The Force Touch trackpad may look like other trackpads on the surface, but it's what is underneath that makes it distinct. Force sensors detect how much pressure you're applying and the Taptic Engine provides a click sensation when you press anywhere on the surface. Now the click that once was a single, mechanical function is just the start of what you can do with Force Touch. The sensory capabilities of the Force Touch trackpad allow you to tell your MacBook what you want it to do based on subtle differences in the amount of pressure you apply. This makes it possible to perform a variety of different actions in different apps, all on the same surface. And it can respond with haptic feedback you can actually feel, making your MacBook more usable and personal.

Traditional trackpads use a "diving board" mechanism, which requires room underneath for the downward motion of a click and makes it harder to click the part of the surface closest to the keyboard. With the Force Touch trackpad, force sensors detect your click anywhere on the surface and move the trackpad laterally toward you, although the feel is the same familiar downward motion you're accustomed to in a trackpad. The Taptic Engine also provides haptic feedback, so instead of just seeing what's happening on the screen, you can feel it, too. The trackpad sends a tangible response to your fingertip when you perform certain tasks, like aligning annotations on a PDF.

In addition to the intuitive Multi-Touch gestures you may be familiar with - like scrolling, swiping, pinching, and rotating - Force Touch brings an added dimension to the Mac experience. The sensitivity is customizable, allowing you to adjust how much pressure is needed to register a click. And the trackpad can even tell whether you're clicking with your thumb or another finger and automatically adjusts the sensitivity level.

Traditional keyboards use a scissor mechanism, which tends to wobble around the edges. This creates a lack of precision when you strike anywhere except the center of the key. Apple needed to reduce key wobbling for a keyboard this thin; otherwise, striking a key off-center could result in the keycap hitting bottom before a keystroke registers. So Apple designed a butterfly mechanism, which is wider than the scissor mechanism and has a single assembly made from a stiffer material - allowing for a more stable, responsive key that takes up less vertical space.