Just Got a Magic Trackpad!

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
So here it is day 1 of the "Magic Trackpad"...and I decided to purchase one.:) I was just this weekend contemplating purchasing a "Magic Mouse"...but with todays "Magic Trackpad" announcement...it seemed more inline with my predominant laptop/trackpad usage...than my desktop/mouse use.

This by no means is meant to be a full review of the Magic Trackpad...but sort of an initial glimpse & thoughts.

So I got to my local Apple Store around 4:30pm this afternoon. I immediately went to the rear of the store where they have the input devices & software to grab a Magic Trackpad. First of all...the genius/service counter was PACKED with customers...many of them with boxed up computers. Which to me possibly indicated a lot of recent computer purchasers returning their computer in light of the new iMac & Mac Pro announcements.

Anyway...back to the Magic Trackpad. So I get to the rear of the store & I'm looking for the Magic Trackpads...and I couldn't find any. I'm like...OMG...they're already out of them!!!:( I keep looking & looking...and then I finally spot them. There were only two left..and I snagged one.

My main goal initially was to just grab one of them...then look around the store for the newly announced products, and then find a demo computer with a Magic Trackpad hooked up to it, and play around with it for a couple minutes. Well guess what...the darn thing is so new...not one demo Magic Trackpad was setup...anywhere! I finally spot a computer with a Magic Trackpad by it...but it turns out the guy just bought one, and was hooking it up with one of the stores demo computers. I struck up a conversation with him...and he let me try it out a bit...to get the feel of it.:)

The first thing that struck me is that is wasn't as heavy as I expected. I mean it is exactly the same height as the Apple Aluminum keyboards, and made of the same material...it was just after demoing the "Magic Mouse" this weekend (much heavier & substantial feeling)...that the Magic Trackpad seemed a little light. Also, the Magic Trackpad has little rubber feet on it to keep it from sliding on smooth surfaces.

Of course (as advertised) the Magic Trackpad is capable of the 4-finger gesturing just like the Apple laptops of the past couple years. Interestingly...even though the Magic Trackpad does single & double mouse clicks by doing a single or double tap...you can also do physical single & double clicks by pushing down on the trackpad surface. The two rubber feet under the front edge of the Magic Trackpad "float" so to speak...making a physical single & double click possible...similar to using a mouse button.

As I said...this is not meant to be a full review. I haven't even opened mine yet...but from my experiences at the Apple Store...the Magic Trackpad works just like the trackpad on an Apple laptop...and remember it's supposed to be like 80% larger in surface area.

I think that my main use for the Magic Trackpad at the moment will be while I'm watching TV & computing at the same time...I'm going to put my MBP on the table in front of me...kick back on the couch...and maneuver the mouse pointer with the Magic Trackpad!:)

- Nick

Here are some photos of the box:

MagicTrackpad5.jpg


MagicTrackpad4.jpg
 
Joined
May 14, 2009
Messages
2,052
Reaction score
136
Points
63
Location
Near Whitehorse, Yukon
Your Mac's Specs
2012 MBP i7 2.7 GHz 15" Matte - 16 GB RAM - 120 GB Intel SSD - 500 GB DataDoubler Mac OS 10.9
Oo, nice please do post back with some more pics!

And it's size when unboxed, can't seem to be able to find it on apples site.
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
13
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Location
Earth, In a country
Your Mac's Specs
13" MBP 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 250GB HD 4GB Ram OS X 10.6.4 IOMega 1TB External HD iPod nano 3g 8GB
Hmm it looks very nice, I would get one but I don't own an Apple desktop.... Yet. I'm thinking about those new iMac's or the 12-core MacPro :D
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
And it's size when unboxed, can't seem to be able to find it on apples site.
+1 for this. Dimensions on a website are one thing but seeing it in use so to speak gives you a greater impression of size.
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
3,626
Reaction score
111
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
2018 15" MBP, 2019 11" iPad Pro, iPhone 11 Pro
Cool. Thanks for posting this. :)
What do you mean by
you can also do physical single & double clicks by pushing down on the trackpad surface. The two rubber feet under the front edge of the Magic Trackpad "float" so to speak...making a physical single & double click possible...similar to using a mouse button.
 
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Cool. Thanks for posting this. :)
What do you mean by

The two little rubber "feet" under the front edge of the Magic Trackpad allow the trackpad surface to move up & down. So if you physically push on the surface of the trackpad (instead of tapping with your finger)...it will move slightly up & down acting just like the button(s) on a mouse for single or double clicking.

Thus you can do single & double clicks in two ways:

- a single or double tap on the Magic Trackpad surface with your finger tip
- a single or double "push" on the trackpad surface (just like a mouse button)

Hopefully this makes sense,:)

- Nick
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
Messages
5,658
Reaction score
159
Points
63
Location
*Brisvegas*
Your Mac's Specs
17 inch 2 GHz C2D imac (5,1) with 3GB DDR2 RAM, X1600 (128MB memory) GPU - OSX 10.6.3
Thanks for the info so far.
But the bug question is this. Is this way better then the mouse experience (Magic Mouse in my case)? As would you recommend this much more highly over a mouse?

I've never been a fan of trackpads. I think it's just because I've never owned a portable computer which had one. I'm willing to try one out. But the cost is why I ask will it really be as good as people say it is?
 
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
But the bug question is this. Is this way better then the mouse experience (Magic Mouse in my case)? As would you recommend this much more highly over a mouse?

I've never been a fan of trackpads. I think it's just because I've never owned a portable computer which had one. I'm willing to try one out. But the cost is why I ask will it really be as good as people say it is?

I think that what it boils down to is...if you like a trackpad (laptop)...then I would say give it a try. If someone prefers a mouse...then stick with a mouse.

The Magic Trackpad (like the trackpad on newer Mac laptops)...supports all of the 2, 3, and 4 finger gestures...more than a mouse can do. I (like you) would probably first say..."heck...I don't need all those multi-finger gestures!" I don't use them all...but some of them come in handy once you start using them.

I mainly bought the Magic Trackpad to use with my laptop while I am on the couch watching TV...and have my laptop on the coffee table in front of me. Sure I could use a wireless mouse in this situation...but a wireless mouse used on the surface of a "squishy-soft" couch is not always very accurate...and this is where the Magic Trackpad works better for me.

One other positive about the Magic Trackpad. If someone has large hands/fingers....the Magic Trackpad is supposed to be almost 80% larger than the trackpad on current Mac laptops. So that larger area certainly gives you more "maneuvering" space.:) And like I mentioned above...you can still do single & double "mouse clicks" on the Magic Trackpad...since the front feet on the Magic Trackpad "flex" for doing "physical" mouse clicking.

It's certainly a personal decision. You could get it...try it out for a while...and if you don't like it...return it. The Apple Store told me I have 14 days to return it...no restocking fee.

Hope this helps,

- Nick
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
1,466
Reaction score
47
Points
48
Your Mac's Specs
2.8 GHz 15" MacBook Pro OS X 10.7.x & some old Macs
The Magic Trackpad (like the trackpad on newer Mac laptops)...supports all of the 2, 3, and 4 finger gestures...more than a mouse can do. I (like you) would probably first say..."heck...I don't need all those multi-finger gestures!" I don't use them all...but some of them come in handy once you start using them.
I also had the same thought when I first got a unibody MBP with gestures abilities. Now I can't live without the trackpad gestures. Just about all my most used shortcuts like back and forth in web browsers, Expose, scrolling, etc can now be done with the trackpad. It's much faster and more intuitive to use than keyboard shortcuts.

I still prefer a mouse for precise and long distance frequent mouse movements but everything else I use I like using the trackpad. I actually go back and forth between a mouse and trackpad regularly on my MBP so I don't think either are perfect by themselves. For my usage they compliment each other perfectly.

I don't use my desktop all that often anymore so I don't know if I would need a Magic Trackpad but it's nice to know that I now have that option. I don't have Nick's couch potato usage problem. ;) I guess it's less awkward to use for people who already have gotten used to a trackpad on their laptops.
 
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Here are some additional photos to help folks out who are still deciding if the Magic Trackpad is for them.

In the track pad size comparison photo (1st photo)...that's my late 2006 17" MBP trackpad...which obviously still has a mouse button unlike newer Mac laptops. In the other two photos I included a ruler to help folks get a better idea of the actual size. In the 3rd photo (of the underside of the Magic Trackpad)...you can see the two little round "feet" which "flex" up & down to allow the user to do "physical" single & double mouse-clicks if they prefer to instead of single & double "taps" on the trackpad surface.

Enjoy!:)

- Nick

MagicTrackpadcompare.jpg


MagicTrackpadSizeTop.jpg


MagicTrackpadbottomsize.jpg
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
Messages
5,658
Reaction score
159
Points
63
Location
*Brisvegas*
Your Mac's Specs
17 inch 2 GHz C2D imac (5,1) with 3GB DDR2 RAM, X1600 (128MB memory) GPU - OSX 10.6.3
Yes that does help a lot. It seems the trackpad is awesome. But I'll need to hit an Apple store/reseller and try one out to know if I can feel ok and not awkward when I use it.

I don't need a magic trackpad. But Apple has that way of making me buy things I'd not normally consider. But I must agree this is really a try before you buy product. And I'll let you know if I try it.

And as a side note the Apple Battery Charger would go ace with your Magic Trackpad if you are ok with coughing up $29 US for it.

[edit] This is for my imac. I'd never get one if I had a portable Mac. Cause it already has a trackpad. Smaller and attached to the computer but still has one.
 
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
I don't need a magic trackpad.

Neither do I!:)

It's kind of like a microwave oven. It's nice to have...but you can live without it!;)

- Nick
 
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
The other nice thing about the Magic Trackpad...it allows an older Intel Mac (running at least OS 10.6.4) to do things that newer Mac's, iPhones, iPod Touch's, and the iPad can do (2, 3, and 4 finger trackpad gesturing).:)

- Nick
 
Joined
May 14, 2009
Messages
2,052
Reaction score
136
Points
63
Location
Near Whitehorse, Yukon
Your Mac's Specs
2012 MBP i7 2.7 GHz 15" Matte - 16 GB RAM - 120 GB Intel SSD - 500 GB DataDoubler Mac OS 10.9
Thanks for the pics, the one with the Magic Trackpad on the MBP is the best one to give an impression on its size. :)
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
8,967
Reaction score
287
Points
83
Location
London
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini Core i7 2012 | White 2009 MacBook 2 Ghz | 733 Mhz G4 Quicksilver
Whats it like, compared to a mouse, for moving objects - would it make a good simple finger graphics tablet?
 
OP
pigoo3

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Whats it like, compared to a mouse, for moving objects - would it make a good simple finger graphics tablet?

To be honest...when it comes to clicking & dragging an object to move it...I'm not very good at it when using a trackpad. I think that I'm much better at clicking & dragging something with a mouse.

I'm not saying that the Magic Trackpad can't do it or isn't good at it...I just haven't practiced it much or at all. So I'm probably a bad person to ask.

- Nick
 
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
3,343
Reaction score
213
Points
63
Location
Forest Hills, NYC
Your Mac's Specs
15-inch Early 2008; Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 10.7.5
To be honest...when it comes to clicking & dragging an object to move it...I'm not very good at it when using a trackpad. I think that I'm much better at clicking & dragging something with a mouse.

I'm not saying that the Magic Trackpad can't do it or isn't good at it...I just haven't practiced it much or at all. So I'm probably a bad person to ask.

- Nick

I was wondering the same thing, and can't imagine it being any worse than an MBP trackpad. Earlier on, I opened up a photo with PS and used my trackpad to use the lasso tool in order to clone something out. It was actually a lot more efficient than using my bluetooth laser mouse in a few respects.

My friend has already bought one for me at an Apple employee discount, so as soon as I'm back in NY it's miiiine. Can't wait.

Doug
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top