Apple recently announced that some macOS Monterey features won’t come to Intel Macs, signaling that the company may phase out Intel Mac support sooner than usual. But a new, surprise update now adds Windows Precision Touchpad support to Boot Camp—a tool only found on x86 Macs.
Windows Precision Touchpad support comes to Boot Camp through a surprise software update. First noticed by users on the r/MacOS subreddit and reported by The Verge, the Precision Touchpad support works better than the 3rd party workarounds that Boot Camp users have relied on for nearly a decade.
Those who are used to using Windows may be surprised how many trackpad features rely on Precision Trackpad support. Functions like tap-to-click, right corner to right-click, and multi-finger gestures are impossible without Precision Trackpad support, which can make running Windows 10 on a MacBook difficult, given its lack of dedicated trackpad buttons.
Unfortunately, only a few Macs are gaining Windows Precision Trackpad support. An Apple support document states that only Macs with a T2 chip can access the feature, which excludes all Macs made before 2018. You can find a full list of Macs with a T2 chip on Apple’s website.
While we’re happy to see Apple continue support for Intel machines, it’s a bit odd given macOS 12’s emphasis on M1 machines. Hopefully this is a sign that Apple will continue to support x86 devices for years to come.
