I agree that the Magic Mouse (with gestures turned on) largely made something like this duplicative, to a degree.
At the moment, I don't think it entirely replaces the need for the Intuo pads. But will Apple expand its functionality in future releases such that it adds drawing capabilities?
Also, these recent h/w upgrades, and the Magic Trackpad, should counter the recent narrative that Apple is abandoning the desktop. To the contrary: they clearly have long-range plans to enhance it considerably. See further discussion here:
3D multi-touch with superfast SSDs. They'll be leveraging the App Store's content (the apps, I mean) and building in multi-touch much deeper into desktop apps. Dell and HP and Sony will be dependent on MSFT for matching this (3-5 year wait on that, I'm guessing.)
Now that the Magic Mouse is out though I don't see the point (at least for me).
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this. yay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheff
Gonna hit up the store on the way home.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this. yay.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
No luck in Washington DC either. Also, the Apple Online Store is down.....bummer
I figured that the Magic Mouse was just an interim step toward all-virtual keyboards. Actually, so is the Magic Trackpad. Maybe two years from now, or whenever Apple thinks enough people have gotten used to multi-touch on desktop Macs, they'll launch a pure-virtual keyboard. By then, AMOLED costs may have come down enough to build a virtual keyboard / trackpad in a single unit. Type and multi-touch without moving your hand between devices.
But I think the MacBook Air will get the all-virtual keyboard+trackpad first. Why? Because thinness and lightness are its top design goals. Replacing the physical keyboard and conventional trackpad with a single large AMOLED would probably cost more initially. But it would allow Apple to drastically reduce the physical thickness of the keyboard/multi-touch area. No mechanical key movement and no LED backlighting hardware.
And the virtual keyboard AMOLED wouldn't need to have ultra-high iPhone-like resolution. It would only be displaying large letters and/or circles around fingertips for multi-touch, so maybe a lower-cost AMOLED could be used...
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this.
This is the exact reason I want one. I've got an old Mighty Mouse but it doesn't work well on any surface in my living room so it's a total dud now. This trackpad coupled with Rowmote Pro on my iPhone is the perfect combo to better manage my Mini HTPC. Just gotta find someone to buy my old Magic Mouse now.
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this. yay.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
I use a Kensington Slim Blade with my TV attached Mini - it is basically an optical mouse with a scroll ball on top - that also has a mode where the ball on top works like a trackball instead - meaning no need to put it on a surface. The only downside is that my 65" TV is about 18 feet away - and the signal sensitivity relative to the mouse on screen at that distance when operating in 1080 mode often means the signal gets interrupted - which can be frustrating - not sure if the pad would work any better but might be worth a try.
No luck in Washington DC either. Also, the Apple Online Store is down.....bummer
Use the App Store app and order it? Like the iPhone release, if there's big demand for it, the App Store app order may get you to the front of the line (or home delivery first... )
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
Just came back from old orchard (apple store). They don't have it yet, expect it some time next week at earliest. Seems like online store is the only way to get these for now, but I just want to play with it at this stage. I am not totally convinced this will be better then the mouse.
It's not at my local Apple Store. As the guy was telling me that they 'should' have them by end of week, I ordered on on my Apple Store app and it 'should' arrive at our home by Friday.
We have the same set up -- Mini serving all my daughter's disney videos to the plasma TV. She's two. The keyboard and mouse are tucked up in the entertainment center. She navigates everything with the old faithful iGesture Pad from Fingerworks.
One of my wish list when they announced the iPad was a similar form with the OSX not the iOS. The Magic Trackpad would be a way to introduce Apple customers to such a transition. More like a high end iPad using OSX.
It is possible also that the Magic Trackpad will evolve on its own. It may evolve as a remote control type perhaps in conjunction with a MacMini connected to a compatible TV (remember the deal of Apple with LG more than a year ago?). This becomes the latest evolution of Apple TV with more power and also serve as a full computer. This could be Apple's answer to Google TV but more integrated and versatile in its functionality.
Always read stuff here but this is my first post. Anyway, I dig this new mouse cuz I can use it right or left handed without changing the config on the desktop -- which I have to do with my trackball. I'm a righty but I used my desktop mouse lefty to reduce the pain in my back from repetitive mouse movements... that damn mouseback!
Looks like a nice $30 accessory, at most. Not $70. I could buy three of these, or an entire netbook (tiny trackpad included). Or something else. But $70 seems incredibly steep. Probably costs $6.47 to make, max. \
Apple's battery charger is lame as well. Why isn't it USB-based? Or Firewire? They could have done so much more, something more "Apple". Jeers to them.
Cheers to not updating the Macbook Air, since I just bought one used on Ebay and might resell it...
Comments
At the moment, I don't think it entirely replaces the need for the Intuo pads. But will Apple expand its functionality in future releases such that it adds drawing capabilities?
Also, these recent h/w upgrades, and the Magic Trackpad, should counter the recent narrative that Apple is abandoning the desktop. To the contrary: they clearly have long-range plans to enhance it considerably. See further discussion here:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/16607...than_you_think
3D multi-touch with superfast SSDs. They'll be leveraging the App Store's content (the apps, I mean) and building in multi-touch much deeper into desktop apps. Dell and HP and Sony will be dependent on MSFT for matching this (3-5 year wait on that, I'm guessing.)
w00t!
I wonder if it will end up working with an iPad.
Now that the Magic Mouse is out though I don't see the point (at least for me).
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this. yay.
Gonna hit up the store on the way home.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this. yay.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
No luck in Washington DC either. Also, the Apple Online Store is down.....bummer
But I think the MacBook Air will get the all-virtual keyboard+trackpad first. Why? Because thinness and lightness are its top design goals. Replacing the physical keyboard and conventional trackpad with a single large AMOLED would probably cost more initially. But it would allow Apple to drastically reduce the physical thickness of the keyboard/multi-touch area. No mechanical key movement and no LED backlighting hardware.
And the virtual keyboard AMOLED wouldn't need to have ultra-high iPhone-like resolution. It would only be displaying large letters and/or circles around fingertips for multi-touch, so maybe a lower-cost AMOLED could be used...
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this.
This is the exact reason I want one. I've got an old Mighty Mouse but it doesn't work well on any surface in my living room so it's a total dud now. This trackpad coupled with Rowmote Pro on my iPhone is the perfect combo to better manage my Mini HTPC. Just gotta find someone to buy my old Magic Mouse now.
this is perfect for me. i have a mini to the tv and a glass coffee table, so i can get rid of the obsolete mousepad and use this. yay.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
I use a Kensington Slim Blade with my TV attached Mini - it is basically an optical mouse with a scroll ball on top - that also has a mode where the ball on top works like a trackball instead - meaning no need to put it on a surface. The only downside is that my 65" TV is about 18 feet away - and the signal sensitivity relative to the mouse on screen at that distance when operating in 1080 mode often means the signal gets interrupted - which can be frustrating - not sure if the pad would work any better but might be worth a try.
No luck in Washington DC either. Also, the Apple Online Store is down.....bummer
Use the App Store app and order it? Like the iPhone release, if there's big demand for it, the App Store app order may get you to the front of the line (or home delivery first...
Well... will the new iLife mystery app support/exploit the Magic TrackPad?
.
well, almost yay. the san francisco apple stores don't yet have them in stock and, as always, have no idea when they'll be getting stock. do other retail stores have them today?
Just came back from old orchard (apple store). They don't have it yet, expect it some time next week at earliest. Seems like online store is the only way to get these for now, but I just want to play with it at this stage. I am not totally convinced this will be better then the mouse.
I wonder if it will end up working with an iPad.
Will not work with iPad/iPhone:
http://www.gearlog.com/2010/07/magic...t_work_wit.php
http://www.fingerworks.com/igesture_tech.html
I was sad to see Fingerworks close shop, but it turned out Apple had aquired it. It is good to see their vision lives on.
A search for Fingerworks and Apple turns up some interesting articles.
It is possible also that the Magic Trackpad will evolve on its own. It may evolve as a remote control type perhaps in conjunction with a MacMini connected to a compatible TV (remember the deal of Apple with LG more than a year ago?). This becomes the latest evolution of Apple TV with more power and also serve as a full computer. This could be Apple's answer to Google TV but more integrated and versatile in its functionality.
CGC
apple just killed the mouse.
w00t!
I wonder if it will end up working with an iPad.
Sorry? Am I missing something? You want a trackpad for a device which is fully touch operated? I don't understand why...
Apple's battery charger is lame as well. Why isn't it USB-based? Or Firewire? They could have done so much more, something more "Apple". Jeers to them.
Cheers to not updating the Macbook Air, since I just bought one used on Ebay and might resell it...