Why Are These Red Things Still On Laptops?

Pointing sticks - or nub mice - are still a common sight on ThinkPads and other laptops. Why are they still around, and why does anyone use them over touchpads?

Leave a reply with your requests for future episodes.

FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE
---------------------------------------------------

[ranman]

One thing missed in this video is that the nub can be used with gloves on which works great in factory settings where you might not have room to put a mouse but need to access a computer.

[jec]

There's also the missing part of this video: what got the keyboard greenlit at IBM in the pre-ThinkPad days was that an employee had a stroke and requested it specifically so they could continue to work. For certain people in certain companies, it's an ADA compliance issue to have the trackpoint!

[Seedh]

I’m a thinkpad user and recently broke my dominant hand. Because my thumb was immobilized and also the splint getting in the way, I ended up using my left hand for mouse input. The trackpoint was significantly easier to get a hang of with my non-dominant hand than the trackpad and even the traditional mouse I use for my PC.

[pandaonabus]

I don't really use the nub, but I adore the associated physical mouse buttons. It feels so much more natural and convenient to have them above the trackpad rather than bellow, and my particular thinkpad has a middle mouse button which is just so immensely useful that it's insane to me that it isn't standard on all laptops.

[DeusWolf]

Every thinkpad I’ve owned for the last 15 years has had the touchpad disabled entirely, trackpoint only. Scrolling is also very easy with a trackpoint and I like having physical buttons for left-, right- and middle-click.

[zacharylowe]

I used to work for Lenovo. A huge credit to their design team because they always were extremely interested to talk with us salespeople and hear what customers thought. I told them to never kill the trackpoint no matter how many YouTubers crap on it. Customers love that thing but every time Alex or Linus review it they knock off points for it.

[Max_Mustermann]

One advantage with a trackpoint I found is when using a laptop on ones lap, as the trackpad tends to be too close for comfortable access in that position. This is quite useful when working in airports, etc.

[Dycell]

As someone who never used the nudge, I provided my share of laptops to users. They loved it, working out in the field with gloves on… It was amazing. We should celebrate this kind of innovation. It makes people happy and productive which in the end, is what computers should be all about…

[marco]

The nub is also present on all army laptops because you can use it whit gloves

[rkus]

The main factor leading to my favoring of the "nub" (actually known as a "trackpoint") is that it is ideal for touch-typists. If you can type at 50+ words a minute (some doing twice that), having to reach over to a mouse *does* cause a significant hit to productivity. Trackpads are barely any better, and as you pointed out can be annoying.

[Code_Machine]

The reason the trackpoint is so unknown is because most conputer users don't really know how to touch type. For those of us that do know touch type, though, it's actually really handy and a lot less distracting when you don't have to take your fingers off of home row to reach for a mouse or trackpad

[scheimong]

I used a Thinkpad in the past and honestly I so frequently miss having my trackpoint. I genuinely don't understand why people hate it so much. As mentioned in the video, it's so so convenient to use the trackpoint to quickly fix a typo or move the cursor around without having to move my entire hand. It objectively requires significantly less movement and strength, which may sound trivial once or twice; but if you have to do it hundreds or thousands of times in a writing session, you'll be thankful that it's there, as many typists can attest to.

As of the learning curve issue, it's a one-time thing. Nobody is born "trackpoint-proficient", just like nobody is born "mouse-proficient" or "trackpad-proficient". Also IBM and later Lenovo has done an excellent job in maintaining consistent handling characteristics thoughout multiple generations of their trackpoint, so much so that I can be given a 15yo Thinkpad, and get comfortable with its trackpoint within a minute. I certainly cannot say the same regarding trackpads - even if you take sereval modern laptops, their trackpads' handling characteristics will still differ wildly.

Obviously there are benefits to trackpads, most notably considerably better accuracy when you need it. But that's the key, because most times you don't need to be pixel-perfect. Anyways, I don't see the trackpoint going away any time soon; TBH I even expect more manufacturers to start encorporating them as the related patents start expiring. It's simply very good for some jobs.

[veqv]

This just reminds me how superior the thinklight was to a backlit keyboard. Enough throw to light up documents, and personally it reduced eye-strain without needing to light up an entire room. Thing was cozy and useful and I want them to bring it back.

[SkepticalCaveman]

The Trackpoint is awesome, make sure to disable pointer acceleration, use maximum pointer speed and use a gentle touch for maximum speed and efficiency.

I can actially use both my right and left index finger with the Trackpoint, and that is very useful when I attach my drawing tablet when I do photo editing. I can limit the drawing area to the canvas only to draw on with my right hand and use the Trackpoint to navigate the GUI with my left hand finger if I need to.

[Jpk]

I strongly dislike my trackpad on my ThinkPad. The TrackPoint will always reign superior. I love the little eraser head! It works great when I’m working with gloves or sitting in an awkward position.

[SoidHoid]

I had a thinkpad, and I vastly preferred the nub over the track pad. It's simpler just to travel the cursor across the screen, for instance, and it's far less finicky than a track pad. I personally have always hated the track pad and I always carry a mouse with me on nub-less laptops.

[GMxTekhe]

One aspect you missed - accessibility! I’ve spoken to loads of people over the years that always get laptops with touch stick/accupoint/the nipple because they have a physical disability that means they can’t use a mouse or a touchpad. :)

[harleentaylor]

I had a Lenovo x220 (picked up for free) and I LOVED using the nub. So long as they're not smashed around, they stay accurate and complimented the trackpad - one could be configured for quick cursor movements and the other for fine control. I just wish they kept that classic keyboard/key design (anyone who's used the earlier models knows what I mean!)

[crawlzzz]

I had a few ThinkPads and I absolutely loved the TrackPoint. It was so much easier than the touchpad in my opinion. I wish more modern laptops still had them.

[BeRad]

Oh my goodness! I feel like I'm seeing a large quantity of people for the first time coming out and saying they like the Trackpoint! That makes me so happy because I love it and every time I bring it up people are confused on why I like it so much. Like wanting to keep both hands on the keyboard at all time is a bad thing. I do understand that track pads have gotten larger and it's easier to use with your thumb but it just feels to me like a compromise. Anyway, evidently there are dozens of us and that's awesome. I hope Dell brings it back to the Latitude series!