For all of my unboxing photos the original versions are on the left and the new version 2 is on the right.
I am using both products with an iMac 2011 with bluetooth 2.1+EDR and OS X 10.11. Both devices work wirelessly.
The Apple Magic Mouse 2. I paid $129 for this (tax included) at my local Australian Apple store.
You can see the totally different boxing for each version of the mouse. I think the new mouse has the more elgant boxing. Both versions allow easy access of the mouse at moments notice. I will say a square box does store much easier. Also the old mouse's plastic lid can come lose with a slight tap. This is fixed with the new box as you have to physically remove the lid to get it off.
Also note well the box on the new mouse says Magic Mouse and not Magic Mouse 2.
No more touch gesture information on the botton side of the packaging anymore. Apart from this not much else to say. By now most people know what the Magic Mouse does so there's no need to advertise iton the box. The system requirements sticker does say Magic Mouse 2 on the new box. Strange that on the back side it's Magic Mouse 2 but on the front side of the box the 2 is omittted. Not sure why this is. I always thought it'd be Magic Mouse 2 on the front. No idea why it is not.
The inside of the old mouse box was ok but getting the instructions under the mouse rest there took a few seconds longer than it should have. This issue is totally fixed with the new mouse box. The inside just looks and feels pure class. The length of lightning cable is nice too. I will say the new mouse box is amazing. That is total attention to detail with the packaging there. Sure packaging is not important to many, but in this instance Apple have some a superb job at it with the new mouse box.
The two mouses look almost identical on the top. The underside, the only real differences are no indicator light, the two long feet on the new mouse feel smoother and glide slightly easier and the lightning port on the new mouse as compared to the battery door on the old mouse.
The one issue I have with the new mouse is the position of the lightning cable. I don't want to use the mouse while the mouse is charging. That part at least is not an issue. My issue is how do you stand up the mouse while charging and not do damage to the lightning cable? I realise it's only 2 minutes for a 9 hoour charge. But that two minutes a day could do damage to the cable if it's bent while charging. I will have to work out a way to charge the mouse and not damage the cable in the process.
Paring the Magic Mouse 2 with my iMac was a simple as connecting it wired to the iMac and instantly it said "ready to use wirelessly". It was just that simple.
The Magic Mouse 2 works just like the old mouse did. All the swiping and touch features work well. In my opinion it's an every so slightly less friction Magic Mouse 1 with a internal rechargable battery. That's it. I am really not a fan of replacing batteries so it was a instant buy for me, but for many that might just not be enough to justify the cost.
My only real negative point is the lack of a middle click. I guess an app like magic prefs could get the job done. On OS X at least I have not needed a middle click in years. So this is a non issue. But for the Windows crowd or gaming crowd it might be an issue.
My Verdict:
If you do not own a magic mouse at all, try this out in the Apple Store ASAP. The mouse really is just that good. It's not for everyone though, but for what it does, it does it very well. Well worth the purchase.
If you already own the first Magic Mouse and are ok with the battery aspect of it, I would seriously think about getting or not getting the new mouse. It might not be worth the cost to you as it's very similar to the first mouse.
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Magic Trackpad 2:
$199 Australian (Tax included) at my local Apple Store.
The new packaging is much more elegant. Also the new trackpad also only says Magic Trackpad. There is no, 2 on the front on the box. The new packaging is not a box with a lid. it is a base with a slipcase. You have to slide out the base part to get access to the hardware within.
This is a picture of the botton of the old packagin and the back side of the slipcase for the Magic Trackpad 2. The slipcase says Magic Trackpad 2 where as the front omits the 2. The same deal with the new mouse packaging. No idea why Apple chose to do it. You can also see Apple omitted the touch gesture information on the newer packaging. I guess Apple realised it's customers know what the trackpad can do so that information is no longer needed on the packaging.
The old packaging opened and closed well enough. The trackpad fit snugly inside and was easy to access. The downside was the iPad rest inside was very flimsy. I had to take extra care of it as not to bend it. The new packaging for the most part improves on this. The is clear spaces for the lightning cable and new smaller instruction booklet. If you want to store your Magic Trackpad 2 in the box and the plastic wrap arond the trackpad itself, getting the card slipcase on will take a few seconds more than usual as the s;ip case catches the plastic around the trackpad itself.
The Magic Trackpad 2 sits in the base of the packaging snugly in the topa nd bottom sides. But there is a little gap on the left and right sides. This is so you can easily access the trackpad at a moments notice and easily get it out of the box. A very good idea. I would not want to have to turn the whole packaging upside down every time just to get at the trackpad.
The lightning cable included is of a decent length. I will note the tape used to keep the cable coiled in the packaging whring shipment is of high quality. No cheap tape that leaves marks or damages the cable. No cable ties that do not fit snugly in the box and can become loose during shipment. The Magic Mouse 2 also had the same high quality white tape. Well tape would be a lie as it's really just white card with sticky points on each end. Special note is the outward facing tab the trackpad's lightning cable tape has. This makes temoving the lightning cable from the trackpad an absolute breeze. I've never seen a cable packed so well and so easily removable from packaging before. The cable looks great in the box. Apple care about the looks even though you only see it for a few seconds before you remove the cable from the box. Also the removal of the cable from the box is just so easy. I realise this is 10 secconds at most of your time before you use the Magic Trackpad 2. But it really wowed me. It's attention to detail like this for things most other companies just throw in the box and do not care about that set Apple apart from the rest. This level of polish is something very few apart from Apple do.
I do think Apple chose the card slip and not a box for the trackpad as I think Apple feel the customer will not be putting the trackpad in and out of the packaging on a daily basis. Sure it's not hard to get the trackpad out of the box at all. But it does take a few second more than just opening the lid of the old trackpad box and pulling out the trackpad. I can agree with this actually as the Magic Trackpad 2's packing does not have a lid. Only the base and the slip cover.
As a final pooint on the packaging. Both the old mouse and old trackpad packaging had the word "wireless" in a box printed on the outside. The new mouse and trackpad omitted this. I think Apple omitted these as everyone knows these products are wireless now.
The Magic Trackpad is easy to pair with your Mac. Just connect the lightning cable to the trackpad and you see the above image to say it's paired with the Mac and ready to use wirelessly. So very simple. One issue I found is if you previously had a old Magic Trackpad set up with the Mac, when the new trackpad is first connected via cable to pair it to the Mac, the trackpad preferences still show up for the old trackpad. But remove the cable to use the new trackpad wirelessly and when you access the trackpad preferences, they are correct for the new trackpad. That's strange. But not worth a fix as it only lasts for a few seconds as the trackpad comes with enough charge to start bluetooth wireless mode slmsot instantly.
To me the new trackpad feels a little smoother to the touch than the old trackpad. That could just be me but I do think so. Also the shape and angle of the new trackpad is better. More usuable area. Also the fact the new trackpad is not square like the old one is a good thing. This fits in with the fact our monitors are not square anymore either. So with the right settings the new trackpad size is a real plus.
I used to think the old trackpad looked great. It did. But the new one looks even better. The whole white and nothing under the glass just loos so professional. The feet on the new trackpad do not glue the trackpad to the deck but it's enough friction so the trackpad should not move.
The new trackpad's force touch is really a good feature. Makes it so much easier to use the tablet for things like easy quick look and other features. You can set these up as a force click (basically a second click after the first one, just press down harder) or as a three finger tap. The choice if yours. I tried both and both ways to do this work well. It's down to personal preference on which you choose.
Charging up the trackpad is as easy as connecting the trackpad to the mac with the included lightning cable. The trackpad can be used while charging. It can also be used wired with bluetooth turned off on the Mac. The only question we don't have answered yet is to what the battery performance hit will be when using the Magic Trackpad 2 with bluetooth 2.1+EDR as opposed to bluetooth 4.0. I would assume it's a minor hit but I don't have any evidence to back that up.
My Verdict:
The Magic Trackpad 2 is a step up above the previous model. In looks, in functionality and in ease of use for charging up the device. No more batteries are needed. The only downside here is the price, it's steep.
A trackpad is not for everyone. Only some people will like to use one with their Mac. For those who do, you can't get any better than this. It's a must buy for trackpad fans who own a Mac and don't already own a trackpad. For those trackpad fans who own the old model, you'll have to think if the new features are worth the increased cost. They are worth it for me, but even I think it's very pricey. Not an instant buy only because of the price. Serious consideration will have to be had there to see if it's worth the cost for you or not.
If you have never used a trackpad before or only have used non Apple trackpads before, you should go to your local Apple Store and try out the Apple Trackpad 2. Certainly an experience I think every Mac user should have at least once.
There are only 2 reasons stopping this trackpad being a must by for everyone.
I am using both products with an iMac 2011 with bluetooth 2.1+EDR and OS X 10.11. Both devices work wirelessly.
The Apple Magic Mouse 2. I paid $129 for this (tax included) at my local Australian Apple store.
You can see the totally different boxing for each version of the mouse. I think the new mouse has the more elgant boxing. Both versions allow easy access of the mouse at moments notice. I will say a square box does store much easier. Also the old mouse's plastic lid can come lose with a slight tap. This is fixed with the new box as you have to physically remove the lid to get it off.
Also note well the box on the new mouse says Magic Mouse and not Magic Mouse 2.
No more touch gesture information on the botton side of the packaging anymore. Apart from this not much else to say. By now most people know what the Magic Mouse does so there's no need to advertise iton the box. The system requirements sticker does say Magic Mouse 2 on the new box. Strange that on the back side it's Magic Mouse 2 but on the front side of the box the 2 is omittted. Not sure why this is. I always thought it'd be Magic Mouse 2 on the front. No idea why it is not.
The inside of the old mouse box was ok but getting the instructions under the mouse rest there took a few seconds longer than it should have. This issue is totally fixed with the new mouse box. The inside just looks and feels pure class. The length of lightning cable is nice too. I will say the new mouse box is amazing. That is total attention to detail with the packaging there. Sure packaging is not important to many, but in this instance Apple have some a superb job at it with the new mouse box.
The two mouses look almost identical on the top. The underside, the only real differences are no indicator light, the two long feet on the new mouse feel smoother and glide slightly easier and the lightning port on the new mouse as compared to the battery door on the old mouse.
The one issue I have with the new mouse is the position of the lightning cable. I don't want to use the mouse while the mouse is charging. That part at least is not an issue. My issue is how do you stand up the mouse while charging and not do damage to the lightning cable? I realise it's only 2 minutes for a 9 hoour charge. But that two minutes a day could do damage to the cable if it's bent while charging. I will have to work out a way to charge the mouse and not damage the cable in the process.
Paring the Magic Mouse 2 with my iMac was a simple as connecting it wired to the iMac and instantly it said "ready to use wirelessly". It was just that simple.
The Magic Mouse 2 works just like the old mouse did. All the swiping and touch features work well. In my opinion it's an every so slightly less friction Magic Mouse 1 with a internal rechargable battery. That's it. I am really not a fan of replacing batteries so it was a instant buy for me, but for many that might just not be enough to justify the cost.
My only real negative point is the lack of a middle click. I guess an app like magic prefs could get the job done. On OS X at least I have not needed a middle click in years. So this is a non issue. But for the Windows crowd or gaming crowd it might be an issue.
My Verdict:
If you do not own a magic mouse at all, try this out in the Apple Store ASAP. The mouse really is just that good. It's not for everyone though, but for what it does, it does it very well. Well worth the purchase.
If you already own the first Magic Mouse and are ok with the battery aspect of it, I would seriously think about getting or not getting the new mouse. It might not be worth the cost to you as it's very similar to the first mouse.
************************
Magic Trackpad 2:
$199 Australian (Tax included) at my local Apple Store.
The new packaging is much more elegant. Also the new trackpad also only says Magic Trackpad. There is no, 2 on the front on the box. The new packaging is not a box with a lid. it is a base with a slipcase. You have to slide out the base part to get access to the hardware within.
This is a picture of the botton of the old packagin and the back side of the slipcase for the Magic Trackpad 2. The slipcase says Magic Trackpad 2 where as the front omits the 2. The same deal with the new mouse packaging. No idea why Apple chose to do it. You can also see Apple omitted the touch gesture information on the newer packaging. I guess Apple realised it's customers know what the trackpad can do so that information is no longer needed on the packaging.
The old packaging opened and closed well enough. The trackpad fit snugly inside and was easy to access. The downside was the iPad rest inside was very flimsy. I had to take extra care of it as not to bend it. The new packaging for the most part improves on this. The is clear spaces for the lightning cable and new smaller instruction booklet. If you want to store your Magic Trackpad 2 in the box and the plastic wrap arond the trackpad itself, getting the card slipcase on will take a few seconds more than usual as the s;ip case catches the plastic around the trackpad itself.
The Magic Trackpad 2 sits in the base of the packaging snugly in the topa nd bottom sides. But there is a little gap on the left and right sides. This is so you can easily access the trackpad at a moments notice and easily get it out of the box. A very good idea. I would not want to have to turn the whole packaging upside down every time just to get at the trackpad.
The lightning cable included is of a decent length. I will note the tape used to keep the cable coiled in the packaging whring shipment is of high quality. No cheap tape that leaves marks or damages the cable. No cable ties that do not fit snugly in the box and can become loose during shipment. The Magic Mouse 2 also had the same high quality white tape. Well tape would be a lie as it's really just white card with sticky points on each end. Special note is the outward facing tab the trackpad's lightning cable tape has. This makes temoving the lightning cable from the trackpad an absolute breeze. I've never seen a cable packed so well and so easily removable from packaging before. The cable looks great in the box. Apple care about the looks even though you only see it for a few seconds before you remove the cable from the box. Also the removal of the cable from the box is just so easy. I realise this is 10 secconds at most of your time before you use the Magic Trackpad 2. But it really wowed me. It's attention to detail like this for things most other companies just throw in the box and do not care about that set Apple apart from the rest. This level of polish is something very few apart from Apple do.
I do think Apple chose the card slip and not a box for the trackpad as I think Apple feel the customer will not be putting the trackpad in and out of the packaging on a daily basis. Sure it's not hard to get the trackpad out of the box at all. But it does take a few second more than just opening the lid of the old trackpad box and pulling out the trackpad. I can agree with this actually as the Magic Trackpad 2's packing does not have a lid. Only the base and the slip cover.
As a final pooint on the packaging. Both the old mouse and old trackpad packaging had the word "wireless" in a box printed on the outside. The new mouse and trackpad omitted this. I think Apple omitted these as everyone knows these products are wireless now.
The Magic Trackpad is easy to pair with your Mac. Just connect the lightning cable to the trackpad and you see the above image to say it's paired with the Mac and ready to use wirelessly. So very simple. One issue I found is if you previously had a old Magic Trackpad set up with the Mac, when the new trackpad is first connected via cable to pair it to the Mac, the trackpad preferences still show up for the old trackpad. But remove the cable to use the new trackpad wirelessly and when you access the trackpad preferences, they are correct for the new trackpad. That's strange. But not worth a fix as it only lasts for a few seconds as the trackpad comes with enough charge to start bluetooth wireless mode slmsot instantly.
To me the new trackpad feels a little smoother to the touch than the old trackpad. That could just be me but I do think so. Also the shape and angle of the new trackpad is better. More usuable area. Also the fact the new trackpad is not square like the old one is a good thing. This fits in with the fact our monitors are not square anymore either. So with the right settings the new trackpad size is a real plus.
I used to think the old trackpad looked great. It did. But the new one looks even better. The whole white and nothing under the glass just loos so professional. The feet on the new trackpad do not glue the trackpad to the deck but it's enough friction so the trackpad should not move.
The new trackpad's force touch is really a good feature. Makes it so much easier to use the tablet for things like easy quick look and other features. You can set these up as a force click (basically a second click after the first one, just press down harder) or as a three finger tap. The choice if yours. I tried both and both ways to do this work well. It's down to personal preference on which you choose.
Charging up the trackpad is as easy as connecting the trackpad to the mac with the included lightning cable. The trackpad can be used while charging. It can also be used wired with bluetooth turned off on the Mac. The only question we don't have answered yet is to what the battery performance hit will be when using the Magic Trackpad 2 with bluetooth 2.1+EDR as opposed to bluetooth 4.0. I would assume it's a minor hit but I don't have any evidence to back that up.
My Verdict:
The Magic Trackpad 2 is a step up above the previous model. In looks, in functionality and in ease of use for charging up the device. No more batteries are needed. The only downside here is the price, it's steep.
A trackpad is not for everyone. Only some people will like to use one with their Mac. For those who do, you can't get any better than this. It's a must buy for trackpad fans who own a Mac and don't already own a trackpad. For those trackpad fans who own the old model, you'll have to think if the new features are worth the increased cost. They are worth it for me, but even I think it's very pricey. Not an instant buy only because of the price. Serious consideration will have to be had there to see if it's worth the cost for you or not.
If you have never used a trackpad before or only have used non Apple trackpads before, you should go to your local Apple Store and try out the Apple Trackpad 2. Certainly an experience I think every Mac user should have at least once.
There are only 2 reasons stopping this trackpad being a must by for everyone.
- Not everyone is a trackpad fan. if you hate trackpads, even this totally amazing trackpad will not sway you.
- The price. It's steep. For new trackpad customers and for those upgrading from the older model.
