More MacBooks to Get Air's Gesture-Based Trackpad

Gesture-based input... Isn't it something? The endless tapping of a trackpad to manipulate a file is over thanks to Apple, and not just for MacBook Air users, as the company has recently revealed. The multinational corporation has plans to introduce the technology to most of its notebooks during the course of this year, starting with the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models.

AppleInsider compares Apple's initiative to a similar move on behalf of the company, regarding its iSight video cams, which we can see on most of Apple's personal computer systems today. As such, the consumer electronics manufacturer will be scaling its gesture-based input technology across notebook lines during 2008.

For those not very familiar with the technology, here's what it does.

The oversize trackpad, already available with Apple's MacBook Air, features multi-touch technology. Using it you can pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image and so on. Given that the gesture-based input was so successful on iPod touch, Apple has decided it should be available with its MacBook lineup, too.

Reportedly, Apple has confirmed that the first two models to be implemented/updated with the oversized trackpads are the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models, set for display due within the following weeks, as sources familiar with the company's product roadmap reveal.

Also, the newly-updated notebooks will be the first to employ Penryn-based Core 2 Duo mobile process from Intel Corp. (most likely around 2.5GHz in clock frequency for a MacBook Pro).

As I'm sure you're very excited to find out that you don't necessarily need to acquire a MacBook Pro to enjoy its trackpad features, know that Apple is doing everything in its power to deliver the goods as soon as possible. The same report reveals that the Cupertino-based company wouldn't have had to race against the clock, had it not been for last minute tweaks on the MacBook Air introduced to the public just last week.