Jumpy MacBook trackpads; issue also affecting MacBook Air

[Monday, February 4th]

Several users are reporting an issue in which late 2007 MacBooks' trackpads are imprecise, "jumping" around the screen and making it nearly impossible to click on some Web page links or perform exacting operations in applications.

One MacFixIt reader writes:

"Basically, the trackpad 'walks,' [...] You can be moving the pointer to click on a link on a web page and the trackpad will suddenly accelerate and you'll miss the link. Very weird."

It seems the same problem afflicts newly shipping MacBook Airs. MacFixIt reader Charles writes:

"I had a chance to play around with the MacBook Air at the Apple Store in Boulder, Colorado. All of the trackpads were very jumpy, which the employees said was due to a dirty trackpad, but while I was playing around it became apparent that the machines consistently had the same problem only when plugged in--unplugging the power made the trackpads function normally on all three machines. It also appeared as if the employees were aware of this problem, but they insisted it was simply due to dirt (although I noticed they kept unplugging the machines)."

While we suspect an actual hardware problem that might be resolved by a firmware update, check the two following workarounds, if you are having this problem, just in case:

Turn off 'Ignore accidental trackpad input' Some users have reported that turning on or off the option to 'ignore accidental trackpad input' reduces frequency of this issue.

Remove third-party keyboard/trackpad drivers If you are still experiencing this issue after trying the aforementioned workarounds, remove any third-party keyboard/trackpad drivers, including the popular Sidetrack.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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