Canon Puts Efficiency On PressApple Magic Trackpad
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MC380LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Apple's Magic Trackpad offers all the functionality of a MacBook clickpad in a standalone Bluetooth device. For most people, however, it's not worth the pricey upgrade over an existing mouse.
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CNET editors' review
Apple Magic Trackpad price range: $57.00 - $69.00
- Reviewed by: Scott Stein
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 07/28/2010
- Released on: 07/27/2010
The good: Compact, clean design; responsive multitouch gestures work as smoothly as they do on a MacBook; offers a mouse-free alternative for users who don't have space for a mouse.
The bad: Clickable buttons at corners don't work well if Trackpad isn't placed on a hard surface; limited software customization.
The bottom line: Apple's Magic Trackpad offers all the functionality of a MacBook clickpad in a standalone Bluetooth device. For most people, however, it's not worth the pricey upgrade over an existing mouse.
For those keeping score, Apple had only one computing product left in its lineup that wasn't multitouch-oriented: its desktop Macs. Not anymore. With the introduction of the Magic Trackpad, Apple has brought its multitouch-enabled clickpad from the MacBook Pro over to the desktop world in the form of a large, square, aluminum-and-glass Bluetooth peripheral. At $69, the Magic Trackpad isn't cheap, nor is it a solution for professional artists, like Wacom tablets are. It works as intended on the desktop, as an easy-to-use large multitouch trackpad, providing a viable alternative or companion device to the ever-reliable mouse. For those of you who've connected your Mac Mini to a TV, the Trackpad could also be compelling as a living-room controller. However, in neither case is the Magic Trackpad a revolutionary input solution. We recommend it primarily to those interested in experimenting with touch-based desktop input.
At first sight, the Magic Trackpad's minimalism can almost be off-putting. You'll find no icons, logos, or buttons--just a smooth, edge-to-edge pad with a thin seam at the top delineating the end of the glass trackpad surface. The Magic Trackpad rests simply at an elevated angle, just like Apple's Bluetooth keyboard that is prepackaged with all iMacs. Side by side, the keyboard and trackpad line up flush to look like a single keyboard-and-trackpad unit. There's also plenty of room for anyone's fingers; it's 80 percent larger than the already-spacious MacBook Pro trackpad. Laid out on a desk, the Trackpad cuts a very attractive and clean profile.
The Magic Trackpad pairs the same way that other Bluetooth Apple devices do, although a trackpad-specific software update is required to enable full multitouch support and customization. Though the wording on the box claims a Mac is necessary, we successfully paired the Magic Trackpad with a Windows PC. Unfortunately, Windows functionality is limited to single-touch and click functions only--we couldn't get multitouch settings such as pinch-to-zoom and tap-to-click to work on the Magic Trackpad. A Windows support download from Apple wouldn't install on a Windows PC, and is intended for Boot Camp users running Windows on their Macs.
Like the Bluetooth keyboard, a cylindrical AA-battery compartment is tucked into the top edge, accessible through the side. The Magic Trackpad comes with a pair of standard AAs, but can also use rechargeable batteries. A recessed silver button on one side powers on the Trackpad and initiates Bluetooth pairing, also identical to the keyboard.
You can customize multitouch on the Magic Trackpad via a software update available to all Macs running 10.6.4 or later. A new Trackpad control panel toggles and tweaks features including tap-to-click and scroll speed, although the features cleave closely to ones already familiar to the touch language of MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Beyond shifting the secondary click from left to right and turning on/off inertial scrolling, there aren't really any ways of customizing other click zones or custom multitouch commands.
If there's one hardware drawback to the Magic Trackpad, it's that the physical click function, enabled by seamless buttons concealed on the two near-side corners, only works when you use the device on a hard surface, such as on the top of a desk. Because the click travels through the bottom two rubber feet, not via the pad itself, holding the Magic Trackpad in your lap renders it clickless. There is a solution: enabling tap-to-click on the Magic Trackpad software preferences takes care of this, and we frankly like using tap-to-click better than physical clicking anyway.
The feel of the Magic Trackpad as a desktop tool is comfortable and ergonomic. Our hand rested comfortably on the Trackpad's incline, and its size made touch control easy without causing hand cramps. Sliding your finger across the pad sometimes takes more motion than we'd prefer, not unlike on a laptop touch pad, but you can tweak the scroll speed in the software preferences to fit your taste.
As an input device, the Magic Trackpad actually works quite well. It's easy to scroll and click, and there's an undeniable comfort to not having to move a device around underneath. The multitouch controls also work as advertised. For those unfamiliar with using a MacBook, double-touch clicking operates as a right-click function, whereas two-finger scrolling zips through documents with an inertial effect familiar to users of the Magic Mouse. Pinch-to-zoom and two-finger rotation, gestures common to both Windows and Mac laptop users, work particularly well and could be the "killer gestures" that a Magic Mouse doesn't already offer. Triple-finger swipes will flip back and forth through browser pages or pictures in iPhoto. There's even a four-finger swipe, which either hot-switches applications, clears all open windows to show the desktop, or shrinks an application's open windows down for a casual overview. It's all elegantly executed and useful, but we could have used even more gestures--particularly in the case of adding new custom gestures or hot-clicking application shortcuts. With a nearby keyboard also in use, the Magic Trackpad works well to provide for nearly all normal user needs. That's not surprising, since it's replicating the MacBook Pro's touchpad experience, which we already find to be excellent.
However, if Apple's goal for the Magic Trackpad is to replace the traditional mouse, we can't say that we're ready to make that switch with this generation of the product. Admittedly, the Trackpad's multitouch shortcuts and inertial scrolling on Web pages and documents are faster tools than most mice can offer. On the other hand, at least a few buttons would have been helpful. Many advanced mice have a plethora of customizable shortcuts and wheels that make for efficient navigation. Apple's own multitouch vocabulary is sizable, but still limited. In lieu of more buttons, we'd even accept zone-specific controls or more advanced click commands, but these are largely absent as well.
We also tried connecting the Magic Trackpad to a Mac Mini connected to a TV, thinking that this device could possibly be a killer alternative to a mouse when couch surfing. As a living-room accessory, the Magic Trackpad feels comfortable enough. Some of its commands worked well--in fact, using pinch-to-zoom to expand text on the Safari browser, along with two-finger inertial scrolling, we were able to expand text to large, easily readable sizes and scroll articles effortlessly. It's also easy enough to use the Magic Trackpad to interact with iTunes. We can imagine Apple improving the experience by adding dedicated video-shuffle, track-skip, or volume-control gestures. And, Front Row--Apple's hidden Media Center-esque solution for playing video and music on a big screen--was strangely incompatible with the Magic Trackpad. Like Windows 7, Apple's OS X includes a virtual keyboard program, which means that as long as you don't mind typing slowly, you won't need to keep a keyboard handy to enter passwords or Web addresses. We can imagine improvements to the Magic Trackpad that would improve it as a living-room controller, and we'd still recommend a device like the Logitech diNovo Mini or another purpose-built device for couch-based computer control. It might not be ideal for the task, but the Trackpad is a reasonable and attractive alternative.
Finally, though the Magic Trackpad does resemble a mini tablet in the vein of Wacom's touch-enabled models, it has no software support for a stylus or painting programs. We were able to do some rudimentary finger-painting in Photoshop, and could see this trackpad being used for digital signatures, but right now the Magic Trackpad functions primarily as a mouse replacement. It's not an artist's pad.
User reviews
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Better than any mouse I have used
by HowardZinnn on August 1, 2010
Pros: Great ergonomics, low profile, easy setup, multi-touch gestures are great
Cons: Could have been a bit cheaper, but hey it's Apple.
Summary: Once setup properly (tap to click, 2 finger for right click, and using 3 and 4 finger gestures) this device is incredible. I love using 4 fingers for expose and ...
Summary: Once setup properly (tap to click, 2 finger for right click, and using 3 and 4 finger gestures) this device is incredible. I love using 4 fingers for expose and for clearing my desktop, 3 finger dragging is very useful.
I find this faster to work on than a mouse. I am very surprised the CNET reviewer didn't mention how useful those 3-4 finger movements are. This is not a 3.5 star device guys, it's superior to a mouse. just make sure you configure the advanced features in the software.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Better than the mouse
by moore2772 on September 8, 2010
Pros: easy to configure, wireless, intuitive, doesn't tire you out. Easy learning curve.
Cons: Not quite as precise as a mouse. Not a 100% replacement for me.
Summary: The magic trackpad works even better than the already excellent trackpad on a Macbook Pro. It's bigger, you can put it on your knee with your legs crossed and ...
Summary: The magic trackpad works even better than the already excellent trackpad on a Macbook Pro. It's bigger, you can put it on your knee with your legs crossed and it works fine (try that with a mouse!) Scrolling and pinching/expanding work as expected. Apple has something here. Why go with a touch screen (and get fingerprints all over it) when this device works even better? My magic mouse is sitting on my desk right net to the trackpad, but I use it very rarely. Took only about an hour for it to become truly second nature. Highly recommended.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Made my 1 year old iMac feel new again!
by allangreen45 on July 29, 2010
Pros: - Precise
- Inertia Scrolling
- Awesome with Photoshop
- Many different gestures that are easy and intuitiveCons: I haven't found any yet.
Summary: Working on my desktop is a more pleasant and natural experience. Congratulations to Apple on another terrific product.
Summary: Working on my desktop is a more pleasant and natural experience. Congratulations to Apple on another terrific product.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome product!
by saylrmen on July 28, 2010
Pros: Outstanding ease of use, tracking is perfect. Pinch & Zoom (in/out). No need to move your hand around a mouse pad.
Cons: I haven't found any.
Summary: Great stuff! Have been waiting for this one ever since I got my MacBook Pro. No need for a mouse any more. Took this out for a test drive in ...
Summary: Great stuff! Have been waiting for this one ever since I got my MacBook Pro. No need for a mouse any more. Took this out for a test drive in Photoshop editing a picture that required a lot of retouching... great performance. Tracking is precise and the ability to quickly zoom in and out with a pinch is great. I fine tuned my settings to use Tap to Click vs. click and I enabled Dragging with a double tap of one finger.
Very very nice!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great for people who just want a break fom their mouse.
by Jonlinks on January 2, 2012
Pros: Lines up nicely with apple wireless keyboard.
Multi touch gestures are fantastic
Metal body
Wonderful, smooth glass surface
StrongCons: Right clicking is a hassle.
PriceySummary: A wonderful alternative to the mouse, the Magic Trackpad is great for anybody that surfs the web often and for people that want a great companion device for OSX Lion ...
Summary: A wonderful alternative to the mouse, the Magic Trackpad is great for anybody that surfs the web often and for people that want a great companion device for OSX Lion with all of its multitouch gesture glory. It is super easy to set up, but if you play first person shooters on your computer, the right click can be a hassle. However Magicprefs can make the trackpad easier to game with and decrease the right clicking difficulty. Overall is another revolutionary Apple accessory.
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A great alternative for a mouse. An amazing product.
by nickwaz98 on April 24, 2011
Pros: very precise, wireless,large, compact, low profile, simple, aluminum
Cons: expensive, thats it!
Summary: A great easy to use product. Very very recommended .
Summary: A great easy to use product. Very very recommended .
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Great Input Device For General Productivity
by voxratio on March 22, 2011
Pros: Customizability, Ergonomics, Inertia Scrolling, Design Aesthetic, Battery Life
Cons: Can only be effectively used on a hard flat surface, Not Particularly Accurate, Price
Summary: When shopping for a mouse I have to find something that fits in my hand comfortably and can be moved around fairly easily. When I first got my mac, I ...
Summary: When shopping for a mouse I have to find something that fits in my hand comfortably and can be moved around fairly easily. When I first got my mac, I noticed the magic mouse was particularly uncomfortable, especially when trying to use the multitouch gestures. My hand started cramping within 20 minutes. I knew the magic trackpad was out there, but I didn't the full extent of it's features. I was desperate to get rid of the magic mouse so I shelled out the money for the trackpad.
I'm not a fan of a trackpad on most laptops. They're often to small to effectively move around the screen and often their tracking is subpar. So I was a little skeptical of a larger trackpad for an even larger screen. But it turns out that the trackpad succeeds as a decent input device even for semi-precise actions. You won't be making masterpieces with it, but it's very effective when dealing with UI and general productivity work. It's also very comfortable, because your not always gripping on to a mouse. Gestures are very natural and easy to remember. Ironically, this trackpad has greatly increased my usage of OS X features like Expose to switch between open windows.
I would be remissed if I didn't mention the outstanding feature of this trackpad, it's customizability. I had never played around with the trackpad settings on a Macbook Pro so I didn't know the extent you can customize the gestures. When you go into the preferences your greeted with a range of options including "Tap Click" which is good for clicking on an icon without using the physical click and "Secondary Click", also known as right click in the windows world. There are loads of other gestures you can enable or disable to make the device work the way you want it to.
Design wise it naturally fits into the entire Apple brushed aluminum aesthetics of other products such as the wireless keyboard. So it looks great, especially in front of my 21.5" iMac. It features the same type of battery compartment found on the keyboard and takes two AA batteries (I'm currently using the new rechargeable batteries from Apple). It also has the same power saving functions as the keyboard, which means you'll find yourself replacing batteries a lot less.
One of the downsides of this trackpad is where it can be used. The ideal situation for it is lying on a flat hard surface like the top of a desk, otherwise you lose function of the physical click. Also, $69 is not a cheap input device. At that price point you start running close to the higher end mice market. However, seeing as though this is only $10 more than the mighty mouse, it might be a wise choice for those looking for their next input device. -
Surprisingly wonderful!
by mpemburn on February 4, 2011
Pros: Ergonomic, well made, flexible configuration
Cons: More force than necessary required to press 'button', Occasionally selects areas seemingly at random.
Summary: I've used a mouse on a dozen or more types of computers for more than 25 years, Today, I think I've used the last them.
My old Logitech ...Summary: I've used a mouse on a dozen or more types of computers for more than 25 years, Today, I think I've used the last them.
My old Logitech mouse died last week, so I limped along with a spare while doing research for a replacement. Wanting to break away from the profusion of USB devices, I set my sights on a Bluetooth mouse. My wife and I both have MacBook Pros and she's using a Magic Mouse with her hers. Try as I might, I couldn't warm to it. Even at the highest setting, it's tracking speed is too slow for me to cover dual monitors without having to pick the danged thing up and set it down every time.
So, a couple of days ago, I headed over to Best Buy to see what they were offering. Thinking that I still *might* get used to a Magic Mouse, I headed for the Mac accessories isle and there I encountered the Magic Trackpad for the first time. I keep up pretty well with tech stuff but this one got right by me. After some hasty web searches for reviews, I decided to take the plunge.
First impression: this is one classy looking critter. It has that typical Apple simplicity. It feels solid -- almost indestructible. It comes with a pair of batteries installed (just have to pull out a plastic tab) and there's a push-on push-off button at the left end. 30 seconds to pair and an you're off and running. The back of the packaging shows most of the typical gestures so you don't really need to read the manual (I didn't).
The only physical control on the trackpad is the 'button', which is activated by pressing down the whole pad. This seems to require more force than is necessary, so I seldom use it. The wrist complains too much. A click is not really needed, for the most part, since you can achieve the same results simply by tapping (similar to a built-in trackpad or iPhone). Click-and-drag, though, is a bit more challenging.
This was almost a deal-breaker but I stuck with it and found that there is an entirely workable alternative. If you go into System Preferences/Trackpad and check One Finger/Dragging and /Drag Lock, you can perform a click-and-drag by double-tapping, then drag to where you want, and tap once to end. This seems like a complex sequence until you try it. Within one day -- and this, a very intense day with intricate Photoshop manipulations and hours of software coding -- I became completely comfortable with the process It's hard to explain but 'double-tap' is not the same as 'double-click'. Your fingers somehow figure out the difference.
To conclude: Once again, Apple engineering has come up with a totally intuitive _human_ interface to the computer. Try it and you may never use a mouse again. -
very nicely made
by AbkJoi8970 on January 31, 2011
Pros: Works great, cool looking, matches my Apple wireless keyboard perfectly
Cons: What's there not to like?
Summary: I needed a new wireless mouse, was debating whether to buy a Magic Mouse or the Trackpad. Played around at a local Apple STore, I like the Trackpad way better. ...
Summary: I needed a new wireless mouse, was debating whether to buy a Magic Mouse or the Trackpad. Played around at a local Apple STore, I like the Trackpad way better. For one it doesn't require me to drag the pointer all over my real desktop and knock over my coffee in the morning (I have a big monitor), more importantly, the MM is a bit too narrow for my hands, which maks it very uncomfortable for me to hold it and move it around, recipe for carpal tunnel, the Trackpad is comfortable to use, love it!!!!
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I was skeptical, but this has replaced my mouse
by selloco on December 12, 2010
Pros: Easy on the wrist. Convenient and customizable swiping features. The best trackpad I've ever used.
Cons: It needs a battery. Buttons in the bottom corners do not work well on soft surfaces, not a big deal though since I always se the touch surface (single-finger-tap for left click, double-finger-tap for right-click)
Summary: Prior to the MAgic Trackpad I used a Logitech MX1100, which I liked a lot, but it was pretty big and hard on my wrist. I am a programmer and ...
Summary: Prior to the MAgic Trackpad I used a Logitech MX1100, which I liked a lot, but it was pretty big and hard on my wrist. I am a programmer and have been a heavy computer user for 25 years. I have never been a fan of trackpads and (until I bought a MacBook Pro last year) had always carried a mouse in my laptop bag so I could avoid using a trackpad, but I'm now using a trackpad for both my desktop and laptop computers. I'm keeping my MX1100 for thing that need precision, like graphics and games, but I've been using the Magic Trackpad for everything else for about two months and don't see a reason to go back to a mouse. My wrist feels much better and less stressed as well.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MC380LL/A
- Description: The Magic Trackpad is the first multi-touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer. It uses the same multi-touch technology you love on the MacBook Pro. And it supports a full set of gestures, giving you a whole new way to control and interact with what's on your screen. Swiping through pages online feels just like flipping through pages in a book or magazine. And inertial scrolling makes moving up and down a page more natural than ever. Magic Trackpad connects to your Mac via Bluetooth wireless technology. Use it in place of a mouse or in conjunction with one.
General
- Device Type Trackpad
Input Device
- Connectivity Technology Wireless
- Interface Bluetooth
- Max Operating Distance 33 ft
- Features Multi-touch touchpad
Miscellaneous
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
Battery
- Type AA type
- Installed Qty 2
Software / System Requirements
- OS Required Apple MacOS X 10.6.4 or later
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Apple
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
