Quote:
Originally Posted by
nkhm 
That's quite a pair of blinkers you're wearing there.
The eco claims for the charger seem sound and the price is only a few pounds more than similar quality chargers I've recently been looking at.
I'd happily use the trackpad to control the apple tv/mac mini across the room - of course it would work- just think outside the box. If the interface is on the screen and all you need to do is point, then it works. Simples.
Simples? Yeah those blinkers are called the walls of my office and living room. So what if the interface is on screen? If I'm in another room then it's useless. Even simpler.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
hezetation
You need textile feel when you are working with multiple buttons. When you have a multitouch surface you don't need to feel anything, just need to remember the right gestures.
Multiple buttons? You mean like on a remote control?
I've used and justified Apple input devices for years. High quality? Yes. Pretty? Always. Well thought out design? Usually, but they always fall short of their own potential. Especially in terms of ergonomics. The trackpad is the best device I've seen in a while, don't get me wrong, it's just not impressive. At it's price point it's pretty cool, but it would have been great if it were a mini cintiq tablet. Do you really work in photoshop without pressure sensitivity? Really? That sounds like a throwback to me. And if I'm in Final Cut pro, Color, Logic, whatever App you want, wouldn't it have been nice if you could create/ customize your buttons and controllers right on a touch tablet/ screen? Yes, of course it would.
Apple just wants to take 10 years to get there and milk the potential of the device. The company they bought multi touch from had way better devices than this and if it had Apple's sexiness slapped over it with the full power behind it, the touch pad would have been amazing. I prefer amazing when it comes to my tools, not Meh. Not everyone is that way. Some people are content to own a Toyota, I'd rather drive a Mercedes. Some want to buy and HP and I prefer Macs. The problem is that the input devices never really met the same standards. With the towers for instance, quality is the only difference. With input devices they can ride on the "design" as the key selling factor. When I actually have to use the thing, function would be the selling point for me, like I said though. The track pad is probably the most functional device yet. It just could have been more so.
I personally don't care what SJ thinks about the stylus either. Sometimes you have to think about someone other than yourself to make a great product. I have to do this all the time since I don't personally buy Cheetos, but it's my job to sell them and a bunch of other things I'd never buy. The stylus is never going to disappear, never. That's like saying the pen will vanish some day. No it won't. We've been using sticks to draw pictures in clay tablets since the 30th century BCE. Ever try signing something with your finger? Finger painting is for fine artists? Nope. This is such a similar example how ridiculous the one button mouse was after the first ten years of the Mac. In ten years SJ will claim that he's reinvented the Stylus. We call it the "Magic Brush". I love Steve, but I'm getting tired of the same old schtick.
Most recently, the "magic" mouse pays little consideration to ergonomics IMO. Way too small and too thin. I think the drive away from buttons is nice in principle, but sometimes physical buttons are what you want. It's just gives you a better tactile response. There's no way around that. I don't agree with putting form over function when it comes to a device my hand has to interface with 10 - 16 hours a day. Touch is an important sense that we don't use consciously most of the time and it allows us to work very fast, without thought. Apple has chosen to ignore tactile response and I happen to believe that we are losing 20% of our sensory perception by removing the physicality of the device and limiting our own abilities.
Going further back, the one button mouse was a ridiculous holdover for far to many years. Today we have two buttons, but not earlier when we actually had to have buttons? Somehow touch sensitivity made two buttons possible? That sounds odd.
Finally, ergonomics seem to take a back seat too often. Third party manufacturers have some great designs that overall are better than Apple's at a slightly lower price for a product at the same quality. These input devices of Apple's are becoming fashion accessories for the Macs. They match! OMFG
So after fifteen years of loyal fandom, I've come to my senses when comparing Apple to other device manufacturers. I've had to justify it so many times in my budgets so when it comes to peripherals I can't recommend them. I'm tired of seeing mediocre, overpriced devices from the best computer manufacturer out there. Matching aesthetics isn't enough. It has to functionally be the best as well. Most guys probably pick their women applying the same rules though. "She's hot and kind of interesting" (for about a year). Instead of, "this is the most interesting woman I have ever met and she's beautiful"? (Unless he's a douche that's going to last). Beauty always fades and is always secondary. Even for a Mac.
