Apple updates Boot Camp with improvements to Precision Touchpad drivers

Muhammad Usman March 4, 2023 0 Comments Apple updates, Overview

Apple’s Boot Camp software enables Mac users to run Windows natively on their devices. Apple has been working on several improvements to make Boot Camp more dependable, even though they are not yet accessible for Apple Silicon Macs. This time, the tool’s update includes bug fixes and upgrades to the Windows Precision Touchpad drivers.

Boot Camp 6.1.19

New Precision Touchpad drivers are included in the upgrade, according to the Boot Camp 6.1.19 release notes, which were obtained by MacRumors. For individuals who have a compatible MacBook or Magic Trackpad, these drivers, which were initially published in 2021, enable powerful multi-touch trackpad motions in Windows.

Trackpads that enable Windows Precision Touchpad include features including single-tap clicking, precision scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, and other three- or four-finger movements.

It’s important to note that the Windows Precision Touchpad drivers are only compatible with Macs that have an Apple T2 chip. The 2020 27-inch iMac, iMac Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, 2018 Mac mini, and Intel MacBooks released in 2018 and after are included in this.

The most recent version of Boot Camp Utility not only adds new drivers but also corrects general problems. Apple had previously made a Boot Camp upgrade a few days prior that added compatibility for Windows customers’ usage of the WPA3 Wi-Fi protocol. The Bluetooth driver and the Sleep and Hibernation modes were also corrected in the same update.

Another Boot Camp update from earlier this year brought support for Studio Display, enabling Mac users running Windows to use Apple’s new external display across both platforms.

Apple Silicon Macs

Another Boot Camp update from earlier this year brought support for Studio Display, enabling Mac users running Windows to use Apple’s new external display across both platforms.

Overview

Installation

Microsoft must supply an ISO copy of Windows 10 to install it on a Mac. For the Mac machine being used, Boot Camp combines Windows 10 with install scripts to load device drivers.

For a variety of Macs from the middle of 2012 or later, Boot Camp presently supports Windows 10.

[9] As Apple Silicon is built on ARM, it is not supported. While Windows on ARM exists, it cannot be used with Apple Silicon Macs since it is only licensed to OEMs and lacks M1/M2 drivers. [6]

Startup Disk

Macs always start up from the most recent startup drive by default. While starting up, holding down the option key () displays the boot manager, which gives the user the option of selecting the operating system in which to launch the device. The alt key often accomplishes the same task when using a keyboard other than an Apple one. Moreover, the Apple Remote’s “menu” button may be used to start the boot manager by remaining down during startup.

Its operation on older Macs depends on the combination of GPT and MBR partition table information synchronization and BIOS emulation through EFI. [10]

Boot Camp maintains the hard drive as a GPT on later Macs so that Windows may be loaded and booted in UEFI mode. [11]

Limitations

Only if the user’s drive presently only has a primary HFS partition, an EFI System Partition, and a Mac OS X Recovery Partition would Boot Camp be able to assist them with partitioning their disc. As a result, it is impossible, for instance, to maintain a second storage partition. [17] There is a solution that includes halting the normal process after establishing the Boot Camp partition, expanding the main Mac OS X disc, creating a third partition in the newly freed-up space, and then continuing with the Windows installation. [18] While they are not officially supported, changes to the partition table made after Windows has been installed are nevertheless possible with the aid of third-party applications. [19]
Boot Camp does not offer drivers for Linux and does not assist customers in installing it. The majority of dual-booting techniques for Linux on Mac employ refined EFI boot manager and manual disc partitioning. [20]
Boot Camp does not yet enable running Windows with an external GPU powered by Thunderbolt 3 on macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave, or macOS Catalina, despite Macs switching to Thunderbolt 3 in 2016. Apple has not made any public statements on the reasons behind this restriction. [21]