The pointing stick (trademarked by IBM as the TrackPoint) is a pointing device for laptops invented by research scientist Ted Selker and equips IBM's line of ThinkPad laptops.

The pointing stick has a replaceable red-tip which is often referred to as the cap or the nipple. The stick is embedded on the QWERTY keyboard between the 'G', 'H' and 'B' keys, and the mouse buttons are placed just below the Spacebar.

The pointing stick operates by sensing applied force (hence it is also known as an isometric joystick), typically by measuring the resistance of a material. The velocity of the cursor is then proportional to the applied force.

See also: pointing device, touchpad

External links

• IBM's TrackPoint page