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Apple Now Selling Standalone Space Gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2
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Looks awesome, thank you for sharing. Still playing with the thought of getting a space gray one myself, I don't like the ergonomics of the Magic Mouse too much but the outstanding look and the black lightning cable which I would love to get my hands on aswell could just make it worth it.
Just keep in mind this thing is going to be a fingerprint super magnet! Even the black cable-the USB end is a piano black finish.
The answer is no. Prices will not come down. You'll have to purchase a refurbished one (likely at $15 discount) or do without.
Some photos of my desktop setup..... Shot with iPhone X in natural light:
Highly reflective mouse! (If you look really closely at the left side you can see my fingers holding the iPhone X while taking the shot):
A little closer view (AfterShokz BT Trekz Air Headphones under the 15" 2015 MBP, Samsung T5 2 TB External SSD, iPhone 7) :
iPhone 7 in dock with the nice new black cable:
No, my desk is not usually quite this neat and tidy! Thought it would be nice to clean it up to celebrate the new arrivals....
Highly reflective mouse! (If you look really closely at the left side you can see my fingers holding the iPhone X while taking the shot):
A little closer view (AfterShokz BT Trekz Air Headphones under the 15" 2015 MBP, Samsung T5 2 TB External SSD, iPhone 7) :
iPhone 7 in dock with the nice new black cable:
No, my desk is not usually quite this neat and tidy! Thought it would be nice to clean it up to celebrate the new arrivals....
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Of course, my Apple wired keyboard is dying right now. Can anyone confirm that you still need a wired keyboard when updating or restoring MacOS or will these new wireless models work? (I needed that wired Apple keyboard whenever I did a system restore or erase).
@Clix Pix - what a lovely set up!
@Clix Pix - what a lovely set up!
Thank you, Kazmac!! To answer your question about whether or not you still need a wired keyboard when updating; I never have, and I have been using wireless keyboards and mice for quite some time now through various versions of the OS and various machines......
Here are a couple more photos, this time showing the 2017 12" MacBook with the mouse, and the black cable plugged into the mouse; see how the underside quite nicely matches the space grey of the machine?
Of course, I had to use my USB-C - to Lightning cable (white) in order to actually install and pair the mouse, rather than the cable provided! LOL!
Here are a couple more photos, this time showing the 2017 12" MacBook with the mouse, and the black cable plugged into the mouse; see how the underside quite nicely matches the space grey of the machine?
Of course, I had to use my USB-C - to Lightning cable (white) in order to actually install and pair the mouse, rather than the cable provided! LOL!
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Still don't like Apple's latest mouse, personally. But nice setup; you've gone minimal with no external displays (often people show pix at the other end of the spectrum, with multi-monitor command centre setups, lol!). Two LG 5K's with the 15MBPtb screen, is enough screen real estate for me.Thank you, Kazmac!! To answer your question about whether or not you still need a wired keyboard when updating; I never have, and I have been using wireless keyboards and mice for quite some time now through various versions of the OS and various machines......
Here are a couple more photos, this time showing the 2017 12" MacBook with the mouse, and the black cable plugged into the mouse; see how the underside quite nicely matches the space grey of the machine?
How's the Samsung T5, what do you use the largest 2TB size for?
(Still pretty pricey, too ~£600 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074MCNDSK !).
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I was going from a 2012 21.5" iMac to the 15" 2015 MBP, and at the time I figured I would set up an external monitor "later," and now here it is 2018 and I'm still quite content with just the screen on the machine itself. If I eventually get back into doing a lot of photography and post-processing/photo editing again, I probably will go ahead and get a monitor -- there certainly is plenty of room on the desk for one! Years ago I had a 30" ACD and liked it for working with photos but found it was really too large for comfortable viewing of text and such. I don't think I'd do too well with two or more monitors, but I know many people do seem to really like them.
Because I was suddenly dropping in storage capacity from a 1 TB internal hard drive (5400 rpm, slow as molasses!) in that 2012 iMac to a speedy 512 GB internal SSD in the MBP, I realized that I was going to have to set up some convenient means of hanging on to stuff that I really wanted more readily available than simply backed-up and archived on a standard desktop external drive. I already had backup hard drives, of course. It was right about that time or a little later that I discovered the Samsung series of external SSDs......so I started with the T1 and have been using them ever since: T1, T3, and now T5. They range in capacity from 250 GB to 2 TB, and yes, indeed, are a bit spendy!!!! For me, they are so worth it, though.
The Samsung T5 is the most current version right now. I use it and my other smaller-capacity ones for backups and for supplementary files -- photos, documents, etc., that I need and want to have handy but that I don't necessarily need to keep right on my MBP's internal SSD. The smallest-capacity one (250 GB) is also handy for quickly transferring files from one computer to another. One thing that I especially like about the Samsung T5 is that it comes with two cables: a USB-C -to- USB-A cable and an all-USB-C cable, so that I can stick the device into one of my MBP's USB 3 ports and grab a file or two off it, then swap cables and stick the device into my 12" MacBook's sole USB-C port and put the files in there (or, vice-versa). I also still do have older, larger-capacity external hard drives as well, and they are more for archival/backup purposes now. I am gradually moving towards using external SSDs only as time goes on, spending my money on those rather than the less-expensive portable hard drives. Eventually when I replace my 2015 15" MBP it will be a simple process to add files and folders right into it from the T5 (or whatever version is available by then), as the T5 works with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C as well as being backwards-compatible.
Another thing for which I use my Samsung external SSDs is of course, travel. They are great for taking along on a trip, so that when I go somewhere with my 12" MacBook, even though the machine has the usual files on it, if for some reason I suddenly need to retrieve a file or folder from a while ago that is not on the computer, it's as easy as plugging in the T5 2 TB...... These lightweight, small devices take up very little room in the luggage and can be very useful while away from home. This past summer I was unexpectedly out of town for much longer than anticipated, and there were a couple of times when I actually did need to plug in the T5 and pull up a file or folder. So much better than having valuable information that I needed sitting somewhere on a computer or desktop external hard drive back home!
I am a firm believer in multiple backups and multiple supplemental drives so that nothing gets lost...... Each month I take a couple of portable external hard drives to my safe deposit box at the bank, and bring home the two that are in there in order to update them. Yes, it seems redundant but valuable data needs to be protected. I do also use iCloud Drive for some things as well, but I am leery of trusting personal medical and tax information to "the cloud".
Other manufacturers also offer external SSDs in about the same price range and capacities; I've been using Samsung's T series for so long that I know that they are reliable and I trust them, so haven't tried anything else. I imagine that as time goes on the prices will start to drop on these and that capacities will also increase, too, which would be very nice. I'm looking forward to that!
Because I was suddenly dropping in storage capacity from a 1 TB internal hard drive (5400 rpm, slow as molasses!) in that 2012 iMac to a speedy 512 GB internal SSD in the MBP, I realized that I was going to have to set up some convenient means of hanging on to stuff that I really wanted more readily available than simply backed-up and archived on a standard desktop external drive. I already had backup hard drives, of course. It was right about that time or a little later that I discovered the Samsung series of external SSDs......so I started with the T1 and have been using them ever since: T1, T3, and now T5. They range in capacity from 250 GB to 2 TB, and yes, indeed, are a bit spendy!!!! For me, they are so worth it, though.
The Samsung T5 is the most current version right now. I use it and my other smaller-capacity ones for backups and for supplementary files -- photos, documents, etc., that I need and want to have handy but that I don't necessarily need to keep right on my MBP's internal SSD. The smallest-capacity one (250 GB) is also handy for quickly transferring files from one computer to another. One thing that I especially like about the Samsung T5 is that it comes with two cables: a USB-C -to- USB-A cable and an all-USB-C cable, so that I can stick the device into one of my MBP's USB 3 ports and grab a file or two off it, then swap cables and stick the device into my 12" MacBook's sole USB-C port and put the files in there (or, vice-versa). I also still do have older, larger-capacity external hard drives as well, and they are more for archival/backup purposes now. I am gradually moving towards using external SSDs only as time goes on, spending my money on those rather than the less-expensive portable hard drives. Eventually when I replace my 2015 15" MBP it will be a simple process to add files and folders right into it from the T5 (or whatever version is available by then), as the T5 works with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C as well as being backwards-compatible.
Another thing for which I use my Samsung external SSDs is of course, travel. They are great for taking along on a trip, so that when I go somewhere with my 12" MacBook, even though the machine has the usual files on it, if for some reason I suddenly need to retrieve a file or folder from a while ago that is not on the computer, it's as easy as plugging in the T5 2 TB...... These lightweight, small devices take up very little room in the luggage and can be very useful while away from home. This past summer I was unexpectedly out of town for much longer than anticipated, and there were a couple of times when I actually did need to plug in the T5 and pull up a file or folder. So much better than having valuable information that I needed sitting somewhere on a computer or desktop external hard drive back home!
I am a firm believer in multiple backups and multiple supplemental drives so that nothing gets lost...... Each month I take a couple of portable external hard drives to my safe deposit box at the bank, and bring home the two that are in there in order to update them. Yes, it seems redundant but valuable data needs to be protected. I do also use iCloud Drive for some things as well, but I am leery of trusting personal medical and tax information to "the cloud".
Other manufacturers also offer external SSDs in about the same price range and capacities; I've been using Samsung's T series for so long that I know that they are reliable and I trust them, so haven't tried anything else. I imagine that as time goes on the prices will start to drop on these and that capacities will also increase, too, which would be very nice. I'm looking forward to that!
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What does your choice in external drives have to do with this thread about space gray keyboards, mice and trackpads?
I was responding to a question that another poster, Jimthing, asked about the T5...... Sorry, I did get a bit carried away there! It is in the photos because I had just finished using it and didn't bother to put it away yet.
Back to the topic at hand: I am really loving my new keyboard and mouse! Definitely worth it!
Back to the topic at hand: I am really loving my new keyboard and mouse! Definitely worth it!
what would be truly magical. is if they created a backlit Magic Keyboard with trackpad in place of the numeric keypad and a Magic Mouse with the plug not underneath. and +TouchBar
The lack of backlighting on the Magic Keyboard doesn't bother me much, however I wouldn't object if it were made available, and I know many users would be delighted. I would NOT want a trackpad in place of the numeric keyboard! That extra piece really does serve a useful purpose for many people. If one wants an Apple trackpad they can already buy the Magic Trackpad in Space Grey or in White. I do agree with the idea that would be nice to have a Magic Mouse with the plug positioned differently so that one could still use the device even as it is charging.....but then again, that's when the Magic Trackpad comes in handy! Seriously doubt that Apple will ever implement a Touch Bar on their external keyboards, but who knows what is in the pipeline for the future?
I would be very happy with a space gray Magic Keyboard (the small one) with this setup:
Essentially it is what you asked for, but easily configurable for left-handed or right-handed... simply replacing the numeric keypad with a trackpad would not work for me (left-handed)...
The photo is a Magic Trackpad 2 and a Magic Keyboard in a TwelveSouth Magic Bridge.
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I like the touchbar. I also like the MacBook Pro new keyboard too. There, I said it.
Yes, the space gray keyboard is indeed a beautiful piece of hardware.
I didn't replace my old trackpad as that is still flawless in functionality.
But this keyboard will eventually deserve a space gray trackpad companion.
Interesting observation. I've been using the smaller Magic Keyboards for several years now and was quite comfortable with the layout. I purchased the space gray keyboard, and I am having major issues with muscle memory... it takes significantly longer now to type anything on this thing. I'm going to power through, but there is definitely an issue with muscle memory and new keyboard layouts...
I agree; personally I've never understood why people prefer these cut-in-half side-arrow keys so much. Not only do the full-sized arrow keys look much nicer IMO, but no more awkward situations where you hit just above the arrow key onto the blank space and have to move your hand around before you finally have it on the tiny arrow key where you want it.
I agree that aesthetically, the full sized arrow key look better, there are some trade-offs. Muscle memory is a b**ch.