Multi-touch MacBooks Coming?

Crunchgear rumor:

http://crunchgear.com/2007/06/29/multi-touch-on-macbooks-in-october/

If you're too lazy to click, here's the main rumor, from a "trusted source":

The iPhone’s multi-touch technology is theoretically supposed to roll out with all the new laptops, including those coming out in October. The feature will be built into the touchpads, allowing you to navigate through your notebook’s files, applications, etc. the same way you can on the iPhone.

we wish...

aren't touch pads already equipped with sensing multi-touch input? we use two fingers for scrolling and double-clicking; it's just a matter of a software update or a new os release (leopard?) that would give us iphone-like multi-touch functionality.

Directly from the article:

(Yes, I know you can already scroll with them, that’s nothing new. I’m talking about all the other finger gestures that can be done on the iPhone’s screen.)

so how does the iphones screen functionality differ from the current track pad available technology, surely its just a software enhancement, as mentioned you can already use two fingers, why wouldnt you be able to pitch?

uh huh. The iPhone screen is way smaller than the macbook screen. a multi-touch macbook screen would be, well, a $3500 macbook.

Wow! A trackpad that you can touch!?!?! What will they think of next!?!?!

Meh.

They are talking about the pinching motion used to zoom in to pictures and stuff like that. Or that's what I think they are talking about.

uh huh. The iPhone screen is way smaller than the macbook screen. a multi-touch macbook screen would be, well, a $3500 macbook.

You didn't even read it, did you? They were talking about the Trackpad.

I'm not sure that Apple would do this on the MacBook before the MacBook Pro though, the Pro/PowerBook had two fingered scrolling before the iBook/MacBook line did.

I'm not sure that they're not just using the term "MacBook" to refer to both MBs and MBPs. I remember how everyone seemed to think it was a horrible idea when they changed the names from "iBook" and "PowerBook", and one sense in which it seems the majority was right was the fact that the term "MacBook" seems to be used the way the word "Coke" is used in the deep South.... it can refer to Coke, but it's also used to refer to Sprite, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc...

"You want a coke?" "Sure." "What kind, Coke, Sprite, root beer?"

"You buying a macbook?" "Yeah." "Which one?" "MacBook Pro."

Of course, I could be wrong and they're referring to the ex-ibooks. But as you pointed out, that wouldn't make much sense.

Or, this is a rumor with little basis in fact. That seems to be just as likely to me.