It’s funny, some people laugh at the concept of the iPad claiming it’s just a big iPhone. You’re missing the point, I say. The iPad is a platform. The iPad is whatever app you’re running, using your hands, your lovely natural, God given boobs hands as input. And then Apple release this:
A big bloody (magic) trackpad! It seems Apple is in the business of making their existing products bigger. Next up: an Apple TV that you and your mates can crawl inside and watch movies in (it’s just a bloody cinema).
I am a little baffled at the purpose of the Magic Trackpad. I’m all up for new ways to interact with your computer, but will this really change much? I don’t know about you, but I don’t read a lot on my Mac. I either print stuff out or read a book. One area where the Magic Trackpad could work is games and I’d like to see some developers utilise gestures. Imagine Angry Birds in glorious 1080p on your iMac? That’d be pretty darned cool. Or, how about using a stylus on the Magic Trackpad for quick doodles or notes? It is magic after all, it should be able to handle a fake pen.
But at £59 the Magic Trackpad is expensive piece of kit and the price put me off. But just as the iPad attracts negative, communist unbelievers, maybe this is a cool, nifty, even magical device. The proof is in the use and I’ll be waiting to read reactions and see applications before I drop 59 hard-earned pounds on this puppy.
What do you think, a game changer or just a big bloody trackpad?
I don’t think it is by any stretch of the imagination a “game changer,” but I think I will like the Magic Trackpad. My main compuer is a recent MacBook Pro, and I absolutely love the multitouch trackpad as opposed to a mouse or trackball (though I haven’t used a Magic Mouse). I have long hoped Apple would release just such a thing as a standalone device for the desktop systems I need to use (both at work and at home). Now all I need is drivers for Linux, OpenSolaris, and Windows…
Rui at Tao of Mac says that Magic Trackpad may be nice for a home theater setup. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t thought of that, but I think that a keyboard or at least some sort of ability to input text would be handy (stylus/on screen, thing?).
Apple has already released both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers for Windows XP and above. As for the rest… We’ll see what the collective internet can pull out of its hat.
I don’t know if apple really intends for this to be a “game changer”. I recently got myself a macbook pro after living my life in the dark ages of the PC, and I absolutely love the trackpad. I think a lot of people will enjoy using this thing as an alternative to the mouse for doing simple things like web browsing and whatnot. I don’t think it’s too practical for games tho. At least not the games I’m playing (SCII!!!).
Possible application: I play World of Warcraft, and have done traditionally on a Macbook with a trackpad. I’ve tried to use a mouse & it just won’t work, considering I’ve played for the 5 years WoW has existed with a trackpad. I’m upgrading to an iMac in the next few weeks, so I’m going to try out playing with a Magic Trackpad + keyboard.
I think the magic trackpad makes sense. It should be pretty clear by now that desk top computers are on the way out. Many/most people will grow up using touch on their laptaps, phones and tablets. Gamers may feel otherwise, but they also used to use joysticks.