Tell me more ×
Ask Different is a question and answer site for power users of Apple hardware and software. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -1 down vote favorite

I really want to find a way to disable the Apple touchpad physical tap button. My wife does not make use of the software tap functionality that I enabled. She sits next to me every night clicking away. This is very annoying when it goes on for several hours.

There has to be a way to catch / trap the input from the device.

share|improve this question
1  
Buy her an iPad? – Loïc Wolff Jan 7 '12 at 11:05
3  
Sorry, I don't get the question. Your wife does not want to use the 'tap'. So that leaves here with the physical click. Now you want to disable the physical click? What do you mean by 'trap the input'? Don't you want to disable the click noise? – gentmatt Jan 7 '12 at 11:07
3  
I think @CarpeNoctem wants physical clicks to do nothing, so his wife, in order to click, should just tap. – mspasov Jan 7 '12 at 11:57
I myself find the 'tap' feature rather annoying due to all the accidental clicks. Rather than forcing your wife to use the 'tap' against her will, try to manually tweak her MBP. There is not only a chance to reduce the noise, but also that your wife will be madly impressed with your 'geekiness' and bakes you an awesome cake thereafter. :) – gentmatt Jan 7 '12 at 15:18

2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

You can configure it using BetterTouchTool. But I'd advice against pissing your wife off.

There's always option of buying an iPad.

share|improve this answer
I'll give this a shot today. Good advice all around, thanks! – CarpeNoctem Jan 7 '12 at 20:08
up vote 3 down vote

The trackpad click is a hardware thing: it's not added in software, so it cannot be trapped or otherwise blocked. (And, yes, they are awfully loud.) The only way to do what you want would be to disassemble the laptop and try to add some muffling around the trackpad mechanism.

Personally, I find tap-to-click infuriating and unusable, so I, too, would use the physical (clicky) buttons, no matter how loud they are.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.