Can someone explain to me what the appeal is of tap-to-click on trackpads? It's obviously terrible for usability for anyone with less-than-perfect motor control, but even for someone with ordinary dexterity like myself, it can be infuriating. I don't want to have to tread lightly around my trackpad just to keep from accidentally clicking on stuff.
And it's not just me; I watch other people use laptops, and their usage is generally littered with unintended taps; they just don't seem to care that they keep randomly misplacing their keyboard focus or switching to other applications.
I mean, I get that it's slightly easier to tap on the trackpad than it is to click with your thumb. But how can that possibly make up for all the time lost to accidental input?
Maybe it's just the Mac trackpad or I have perfect motor control, as you imply, but I very rarely have a problem with unwanted clicks due to tap-to-click. I certainly feel more agile not having to apply the pressure necessary to initiate the click and I also don't have to hear the clicking noise the trackpad makes every time I do click. All around better experience for me with little to no downside.
I use it on my MBP for one reason: less strain on my clicking finger, which in the past has led to RSI. Using my old Thinkpads with the TrackPoint and clicking was much more stressful on my hands than my current setup.
I don't have any trouble with errant clicks, but I may have altered my typing style. Right now my hands are both entirely off the keyboard (elbows resting on armrests on chair). I also understand there are some improvements in Mac OS X over other operating systems with respect to errant clicking.
I think tap-to-click is an abomination (on Windows, OSX and Linux). The worst was Windows when I re-imaged a laptop without the OEM drivers the generic Windows driver could no longer turn the feature off (argh!). But I think the attraction for designers is trying to support a pickup and drag gesture on the trackpad without using a toggle button.
I think you're the odd one; I've had this problem and witnessed others having it, on most computers I've encountered with the feature. I have tap-to-click disabled on my laptop for precisely that reason.
I am not referring to a single bad experience with a single laptop. I am talking about every laptop I have ever used, regardless of settings, that had this feature enabled.
Personally, I hate tactile clicking on trackpads. Especially on newer Mac-style trackpads where the track surface is the button; I constantly have issues with my cursor moving and missing what I intend to click.
If you have a touchpad with crappy drivers, tap-to-click can be painful, yes, but good touchpads are pretty decent at discarding accidental taps. Many drivers also have options to adjust tap length, etc, if you're interested in fine-tuning it, but it's never something I've had to do personally.
Keeping my thumb on the buttons means that I have to curl up my index finger into a less natural position. Much easier to just tap. Also in certain environments the clicking noise is a bother.
And it's not just me; I watch other people use laptops, and their usage is generally littered with unintended taps; they just don't seem to care that they keep randomly misplacing their keyboard focus or switching to other applications.
I mean, I get that it's slightly easier to tap on the trackpad than it is to click with your thumb. But how can that possibly make up for all the time lost to accidental input?