buying a new machine, don't let a few hardware imperfections skew your decision unnecessarily harshly, just 'cos some people are reporting them with the aid of a megaphone...perhaps OS X isn't the best choice for you, but there's a fairly good chance that it might be.

    DAVE

    • So I think Apple is screwing themselves by combining the consumer and pro brand into 'MacBook'.

      Not sure what you mean by Apple "combining the consumer and pro brand into 'MacBook'," but:

      MacBook = consumer-class notebook

      MacBook Pro = professional-class notebook

      • Well, they did drop the 12" PB, forcing those who want/need a smaller form factor to sacrifice for the cheaper MacBook.
      • The GP is correct about the way Apple has changed their branding strategy.

        Old:
        * Brand: PowerBook
        * Brand: iBook

        New:
        * Brand: MacBook
        * Brand Extension: MacBook Pro

        I'm sure Jobs would hate the comparison to fizzy water, but it's sort of like the transition from Coke/Tab to Coke/Diet Coke. Diet Coke is a brand extension of Coke. It's a definite consolidation under the new name. But really, I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing and Apple is screwing themselves. It puts more weight behind the Mac name, an
          • Oh I agree, it is way beyond the consumer to understand that a MacBook Pro Ultra-Lite might be.... 1)MacBOOL noteBOOL computer 2)Professional Model 3) Ultra low weight It would be much more intuitive if they would go with something like Dell and be the Inspiron E1705. 1)Insipiron, let me see, was that the notebook, desktop, small form factor...? 2)E--uhhhhhh what? 3)1705, so it is 1.705Ghz machine? nope, $1705, nope, uh? Yeah Apple is HORRIBLE with names, I'm off to buy a HP Pavillion WSXLJPILJPJS321654
    • "big heavy MacBooks"? What are you people, hobbits?

    • This is too true (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Flying pig (925874) on Friday June 30 2006, @03:17AM (#15634744)
      It's sad (but understandable) that IBM sold to the Chinese, because the combination of Ubuntu 6.6 and a Thinkpad is pretty good. This is in fact Apple's problem. The rest of the world has caught up and you CAN have rock solid industrial strength *Nix on a reliable laptop. I'm sorry, but dock icons that rise to meet you are a CGI too far for real world users. When I bought an Acer two and half years ago because there was no G5 Powerbook, people told me it would be an unreliable piece of crap. Actually it is solid, has never gone wrong, the battery still holds over 90% of original charge, and the only thing it lacks is built in Bluetooth. With an upgrade to a Maxtor 5400rpm drive and Ubuntu 6.6, it's still my main machine.

      I watched a demo on a 17" X86 Powerbook the other day and I decided the ONLY real selling point was the screen, for road warriors. The downside is that in order to get the very thin design they must have made compromises, and I bet this is at the root of both the battery problems and the trackpad problems. Lots of research has gone into making reliable batteries with rolled construction - it is much harder to make a reliable thin battery.

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