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Honest opinion about Trackpad

onthecouchagain

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
As innovative and ingenius as it is, the trackpad is, frankly, tiring to use. I feel my hands straining, especially at the wrist. Also, whenever your fingers get sweaty, the trackpad becomes virtually unusable.

However, after using the Magic Mouse, I'd say this is still the better choice... but ultimately, nothing beats a legitimate [Logitech] mouse.

Maybe it takes some time to get used to...? Am I the only one feeling strain?
 
I've used laptops for the last 15 years, exclusively with trackpads. Just switched to the iMac (2 days ago) and after intensive use since then I can say that I love the iMac Trackpad, much better than the magic mouse. I feel no strain, but I have it placed quite far away from me, on the right side "behind" the keyboard so that my arm/ellbow can rest on the table.
Like that it's fantastic. Honestly.
 
bought one yesterday, not had any trouble with strain yet.
It's taking a bit of getting used to but I'll stick with it as i think it will make the whole Lion experience better...

Still occasionally reach for the magic mouse so i might lock it away!
 
I hate them, on laptops or on computers, you'll be able to use Lion gestures on your magic mouse also btw they are just different
 
I suggest to try the Wacom Bamboo fun Pen + Touch. You will forget the magic trackpad!.
 
I first got a TrackPad given the amount of positive feedback I'd read... but at the moment of truth, you can't really lie down/rest your hands on it like you would with a conventional mouse.. and that really put some strain on my wrist. I ended up getting a Magic Mouse which I customized with my own touch gestures through BetterTouchTool.
 
I have a wacom tablet that I use along side a mouse. I would never want to use a pen/tablet instead of a mouse for every day tasks. Each tool has its place.

But the products are very different.
Even the bamboo touch, yes it has some multi touch gestures but it is geared towards a different market.

The magic trackpad is designed to be a trackpad fromt he beginning. The bamboo touch sort of just threw some touch ability on top of an existing product. The end user experience is not the same, especially when considering that the magic trackpad is tied into the OS very well (mainly Lion).
 
I already had the Magic Mouse and while it is a very good and innovative mouse in all honesty it is quite painful to use over long periods of time.

So when I bought my new iMac I opted for the trackpad. I wasnt sure about it but it is actually easier to use when simply surfing or navigating around the computer. For actual design work that requires precision movements etc I have to switch to the mouse.
 
In my house we have a computer with a magic mouse, and one with a trackpad.

I prefer my Logitech Performance MX mouse over both. It has enough buttons to do most gestures the mouse and trackpad can and is much more comfortable in my hand.
 
We (wife and I) run an audio and video production company, so we have several Macs...both home and business use. In the field we use both iMacs and Mac Book Pros. For client meetings, and day in day out use...I'm constantly on my MacBook Pro or...these days, more and more...the iPad. Maybe it's my consistent use of the MBP for the past several years...and their incredible trackpad's improvements over time...I'm infatuated with the Magic trackpad. I've picked one up for each of our home "studio" computers...and we now use them in the field on the iMacs as well.

I also really, REALLY like the new Magic mouse though...so perhaps I'm not the one to listen to:) I'm also not a FPS gamer...so I've no need for the "Old School" mouse concept.

YMMV...

J
 
I "LOVE" the Magic Mouse but having both an iMac and an Air I always thought that I should switch my iMac over to a Magic pad so that I could use the same gestures on both. Well I bought one and it sat there hardly ever being used as I just prefered the mouse. Well after seeing the WWDC Keynote and all the gesture features in Lion I turned off my Magic Mouse and stuck it in a drawer. A

fter almost 2 weeks I'm getting the hang of it and no longer miss the mouse. ;)

If your getting Lion, stick with the trackpad!
 
Sodner said:
I "LOVE" the Magic Mouse but having both an iMac and an Air I always thought that I should switch my iMac over to a Magic pad so that I could use the same gestures on both. Well I bought one and it sat there hardly ever being used as I just prefered the mouse. Well after seeing the WWDC Keynote and all the gesture features in Lion I turned off my Magic Mouse and stuck it in a drawer. A

fter almost 2 weeks I'm getting the hang of it and no longer miss the mouse. ;)

If your getting Lion, stick with the trackpad!
Click to expand...

+1

I thought the track pa would be great since I loved in on my Macbook. On a desk I hate the thing. Sold my trackpad as it was not be used. The magic mouse is great, best mouse ever for me!
 
might depend on what size screen(s) you use..

I'm a trackpad fan, and was thrilled when Apple released their big desktop variant. I also have a magic mouse. I use the mouse 95%, mainly because I use 2-4 monitors (and one's a 30") all the time and even with 'tracking' up fairly high, it's just not as quick for me as the mouse... and the magic mouse's scrolling is pretty sweet imho. I'm keeping the magic trackpad, hoping I might incorporate it and even more gestures (with my left hand, I guess) into my daily life with Lion.
 
The trackpad is one of the main reasons I will never buy a non-Apple laptop. I absolutely love the gestures and it makes all tasks so much easier to perform. I have ordered my first iMac yesterday, so I hope I will have the same experience with the desktop trackpad. Although I will always keep my logitech G5 gamingmouse connected, for tasks were I need to be fast and accurate.
 
Does the trackpad surface at least "wear down" a bit after some use so that it's smoother? For whatever reason, it's really hard to move my finger. It could be because my finger tips have some mild perspiration? I don't know, it's just not very smooth to brush over with my finger tips.

I'm trying to give it a good week to try to get used to it (namely for Lion), but I'm longing for my reg. mouse.
 
I think the strain comes with prolong use because of the fact that you have to keep your hands tilted up; in other words, there's nothing to rest your hand on, as you would a regular mouse. Though your wrist may be resting on the table, the majority of your fingers and your hand have to constantly "hover" over the trackpad.

This may sound like weak sauce talking, but using the trackpad for a long time, this can become impractical.

Don't get me wrong, I love the thing and think the gestures are ingenious (especially for laptops; never before has a trackpad offer so much control), but with a good multi-button mouse (Logitech comes to mind), one can customize the extra buttons to perform many of the additional features the trackpad offers, notably Expose which is something I use often. Of course you lose out on pinch-to-zoom related gestures.

I'm trying to hold out for Lion, but I foresee myself switching back to a reg. mouse.

PS. I wish gestures (like three finger swipe back/forward) would work when opening folders from the Dock.
 
After using the Trackpad for a few weeks, I can't go back to a regular mouse for Internet browsing and daily use. The gestures make going back and forth and scrolling up and down on a webpage an absolute breeze. And since it takes up the space that a number pad would normally take on the wireless keyboard, I have a gaming mouse right next to it.
 
Tried it in apple store and found it not as responsive as magic mouse.Ive also started to hate battery changing with magic mouse so now i have an old laptop usb mouse and my wireless keyboard and i couldnt be happier.
 
I hate it and consider it a waste of money - I only use it for sitting in bed tracking from across the room and occasional web browsing. My arm gets tired using it at a desk, and I don't have the precision I do with a regular mouse. It's cool to have the multitouch and all, but this thing really isn't for me.
 
For a heavy desktop user (or maybe even any user) I don't think the trackpad is going to be a useful replacement. Even on a laptop its just a convenience feature - I bust out a real mouse (Microsoft Optical Intellimouse) whenever I can.
 
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