10-26-2011, 01:04 PM

Hey all, just ordered a new imac (still hasn't arrived, can't wait) and opted for the magic mouse. I was unaware of all the multi-touch gesturing that lion has....that being said, I come from a windows background and am extremely used to a mouse (no matter how precise it is)....even my laptop had a mouse connected when I had it plugged in....I could never get used to the trackpad on it.

That being said, the magic trackpad seems to be very different and I'm starting to second guess my decision.

How does the magic mouse interact with lion? Should i have gone with a trackpad?

10-26-2011, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by DaGrandMastah

Hey all, just ordered a new imac (still hasn't arrived, can't wait) and opted for the magic mouse. I was unaware of all the multi-touch gesturing that lion has....that being said, I come from a windows background and am extremely used to a mouse (no matter how precise it is)....even my laptop had a mouse connected when I had it plugged in....I could never get used to the trackpad on it.

That being said, the magic trackpad seems to be very different and I'm starting to second guess my decision.

How does the magic mouse interact with lion? Should i have gone with a trackpad?

I got my first mac a few months ago, also coming from a Windows background. I got the magic mouse, because to me it was more similar to Windows than the trackpad. My advice is, start with the magic mouse, get to know mac and then get the trackpad. It takes some getting used to, but after you know more about it and the gestures, you may enjoy the trackpad a little more.

10-26-2011, 01:33 PM

I'm a firm believer in both - but I primarily use the trackpad. Yes - you definitely will want one so you can take full advantage of all of Lions gestures.

10-26-2011, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by aestheticxxlove

I got my first mac a few months ago, also coming from a Windows background. I got the magic mouse, because to me it was more similar to Windows than the trackpad. My advice is, start with the magic mouse, get to know mac and then get the trackpad. It takes some getting used to, but after you know more about it and the gestures, you may enjoy the trackpad a little more.

Thanks man. This is what I needed to hear. I'm learning the OS X from scratch after spending the past 20 years with windows.

My biggest fear with the trackpad is drag and drop. I do a TON of that when moving files from one folder to another and that will continue.

My friend has a trackpad. I'll check it out and see how I like it. If I do I may just have my fiance buy me the trackpad for the holidays.

Originally Posted by BrianLachoreVPI

I'm a firm believer in both - but I primarily use the trackpad. Yes - you definitely will want one so you can take full advantage of all of Lions gestures.

Thanks. My friend said the same thing but I agree with Aesthetic that it might be better for me to get used to the mouse first while I acclimate myself to teh os x. I do ultimately see myself getting the trackpad.

10-26-2011, 01:35 PM

My iMac came with the Magic Mouse, but the guy in the shop threw the Trackpad in for nothing...

It's safe to say, the mouse hasn't even come out of it's cage since it came home. The Trackpad is fantastic.

10-26-2011, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by DaGrandMastah

Thanks. My friend said the same thing but I agree with Aesthetic that it might be better for me to get used to the mouse first while I acclimate myself to teh os x. I do ultimately see myself getting the trackpad.

Certainly your choice - but I think you'll find the trackpad very intuitive after just a couple of days - or maybe hours. It's great actually.

I primarily only switch to the mouse if I'm making a large area selection repeatedly - say in excel or something like that - and even then - I'm usually doing it on the trackpad out of habit before my fingers get tired and I switch to the mouse. Part of OS X is the gesture interaction - my suggestion would be to dive in - you'll adjust very quickly.

10-26-2011, 01:41 PM

If you are concerned if the Magic Mouse will work, it works just fine. I have one here on the iMac. Lion has a couple more Gestures in fact for the Magic Mouse. That being said, the Trackpad is superb in Lion.

I would agree with the above advice. Use it with the MM at first and get used to it and maybe get an Apple Trackpad down the line. I also tend to use the Trackpad 95% of the time now that I am used to it.

I mostly use the mouse in Games and some graphic work. Otherwise Trackpad all the way.

10-26-2011, 02:17 PM

I don't have the MM, but use a mouse extensively on my Windows box at work. And, I was originally concerned about drag and drop with the Magic Trackpad, but five minutes with it and that disappeared. If I could, I would have one at work.
Have not willingly touched a mouse since.

10-26-2011, 02:30 PM

You can also install MagicPrefs which will allow you to add some gestures to your MM. For instance, I can now two finger swipe down to open Dashboard and two finger swipe up to open Mission Control.

10-26-2011, 02:33 PM

Would be interesting to turn this thread into a poll.

I'm also using the trackpad all the way. Got both with my iMac, but rarely touch the MagicMouse at all...

10-26-2011, 02:48 PM

I would use the magic trackpad 100% of the time if it were not for a very few things like some games I like. On one game in particular GTA Vice City, I can not even use a Magic mouse or even Mighty Mouse as you have to hold the RIGHT button down to AIM certain weapons then fire with the left. For that I have a Logitech MX900 BT mouse that works great with those games.

Other than that and some drawing that I do better with a mouse, it's the trackpad all the way.

A poll might be interesting.

10-26-2011, 02:50 PM

Yeah by all means turn it into a poll if anyone has that capability. I tried but it won't let me change it. I believe we'll need a moderator to make that change.

My friend also likes the trackpad so I guess that's another vote for the pad.

I already ordered the mac with the mouse and it's in the "preparing for shipment" phase. I'm undecided but leaning twoards keeping the mouse for the meantime. That being said, I'll test out of the trackpad this Friday before I even have my computer and, if I find it really intuitive, I might consider switching right off the bat.

Could I still change it at a mac store if I decided to go that route?

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback. This has easily been one fo the most useful forums I've ever been a part of. Everyone has been extremely helpful which will undoubtedly make my move from PC to Mac even easier.

10-26-2011, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by DaGrandMastah

Yeah by all means turn it into a poll if anyone has that capability. I tried but it won't let me change it. I believe we'll need a moderator to make that change.

As requested.

10-26-2011, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by BrianLachoreVPI

Certainly your choice - but I think you'll find the trackpad very intuitive after just a couple of days - or maybe hours. It's great actually.

I primarily only switch to the mouse if I'm making a large area selection repeatedly - say in excel or something like that - and even then - I'm usually doing it on the trackpad out of habit before my fingers get tired and I switch to the mouse. Part of OS X is the gesture interaction - my suggestion would be to dive in - you'll adjust very quickly.

Out of curiosity, how is it that your fingers get tired? Are you aware of the single finger double tap and drag gesture in Lion? It's hidden away in "Universal Access">mouse and trackpad>trackpad>dragging (with or without draglock).

This enables you to do two things: You can now disable three finger window drag and use the single finger double tap to drag instead. Why would one want to do this? Because now you can use the three finger gesture for something else. You'd now go to the rightmost tab in trackpad preferences, and set swipe pages to use two or three fingers. Or you could just use the three finger option. Now you can navigate back and forth in the OS universally.

For instance, since you're in System Preferences… already, you can use three fingers to swipe back instead of moving the cursor to the arrows. Same applies to Finder windows when navigating between hierarchies etc...

Doug

Edit: I forgot to add that when you enable single finger double tap drag, you can now select files/folders in one single sweep. It also enables you to move app windows to different virtual desktops when you're in Mission Control. Something you can't do with the three finger drag method. Just another way to do something.

10-26-2011, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by BrianLachoreVPI

I'm a firm believer in both - but I primarily use the trackpad. Yes - you definitely will want one so you can take full advantage of all of Lions gestures.

Absolutely yes. The trackpad is fantastic but sometimes you need to be a little bit more direct and precise so I have both in use with the mouse as a backstop occasionally for when touchy-feely is inappropriate.