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Early Tuesday , Apple announced the Magic Trackpad , the society ’s new standalone , Bluetooth trackpad . Using the same glassful surface as the trackpad on Apple ’s current laptop line , the Magic Trackpad supports the same Multi - Touch gestures , bringing Apple ’s Multi - Touch engineering to any Mac move Mac OS X 10.6.4 or afterwards . ( Sorry , the Magic Trackpad does n’t work with the iPad . ) After taking some photos of the Magic Trackpad , we ’ve spent the sidereal day using it , and here ’s our first in - depth look .
design to complement Apple ’s Wireless Keyboard , the Magic Trackpad use the same aluminium - torso intent — and is almost the exact same height , deepness , and magnetic dip — as the Wireless Keyboard . ( The trackpad is ever - so - slightly deep from front to back . ) As with the Wireless Keyboard , the back edge is raised about half an inch to accommodate a cylindrical battery compartment that holds two AA batteries . You ’ll also find the same power button ( on the right - hand side ) and gaoler - close battery - compartment cover ( on the left - hand side ) . Rubber feet on the bottom of the trackpad keep it from slither around your desk .
The Magic Trackpad also fits well with non - wireless Apple Keyboards : The thickness and inclinations are virtually identical , so when you aline the front edge of the trackpad with either of Apple ’s wired keyboard , the top control surface align almost perfectly ( although the trackpad ’s bombardment compartment extends beyond the rear edge of the wired keyboard ) .
Apple’s Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, side by side
Apple ’s Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad , side by side
Appleclaimsthe Magic Trackpad is nearly 80 per centum large than the magnanimous MacBook Pro trackpad — the largest trackpad the fellowship has ever made — but does n’t provide actual dimensions . The existent trackpad surface is close to 5.2 inch all-inclusive by 4.3 inches deep ; the entire gadget , including the electric battery compartment , is 5.2 in cryptic .
My favorite Magic Trackpad excogitation feature ? While the Magic Trackpad may not appear to support strong-arm “ clicking , ” it indeed does : The two nubby , gum elastic foot on the bottom , along the front sharpness , actually have buttonsbuilt into them . When you press down on the trackpad surface , thefeet“click , ” giving you the same tactile sensation as you get with Apple ’s current MacBook trackpads . Very clever , and a welcome Apple soupcon — no pun intended — for those who detest tactile sensation - tapping .
The updated Trackpad pane of System Preferences
The Magic Trackpad expect the Magic Trackpad and Multi - Touch Trackpad Update , usable via Software Update ordirect download , for full functionality . The download is just shy of 80 MB and requires a restart of your Mac . ( In my testing , the update did n’t come along in Software Update for screen background Macs unless the Magic Trackpad was already mate . ) Without this update , the trackpad will couple with your Mac , but will act as a individual - button input gimmick with no gesture bread and butter .
After pair off the Magic Trackpad with your Mac — it works with both screen background and laptop computer Macs — and installing the need software update , you configure the trackpad ’s gestures just as you would on a MacBook — using the Trackpad pane of System Preferences , which also display the Magic Trackpad ’s battery stage . For most gestures , your choices are but whether or not the motion is enable , although a few give you more options . For example , you may choose whether or not to use one of the trackpad ’s bottom corners as a right - click , and if so , which corner .
The usable gesture — helpfully display on the back of the Magic Trackpad ’s loge — are identical to those you may use on a MacBook : besides moving the cursor , you may click , in good order - click , forked - click , click - drag , two - finger coil , two - finger’s breadth rotate , two - finger pinch and zoom , two - finger cover zoom , three - finger swipe , and four - finger swipe .
The updated Trackpad panelling of System Preferences
The new trackpad computer software alsoadds a twosome new motion options , both to the Magic Trackpad and to most recent Apple laptop . you’re able to now opt for scrolling with inertia , and the three - digit gesture , which antecedently could be used only to sail — to turn pages , flip through photos , or switch Safari tabs , for example — can now instead be used as a second-stringer for click - pull . ( The three - finger’s breadth - pull gesture is n’t available on the MacBook Air and on Early 2008 MacBook Pro simulation . )
It ’s deserving take note that when using the Magic Trackpad with an Apple laptop computer , you ca n’t pick out dissimilar gesture configurations for the Magic Trackpad and the progress - in trackpad . ( This demeanour is unlike than that of the Keyboard pane of System Preferences , which lets you configure dissimilar keyboard preferences for a laptop computer ’s build - in keyboard and an international keyboard . )
Looking for more gestures ? unluckily , none of the third - party utilities I tested for enhancing Apple ’s laptop trackpads and the Magic Mouse — MagicPrefs , BetterTouchTool , Inklet , orJitouch — works with the Magic Trackpad , although I suspect the developers of these utility program will be updating the software package presently for full Magic Trackpad compatibility .
The Magic Trackpad ships with two AA alkaline batteries , although Apple now deal its own Apple Battery Charger , complete with six rechargeable battery — enough to power a Wireless Keyboard , Magic Trackpad , and Magic Mouse simultaneously . Apple has n’t publish an prescribed shelling living for the Magic Trackpad , and we have n’t yet had our review unit long enough to make any hypothesis . harmonise to Apple , the Magic Trackpad — much like the Wireless Keyboard — goes into a power - saving mode when not being used so as to extend battery life .
Several Macworld editor in chief will be test - driving the Magic Trackpad over the next few days . stick tuned for our official brushup .
