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Magic Trackpad Details: Software Update Required, Clicking Feet, and a New Gesture

fanbrain said:
So, with this and a capacitive pen, does one need to buy a Wacom tablet anymore? (I am referring to the smaller versions; Bamboo etc.)
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Wacom tablets have hovering, which means that the tablet tracks your pen location even when it's not touching the surface. Without that, you can't do anything useful in Photoshop. Plus it has buttons on the pen for panning and right click, you get much better pressure sensitivity than software calculation.
 
djellison said:
No. No No No No No No No No No No No No.

It required two AA batteries. End of sentence. People really shouldn't be encouraged to buy Apple's iCharger. It's blatant stick-a-logo-on-anything and it shouldn't be encouraged in any way shape or form.
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Well, the batteries do last longer (or so they claim). They even give you 6 batteries which is pretty good for $30.

The clicking feet are pretty neat. I was scratching my head as to how the whole trackpad clicked since the glass surface seemed flush. However, as hismikeness has noted, this engineering solution won't be good for media centre usage.
 
mrathee said:
I really don't see this changing the game all that much. I have yet to meet anyone that prefers a track pad to a mouse when both are present options.
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I have May 2006 day one macbook which doesnt even have most of these multi touch gestures. All it has is two finger scroll, right click. And yet I havent bothered to plug in a mouse for last 3 years.
 
just out of curiosity, can't you just toggle on the touch-to-click on the trackpad just like you can for the trackpad? that would certainly solve the Home Theater Mac Mini problem :D
 
dimensions? 3 of them.

appleguy123 said:
Can someone get the dimensions?
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Takes up desk space to accomplish what the Magic mouse apparently does (I just us a Bluetooth mouse with a tiny button on top) without taking up any room worth quibbling about.
Progress is flat-footed in this case, in my opinion.
 
djellison said:
No. No No No No No No No No No No No No.

It required two AA batteries. End of sentence. People really shouldn't be encouraged to buy Apple's iCharger. It's blatant stick-a-logo-on-anything and it shouldn't be encouraged in any way shape or form.
Click to expand...

"Battery vs. powered: Which is Greener?" discussion aside, Apple's charger page shows that the battery-charged maintenance mode current is about 10% (30 mW) that of a normal AA charger. That's pretty significant and quite green. If they just stuck a logo on something, it was a nice something. The batteries are NiMH and will probably last 10 years. This is all good.
 
No. no: HEEL-clicking

coolfactor said:
I know, that just seems bizarre to me. What if someone wanted to use this on a couch for controlling a Mac mini connected to their TV? I'm sure a future revision will get rid of the clicking feet.
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This should be called the Eric von Stroheim tablet, which actually clicks its heels not its feet.
I'm starting to feel ready for my close-up, Mr. Jobs....
 
foobarbaz said:
I greatly miss my MBP's trackpad at work, so I've been waiting for this. Hopefully, somebody is going to make a "BetterTouchTool" for Windows.
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If you are looking for multi-touch support in Windows, you are better off looking into the Bamboo touch series of tablets. Wacom has made excellent drivers for Win*. I don't see Apple release similar drivers sadly. They haven't done it with BootCamp yet either. :(
 
Apple needs to make a Magic Tablet for graphic designing, to the likes of this new gizmo. I'd be fine with saying goodbye to Wacom, because we all know Apple can do it better.
 
LAS.mac said:
Indeed, right here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1066

Although, according to the Apple documentation, it should not work. Please try it and post here.
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Thanks. It did work. I have inertial scrolling now, but NO three finger dragging.

That's what their documentation says, too. You stopped reading a bit too early. ;)

The following Mac portables support inertial scrolling after installing Magic Trackpad and Multi-Touch Trackpad Update 1.0:

MacBook Air
MacBook Air
MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)
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Too bad. I'd rather have the dragging than the scrolling...
 
hismikeness said:
It's a bummer for me about the clicky feet... I was hoping to use this on my lap to run my Mac Mini media center. Seems like with the clicky feet I would need a solid surface on which it rests. There is the tap to click, but I don't like that as much.

I'll have to try one out once they are in stores and see what I think.
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+1 :(
 
saxon48 said:
Confirmed. Mid-2009 MBP's got the inertial scroll. This is the best news I have gotten all day. :) :) :)
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Agreed, I think this is really great news for people who bought Macbooks last year so they won't feel left out. Unlike you, many of the MR crowd here won't give Apple any credit for taking care of customers with older hardware, they just complain about Apple screwing them.
 
pika2000 said:
Wait a minute. Are you saying you can use this with Windows XP, yet requires SL on a Mac?
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Were you expecting something different? :confused:

I mean... look at system requirements for your iPad: It's supported on 9-year-old Windows XP (released in 2001). Yet on the Mac side, you'll need at least Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, with a rather recent 2007 release date. (Both with some free update/service pack).

Of course, Apple makes money from you buying a new Mac or at least the Snow Leopard upgrade. And then, they also make money from iPod/iPhone/iPad sales to PC people who still use XP. Supporting older Mac OSes primarily delays purchases of their current hardware...
 
So, is this evidence that OSX is going to be turned into iOS so that Steve can make 30% on all Mac apps?
 
pika2000 said:
Wait a minute. Are you saying you can use this with Windows XP, yet requires SL on a Mac? :mad:
Click to expand...

It only works as a regular (non-multitouch) trackpad on Windows. It likely will do the same on an old OS X without any drivers.
 
farmboy said:
"Battery vs. powered: Which is Greener?" discussion aside, Apple's charger page shows that the battery-charged maintenance mode current is about 10% (30 mW) that of a normal AA charger. That's pretty significant and quite green. If they just stuck a logo on something, it was a nice something. The batteries are NiMH and will probably last 10 years. This is all good.
Click to expand...
I'm not arguing with the fact that the charger was very well designed. It definitely was, so props to Apple for cutting down on the "vampire draw". However, doesn't it feel a little old school to still have to charge up AA batteries for use in electronics? I already feel like just the presence of AA batteries in an Apple product make it less :apple:-y.
 
I can confirm the 3 finger works great for dragging windows if you click on the top of the window bar, however, if you 3 finger click on text it highlights it ready for copy and past.

Now thats a lovely detail. Apple always surprise....
 
clicking feet is not a bummer for me even if used on a soft surface. I don't know when the last time I used click. I'm a taping kind of guy.

Or am I missing something?
 
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