March 18, 2026
Let the Click Wars begin
I haven't used a mouse for 14 years
Trackpad loyalist ignites Click Wars: wrists cry, trackballs rise, mouse fans rage
TLDR: A designer says Apple’s trackpad and three‑finger drag let them go 14 years without a mouse, sparking a fight over comfort and precision. Comments split into three camps: trackpad loyalists, trackball converts, and vertical‑mouse saviors—with pointing‑stick diehards chiming in—turning one tip into a full ergonomic showdown.
One Mac designer claims 14 years mouse‑free thanks to Apple’s silky trackpad, Three Finger Drag, and “tap to click.” The tips are tucked away in Accessibility settings now, but the vibe is: once you learn the gestures, you’re gliding. Cue the comments turning into a full‑blown Click War.
Trackball hardcore rolled in first. One fan ditched Apple’s Magic Trackpad the moment a Kensington trackball hit the desk, swearing it saved their wrist while keeping flick‑fast precision. Others said the trackpad dream turned nightmare: after hours of use, wrists started screaming, so they fled to vertical mice like Logitech’s MX. Several users waved the RSI flag—repetitive strain injury—and said comfort beats cool every time.
But the trackpad faithful were loud too. One longtime Apple user said touching a PC mouse “kills me a little,” dunking on cheap PC touchpads that once made stores hand out free mice like breath mints. Meanwhile, a surprising third faction emerged: the pointing stick truthers—yes, that tiny keyboard nub—calling it the most accurate pointer of all (what’s a pointing stick?).
The humor writes itself: “Choose your controller like it’s a video game,” joked one. The drama? A clean split: glide with fingers, roll a trackball, or grip a mouse. The only consensus is chaos—and that your hands will unionize if you pick the wrong one.
Key Points
- •Author has used Mac trackpads exclusively (no external mouse) since 2012, including on an iMac.
- •Design tasks that require dragging can be made more comfortable using macOS’s “Three Fingers Drag.”
- •Enabling “Tap to Click” allows operating the trackpad without physical clicks, using light taps instead.
- •The “Three Fingers Drag” setting is now found at System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control > Trackpad Options > Dragging style in macOS.
- •Author contrasts Mac trackpad quality with earlier experiences on Windows laptops’ touchpads, which they found inadequate.