Windows 10 will offer Mac-like trackpad gestures

Anyone who has ever used a modern-day Mac will tell you that Apple gets its trackpads right. Sure, they look nice and feel great to the touch, but, most importantly, they are also properly supported in OS X. It offers myriad gestures to help users navigate as efficiently as if they were using a mouse. In fact, the trackpad is designed to feel like an integral part of the system, not as a bolt-on, as there are lots of things that can be done faster with it, like locating a window or opening the notifications panel.

The same cannot be said about Windows PC trackpads. They truly feel like bolt-ons. And it is not because they are poorly put together, but rather because the drivers never seem to be good enough to reveal the trackpads' true potential. Microsoft, however, wants to change that in Windows 10, as the upcoming operating system will support Mac-like trackpad gestures. Finally.

Today, at TechEd Europe in Barcelona, Microsoft corporate vice president of Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore revealed that Windows 10 will come with multi-touch gesture support, seemingly to put an end to the different approaches OEMs have when it comes to their software implementation.

Belfiore added that the new multi-touch gestures that Windows 10 will offer are designed with power-users in mind, as this is the most likely group of Windows 10 users to take advantage of them frequently. A couple of the new gestures were demoed.

A three-finger swipe down on the trackpad will minimize all windows, allowing the user to quickly see only the desktop. To see the minimized windows again, a three-finger swipe up on the trackpad will do the trick. Repeat the gesture and Windows 10 will display Task View; a three-finger swipe to the sides will allow users to select which of the active windows should be brought up to the foreground.

To give you an idea of how similar the Windows 10 gestures are to the ones offered in OS X, a three-finger swipe up on OS X will trigger Mission Control (an overview of all windows), while a three-finger swipe down will trigger Expose (an overview of all open windows of an app). On OS X, minimizing all windows is done through a four-finger pinch. As you can see, Microsoft does things somewhat differently, to better suit the character of Windows 10.

These gestures will certainly make the operating system easier to navigate for those rocking a laptop, and it may also (hopefully) come in handy for Mac users who wish to run Windows 10 under Boot Camp. Belfiore says that more new features are coming, with consumers to get more attention starting early next year.

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