Four-finger gestures hacked into older MacBooks

You know good and well you were instantly jealous of the multi-finger gesture support announced for those minty fresh new Mac laptops, and if you're finally ready to ditch that envy you've been harboring and just get even, have a look. Without even resorting to gangsterism, users of pre-October 2008 Apple laptops can get the four-finger Exposé and Application Switching working -- all's that required is the install disc from a unibody MacBook, a little tweak of the registry and a pinch of patience. We can't say for sure how far back this hack will go (we're guessing your PowerBook G3 is out of luck), but we do know that it works just fine with a January '08 MacBook Air. Give it a go if you're a risk taker, but don't blame us if your atoms start to melt.

[Via MacRumors]

[Sneakz @ Nov 15th 2008 4:18PM]

It works on MacBook Pros (Early 2008) and MacBook Airs

[murphy @ Nov 15th 2008 11:53PM]

all i need is 1 finger to make a gesture

[Information Central @ Nov 16th 2008 3:21PM]

Multitouch: Years of hype that have culminated in the awesome ability to do two things: zoom and rotate.

Multitouch represents major hypocrisy for a company that claims a two-button mouse is "too complicated" for its customers. A visible button is too much to handle, but users are supposed to guess at invisible multi-fingered swiping gestures? Gestures that are undiscoverable without reading documentation.

Then again, this same company doesn't put real Delete keys on its laptops, and expects users to know obscure two-handed hotkey combinations to do simple things like sending unwanted items from their desktop to the trash.

Apple should spend less time dicking around with gimmicks and more time fixing problems that cripple its OS. And then it can start thinking about customers, who aren't served by laptops with no FireWire and with cheeseball glossy screens that show more of you and what's behind you than what's on the screen.

[KarlW @ Nov 15th 2008 4:25PM]

OSX doesn't have a registry.

I know Microsoft wishes Windows didn't have a registry. The problem is that when you try to replace the registry without breaking existing software, you end up with something almost exactly like the registry.

[Darren @ Nov 15th 2008 4:34PM]

Yes it does, but it's distributed rather the centralized, monolithic database that exists in Windows.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Nov 15th 2008 4:46PM]

@ Darren,

Yes the PLISTs or Property Lists are OS X's registers/official lists, but colloquially we only refer to Windows Registry as a registry.

[mardson @ Nov 15th 2008 9:08PM]

i don't know if a bunch of xml files count as the wretchedness that is the m$ registry

[loadstar @ Nov 15th 2008 10:54PM]

Aside from the fact that it has absolutely nothing in common with the Windows registry, it's exactly the same!

[Information Central @ Nov 16th 2008 3:11PM]

Don't forget the Mac OS's Receipts directories, which also record version info and can prevent subsequent installations or rollbacks from succeeding. Most people now realize that the tired old claim that you can "just drag apps to the trash" to uninstall them on a Mac is a lie.

The Registry was an attempt to prevent the mess that is a scattered bunch of preference files, receipts, and other turds scattered all over a system. Successful? Maybe not. But at least Windows has an uninstaller for apps. The Mac inexplicably does not, after all these years.

[devin.lieberman @ Nov 15th 2008 4:25PM]

I could imagine that it wouldn't work on Macbooks with only 2 finger gesture support :(

[Ray @ Nov 15th 2008 4:28PM]

So... uh, are the old macbooks multi-touch? How does this work?

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Nov 15th 2008 4:37PM]

To be more precious, the first Intel-based Mac notebooks were dual-touch, with the later G4 iBooks and PowerBooks being able to use dual-touch through a driver hack. As for being able to determine 3 or 4 finger gestures, I don't know, but I'm sure someone will do a thorough testing at some point.

[dandaman @ Nov 15th 2008 4:43PM]

I'd like to know myself. I've got an early '07 MacBook. I would imagine only the MacBooks with the broadcom chips in the iPhone could use this. And where am I going to get a unibody reinstall disk?

You know what else I'd like to see? A hack that turns the lightbulb in the energy saver preferences into a florescent one like on the new macbooks. Or, a new macbook, but those are expensive :-p

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Nov 15th 2008 4:51PM]

@ Dandaman,

You can change any PreferencePane icon by changing the ICNS file in /System/Library/PreferencePanes//Contents/Resources/

[bhtooefr @ Nov 15th 2008 5:02PM]

Bender Bending Rodriguez: Actually, any Apple laptops released in 2005 support two-finger scroll. That includes the last models of iBook G4 and I believe PowerBook G4.

And, IIRC, the earliest TiBooks can't take the hack.

(I'm running the hack (iScroll) on my 1.2GHz iBook G4 12".)

[KarlW @ Nov 15th 2008 5:37PM]

Bender, you're already precious to the Engadget community :)

[collegekid13 @ Nov 15th 2008 4:29PM]

i always just use the one finger gestures when refering to mac laptops

[dandaman @ Nov 15th 2008 4:38PM]

I think you misspelled your name, collegekid13 -- most 13 year olds are in middle school.

[Sora @ Nov 15th 2008 4:43PM]

Well, in France, middle school is called "collège."

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Nov 15th 2008 4:51PM]

They wouldn't know what a quarter pounder is over there.

[broli @ Nov 15th 2008 4:53PM]

boyakasha!

[BigD145 @ Nov 15th 2008 5:28PM]

@Why not

No, but they would have a better sense of things that actually matter in the world.

[brett @ Nov 15th 2008 5:34PM]

for those who low ranked ls7:

a. watch pulp fiction
b. locate your sense of humor

[BigD145 @ Nov 15th 2008 7:33PM]

@Brett
I'm low ranking you just because the joke wasn't very funny to begin with. It was never meant to be. The only thing that's funny was how it was timed in the film. Its usage here? Badly timed AND completely unnecessary.

[Michael @ Nov 16th 2008 9:24AM]

@brett, weren't they talking about a Big Mac, not a quarter pounder?

Besides, a ~1/9th kilogrammer would sound weird.

[Joshua.JWilliams @ Nov 15th 2008 4:41PM]

So, wait - you need to have a Leopard disk from the new notebooks? I don't see how a lot of people would be able to get this work to those people that have the older MacBooks.

I'm sure the new gestures would be nice, but not exactly a must have factor.

[broli @ Nov 15th 2008 4:54PM]

Ask the pirate on your street corner.

[Ken J @ Nov 15th 2008 5:12PM]

Yeah that'll put a stop to all those would-be hackers

[gbraiman @ Nov 15th 2008 4:41PM]

Does anyone else think it's ridiculous that apple doesn't fix this themselves in the form of some kind of update? My Macbook Pro is less than 6 months old... The feature is possible, but unavailable because they want to push their newest line?

So much for product support.

[Samurai Jack @ Nov 15th 2008 5:04PM]

What makes you think they won't? This isn't exactly a high priority to have. Wait until 10.5.6 is released and see if it's in there.

[Ruben @ Nov 15th 2008 5:14PM]

History.

I driver hacked my iBook so i could get two finger scroll and right click via two fingers.

2 OS's came out and it was never unlocked. This will be no different.

[KarlW @ Nov 15th 2008 5:26PM]

The new machines are running a new build of OSX. Wait for 10.5.6, when we'll all be running the same build. This guy was only able to tun it on because he had the new build on an old machine.

We always knew these machines could handle it - they use the same controller as the iPhone/IPT

[HOOPER @ Nov 15th 2008 6:35PM]

It's because they use things that could be easily added to older products, such as these gestures, and use them as selling points for their new products, because they would rather you buy a new product than be happy for free. This is called "capitalism".

[scootinger @ Nov 15th 2008 7:38PM]

Is this really any surprise? Apple pissed in the face of iPod Touch owners (like myself) when they unnecessarily excluded several iPhone apps from the Touch, and then decided to sell them to us in the form of the "iPod Touch Software Upgrade" for $19.99. They did it again when they decided to sell us the 2.0 upgrade, while giving it to iPhone owners for free. I also remember Apple selling Macs that had hardware that supported 802.11n, but disabled support for it in OS X...then eventually offered users the opportunity to unlock it for $1.99. Now, they are again pissing in the face of MacBook owners (like myself, once again) by unnecessarily excluding us from using features like these.

I love my Apple products, but I don't see myself buying another one until Apple stops treating their customers like shit. I paid a premium for my Mac and my iPod, so I expect to be treated like a valued customer rather than a pile of shit. It wouldn't be as surprising if a company like Dell tried to nickle-and-dime me to death...but I expect a lot more of a company like Apple that sells its products with much higher margins.

[Andy TGD @ Nov 16th 2008 4:56PM]

@scootinger

Damn right, man. I'm disgusted with how Apple treats its customers. I was also burned by the iPod Touch fiasco. Money-grabbing bastards. >_

[Brandon L @ Dec 1st 2008 11:31PM]

@Scootinger

This happened to me with the iPod touch as well. I paid $19.99 for the January software update that included the iPhone mail, weather, stocks, and Maps applications. Few months later, they offer the 2.0 package for $9.99 which INCLUDED the same apps as well as the 2.0 firmware. I was so upset, and there was no way I'd be spending $30 on apps that should have been with the iPod touch from the get go. Granted, I had a $20 gift card balance, but still.

Then I found the beauty of direct firmware downloads :-)

[Darren @ Nov 15th 2008 4:47PM]

I'm guessing this doesn't work on models that don't already support the three-finger gestures introduced with the Air.

[Ken J @ Nov 15th 2008 4:51PM]

ewww Mac's have registries?

[Dani Reader @ Nov 15th 2008 5:23PM]

No they don't, which is awesome, because when you install stuff, the computer has no idea where it is, what it does, or whether you registered the product or anything! Sigh. What did you THINK they were going to have? Every OS needs to register its applications in order for them to run correctly. Otherwise you'd be putting your cd-key in for WoW a hell of a lotta times :)

[Ken J @ Nov 15th 2008 7:29PM]

Um, configuration file much?

[broli @ Nov 15th 2008 4:56PM]

You guys sure I can finger my macbook with 4 fingers?

[broli @ Nov 15th 2008 6:34PM]

asshole.

[blarvh @ Nov 15th 2008 6:54PM]

Lol nice comeback Brolli. Take a joke.

[Cal @ Nov 15th 2008 8:21PM]

his mom is taking much more than a joke ;)

[Ryan @ Nov 15th 2008 4:58PM]

So what is a 'unibody' Macbook?

Yeah, I'm being lazy....

[Darren @ Nov 15th 2008 5:27PM]

It's the portable multi-touch Mac that has the display fixed directly on top of the logic board, where the keyboard normally would be.

[computer.dude.28 @ Nov 15th 2008 8:53PM]

http://www.justfuckinggoogleit.com/search.pl?query=unibody+macbook

[Tom @ Nov 15th 2008 5:03PM]

I have an early 2007 macbook and, when dual booted into ubuntu, a "3-finger" tap is the equivalent to a right click (a 1 or 2-finger tap does not register as anything) - this suggests that it is purely a software/driver issue and hopefully someone will make it easy for us to replicate!

[electron @ Nov 15th 2008 5:09PM]

I really dont need this... with multiclutch on a multi-touch capable laptop, you can do the Expose trick with just 3 fingers instead of 4..... I actually find that more comfortable... (but, you know, that could just be me... ;)

[Aaron @ Nov 15th 2008 5:44PM]

How do you do that?