I have mixed feelings about the mice that Apple have produced recently. The Mighty Mouse was ok, but I managed to break two of them in under eighteen months just through standard usage. Then came the Magic Mouse with all of its gesture glory and no obvious buttons. I really liked the Magic Mouse, but I just find the curvature and the surface area not entirely conducive to gestures. As far as a mouse goes, the Magic Mouse is the best I’ve ever worked with, but it isn’t the gesture platform I want for my Mac experience.
So last night I bought myself a Magic Trackpad! I did a bit of research and realised that the trackpad would in fact work with my Macbook Pro – the packaging and marketing isn’t quite clear. Obviously some people are wondering why did I buy this if my Macbook Pro has a perfectly good trackpad of its own? I keep my Macbook Pro closed on my desk, attached to my 30″ monitor and external peripherals so the trackpad is straight replacement for my Magic Mouse.
In short, I love it! I always really liked using the new generation of trackpad from Apple. The textured glass gives it enough resistance that you have a level of accuracy but is smooth enough so that your fingers just glide over the pad. In a short period of time, Apple have slightly evolved the way I naturally interface with a computer – with my iPhone and iPad, I naturally use gestures to expand, manipulate and navigate my content, having the same interface available on my computer makes so much sense. It is also a very stylish piece of kit, let’s be honest.
There are only a couple of small complaints. The first one is around right-clicking – it takes some mental re-adjustment to use two finger clicking to get a context menu. Once you make that leap, you’re home. The second issue is a bit more around the physics of the device clicking down low is a bit easier because there’s some leverage whereas up higher requires a bit more force. Again, once you figure it out, your fingers fly across the trackpad.
I reckon this is a nice little winner for Apple that really shows off their design and user experience skills. There are drivers for Win-32 and Win-64 so even Microsoft OS users can use the device, albeit without the gesture technology. I don’t think Apple are targeting Microsoft users here, I think they are just providing drivers for Bootcamp and Virtual OS users on the Mac. Once you get used to this device it’s a winner!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice post mate. Been looking for some information on how this worked out. I have been thinking of buying the trackpad for myself as I am HATING this logitec mouse I have right now, and the gestures is a massive plus for me.
Like you, I have a macbook, but close the lid.
Thanks for the advice mate
Hi James,
Thanks for reading the blog and I'm glad you found that post helpful. I think the Magic Trackpad is just amazing, wonderful piece of technology. The thing I love about Apple is how something so subtle and simple can add such a great amount to the normal way I work!