Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple's 'Magic Trackpad' Apparently Approved by FCC

SeattleMoose said:
As an engineer I know what is in there and pretty much how it all works. Worse, I know that engineers are just people and make mistakes. So where is this "magic"?
Click to expand...

Completely non-sequitor. Magicians make mistakes too. Just ask Mr Potter.

Does Apple think they are selling products to Bushmen or something?

I find the term "magic" used in relation to any technology product to be a bit condescending. :(
Click to expand...

Arthur C Clark may disagree with you.

Personally, I'm fine with the "Magic Pad" name, just as I am with the "Magic Mouse". Probably because the devices are minor enough that you don't end up saying the name very often, as opposed to, say, iPhone or iPad. I've been into computing long enough to have had all sorts of goofily-named hardware sitting on, in, or next to my computers; it's almost a given that something computer-related will have either a goofy name or a complicated and ascetically sterile function-based name.

Etymologically, I think Apple's got a fairly robust naming scheme:

i* : A stand-alone appliance device
Mac* : A computer designed around OS X
Magic* : A peripheral which enriches the interactions with i* or Mac* products
 
SubtltzSir said:
A 7 inch with a capacitive stylus would really give Wacom nightmares.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the kind of accuracy can get. The more "pro" Wacoms cost more, but they do more also. The Bamboo line ... yeah there is much bigger potential overlap.
Depending upon what Wacom's margins are they may have to come back on price, but could still make money.



Folks saying a laptop doesn't need one because has trackpad I think are missing the point. It is hard to tell in the pictures but this could be a device that is much more like these:

http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/bamboo_pen_touch.php

or

http://www.wacom.com/intuos/wireless.php


Specifically with triple (or more ) the size of a Mac laptop trackpad, the user can draw on it even more so than just gesture. It will also consume much more desktop room than a mouse (or mouse + pad ) would. That's a good tradeoff if what your are doing is painting/drawing.
 
Am I the only one that would like to see this integrated into Pages, MS Word, Stickies, etc? good for almost any area of business, research, etc. What with the handwriting recognition software, say goodbye to pad and pencil :apple::p:apple:
 
jettredmont said:
Arthur C Clark may disagree with you.
Click to expand...

Probably not because "Magic" in this context is being used as a marketing term to connoted being advanced ( it isn't. has been implemented in various forms for many years now. The "magic" here is purely those not being exposed to other products, and much more aligned with the "illusion" aspect of Magic. ). Even more so with the "Magic Mouse".

Clark's notion is much more aimed at advanced technology where can't possibly fathom how it works. When the battery dies in your "Magic Mouse" or "Magic Pad" and you have to recharge/replace it ... it isn't going to look so magical. Likewise when you have to pair the device with the bluetooth manager ... "how" it works is rather transparent.
 
SeattleMoose said:
First, I admit I am a "fan boy" of Apple products but lately the adjective "magic" in relation to their new products is well......irritating.

As an engineer I know what is in there and pretty much how it all works. Worse, I know that engineers are just people and make mistakes. So where is this "magic"?

Does Apple think they are selling products to Bushmen or something?

I find the term "magic" used in relation to any technology product to be a bit condescending. :(
Click to expand...

eish papi!

pardon me for interrupting....... and NO thanks for the term "Bushmen"

i'm from south africa................ the Bushmen they were/are Shamanic people

are you propagating aapl products to the your NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS you almost (fortunately not!) killed off........or banished off into reserves..... SHAME ON YOU! and let us add the rest of the colonialists...... move on!

stuff mcdonalds 10x burgers into your mouth!
:(


and check the world map...........
 
franswa za said:
eish papi!

pardon me for interrupting....... and NO thanks for the term "Bushmen"

i'm from south africa................ the Bushmen they were/are Shamanic people

are you propagating aapl products to the your NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS you almost (fortunately not!) killed off........or banished off into reserves..... SHAME ON YOU! and let us add the rest of the colonialists...... move on!

stuff mcdonalds 10x burgers into your mouth!
:(


and check the world map...........
Click to expand...

Totally out of line man...
 
Tesseract said:
Why anyone would ever want to use a trackpad over a mouse is beyond me... that being said - Apple does make a good trackpad, and I'm sure there would be some creative uses for it.
Click to expand...

It's just a matter of preference and / or what one has become accustomed to. I do ALL my designing with a trackpad. Started that way, just because and it works great . .
 
Whatever it is... being wireless I hope they've got the response time down so it doesn't feel like your playing with a somewhat jumpy rubber-band (like most bluetooth mice on OS X) if the WiFi or Finder is busy.
 
Just magic. I can use one. Maybe even two.

LOL I don't really like the sharp edge on my magic mouse, so can I please get a free bumper for it Steve? Any color will do.
 
Poppysdad1 said:
On that note... why hasn't Apple updated the Remote app to a universal binary so that we can use it on an ipad with a bit more functionality than using the iPhone app all tiny in the centre of the screen? Go on Apple... you know you want to:)
Click to expand...

I'm hoping the failure to update the remote app is a sign that bigger things are in the pipeline...
 
ValSalva said:
Just as accurate? Not quite. I love my MBP's track pad but a mouse is much more accurate for fine work.
Click to expand...


How old is the trackpad? Because if you have one of the trackpads that support up to 4 finger gestures i don't know how you could be saying that. The trackpad is so much more precise than a mouse. So much more intuitive as well. Personally I've been wanting exactly what this appears to be for a long time, well at least as long as I've been using this amazing trackpad.
 
Maybe with a stylus...

This trackpad could be what a wacom tablet is today, a touch sensitive platform, but sensitive to finger AND Stylus touches. That way you can use your mouse over it like a mouse pad and when you're ready to work you put the mouse aside and start using the stylus to draw in Photoshop for example. Having it there you could use it whatever for you like.
 
So this would challenge users to see if they have the magic touch... to use the :apple: Magic Touch, so long Magic Mouse from my purchase plans.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back