Not sure about "Magic Pad"

[iPhone3GCrazed]

Just got mine from FedEx today. It is AWESOME, to say the least. I much prefer trackpads to mice so this is a perfect product for me. Very sleek, compliments my wireless keyboard very well.

Funny, I had resigned myself to the fact I was going to have to use a mouse and almost broke down and bought a Mighty Mouse (Magic Mouse is just too uncomfortable) on eBay the day before this came out. Luckily, I didn't. I don't regret this purchase even a little.

If you like trackpads more than mice and you're looking for a mouse replacement, don't even hesitate.

 

[dangerfish]

How is this any more than what we had? With regular 3 button mouse, without any extra buttons, we can always use combinations of Ctrl/Alt/Shift + MB1/2/3. There are 24 combinations which is probably more than any touch interface can do without going into really weird and uncomfortable gestures.

Well, there are close to 50 gestures BEFORE you start adding in the use of modifier keys. No contortion required. It is quicker, faster and easier to use than a mouse. You will not be limited in the number of things you can do by the device. Your ability to remember the gestures associated with all the things you want to program will be the limiting factor.

It is a Macbook trackpad on steroids! If you dont understand just how awesome the Macbook trackpad is, then you will not see the benefit of this device. Move along.

 

[relbbircs]

Non-ergonomic

The trackpad on my MacBook Pro is great. But the Magic Trackpad? Eh....

Got mine this afternoon. Spent a half hour using it with my Mac Pro, now my wrist is completely bent out of shape.

It looks nice, but it's not ergonomic. Perhaps if you put it on your lap it's usable -- I tried that and it's a slightly better position -- but on the desktop it's not as good as a good mouse.

There's no support for your wrist or hand. The angle is awkward. Blech!

I also have tried the Magic Mouse and couldn't use that either.

Lousy designs...

 

[jjk454ss]

i just got mine today, and I love it. I replaced my MacBook with a Mac Mini a couple weeks ago and having to use a mouse after being used to the large trackpad with multitouch was the biggest downside for me. No more magic mouse for me!

 

[Crunch]

Got my first Mac (iMac) since '92 about four weeks ago. Well, technically it's my second because I swapped it out for the newer model last Tuesday.

Anyway, I had not used anything other than the legendary ThinkPad keyboards and Trackpoint sticks in 11 years. Despite that, I immediately fell in love with both the Bluetooth wireless keyboard and the Magic Mouse. After enjoying my new Magic Mouse more and more every day, the Magic Trackpad comes out and as of two nights ago, I haven't touched my Magic Mouse again. What a great piece of magical innovation to come out of Apple. There will likely be additional third-party software solutions (as there is for the Magic Mouse) in the future that will take advantage of the "magical" part of this Trackpad, so that we can make use of this gorgeous little thing in ways that we can't even imagine yet.

This will also prepare me for when I will get my first ever MacBook Pro as soon as Apple puts IPS screens in them.

 

[peapody]

The magic trackpad is really one of a kind. I think the closest thing to it would be wacom tablets but even those would require use of a stylus.

It is pretty comfortable to use for me. I use it along side my macbook pro for more space and ability to shift the pad around according to my comfort. A nifty litte device!

 

[lilo777]

Got my first Mac (iMac) since '92 about four weeks ago. Well, technically it's my second because I swapped it out for the newer model last Tuesday.

Anyway, I had not used anything other than the legendary ThinkPad keyboards and Trackpoint sticks in 11 years. Despite that, I immediately fell in love with both the Bluetooth wireless keyboard and the Magic Mouse. After enjoying my new Magic Mouse more and more every day, the Magic Trackpad comes out and as of two nights ago, I haven't touched my Magic Mouse again. What a great piece of magical innovation to come out of Apple. There will likely be additional third-party software solutions (as there is for the Magic Mouse) in the future that will take advantage of the "magical" part of this Trackpad, so that we can make use of this gorgeous little thing in ways that we can't even imagine yet.

This will also prepare me for when I will get my first ever MacBook Pro as soon as Apple puts IPS screens in them.

Correction: Wacom tablets have been able to do it for two years now. There are different versions: dumb (just multitouching - like Apple's) and smart ones (those can recognize multitouching and a pen). Too bad you bought Magic Mouse in a first place. You could have bought Wacom tablet instead

 

[spillproof]

I find myself using my MBP's trackpad over my bluetooth mighty mouse.

You can't beat that two finger scrolling.

 

[montycat]

I have been using the Magic Pad for a few hours now. I am very impressed with it. I find it to be comfortable to use and very responsive. I have been switching back and fourth with the Magic Mouse and prefer the Pad over the mouse. For my needs, the mouse is ancient history. MC

 

[peapody]

Do all you guys use the magic pad for your desktops? Or are there crazy people like me using it for macbooks?

 

[montycat]

Do all you guys use the magic pad for your desktops? Or are there crazy people like me using it for macbooks?

I was using it with my MBP and was thinking how nice it was to have my arm at my side (in a recliner). I can see myself using it with my laptop.

 

[Crunch]

Correction: Wacom tablets have been able to do it for two years now. There are different versions: dumb (just multitouching - like Apple's) and smart ones (those can recognize multitouching and a pen). Too bad you bought Magic Mouse in a first place. You could have bought Wacom tablet instead

I never said anything about Wacom. However, I did have a Wacom "Digitizer" as part of my previous ThinkPad (W700), which did require what they called a "pen" to operate it. I found myself never using it except to show off the notebook to friends. lol...

I never bought the Magic Mouse or the wireless keyboard either. They both came with my iMac, but in all honesty, I probably would have in both cases, if they hadn't.

I can probably see myself using the Trackpad with a laptop, including even the new MacBook Pro, which comes with a slightly bigger trackpad and more scrolling options than the previous (mid-2009) model. That's because I have found that I like having it sitting on my desk (or wherever) by itself instead of tethered to a keyboard.

 

[nickel68]

Can someone please give me a reason why people would want/need this?

I remain unconvinced.

bmilss, if you prefer multi-touch actions over using a mouse, then this is the product. Been using one for a few days now, and it works like a charm with my 2008 MacBook Pro. I will likely download the BTT software and play with adding new gestures, but the ones that it has are very intuitive. It is interesting how it works with Firefox, too, as a quick three-fingered swipe up(down) acts like a home (end) button, though that action does not produce the same result in Safari.

As far as ergonomics, I've noticed some saying they like the tilt of the pad, which includes me, and apparently some don't. But everybody is different to some degree, so all I can say is that for me, it is more comfortable than grasping a mouse. But, if you want to be convinced for yourself, you will have to try it yourself, as it will not be for everyone, just like a trackball mouse is not for everyone but a godsend for others.

 

[cryonic49]

I've been using this since Friday. I really like gliding my fingers across the huge surface, and with bettertouchtool properly configured, Magic Tackpad is a really good web surfing device.

I have almost all the web surfing actions(middle click, back/forward, switching tabs, close window/application) mapped to different gestures - it's a real joy to use with browsers. While initially my pointing accuracy wasn't as good as using a mouse, I found that my skill gradually improved so I suspect that accuracy will not be an issue for me.

That said, however, I will be returning the Magic Trackpad.

I can not overlook the one fatal flaw: the slow clicking actions. Physical clicks require too much force (especially on the top part of the trackpad), and Tap to click is not as efficient as a physical click. Working in click intensive applications such as Photoshop, illustrator, blender and etc is really uncomfortable and awkward.

I wish Apple made the click resistance lower and even on the surface, or else I would have replaced my magic mouse with this.

 

[peapody]

I've been using this since Friday. I really like gliding my fingers across the huge surface, and with bettertouchtool properly configured, Magic Tackpad is a really good web surfing device.

I have almost all the web surfing actions(middle click, back/forward, switching tabs, close window/application) mapped to different gestures - it's a real joy to use with browsers. While initially my pointing accuracy wasn't as good as using a mouse, I found that my skill gradually improved so I suspect that accuracy will not be an issue for me.

That said, however, I will be returning the Magic Trackpad.

I can not overlook the one fatal flaw: the slow clicking actions. Physical clicks require too much force (especially on the top part of the trackpad), and Tap to click is not as efficient as a physical click. Working in click intensive applications such as Photoshop, illustrator, blender and etc is really uncomfortable and awkward.

I wish Apple made the click resistance lower and even on the surface, or else I would have replaced my magic mouse with this.

Now that you mention it...I really do agree with everything you said. Good observation.

 

[nineohtoo]

The trackpad on my MacBook Pro is great. But the Magic Trackpad? Eh....

Can I ask why? I've only played with the Magic Trackpad in the store, but I've loved Apple trackpads for the past few years, especially coming from Thinkpad trackpoints. I've found myself much more efficient with an Apple trackpad than a mouse in navigating through the OS and most basic tasks. I think the only cases I'd want a mouse is for precision tasks like gaming or photo editing. I ask because I've been hoping for something like this for desktop use, and was planning on getting one for my sister's iMac so I can use it when I visit. But if it's not going to be much better than her mighty mouse, I'd rather save some money.

 

[eawmp1]

Can someone please give me a reason why people would want/need this?

I remain unconvinced.

1) Try one out for yourself. Only you can decide if it is right for you.
2) I remember similar ramblings about the mouse and the GUI back in the day.

 

[nickel68]

I've been using this since Friday. I really like gliding my fingers across the huge surface, and with bettertouchtool properly configured, Magic Tackpad is a really good web surfing device.

I have almost all the web surfing actions(middle click, back/forward, switching tabs, close window/application) mapped to different gestures - it's a real joy to use with browsers. While initially my pointing accuracy wasn't as good as using a mouse, I found that my skill gradually improved so I suspect that accuracy will not be an issue for me.

That said, however, I will be returning the Magic Trackpad.

I can not overlook the one fatal flaw: the slow clicking actions. Physical clicks require too much force (especially on the top part of the trackpad), and Tap to click is not as efficient as a physical click. Working in click intensive applications such as Photoshop, illustrator, blender and etc is really uncomfortable and awkward.

I wish Apple made the click resistance lower and even on the surface, or else I would have replaced my magic mouse with this.

I find that I use my thumb to activate the click in the lower left corner providing plenty of leverage. I suspect that that comes from using the trackpad on laptops for years, where I activated the click with my thumb. I imagine that that having much lower resistance might lead to error, but not sure. My MBP is one that has separate button, so I wouldn't know whether the resistance on the later ones is lighter than the resistance on the MTP.

 

[lixuelai]

I use mine when my MX Revolution is on the charging stand

 

[kernkraft]

Drivers have landed. I am hooked on multitouch. If you spend anytime in iPhoto and Safari this is a mouse replacement.

Firefox also supports two- and three finger gestures, I think.

 

[MacBlackBook22]

Do all you guys use the magic pad for your desktops? Or are there crazy people like me using it for macbooks?

I use it on my macbook (2007) so no you aren't crazy...

 

[xraydoc]

Got mine this afternoon. Spent a half hour using it with my Mac Pro, now my wrist is completely bent out of shape.

My wrist was sore for a day or two, but after several days of using the trackpad, even with my mouse sitting next to it, I'm usually reaching for the trackpad. My wrist got used to it... takes a few days of adjusting to the new muscle movements.

But either way, that's why "they" make multiple different kinds of pointing devices. Not everyone likes what the next guy does.

 

[nineohtoo]

Can I ask you guys which fingers you are using to navigate? I keep seeing reviews or people commenting that their hands hurt when adjusting to using the trackpad, and I never had that when I went back to using Macs.

Then I realized when I scroll through OS X, I use my middle and ring fingers instead of my index and middle finger. Using the latter feels uncomfortable and almost unnatural. If you're using your index and middle fingers, I recommend trying your middle and ring fingers instead and see how it feels.

 

[fivenotrump]

convert

Sceptical at first, I tried one in the nearest store and was instantly converted. Am as yet unsure whether it will replace the Magic Mouse or complement it. I suspect the latter...

 

[teerexx52]

i got one from the fifth ave store in nyc and i have it. they havent released the software yet so i am stuck until later tonight when they release the magicpad software update. its build quality is good solid much bigger than i expected and its great

Is anyone using this with their MacBook Pro? Goes it seem easier than using the pro's trackpad?