Future Surface Covers Trackpad?

I notice that the trackpad on The Surface Touch/Type cover are fairly small and my fingers barely fit on it. Does anyone know of any news for future covers with enhanced trackpads?

I am unaware of changes coming, but I agree that is too small.

The cover is a great idea but yeah the trackpad is way too small and multi touch is smooth but again, needs a bigger trackpad.

yeah, the trackpad on the surface keyboards are way too small. the only way to solve that is to make the surface screen bigger which allows the trackpad to be bigger.

I wouldn't be a fan of shrinking keys at all to make a trackpad bigger. I think most people are going to carry a mouse with them as an adjunct to the touchscreen and pen. the pen is a very good mouse substitute on its own for rubberbanding objects or selecting small objects.

Hmmm that's a good idea but if it requires creating a larger Surface then it won't be for a while.

I think sales of the Surface Pro have been good enough for Microsoft to go all in. They see the sheer profits Apple makes with machines and want some of that.

Plus, when you have web sites joking about 18" tablet from Dell, who knows what people are willing to buy. No one thought people would want those enormous phablets and they're doing well:
Dell's hybrid XPS 18 is a $900 all-in-one PC and an 18-inch tablet


check out the 18.4" "tablet" that weighs 4.8 pounds and has configurations starting at $900. $900 for an 18.4" tablet.

I'll put my few cents into this...

If you buy a new touch enabled PC, let's say a Lenovo Thinkpad with a touchscreen, chances are that you will end up using the touchpad versus the touchscreen. It's because on that Lenovo, the touchpad enables ALL the touch gestures of Windows 8 right where a traditional input is always at on a laptop. So effectively, you might not use the touchscreen, and won't really use or experience a new touch input for a new Windows version designed better for that input.

So if this was on the Surface, a similar situation would happen. That, along with the physical size of the tablet itself, prevents that. I've seen a several touch based laptop/ultrabook PCs that have a decent touchpad (this one ASUS the other, YES! best touchpad ever) and it seems just redundant to have that. Yes, it allows flexibility of input, but honestly, from what I've use with, a single finger on the Desktop really is just enough. It's better suited for touching than I've ever touched.

Oh, said ASUS touch ultrabook I REALLY enjoyed retails for about 750 dollars. Pretty good deal!

Coke Robot said:

If you buy a new touch enabled PC, let's say a Lenovo Thinkpad with a touchscreen, chances are that you will end up using the touchpad versus the touchscreen. It's because on that Lenovo, the touchpad enables ALL the touch gestures of Windows 8 right where a traditional input is always at on a laptop. So effectively, you might not use the touchscreen, and won't really use or experience a new touch input for a new Windows version designed better for that input.

Click to expand...

So, you suspect people will prefer the touchpad experience over the touch monitor experience?

Personally, I wouldn't mind the track pad NOT having all the multi touch gestures, I just want a bigger one ^_^

pparks1 said:

Coke Robot said:

If you buy a new touch enabled PC, let's say a Lenovo Thinkpad with a touchscreen, chances are that you will end up using the touchpad versus the touchscreen. It's because on that Lenovo, the touchpad enables ALL the touch gestures of Windows 8 right where a traditional input is always at on a laptop. So effectively, you might not use the touchscreen, and won't really use or experience a new touch input for a new Windows version designed better for that input.

Click to expand...

So, you suspect people will prefer the touchpad experience over the touch monitor experience?

Click to expand...

Possibly, not that the touchscreen aspect is bad, it's just personal traditional input habits tend to die hard. So when you have a touchpad where it's been for the past 15 years, you tend to use that. But if you just have the touchscreen and a keyboard, you will use the touchscreen. I've been using a touch AIO without a mouse and with a physical keyboard, haven't really needed one AT ALL.

a trackpad is a distant option for me. I love my trackball and mice and my touchscreen. I'm fine with using a trackpad but if one of the others are connected, I don't go near a trackpad.

Coke Robot said:

pparks1 said:

Coke Robot said:

If you buy a new touch enabled PC, let's say a Lenovo Thinkpad with a touchscreen, chances are that you will end up using the touchpad versus the touchscreen. It's because on that Lenovo, the touchpad enables ALL the touch gestures of Windows 8 right where a traditional input is always at on a laptop. So effectively, you might not use the touchscreen, and won't really use or experience a new touch input for a new Windows version designed better for that input.

Click to expand...

So, you suspect people will prefer the touchpad experience over the touch monitor experience?

Click to expand...

Possibly, not that the touchscreen aspect is bad, it's just personal traditional input habits tend to die hard. So when you have a touchpad where it's been for the past 15 years, you tend to use that. But if you just have the touchscreen and a keyboard, you will use the touchscreen. I've been using a touch AIO without a mouse and with a physical keyboard, haven't really needed one AT ALL.

Click to expand...

.

So, some might not prefer the touchscreen route, but if we make it the only real option than they will have to use it and thus we can declare touch screens to be a success because that is what all people are using.

pparks1 said:

Coke Robot said:

pparks1 said:

So, you suspect people will prefer the touchpad experience over the touch monitor experience?

Click to expand...

Possibly, not that the touchscreen aspect is bad, it's just personal traditional input habits tend to die hard. So when you have a touchpad where it's been for the past 15 years, you tend to use that. But if you just have the touchscreen and a keyboard, you will use the touchscreen. I've been using a touch AIO without a mouse and with a physical keyboard, haven't really needed one AT ALL.

Click to expand...

.

So, some might not prefer the touchscreen route, but if we make it the only real option than they will have to use it and thus we can declare touch screens to be a success because that is what all people are using.

Click to expand...

No.... You're trying to warp my words around to declare a point...

The point I'M trying to get across is that if you have two options of input, gesture enabled touchpad and touchscreen, on a laptop, depending on your personal habits, some will use the touchpad over the touchscreen and just ignore it and only use it from time to time. Thus, defeats the WHOLE point here. On the Surface covers, the touchpad is a netbook sized one with no gesture capabilities, as to not take away from the touch tablet PC computing experience; which makes you use the touchscreen, which makes the whole thing worthwhile. It would be DREADFULLY pointless to buy a touch enabled PC only to not touch it. But really though, there very little need for a mouse when you use a touchscreen. Maybe it's just me and everyone else or whatever, but even on the Surface Pro with its resolution and DPI settings, it's rather fine. If you needed more fine input, there is a stylus.

touch for me is okay for demonstration but I don't use it day to day.

Coke Robot said:

pparks1 said:

Coke Robot said:

Possibly, not that the touchscreen aspect is bad, it's just personal traditional input habits tend to die hard. So when you have a touchpad where it's been for the past 15 years, you tend to use that. But if you just have the touchscreen and a keyboard, you will use the touchscreen. I've been using a touch AIO without a mouse and with a physical keyboard, haven't really needed one AT ALL.

Click to expand...

.

So, some might not prefer the touchscreen route, but if we make it the only real option than they will have to use it and thus we can declare touch screens to be a success because that is what all people are using.

Click to expand...

No.... You're trying to warp my words around to declare a point...

The point I'M trying to get across is that if you have two options of input, gesture enabled touchpad and touchscreen, on a laptop, depending on your personal habits, some will use the touchpad over the touchscreen and just ignore it and only use it from time to time. Thus, defeats the WHOLE point here. On the Surface covers, the touchpad is a netbook sized one with no gesture capabilities, as to not take away from the touch tablet PC computing experience; which makes you use the touchscreen, which makes the whole thing worthwhile. It would be DREADFULLY pointless to buy a touch enabled PC only to not touch it. But really though, there very little need for a mouse when you use a touchscreen. Maybe it's just me and everyone else or whatever, but even on the Surface Pro with its resolution and DPI settings, it's rather fine. If you needed more fine input, there is a stylus.

Click to expand...

You make a very good point!!'n not that I ever went against what you were saying! Yeah all I want is a larger tack pad xD not to take away from the touch experience of the device but just to have a more comfortable feel for when I'm using it as a regular computer for those times I'm streaming or typing.