What's up with the bumpy trackpad?

I just got a new W510, upgrading from my old T60, and I HATE the new trackpad. What are the supposed benefits of the bumpy surface? I'm not seeing them yet, and two days into use, far prefer the smooth surface of my T60's trackpad.

 

More sensitivity, greater pleasure. Ribbed. Seriously, more sensitivity, less wear.

 

I just got a new W510, and hated the touchpad for about a day. I'm used to it now.

 

If I put too much pressure, the bumps creates a jerky movement that keeps the cursor from navigating smoothly, but if I put too little pressure, it doesn't register the touch at all. I HATE IT!

 

Can you adjust sensitivity?

 

It's not jerky, actually. I just discovered today that it's multi-touch, so if you have two fingers on it then it'll seem jerky.

I just started using trackpads a couple of weeks ago since my index fingers are getting a little sore from the TrackPoint (including on my old R60)!

To see the motions that you can use with it, go to Control Panel > Mouse > UltraNav tab > TouchPad/Settings

 

Lol, sounds like a Trojan condom commercial to me.

Sore fingers from using a trackpoint? You obviously don't know how to actually use it properly, either that or you're just a cat.

 

Yeah, sure I've only been using TrackPoints since 1994 (PS/Note 425 anyone?). Slightly sore because my finger is on it almost all day. Right now it's fine, but lately it's been feeling a bit sensitive. It sometimes makes part of my fingertip flat by the end of the day, lol.

 

What rubber nub do you use? The the soft rim to cup your finger tip.

 

I should have ordered some spares but didn't; anyway, I only have the one came with my W510 - the convex one. It's soft enough to be quite comfortable.

A while ago I ordered a set of 3 assorted tips on eBay from China for my R60; it cost literally $1.15 (give or take a few cents) and no shipping. The company lost more than that in postage stamps. There was a rough tip that I used for most of the time (because my 6-year old daughter wore out my previous one), and after a while that really started to bother me, so I switched to a soft concave one, which turned out to be too soft. The convex one on my W510 is more comfortable than those.

 

I'm sure the bumpy surface looked good rendered in a CAD program, but it should have never made it out the door.

Style over substance. Form over function. Of all the changes they could have done to make the Thinkpads look better--that would have to be the dummest.

Granted a texture could have made one's fingers glide over the surface better on damp days, but the texture on the trackpads is a detriment to their use because the texture is too coarse.

The bumps will wear down eventually--and give a clear indication of wear, lowering the value of the computer.

 

The other problem I have with the new trackpad - it's uncomfortable for my finger. Feels very unpleasant. Seriously, what in the world were they thinking?