Windows 8 users who've struggled with trackpad issues may find some relief in the finished version of Windows 8.1.
Current trackpad drivers designed for
Windows 8 can't necessarily take advantage of all the features and gestures available in the operating system. To rectify that problem, Microsoft, Intel, Synaptics, and Elan are teaming up to
directly enable pointer, multi-touch, and gesture support in Windows 8.1, according to The Verge.
Tapping into the new "Precision Touchpad" support, the group also wants to transform future Windows 8.1 notebook trackpads into small touch screens that would offer smoother scrolling, better zooming, and other enhancements.
James Clarke, a principal program manager lead for Microsoft, discussed and demoed the new trackpad concept at the
company's Build conference on June 26. Some notebooks equipped with the new support should appear later in the year but won't ship in volume numbers until 2014, according to Clarke.
