Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Touchpad or Mouse?

Guardsix

Guardsix

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 16, 2011
71
0
San Antonio, TX
New MacBook Pro coming new week. I've used a Windows 7 PC for a long time. Always used a mouse, wireless or wired.

Do most of you that have a MacBook Pro use the trackpad or have you gone to a mouse or maybe you use both? Also, if you use a mouse with your MBP, do you just use any USB mouse or is an Apple "Magic Mouse" necessary?

Thanks for the info and opinions.
 
I just picked up a MBP tonight ( my first mac) and I usually hate the trackpads, but this one is pretty decent. I'll still probably end up using a mouse, but this is definitely an improvement over a PC.
 
Hey, I use trackpad when I'm on my bed, sofa, etc. Only use Magic Mouse when I'm at the desk. It all depends on what you prefer. Overall I prefer trackpad. :)
 
the touch pad with gestures is awesome. i use the touch pad for simple stuff (internet browsing). other things (gaming, graphics design, video editing), i use my usb mouse or magic mouse.

the only problem i have is getting use to the mouse acceleration..... :mad:
 
I have a question about the magic mouse....would it work on my bed, or does it have to be on a hard surface like a desk? I'm thinking about maybe picking one up, but I spend 95% of my computer use on my bed.
 
useref15 said:
I have a question about the magic mouse....would it work on my bed, or does it have to be on a hard surface like a desk? I'm thinking about maybe picking one up, but I spend 95% of my computer use on my bed.
Click to expand...

My magic mouse works on bed but not magic trackpad because the click for the magic trackpad has to be on a hard surface.
 
the trackpad on my MacBook Pro is one of the few trackpads I like....the multi touch gestures are awesome, and make life so much easier...one one of my favourite is two fingers down to scroll
 
i would recommend a mouse if you are going to be doing any sort of editing if that's what you're used to. but for things like browsing and the like, no reason why you can't just use the trackpad.

these trackpads are incredible, to be honest. it just works with your movements, and if you practice and get fancy with it (four finger swipes for expose, side swipes, etc) you can basically become a freak in conjunction with keyboard shortcuts and cut down on time quite a bit.
 
I don't have my MBP yet but the trackpad is one of the many reasons I am getting one! I played with one in the Apple Store last weekend and was amazed by the gestures on the trackpad. I spent about an hour playing and then went back to my Windows laptop and the trackpad on here compares in comparison. When I first started using laptops I always had a mouse connected, after a few months got used to the trackpad on my HP Pavilion and never went back! Now that I've used the Mac multitouch with gestures, I will never want to use a mouse or a trackpad on a PC ever again! :apple:
 
Guardsix said:
do you just use any USB mouse or is an Apple "Magic Mouse" necessary?
Click to expand...

nah.. you can use mice other than apple brand.

i use a wireless logitech (anywhere MX i think?) that has a tiny usb receiver that stays plugged in at all times (even while traveling etc.)

i prefer working with a mouse but that's not always possible so the trackpad is a decent fallback..
for other stuff (interweaving/screwing around/whatever), i prefer the trackpad..
 
I use both, seems kind of weird and it sounds dumb even when I think about it but it doesn't feel unnatural in practice. I use the mouse for normal things and the trackpad for swipe gestures. This would make the magic mouse seem perfect on paper but I find it awful to use in practice. If I could only have one, I'd pick the mouse every time.
 
I used the magic mouse with it, but I had some wrist strains, I switched to the magic trackpad and I'm really happy with it.
 
I have an odd method when it comes to this. I always have a mouse plugged in and I generally use the mouse. But ever so often I'll go to the track pad to move things around and particularly for scrolling, especially with the addition of inertial scrolling.

Although I prefer the mouse, the trackpad unlike other laptops; really is a pleasure to use.
 
For me, the mouse is required for detailed work (excel cell editing, careful photo work, times where dragging and multiple key operations are needed)...

Most other things are fine with the trackpad... I carry the magic mouse with me in a hard eyeglass case in my laptop bag.

FYI, the bluetooth drains the battery a bit faster, so that is something else that I take into consideration.

R
 
Both of them

I mainly use the trackpad for regular usage, but I switch to my micro-USB mouse for gaming and such. And I found some settings in system preferences that allow you to use expose and such while having a non-apple mouse. Such as moving the cursor to the bottom left corner (or any corner for that matter) and a gesture will be used such as expose, or any of them that you can choose. It is very useful and has increased my usage of the mouse, and mine is a 5-button mouse so I have the forward and backward buttons already.
 
Both... I find that I will naturally switch between them as I am using my laptop at home. That being said, i don't miss the mouse very much when I am using my MBP on battery
 
Get a mouse. I have a logitech one that i really like and it has a mini receiver, but a bluetooth one is even better.

You have a trackpad built into the laptop, and it really is good for most things. I dont use my mouse except for games, and for programs requiring me to draw etc. I have used AutoCad Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop on the trackpad and its difficult but not impossible. I would recommend getting a mouse for this kind of stuff though.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've used a USB mouse with my previous Windows PCs, so much so that I've had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands! While they have fully recovered, I'm hoping to use the mouse less with my MBP. Sounds like it will help me do just that.
 
The mouse I use

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NR57BY

is $32 on amazon.com. It is very reliable, has a healthy ergonomic size that seems big enough to be held comfortably. And is also 5 button, and the mouse works perfectly with Macs. Also has very good battery life, 2 years is what it is marketed at, and a micro-USB which is another specification that I was looking for. Have had it for a couple of months and no complaints whatsoever.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
mitchelljohnson said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NR57BY

is $32 on amazon.com. It is very reliable, has a healthy ergonomic size that seems big enough to be held comfortably. And is also 5 button, and the mouse works perfectly with Macs. Also has very good battery life, 2 years is what it is marketed at, and a micro-USB which is another specification that I was looking for. Have had it for a couple of months and no complaints whatsoever.
Click to expand...

I've had that one for quite some time. Really anxious to use it on my new MBP.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I was thinking of getting my fiance a Magic Mouse to go with her MBP 13". The price is a bit of a turn off..lol
 
Trackpad all the way. If you're playing a game however, I find the moue to be better as you have more precision and room to maneuver. However for every day tasks being able to transition from the keyboard to the mouse in .1 of a second is great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back