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Magic Pad or Magic Mouse (or both)?

J

jman995x

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 8, 2007
199
3
I'm going to be buying a New iMac soon and was thinking about getting a Magic Pad. I'm currently sitting in Best Buy (closer than my Mac store) and have been playing with the MP. It seems pretty slick, but would probably take getting used to.

I'd like to hear feedback from people who have switched to MP and won't go back to MM....people who have switched back to MM because they didn't like MP....and Professionals' thoughts on getting both (I like to surf a lot, but I also like to do A/V editing, so need precision sometimes...which I understand the MP can lack when getting into the nitty-gritty, pixel-by-pixel or waveform work).

Lastly, for those that found MP a little odd, but then installed app(s) such as Jitouch, did that put MP back on top, in your opinion?

Thanks,

J.
 
The track pad is great, but I am going to tell you right now that if it is for photo editing neither will do. I like the trackpad personally because I am most used to using laptops. I also have a Logitech M305 when I want a real mouse.
 
To be honest, i have never tried the Magic Mouse, but I can remember just not liking the idea of it.

I agree with using the Magic Pad, but also having the option of a Logitech mouse when its needed. That's what I do, but I find that I use the Magic Pad most of the time now. (I found it easy to adjust, although I am not really taking advantage of the gestures, yet.)
 
Interestingly enough the Magic Trackpads on display at Best Buy & Apple Store have been touched/used so often that they are indeed quite slick from human hand oil. The actual Pad has a firmer feel to it, and a lot better in terms of functionality. I remember being utterly disgusted by the ones in the Apple Store a few months ago, purchasing one, and subsequently becoming very pleased with the actual, clean & new product.
 
Well I wish mine was used and disgusting, as my fingers "stick" to it quite a bit. I recently applied a "slick" protector thing (basically a screen protector for your trackpad) and it hasn't helped much. The problem is that I love the added functionality of the Trackpad, I just wish my fingers didn't stick to it.
 
NMF said:
Well I wish mine was used and disgusting, as my fingers "stick" to it quite a bit. I recently applied a "slick" protector thing (basically a screen protector for your trackpad) and it hasn't helped much. The problem is that I love the added functionality of the Trackpad, I just wish my fingers didn't stick to it.
Click to expand...

What you need is the TrackPad equivalent of those fingertip moisteners, except this would de-moisten your fingers for added grip.
~~ The polar opposite of this product: http://www.amazon.com/SortKwik-Fingertip-Moistener-3-pack/dp/B001AEQIYW/ref=pd_sbs_op_1
 
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As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I use both the Magic Trackpad (for everyday use), and a Logitech mouse for any editing or any precise work.

Personally I hate the magic mouse. It is an incredible idea, but with large hands, the surface is just too small for me to use gestures. I'd love to see 3rd parties make magic mouse-like products for a variety of applications.
 
jackrv said:
Personally I hate the magic mouse. It is an incredible idea, but with large hands, the surface is just too small for me to use gestures.
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of the magic mouse, either. I find it heavy, clunky and not very easy to use, especially if you have smaller hands as I do. Used it for 2 days after getting a new iMac on 12/29/11. Went to Best Buy and got a Magic Trackpad. Like it much better. However, like everything, YMMV. :)

Debating whether to sell the magic mouse or not. I have a generic bluetooth mouse I paid $20 for that I like a lot better. I mostly use it for playing WoW or for photo editing. Just wondering if I'm going to regret selling the MM.
 
I used the Magic Mouse for over a year daily and it worked fine... with the Better Touch Tool in place to tweak it. Then when Lion came out, I moved to the Magic Trackpad and after a couple of days of acclimating to it, I retired the Magic Mouse. Apple's strategy is multi-touch based, and any mouse is going to come up short. My main computer is also a Macbook Air, so using the Trackpad is a more seamless experience when going from desk to mobile.
 
I use and like both, for different reasons. This is such a personal question, I'm not sure you're going to know until you try it out.
 
I have been using the Magic Trackpad for daily use for over a year now. Whenever I game or do any Photoshop work I pull out my Logitech MX Revolution (old but great mouse).
 
Before I bought my iMac about 4 or 5 months ago, I was in PC World (UK, nearest store that has any Apple products on display) looking to try out the trackpad and mouse. My opinion was that you needed both as a best of both worlds kinda thing. So I asked one of their "technical specialists" about which one he'd go for. He said Mouse. I then asked if you could use both, to which he replied no, lol

Guess he was a Windows Technical Specialist and got lost :D

But yeah, I use both, find myself instinctively flipping between each depending on what application I'm using. I had the hotspots set up when using the mouse which was convenient, but the gestures take it to a whole new level.

Definitely recommend both.
 
I like how the Magic Mouse looks sitting on my desk. However, actually using it hurts my hands. It's not very ergonomic. Looks nice, though.

The Magic Trackpad is great for most computer work. I love the gestures and the ease of using it.

Your going to want a mouse for more precise work, as others have said.

My wife and I use the trackpad most of the time.
 
Love the Magic Trackpad, I'd recommend it over the Magic Mouse..much easier to take advantage of the gestures that Lion incorporates into the system
 
Magic Mouse a must for precision work, but the trackpad works fine for everyday use.

People flame me for having an MM paired with my MBP but it's required to select accurately in Aperture, Logic et.
 
I have been thinking about picking up the trackpad but i really love the feel of the mouse. It didn't take me long to get used to it and now when i switch to my other pc to make shipping labels it feels really weird. Same thing with the keyboard. I love how the keyboard on my mac feels and hate using the keyboard on my windows pc. Imo i've got the best of both worlds, a macbook like keyboard with a touch sensitive mouse. Couldn't be happier. I might pick up a trackpad to try it out, but i hate the trackpad on my netbook. In fact most people i know with laptops carry a usb mouse to plugin when they really want to do something other than quickly check email on the go.
 
jwm2 said:
I have been thinking about picking up the trackpad but i really love the feel of the mouse. It didn't take me long to get used to it and now when i switch to my other pc to make shipping labels it feels really weird. Same thing with the keyboard. I love how the keyboard on my mac feels and hate using the keyboard on my windows pc. Imo i've got the best of both worlds, a macbook like keyboard with a touch sensitive mouse. Couldn't be happier. I might pick up a trackpad to try it out, but i hate the trackpad on my netbook. In fact most people i know with laptops carry a usb mouse to plugin when they really want to do something other than quickly check email on the go.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, do you find yourself double tapping for zoom! Still gets me now. Friends ask why I do it, then they see my macs......And sigh.
 
I have the Trackpad but generally use the Magic Mouse or a wired Logitech mouse. Haven't yet gotten into using the trackpad very much.

The Magic Mouse is OK for short periods of time for things like web surfing, the momentum scrolling is good especially on long web pages. But I find it is too low and awkward to hold, plus it has more tabletop friction so it is not very easy to make small precise movements. Maybe this is the result of Apple's desire to make cool looking things and valuing form over function. The top of the Magic Mouse is a perfect sphere shape so it looks great but it doesn't really fit the hand.

I put some slippery transparent shipping tape on the MM's bottom runners to decrease the friction, and also use a piece of inkjet paper as a mousepad since it's fairly slippery (on the non-glossy side). That helps some. I'm looking for a gaming mousepad because some of them are very slippery, maybe a super slippery pad will make the MM better.

Usually my hand gets tired after using the Magic Mouse for more than an hour, so I switch to using a wired Logitech mouse that has a more relaxed and precise feel to it. Fortunately OSX Lion works with both mice active at the same time.
 
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