Input Device #2
Written on July 31, 2010 by Katherine W. Prawl
The Magic Trackpad arrived today, much earlier than promised, so I’m posting this review earlier than expected, too.
Aside from the fast delivery (thank you, USPS!), there isn’t much to say that has not already been said elsewhere, but when has that stopped me?
One thing I found particularly appealing about this new product was the video demo in the Trackpad System Preferences window. Apple is well-known for non-verbal instructions for using their products, but this takes the concept to a whole new level. Instead of reading potentially confusing text, just watch what happens when the disembodied hand moves around the pad in the video. The gesture I like best is the 4-finger navigation. Swiping sideways with four fingers brings up the applications selection window, while swiping up or down invokes Exposé, the MacOS X feature that shows all opened windows at once. I will likely use Exposé more now than I have in the past, which ought to improve my workflow.
Several commentators have mentioned that it takes a little bit of getting used to when switching from a mouse, but I’ve used trackpads on notebook computers for years, and didn’t find the change to be difficult at all. Instead, the biggest adjustment for me will be the result of needing a solid surface to rest the trackpad on, so the clicking buttons on the bottom will have something to resist. It may be time to acquire a lapdesk instead of resting the keyboard on my lap, and mouse on a chair-side table. Or not. It remains to be seen how much trouble it is to reach over to the table to use the trackpad. I suspect it won’t be any worse than reaching over to use the mouse. But a lapdesk might be nice anyway.
So, even though it doesn’t work with the iPad (which doesn’t need a mouse, and has no cursor to move around with any pointing device), I’m happy to replace the mouse with this new gadget on my desktop.
If you enjoyed this post Subscribe to our feed
