The touchpad was invented by George Gerphegan while he was working at the
company, ALPS Electric, in 1983. Gerphegan was inspired by the touchpads used
on NASA's Space Shuttle missions and sought to develop a similar device for use
in personal computers.
The first touchpad was introduced as part of the GRiD Compass computer in
1987. It was a small, touch-sensitive pad that could be used to move the cursor
and make selections. Over time, the touchpad evolved to become a more
sophisticated device, incorporating multi-touch functionality and gesture
recognition.
The widespread adoption of the touchpad began with the introduction of
the Apple Powerbook in 1994. Since then, touchpads have become a standard
feature on laptops and have largely replaced traditional pointing devices such
as the mouse and trackball.
Today, touchpads are widely used as an input device for personal
computers, with many laptop users relying solely on the touchpad for navigation
and control. The touchpad continues to evolve and improve, with manufacturers
incorporating new features such as pressure-sensitivity and haptic feedback.