New Magic Keyboard/Trackpad/Mouse

[Cape Dave]

Well, I'm glad we cleared that up. By the way, I'm anyone, and you're not right.



Actually, it's not. It's irremediably, irrefutably and indisputably invalid.

I lost track of my point, except for this: For the price charged for the new keyboard, it should be backlit. They cheaped out. You can argue as much as you like, but that does not make my opinion invalid by any means.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I love the magic keyboard! I wanted butterfly mechanism though.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Indeed. Unfortunately, one thing that has remained remarkably consistent in the 25 years I've been using Apple computers, is that Apple has never made a mouse that I liked using.

Actually, I suspect the days of the mouse being the default peripheral for desktop Macs are numbered. The available surface area on a mouse is just too small to be a first-class touch gesture area, especially compared to the truly massive area on the Magic Trackpad.

Yeah the mouse is a waste. I tried to go back to one but productivity went down.

 

[newellj]

I lost track of my point, except for this: For the price charged for the new keyboard, it should be backlit. They cheaped out. You can argue as much as you like, but that does not make my opinion invalid by any means.

On the price, I'm with you ($100, really?), and as a personal point of preference I'll add that if the new keyboard is like the keyboard on the rMB that I owned for 13 days this spring I intend to buy a case of the current Wireless Keyboard before they disappear from places like Best Buy. I expected to get used to it and developed a cordial hatred for it.

 

[Cape Dave]

On the price, I'm with you ($100, really?), and as a personal point of preference I'll add that if the new keyboard is like the keyboard on the rMB that I owned for 13 days this spring I intend to buy a case of the current Wireless Keyboard before they disappear from places like Best Buy. I expected to get used to it and developed a cordial hatred for it.

I believe the price is $129 if I am not mistaken. Double ouch!

 

[mattopotamus]

I believe the price is $129 if I am not mistaken. Double ouch!

trackpad $129...keyboard is $100.

 

[Cape Dave]

trackpad $129...keyboard is $100.

Roger that, thanks. I am interested in the trackpad also. Will try it in the store. Been a mouse user for decades, but I liked the new trackpad on the MacBook a lot.

 

[jennysgotagun]

Does the Magic Trackpad 2 work in Boot Camp? Could somebody confirm. Many thanks.

 

[Mac... nificent]

To be honest, I'm quite shocked. I wanted to buy the new keyboard for my iPad but I can't support that.

I agree. The new keyboard is a joke and feels so cheaply made.

Hey Apple, if it ain't broke then don't fix it. All they needed to do was to take the old keyboard and add an internal battery and give it backlighting, at the same price. Boom, perfect keyboard. But no, they had to change things for the sake of changing them, and in the process they ruined everything good about the product.

 

[AdonisSMU]

On the price, I'm with you ($100, really?), and as a personal point of preference I'll add that if the new keyboard is like the keyboard on the rMB that I owned for 13 days this spring I intend to buy a case of the current Wireless Keyboard before they disappear from places like Best Buy. I expected to get used to it and developed a cordial hatred for it.

I prefer the keyboard on the rMB TBQH. I can type faster on it as I don't need as much travel. Poor you if you couldn't get used to it. Secondly, you may want to try out the new keyboard before criticizing it. I have it and it doesn't have the same butterfly effect as the keyboard rMB....but carry on. I don't need sausage for a keyboard. No thanks. That isn't required and is a hinderance to typing quickly.

I've never heard of people complaining about products they've never even used for any amount of time. I guess that's the way tech works.

 

[Cloudane]

Wow, crazy prices.

Smart move on the internal battery for a metallic design though - my older magic trackpad ended up in the bin because the batteries leaked (sidenote, I'm sure I remember a time when alkalines weren't known for leaking. Now I've lost count of how many end up all furred up). The battery cover actually ended up welded shut - in desperation I even took it to work where we have a couple of metallurgists and some suitable machinery... it came back almost bent in half and the cover still hadn't budged.

 

[haruhiko]

Wow, crazy prices.

Smart move on the internal battery though - my older magic trackpad ended up in the bin because the batteries leaked (sidenote, I'm sure I remember a time when alkalines weren't known for leaking. Now I've lost count of how many end up all furred up). The battery cover actually ended up welded shut - in desperation I even took it to work where we have a couple of metallurgists and some suitable machinery... it came back almost bent in half and the cover still hadn't budged.

Agreed for a million times. The alkaline batteries nowadays leak just after one or two months and corroded several of my TV remotes. I can swallow the price for (eventually) getting rid of all the AA batteries in my home.

 

[Cloudane]

Agreed for a million times. The alkaline batteries nowadays leak just after one or two months and corroded several of my TV remotes. I can swallow the price for (eventually) getting rid of all the AA batteries in my home.

Yup. I was just reading up on it and to be fair you could use NiMH rechargables which are not really known for leaking unlike alkalines - there's also the advantage you can keep spares and quickly swap them out. It can be a bit of a hassle having a separate charger though and this is a nicer design.

 

[haruhiko]

Yup. I was just reading up on it and to be fair you could use NiMH rechargables which are not really known for leaking unlike alkalines - there's also the advantage you can keep spares and quickly swap them out. It can be a bit of a hassle having a separate charger though and this is a nicer design.

Yeah, now I use NiMH rechargeable batteries as the stop-gap solution for the battery leaking problem (after learning my lesson with several repurchases of my TV remote).

 

[gordon1234]

Yeah, now I use NiMH rechargeable batteries as the stop-gap solution for the battery leaking problem (after learning my lesson with several repurchases of my TV remote).

Where are you guys getting your batteries from? The only times I've ever had any alkaline batteries leak are when they were just sitting in something for 5 years+. Are you buying dollar store batteries or something?

That said, if you want something with just about infinite longevity, look into lithium batteries. They're more expensive, but they have a shelf life of about 20 years, higher capacity (in high-drain situations they can last twice as long as alkaline, although mice/keyboards aren't considered high-drain) and they weigh about a third of the equivalent alkaline battery.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DC4EL/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_C5Gjwb9G6NX59

 

[newellj]

I prefer the keyboard on the rMB TBQH. I can type faster on it as I don't need as much travel. Poor you if you couldn't get used to it. Secondly, you may want to try out the new keyboard before criticizing it. I have it and it doesn't have the same butterfly effect as the keyboard rMB....but carry on. I don't need sausage for a keyboard. No thanks. That isn't required and is a hinderance to typing quickly.

I've never heard of people complaining about products they've never even used for any amount of time. I guess that's the way tech works.

I'm complaining about a product I did use. It sucked, and was a hinderance to typing quickly. BTW, is "if" not in your vocabulary?

 

[AdonisSMU]

I'm complaining about a product I did use. It sucked, and was a hinderance to typing quickly. BTW, is "if" not in your vocabulary?

No it's not. I've been using it since it came out and it is far and away better than typing on the spring keyboards which are prone to breaking, keys sticking and people having to push down harder which slows down actual typing.

 

[newellj]

So you used the new magic keyboard before you went on your tirade?

You appear to have a serious reading comprehension problem. Read my post. I've quoted it below so the complexity doesn't become overwhelming. I owned a rMB. It sucks. I said: "...if the new keyboard is like the keyboard on the rMB..."

Get off your jihad and read before you type.

On the price, I'm with you ($100, really?), and as a personal point of preference I'll add that if the new keyboard is like the keyboard on the rMB that I owned for 13 days this spring I intend to buy a case of the current Wireless Keyboard before they disappear from places like Best Buy. I expected to get used to it and developed a cordial hatred for it.

 

[AdonisSMU]

You appear to have a serious reading comprehension problem. Read my post. I've quoted it below so the complexity doesn't become overwhelming. I owned a rMB. It sucks. I said: "...if the new keyboard is like the keyboard on the rMB..."

Get off your jihad and read before you type.

While I did quote you in my original post I didn't say you specifically. So maybe you want to take your own advice read first rather than assume I was referring directly to you. I split the original line off so as not to be quoting you directly.

I prefer the keyboard on the rMB TBQH. I can type faster on it as I don't need as much travel. Poor you if you couldn't get used to it. Secondly, you may want to try out the new keyboard before criticizing it. I have it and it doesn't have the same butterfly effect as the keyboard rMB....but carry on. I don't need sausage for a keyboard. No thanks. That isn't required and is a hinderance to typing quickly.

I've never heard of people complaining about products they've never even used for any amount of time. I guess that's the way tech works.

Secondly, if you still want to believe I was going on about you in the post the part that says any amount of time specifically means that people complained before they used it long enough to have a any kind of reasonably valid opinion of it. I was deliberately ambiguous in my original post as the first several posts in the thread were people complaining before they even got their hands or saw the device and used the device in real life.

 

[colodane]

People tend to have fairly extreme likes and dislikes when it comes to keyboards. I'm sure that the new Apple wireless has some very good features (I've not tried it yet). I'm presently using a Logitech K811 and love it. It is wireless, rechargeable and has BACKLIGHT for the keys. Get 6 weeks between charges.

The real issue here isn't the design of Apple's new offering. It is the fact that you must purchase it with a new iMac even if you have another preference. Ideally, Apple would give you an option to delete it from the order with a $129 price reduction and you could spend $95 at Amazon for a K811.

 

[newellj]

While I did quote you in my original post I didn't say you specifically. So maybe you want to take your own advice read first rather than assume I was referring directly to you. I split the original line off so as not to be quoting you directly.



Secondly, if you still want to believe I was going on about you in the post the part that says any amount of time specifically means that people complained before they used it long enough to have a any kind of reasonably valid opinion of it. I was deliberately ambiguous in my original post as the first several posts in the thread were people complaining before they even got their hands or saw the device and used the device in real life.

Truce & peace.

 

[Wreckus]

Just got my Magic Keyboard and Trackpad II from UPS and I already love both peripherals. I find that I type better with the new keyboard and the new trackpad is much better.

 

[Cape Dave]

Against my better judgement, I ordered the new keyboard and track pad. I'll try them, but am keeping the boxes because if they suck they are going right back. Not really worth a 40 mile round trip to best buy if they ever get them in stock. Nearest Apple store is 65 miles.

 

[dgdosen]

Just got my Magic Keyboard and Trackpad II from UPS and I already love both peripherals. I find that I type better with the new keyboard and the new trackpad is much better.

I picked up both as well... I had pre-ordered the keyboard and mouse for store pickup and was listening to the latest Daring Fireball on the way to the Apple Store... That episode was talking about the new trackpad and they convinced me that trackpads are better than mice! $129 better?

I've had them both for about a day and here are my thoughts (FYI - I'm also a big mechanical keyboard fan, and also use my Pok3r with Cherry MX-Brown keys).

- Both devices - seem really responsive. Much more so than the legacy Apple keyboard and mouse. I'm not sure if that's true of any BT4 device, but they feel "snappy".
- Trackpad - wow... Expensive. But I like it... It can do much more than a mouse and the force-click is promising - just not very useful at this point. As soon as I saw the trackpad sitting on the counter, I wanted it.

- Keyboard: again, as a mechanical keyboard user, I kind of thought the key travel would be underwhelming, but it feels great. I'm not sure what's in the switches but they definitely pack a punch on the way back up - more so than the laptop keyboards and older BT keyboards. I'd liken them to MX-Black switches with little travel. I kind of feel like the smaller the travel, the more activation force you want. Reviews had said these would take a long time to get used to - I feel just the opposite. I feel comfortable with it right out of the gate.

Regarding cost... This would be true with any rechargeable item - but you figure you're throwing away batteries every month or so (two for a mouse, three for my old keyboard) - it adds up! I'm sure I've gotten 10 or 20 40-packs of AA Duracell batteries over the years and that's something to consider.

 

[Sanlitun]

I love this keyboard. Wish it could be paired with multiple devices.