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Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad?

Sheza

Sheza

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 14, 2010
2,091
1,807
Hi,

I have a retina MacBook Pro that I usually dock whenever I'm not out and about - which sadly for me is quite often. I've only had the Mac for about 6 months but have found myself using my desktop PC less and less - to the point where I replaced my clunky mechanical gaming keyboard with a more Mac-style Logitech K760.

I'm now thinking about ditching the gaming mouse as well, or at least relegating it to become a backup option.

I've seen all sorts of reviews saying the Magic Mouse is awesome, or that it's uncomfortable. That the trackpad is amazing, or that it's not precise enough. SO what do you think? Should I go Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad? Are the claims of the MM's uncomfortableness true?

Thanks!
 
Sheza said:
I've seen all sorts of reviews saying the Magic Mouse is awesome, or that it's uncomfortable. That the trackpad is amazing, or that it's not precise enough. SO what do you think? Should I go Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad? Are the claims of the MM's uncomfortableness true?
Click to expand...
Of course you have. People and their preferences vary. You can't poll others to determine if one of these will work for you. You have to try them out and see for yourself. I like both and don't find the MM uncomfortable but YMMV. Don't assume that every is the same regardless of the topic at hand.
 
takeshi74 said:
Of course you have. People and their preferences vary. You can't poll others to determine if one of these will work for you. You have to try them out and see for yourself. I like both and don't find the MM uncomfortable but YMMV. Don't assume that every is the same regardless of the topic at hand.
Click to expand...

In that case - how best to try them out to ensure I'm trying out *every* feature, or trying out realistic usage?

A bit of a touch up with the mouse or trackpad in an Apple Store probably isn't the best way of trying it out properly.
 
I have and use both

In my office I have both permanently setup and in use. I find the trackpad more comfortable for general use, but when working on a drawing in OmniGraffle or when I need to drag and drop something then I find myself reaching for the magic mouse.
 
I've used the Magic Mouse from the day it came out... a few months ago I bought a Magic Trackpad just to try it out. Haven't used the Mouse since then. The Trackpad is just so much easier on my hand, more natural, no fatigue. I still have the mouse, just in case if I need to do some precision photo retouching.
 
Sheza said:
Hi,

I have a retina MacBook Pro that I usually dock whenever I'm not out and about - which sadly for me is quite often. I've only had the Mac for about 6 months but have found myself using my desktop PC less and less - to the point where I replaced my clunky mechanical gaming keyboard with a more Mac-style Logitech K760.

I'm now thinking about ditching the gaming mouse as well, or at least relegating it to become a backup option.

I've seen all sorts of reviews saying the Magic Mouse is awesome, or that it's uncomfortable. That the trackpad is amazing, or that it's not precise enough. SO what do you think? Should I go Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad? Are the claims of the MM's uncomfortableness true?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Switching between different kinds of mice is a lot more of a hassle than switching between a mouse and a trackpad. The magic mouse is OK if you use it on a good mouse pad, but it can't compete with the resolution (and therefore the precision) of a good gaming mouse. Having had all three, my current setup is as follows:
At work, I only use the Magic Trackpad after having used the Magic Mouse for about a year and realizing my work position with it had a tendency to give me a sore elbow.
At home, I mainly use the Magic Trackpad, but I also have my trusty old Razer mouse for precision work and for the light gaming I still do.
I gave my Magic Mouse to my wife who doesn't like navigating using a trackpad.
 
Thanks for all your responses so far. Biggest annoyance of using the trackpad for me would probably be getting stuck (i.e. to the edge of the trackpad) when I'm half way through dragging files to the trash or something.
 
Sheza said:
Thanks for all your responses so far. Biggest annoyance of using the trackpad for me would probably be getting stuck (i.e. to the edge of the trackpad) when I'm half way through dragging files to the trash or something.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess I'll find out for myself now. I purchased the Magic Mouse last year with my MacBook Pro and just last evening I purchased a Magic Trackpad to try it out. I do like the mouse but I will be test running the trackpad over the next few weeks or so to see if I end up replacing the mouse.

If I was to hazard a guess, I'll probably end up using both as the situation demands it.
 
Butchie-T said:
Well, I guess I'll find out for myself now. I purchased the Magic Mouse last year with my MacBook Pro and just last evening I purchased a Magic Trackpad to try it out. I do like the mouse but I will be test running the trackpad over the next few weeks or so to see if I end up replacing the mouse.

If I was to hazard a guess, I'll probably end up using both as the situation demands it.
Click to expand...

Please do let me know how you get on. My problem is that getting both will be very costly for me and I'm not sure I can justify it.
 
I never got used to the Magic Mouse, my fingers can't find home like they do with a regular mouse. I now use a Logitech Anywhere MX and it's fantastic.
 
I have them both, and alternate between them. I first purchased the Mouse because I wanted to see how good it was - its pretty good, in my opinion, but rather small in my hand, and after using for a while, it gets uncomfortable to me.
 
Sheza said:
Please do let me know how you get on. My problem is that getting both will be very costly for me and I'm not sure I can justify it.
Click to expand...

Well then, my answer to that would be (not that you asked though), initially, to get the Magic Mouse. If portability and flexibility are what you need the mouse will fit that bill quite nicely. Short term, if you are looking to decide what to get, I believe the mouse would be the way to go.

The trackpad is really not all that portable, glass has a tendency to break. I will use the trackpad at home and the mouse 'on the road' as it were.

I'll check back and let you know how it all pans out for me.

Cheers,
 
Butchie-T said:
Well then, my answer to that would be (not that you asked though), initially, to get the Magic Mouse. If portability and flexibility are what you need the mouse will fit that bill quite nicely. Short term, if you are looking to decide what to get, I believe the mouse would be the way to go.

The trackpad is really not all that portable, glass has a tendency to break. I will use the trackpad at home and the mouse 'on the road' as it were.

I'll check back and let you know how it all pans out for me.

Cheers,
Click to expand...
Ah that's interesting - I don't have a need for portability at all. If I'm not docking my MacBook then I'm using it with the built in trackpad anyway. The trackpad or mouse would stay in the desk / in my room at all times.
 
I have found the low-profile design of the magic mouse to be uncomfortable with extended use. It can be a pain on the wrist over time.

I use the Magic Trackpad and love it. If you use an iPhone or iPad, the Magic Trackpad kind of feels like it "bridges the gap" between the UI manipulation experience on the computer and the experience on the portable devices. It allows for tapping, pinching, swiping, etc. I've also found it to be physically more comfortable over extended periods of time.
 
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sdilley14 said:
I use the Magic Trackpad and love it. If you use an iPhone or iPad, the Magic Trackpad kind of feels like it "bridges the gap" between the UI manipulation experience on the computer and the experience on the portable devices. It allows for tapping, pinching, swiping, etc. I've also found it to be physically more comfortable over extended periods of time.
Click to expand...

Yes!

All of this is my experience as well. The Magic Trackpad provides a full modern OS X experience. It is seamless and intuitive in operation.
 
I really tried to like the Magic Tackpad, but couldn't use it as my primary device so I returned it. It hurt my wrist to constantly hold my hand tilted above the trackpad whereas I can rest my hand on the MM.

A lot of people don't like the Magic Mouse due to its ergonomics. Personally, I love it and find it a joy to use. It's very comfortable to me and the multitouch is a joy.

Now I do like the trackpad for scrolling and my plan is to eventually buy another one and use 12 South's accessory to lock it to the left of my Apple keyboard so I can use my left hand for occasionally gestures and swipes and use my primary hand with the magic mouse.

Tip: get the free utility Better Touch Tool. It lets you make custom gestures for thr MM or MT and is one of the utilities that really makes OS X much better. I have gestures set for my MM to:
- replicated a double click
- open a link or folder in a new tab
- access launchpad
- takes apps in and out of full screen
- etc.
 
Sheza said:
Biggest annoyance of using the trackpad for me would probably be getting stuck (i.e. to the edge of the trackpad) when I'm half way through dragging files to the trash or something.
Click to expand...

Solution: the Magic Trackpad offers a 'Three finger drag" option in Preferences.

With this on, instead of trying to click and drag with one finger (which, quite honestly, doesn't work very well) you position the cursor over the thing you want to drag and then swipe (without clicking) with 3 fingers to drag.

When you release, there's a half-second or so delay before the object "drops" so you can re-position your fingers and continue dragging.

It takes a while to get used to it, but then it works well. Without it, dragging is really awkward. I'd strongly recommend turning this on.
 
I'd say track pad and third party mouse.

Track pad for all the OS X navigational stuff, whilst a standard mouse for more precise tasks.

Magic mouse is less adept at gestures than the trackpad and less comfortable to use than a regular mouse, not a big fan.
 
I have both, but if budget is an issue I would recommend the magic trackpad and a third party mouse as stated above. The magic trackpad is just like the awesome glass trackpad in a MacBook (the best feature IMO), but oversized.

The design of the magic mouse is nice, but for the price it's ergonomics are pretty average. It's nice to use for scrolling, for reading webpages it's amazing, but otherwise it's pretty useless as you get a sore hand and/or wrist after a few hours if you have normal to large size hands. Also for accuracy and technical tasks, you can't beat a wired mouse.

There seem to be quality control issues with the magic mouse too. I had two that wouldn't rest flat on the desk and had a slight rock to them, almost as much movement as a button click, which was really annoying. Apple gladly swapped them, but to be on my 3rd to get a good one is a bit silly considering the price and brand image.
 
theluggage said:
Solution: the Magic Trackpad offers a 'Three finger drag" option in Preferences.

With this on, instead of trying to click and drag with one finger (which, quite honestly, doesn't work very well) you position the cursor over the thing you want to drag and then swipe (without clicking) with 3 fingers to drag.

When you release, there's a half-second or so delay before the object "drops" so you can re-position your fingers and continue dragging.

It takes a while to get used to it, but then it works well. Without it, dragging is really awkward. I'd strongly recommend turning this on.
Click to expand...
Indeed I have three-finger drag turned on since I got my MBP, though I didn't know you could reposition your fingers while dragging, so thanks for the tip!

Psyfuzz said:
I'd say track pad and third party mouse.

Track pad for all the OS X navigational stuff, whilst a standard mouse for more precise tasks.

Magic mouse is less adept at gestures than the trackpad and less comfortable to use than a regular mouse, not a big fan.
Click to expand...
I didn't like the Magic Mouse when I played around with it at the Apple Store, it has to be said. I think my hands are a bit too big for it.

With that in mind, is there any mouse you would recommend (besides the Logitech MX Performance?)

qcmacmini said:
I have both, but if budget is an issue I would recommend the magic trackpad and a third party mouse as stated above. The magic trackpad is just like the awesome glass trackpad in a MacBook (the best feature IMO), but oversized.

The design of the magic mouse is nice, but for the price it's ergonomics are pretty average. It's nice to use for scrolling, for reading webpages it's amazing, but otherwise it's pretty useless as you get a sore hand and/or wrist after a few hours if you have normal to large size hands. Also for accuracy and technical tasks, you can't beat a wired mouse.

There seem to be quality control issues with the magic mouse too. I had two that wouldn't rest flat on the desk and had a slight rock to them, almost as much movement as a button click, which was really annoying. Apple gladly swapped them, but to be on my 3rd to get a good one is a bit silly considering the price and brand image.
Click to expand...
As above, can you recommend any 3rd Party mice?
 
Sheza said:
As above, can you recommend any 3rd Party mice?
Click to expand...

It's personal preference. I would search on eBay, there's lots of good mice under US$50 with cheap or free shipping.

I would probably go for a Logitech with good resolution, some of their newer entry level gaming mice are ergonomic but not over the top styling wise. Gaming mice are designed so you can use them for hours and it's still comfortable. Usually they're bigger than a regular mouse, but i find the top end ones ugly.

The Apple magic mouse is 1300 dpi apparently, anything at that resolution or slightly higher would be ideal.
 
Sheza said:
With that in mind, is there any mouse you would recommend (besides the Logitech MX Performance?)
Click to expand...

I'm not fussy on mice, I use it for editing within Logic and find a bog standard, cheap mouse is fine for that purpose. I use a £8 Maplin-brand mouse! Cheap but driverless, comfortable and accurate.

If you're interested in using a third party mouse, definitely download the 'Scroll Reverser' app online. It's tiny, takes literally no memory or power and allows you to customise the scroll directions for different peripherals.

When I first used a mouse it would replicate the scroll direction of the trackpad i.e. moving fingers up moves page down, scrolling mouse up moves page down. Felt this was awkward, went to swap it in the OS and it only does a universal swap and not peripheral dependent so the mouse now felt correct, the trackpad felt wrong.

Putting the settings back to 'natural' (the default) made the trackpad back to normal and using scroll reversal I told it to invert the X-axis scrolling on the mouse only, now both feel right. Something Apple needs to implement into the vanilla-OS asap.
 
Psyfuzz said:
I'm not fussy on mice, I use it for editing within Logic and find a bog standard, cheap mouse is fine for that purpose. I use a £8 Maplin-brand mouse! Cheap but driverless, comfortable and accurate.

If you're interested in using a third party mouse, definitely download the 'Scroll Reverser' app online. It's tiny, takes literally no memory or power and allows you to customise the scroll directions for different peripherals.

When I first used a mouse it would replicate the scroll direction of the trackpad i.e. moving fingers up moves page down, scrolling mouse up moves page down. Felt this was awkward, went to swap it in the OS and it only does a universal swap and not peripheral dependent so the mouse now felt correct, the trackpad felt wrong.

Putting the settings back to 'natural' (the default) made the trackpad back to normal and using scroll reversal I told it to invert the X-axis scrolling on the mouse only, now both feel right. Something Apple needs to implement into the vanilla-OS asap.
Click to expand...
I guess I should have mentioned earlier that I already have a wired mouse - I'm just fed up with it! I am looking for a wireless solution, hence the topic of this magic trackpad vs magic mouse debate.

One key problem is that my current wired mouse only works on a specific mouse mat, so using it without this unwieldy mouse mat is not an option. I think I may start off by using the trackpad as much as I can, and keeping the mouse on top of my external HDD, tucked out of the way, unless I need it (in which case I then need to grab the mouse mat!).

Rest assured Scroll Reverser is one of the first apps I downloaded when I started docking my MacBook in my dorm room :)
 
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