Twelve South launches MagicBridge Extended for Apple Magic Keyboard with number pad

AppleInsider

Twelve South is out with its latest accessory, the MagicBridge Extended that combines your Magic Trackpad 2 with your Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keyboard into a single device.

MagicBridge Extended

Aiming to tidy up your workspace, the MagicBridge Extended brings your two desktop accessories together into one. Twelve South previously launched the MagicBridge, but the larger version of the Magic Keyboard that included the number pad to the side didn't fit.

The MagicBridge Extended is created from polycarbonate which doesn't interfere with Bluetooth signals. The top has several grille openings which make it easy to connect your charging cables. The design allows for the trackpad to be mounted in the unit on the right or the left.

MagicBridge Extended

Inside are silicone pads that protect your accessories from getting worn.

With the two devices adjacent, you can place them both in your lap while controlling your Mac, which is a relaxed position you couldn't pull off with them separate.

The updated MagicBridge Extended is available now in black or white to match your Apple accessories for $49.99 from Twelve South.

retrogusto

Is there something like this that uses the standard laptop configuration, with the trackpad in front of the keyboard? I’ve found it hard to get used to using a trackpad to the side of the keyboard after many years of laptop use, and the wrist-rest benefit of the laptop configuration is nice too. I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to make with a piece of wood and a router. 

williamlondon

Have been using the smaller version for years, it's a useful accessory marrying the two devices.

maxle0p0ld

And where is the Trackpad on the Left Option?

jamesbrickley

$49.99 for a plastic tray with silicon pads? I'm in the wrong business...

jamesbrickley

MaxLe0p0ld said:

And where is the Trackpad on the Left Option?

I assume you can just move the silicon pad to the other side.

rundhvid

retrogusto said:

Is there something like this that uses the standard laptop configuration, with the trackpad in front of the keyboard? I’ve found it hard to get used to using a trackpad to the side of the keyboard after many years of laptop use, and the wrist-rest benefit of the laptop configuration is nice too. I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to make with a piece of wood and a router. 

Exactly—this must surely be an untapped market.

crowley

You could just put them in that position.  No accessory needed.  And that way, if the layout doesn't work for you, you can still move them, and you're $49 richer!

mike wuerthele

MaxLe0p0ld said:

And where is the Trackpad on the Left Option?

What?

FTA: "The design allows for the trackpad to be mounted in the unit on the right or the left."

dewme

retrogusto said:

Is there something like this that uses the standard laptop configuration, with the trackpad in front of the keyboard? I’ve found it hard to get used to using a trackpad to the side of the keyboard after many years of laptop use, and the wrist-rest benefit of the laptop configuration is nice too. I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to make with a piece of wood and a router. 

If you search Amazon you’ll find third party USB keyboards with a small trackpad in the front. None of them look very appealing or have trackpads that are close to the ones on Apple’s MacBooks in terms of size, and I suspect ease of use. I use a Logitech K600 that has an integrated trackpad on the right side on my home theatre connected Mac mini. It’s good for that purpose, emailing or web browsing from the sofa, but it’s nowhere near as good for extended keyboard/trackpad use as a MacBook keyboard/trackpad. 

The fixture shown above is fine for lots of folks, but the reality of having a full sized keyboard with a full sized trackpad doesn’t fit how I use my Macs. I use a keyboard + trackball + trackpad (in that order) and need everything to be within easy reach. It shouldn’t be like playing a piano. To keep the total footprint as narrow as possible I have to use the smallest keyboard I’m comfortable with, one with full sized keys, like Apple’s Magic Keyboard. I’ve tried a half dozen keyboards in the past couple of years and have yet to find perfection. The closest so far is Magic Keyboard (small) + Logitech MX ERGO trackball w/tilt base + Magic Trackpad 2.

I kind-of like the Logitech K400 Plus and Logitech K600 TV for keyboard and trackpad use, but the key spacing is a little bit too close for extended use and the trackpads aren’t nearly as good as Apple’s. The Logitech K380 Mac is a reasonable low cost alternative to the Magic Keyboard, but again, the key spacing and key feel isn’t as good as Apple’s. If you spend a lot of time at the computer the little things really matter a lot.