Laptop cursor pads

bikeleasingco
bikeleasingco Posts: 68
edited February 2013 in The cake stop
Hi,

I'm looking for a bit of advice.

Why are so many laptop manufacturers putting the cursor pads off centre to the left.

I've been looking at a few laptops and it seems that many of the manufacturers have done this.

Surely, if you're right handed, when you're using it, you have to effectively twist your body or overreach with your right arm to use it properly.

It looks like it's storing up a back problem.

Back problem = less cycling = not good :)

Any advice why this is happening?

I've attached an example.

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    you use the cursor pad!
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    It lines up with the keyboard so your right hand is n a natural position to go straight from trackpad to keyboard.

    Note how on laptops without the number pad the trackpad still lines up with the keyboard, it just happens to be central on the body of the laptop since the keyboard is now central:

    300px-13%E2%80%9C_MacBook_Pro_Mid_2012.jpg
    94%7C000025986%7Cfdc3_IMG-0682-1.jpg
  • bikeleasingco
    bikeleasingco Posts: 68
    ALIHISGREAT wrote:
    It lines up with the keyboard so your right hand is n a natural position to go straight from trackpad to keyboard.

    Note how on laptops without the number pad the trackpad still lines up with the keyboard, it just happens to be central on the body of the laptop since the keyboard is now central:

    300px-13%E2%80%9C_MacBook_Pro_Mid_2012.jpg
    94%7C000025986%7Cfdc3_IMG-0682-1.jpg

    Thanks for your answer. I see the difference now. However, I'm still not clear why they've been designed this way.

    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap. If it's resting on your legs, then the screen will be in the middle of your body. If the track pad is set off centre to the left then your right arm has further to go to get to the track/cursor pad than your left arm would.

    Unless your ambidextrous, which fortunately I am, but my wife is not, you're going to be twisted if you're using the track pad aren't you?
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • bikeleasingco
    bikeleasingco Posts: 68
    nicklouse wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.
    nicklouse wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.

    Nick, if I was looking for a notebook then I would have said as much. I am looking for a laptop.

    Besides which, the laptop would be on a cooling pad (see image).

    I imagine you hear this a lot, "if you've nothing good to say, don't say anything at all."

    It is a shame when someone who is representing a forum, and Future Publishing for that matter, as a site administrator acts in a troll-like manner and simply focuses upon mis-matching rather than actually contributing to assisting the OP.

    Does anyone else know why the trackpad is laid out this way? I've looked underneath the laptops to see if it's due to the gubbins inside but it does not seem to be so. It seems to have been deliberately designed that way.

    Apple laptops are not but it seems that most of the HPs, Lenovos, Asus, Acer, Samsung and Toshiba laptops are. Is there an ergonomic reason? Do they presume that people will simply use an external mouse?
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    nicklouse wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.
    nicklouse wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.

    Nick, if I was looking for a notebook then I would have said as much. I am looking for a laptop.

    Besides which, the laptop would be on a cooling pad (see image).

    I imagine you hear this a lot, "if you've nothing good to say, don't say anything at all."

    It is a shame when someone who is representing a forum, and Future Publishing for that matter, as a site administrator acts in a troll-like manner and simply focuses upon mis-matching rather than actually contributing to assisting the OP.

    Does anyone else know why the trackpad is laid out this way? I've looked underneath the laptops to see if it's due to the gubbins inside but it does not seem to be so. It seems to have been deliberately designed that way.

    Apple laptops are not but it seems that most of the HPs, Lenovos, Asus, Acer, Samsung and Toshiba laptops are. Is there an ergonomic reason? Do they presume that people will simply use an external mouse?

    I've already explained why the trackpads are laid out in the way they are and you've apparently ignored me?

    Looks more like you're the troll to me...
  • GiantMike
    GiantMike Posts: 3,139
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    Hi,
    I'm looking for a bit of advice.
    Any advice why this is happening?

    What advice are you looking for? This is more of a mundane observation and there's a thread for that.

    I have a good laptop which has the pad in the middle. My advice would be to buy one that meets your requirements.
  • bikeleasingco
    bikeleasingco Posts: 68
    GiantMike wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    Hi,
    I'm looking for a bit of advice.
    Any advice why this is happening?

    What advice are you looking for? This is more of a mundane observation and there's a thread for that.

    I have a good laptop which has the pad in the middle. My advice would be to buy one that meets your requirements.

    Hi,

    The reason I ask is because I am looking for a fairly low spec laptop. It seems that the only laptop brand that has a central trackpad on all its models is Apple. The lower spec models all seem to have an offset trackpad, irrespective of whether they have a number keypad next to the letter keypad or not.

    All my previous laptops have had a central trackpad position. It's been a few years since I looked at getting a new laptop and it seems that this change has happened. I just wondered if there was a reason for it.
  • bikeleasingco
    bikeleasingco Posts: 68
    ALIHISGREAT wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    nicklouse wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.
    nicklouse wrote:
    bikeleasingco wrote:
    The laptop is meant to be able to be sat on your lap.
    no it is not.

    Nick, if I was looking for a notebook then I would have said as much. I am looking for a laptop.

    Besides which, the laptop would be on a cooling pad (see image).

    I imagine you hear this a lot, "if you've nothing good to say, don't say anything at all."

    It is a shame when someone who is representing a forum, and Future Publishing for that matter, as a site administrator acts in a troll-like manner and simply focuses upon mis-matching rather than actually contributing to assisting the OP.

    Does anyone else know why the trackpad is laid out this way? I've looked underneath the laptops to see if it's due to the gubbins inside but it does not seem to be so. It seems to have been deliberately designed that way.

    Apple laptops are not but it seems that most of the HPs, Lenovos, Asus, Acer, Samsung and Toshiba laptops are. Is there an ergonomic reason? Do they presume that people will simply use an external mouse?

    I've already explained why the trackpads are laid out in the way they are and you've apparently ignored me?

    Looks more like you're the troll to me...

    Charmed I'm sure. And as I have already mentioned, thank you for your answer. However, unfortunately, it did not answer it. There does not seem to be a correlation between the presence of number pad next to the letter pad and the position of the trackpad.

    Please see the attached image.

    This is important to me as my wife will use this as well. She nearly "popped her clogs" a few years back from spinal osteomyelitis. A lot of damage has been left in her back as a result. She already has enormous difficulty using a computer, so I want to make sure that we get something that's going to work for both of us, hence the ergonomic considerations.

    It seems that we only have Apple to choose from at the moment or perhpas 1 or 2 other models from all the other brands combined (and these have been very poorly specc'd models).

    Hopefully, that sheds a little more light on my question. As an aside, I'm also pretty keen to avoid screwing my own back up as well. :D
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    OK as has people have tried to explain to you. Forget the number pad exists on the right for a moment, along with things like the return key or the various symbol keys. If you touch type, rest your hands on the computer so your fingers are naturally on the keys with your index fingers covering letter T and Y. Now look where the mouse pad is. It's central the the qwerty keyboard so you do not press on it while you type. The addition on number pads on the right has shifted the keyboard to the left but it still has to be centre on the mousepad to avoid pressing it. If you want a laptop to sit on your lap make it one minus the number pad.

    If you touch type, the keyboard starts at Q and ends at P. the rest of the keys are not part of this basic keyboard setup. They are just additional clutter that's pushing the keyboard as a whole off centre.
  • bikeleasingco
    bikeleasingco Posts: 68
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    OK as has people have tried to explain to you. Forget the number pad exists on the right for a moment, along with things like the return key or the various symbol keys. If you touch type, rest your hands on the computer so your fingers are naturally on the keys with your index fingers covering letter T and Y. Now look where the mouse pad is. It's central the the qwerty keyboard so you do not press on it while you type. The addition on number pads on the right has shifted the keyboard to the left but it still has to be centre on the mousepad to avoid pressing it. If you want a laptop to sit on your lap make it one minus the number pad.

    If you touch type, the keyboard starts at Q and ends at P. the rest of the keys are not part of this basic keyboard setup. They are just additional clutter that's pushing the keyboard as a whole off centre.

    Thank you SmoggySteve. I understand that explanation.
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,120
    Awful things. I always liked the Dell 'nipple', but it seems I was the only one as they don't do it anymore.

    Get a mouse.
    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    I've an HP EliteBook in front of me with an offset touchpad that is indeed central in relation to the main keyboard. Additionally it has the little joystick that someone else mentioned. I find a wireless trackball to be really useful - you are not aggravating your elbow or shoulder joints with overuse and you can use it in places where a mouse can't be, like on the sofa.

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