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Mouse? What mouse?

A Review On: Apple Magic Trackpad (MC380LL/A)

Apple Magic Trackpad (MC380LL/A)

Rated # 1 in Accessories
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Review Details:
Value
Performance
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Price paid: $69.00
WisdomSeed
By WisdomSeed
Posted · 24 Views · 12 Comments

Pros: Easy to use. Highly versatile! Looks sweet!

Cons: Some of the gestures are not consistant. Not pressure sensitve

One of the things I'v e learned in the Apple store is 'look, but don't touch'. I know, I know that they actually encourage you to touch and touch a lot. The thing is once you touch it, you've got to have it and if there was ever a device you should keep your fingers off of, its this one. Once you run your fingers across this brushed aluminum slab, it is all over with. One finger, two fingers, three fingers, four! Pinch, swipe, back and forth, left to right, up and down!. Yes, it is technical porn. I don't even have a mouse anymore. Just my wired keyboard and this wireless wonder. 

What gets me is that it looks so minimal and yet it is so highly functional in the Apple kind of way. In the same way the iPhone has wrecked me for other phones (more than one button now frightens and confuses me), the Apple Magic Trackpad has wrecked me for mice (mouses?). I love that it sits where it sits and you don't have to worry about running out of real estate like you can with a mouse I also like the size of it compared to the size of a trackpad on a laptop. 

The only thing I don't care for is that sometimes it gets kinda jerky and that can be annoying and I don't know of a quick fix for that, not even a restart. Also it would be nice if the battery strength was more easily available in the menu bar like the Airplay menu.

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12 Comments

marvfox 9/21/12 at 4:25am
I own the MTP and it is easy to use. i have Carpel Tunnel Syndrome bad and with out this device forget it I would have to sell my MMini by not using the track pad.Big deal you can see the battery display in the preferences section under track pad.The Magic Mouse for me stinks! It is hard to use and click with what I have.
thoughtfulmacuser 10/3/12 at 8:09pm
If you have bluetooth displayed in the menu bar, you can quickly see the battery condition after scrolling to the trackpad. It would be nice to see it stand alone I guess. I love the trackpad. I got spoiled on my Macbook's trackpad first.
valiant66 10/22/12 at 1:39pm
Alternatively you can use something like Markus Weimar's BatteryLevel http://markusweimar.de/en/software/batterylevel/ .
I personally have a GeekTool geeklet that sits on my desktop http://projects.tynsoe.org/en/geektool/
Here's a pic: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/274092/CalepinPix/trackpad-battery-level-screengrab.jpg
I forget where I found the code for it, somewhere in the geeklet ecosystem.
sr2012 12/2/12 at 4:16am
Magic Trackpad... Can't imagine going back to a mouse. Weird, never expected it. But it is awesome.
mtkoren 12/3/12 at 10:03pm
Funny thing is when I saw this thread I suddenly realized that I haven't even touched my mouse which is sitting here on the desk in probably a year - the magic trackpad has taken over! I don't even know if the mouse works any more!!! (It probably does but I wonder if the battery needs replacement - I better remove it before it oozes!) Anyhow, that mouse by comparison is annoying. This trackpad makes me feel like I'm having the same experience I have directly on my MBAir and similar to my iPad and iPhone. It's like having the sports car on my desk. So yeah why use the mouse? :)
mtkoren 12/3/12 at 10:12pm
OH NO!!!!!! It's too late - I kid you not!! The batteries in my mouse are frothing!!! Obviously from sitting from lack of use!!!!! Is it over, mousie???!!!! .............. OK I cleaned it up - mainly white powder all over the inside especially at the positive poles - batteries didn't want to come out. But I forced them. And --- tata!!! --- miraculously the shiny plastic inside cleaned right up and the metal contacts were spared. So there is now a new set of batteries inside. And it works! >>>>> BUT WILL I USE THE MOUSE??? <<<<<
Tracer 12/6/12 at 6:21am
"Once you run your fingers across this brushed aluminum slab, it is all over with."
I believe the business part of the track pad is actually Glass.
'tsall good though. +1's for all of the other comments on functionality and mouse
obsoleting.

I think Apple's approach to the "touch screen computer interface" is much better than Windows just for the fact it keeps me from slathering my computer screens with fingerprints. yuck.
Two things I don't want to do: view my work through a mass of finger gunk and continually clean my computer screens.
AnalogJack 12/10/12 at 2:57pm
I have yet to try the magic trackpad but I do have to be very aware when using my magic mouse with my 27" iMac particularly scrolling as it can cause a bit of discomfort. I also have an A4 intuos and most of the time I find that this is the most comfortable device as holding the stylus which requires virtually no pressure, never causes any discomfort at all and is in fact more of an immersive experience as you tend to completely forget about the stylus which a mouse, (or trackpad, I used one for a few weeks on a macbook Air and was not very impressed). The intuos has programmable buttons which can be set up for page scrolling or whatever so, for those who are afraid of carpel tunnel syndrome, a large tablet, while being expensive, is worth considering.
bigpics 12/25/12 at 10:10am
Re Tracer's comment: A touch screen on Macs would be an OPTION not something anyone's forced to do... ...ever... ...let alone all the time, but available when the quickest, easiest route is to touch something sitting right in front of you.... ...e.g., if I could just touch "Post Comment" right now.

And options - particularly options that don't cause you to lose any existing ways of doing things or require even the slightest learning curve (i.e., they just work and are, as Apple's been reminding us for decades, "intuitive" - are, you know, good things for users.... ...not to mention that iOS devices have totally trained us to just want to "reach out touch" things we can see...

....Apple IS going to end up copying Windows on this one, or lose at least an increasing number of incremental sales over the longer term....
bigpics 12/25/12 at 10:12am
Re Tracer's comment: A touch screen on Macs would be an OPTION, not something anyone's forced to do... ...ever... ...let alone all the time, but available when the quickest, easiest route is to touch something sitting right in front of you.... ...e.g., if I could just touch "Post Comment" right now....

And options - particularly options that don't cause you to lose any existing ways of doing things or require even the slightest learning curve (i.e., they just work and are, as Apple's been reminding us for decades, "intuitive") - are, you know, good things for users....
...not to mention that iOS devices have totally trained us to just want to "reach out touch" things we can see...

Apple IS going to end up copying Windows on this one, or lose at least an increasing number of incremental sales over the longer term....
WisdomSeed 12/25/12 at 11:06am
While the thought of a Touch-Screen computer sounds cool, it doesn't wear well. When computers are the desk, then, maybe touch screens will come into play, but them you're faced with looking down all the time. Gesture capture may be doable, but do we really want to do alal that swiping and stuff in the open air trying to move a file from one directory to another?
bigpics 12/25/12 at 8:30pm
Again, I'm not talking about touch for all (or initially even many) things in all places. And it might not be used at all by some (which is NOT a "problem," - again just an option for those who want it). Also granted, it wouldn't work well inside most existing apps (as Win 8 proves in spades), so first in home screen UI elements (with, say a choice of having either the existing or more touch-friendly targets there - a choice one would make during set-up and find it easy to change any time).

And, no, I have no standing in the pundit biz', just a forum poster, and I'm not a pro, and I'm saying we'll see this happen within two years - give or take 6 months.

Obvious early applications are like the one in the MS ad showing a kid drawing on her screen and one can imagine a later Photoshop where direct screen manipulation would be a boon. And moving elements around on Keynote slides would be great for me.

Every mouse and trackpad gesture and every menu choice and keystroke combo could be retained indefinitely.


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