“I got Apple’s new Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard yesterday,” Kirk McElhearn writes for Kirkville. “I like the keyboard a lot, but I really don’t like the trackpad, and I’m planning to return it. It’s too wide, the Force Touch feature is useless, and it’s way too expensive. ($129 in the US; £109 here.)”
“But why, exactly, is it so expensive? What’s so special about it?” McElhearn writes. “Is it the Force Touch technology? If so, then it’s simply wasted. I quickly found that Force Touch gets invoked when I manipulate items in the Finder (Command-click one item, then the next, and drag them; Quick Look pops up). If I were to keep this trackpad, I’d have to turn that feature off, since I often click and drag items in the Finder.”
McElhearn writes, “Unless there’s some hidden feature in the new Magic Trackpad, it’s an overpriced device, poorly designed, which isn’t at all practical.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re mouse people, generally. Our Magic Trackpads get very little use. Heavy trackpad users, have you tried Apple’s new Magic Trackpad 2, yet?
We do find it difficult to believe that Apple’s Jony Ive would allow Apple to release a “poorly designed” trackpad in 2015.
Might be useful if it worked with the Pencil. Otherwise I’ll stick with my trusty Apple USB mouse.
That’s what I had hoped…lost opportunity, Apple.
First, is this is true that Force Touch effectively is spurious input when you’re trying to move things around, it’s alarming. This would be a flawed product.
Second, Apple really missed the ball here. They should have INTEGRATED the trackpad with the keyboard. This is how things work on a MacBook and it’s better and faster for users. The trackpad is close to their hands, a thumb can be used while one’s hands are still on the keyboard, etc. AND, the keyboard should be backlit. I mean come on, this is a no brainer at this point.
I am not at all interested in these peripherals. Another Tim Cook era set of products for the books.
Yeah just what you need a flawed product integrated with your keyboard.
spyintheskyuk:
Obviously the trackpad wouldn’t have Force Touch dumbass.
Your rudeness Tell us all we need to know about you.
MDN: We do find it difficult to believe that Apple’s Jony Ive would allow Apple to release a “poorly designed” trackpad in 2015.
I don’t find it difficult to believe. He allowed the release of the Mac Pro cylinder, with hard-to-access power button (especially if mounted underneath a desk or in a cabinet) and a ton of thunderbolt ports w/ no securing mechanism, and a general rat’s-nest of an IO panel.
Terribly impractical design on that thing, the internals aside.
…and then let it stagnate for two years?
It’s not hard to believe that Jony Ive would allow a poorly designed product to be released. He’s not God. He also designed the only controversial user interfaces for the Mac; the only user interfaces bad enough to cause potential customers to leave the Apple Store without a purchase (according to Apple employees). iOS 7 made people dizzy until Jony added a feature, and Yosemite made it hard to tell that two windows overlapped. Jony Ive release bad design? It happens.
In my brief experience, Force Touch takes more than one day to get used to and use effectively.
But I’m curious….. would pressing and holding to drag some selected items trigger Force Touch? If so, that’s very bizarre and a big step backwards in intuitive user interface design.
I only have trackpad at home. I do think with force sensing it’ll open up a lot of options. But I need a sponsor for a new one 😛
I use the Magic trackpad quite a bit on the iMac. It’s nice for freeing up desk space. If what is being said is true, it would be a shame.
At $129 though… it IS pricey. After all, when the Magic trackpad came out originally it was just as amazing a device. It’s a fair price at $79, not $129.
Price hike is rediculous I would say. What confuses me though is if force touch works on a laptop trackpad why not on the desktop equivalent.
good question. I haven’t tried it on the laptop… maybe it has the same issue?
I think the author is lacking in some Mac knowledge and skill.
I own several trackpads. It’s been my preferred pointer device since I got one for my Power PC 7100 back in the day.
But it was over-priced at $79. What made it marginally worth it was that it always reconnected with no fuss as opposed to third party devices which had issues with that.
But $129? No thank you. Too expensive. I didn’t know I needed 3D Touch so I can do without. They did miss the opportunity to make it a small tablet. If it had compatibility with their pencil, then the $129 would be a good deal.
I’ve never got the hang of using a trackpad with my iMac, but conversely on a MacBook I prefer it and never liked plugging a mouse in.
Personally I love my Microsoft Trackball Explorer (only decent product they ever made in my book) so much so that I got another off eBay years ago in case it ever broke.
I was a mouser, but recently converted to Trackpad. I love it. When I upgrade I’ll be getting the new Trackpad.
I plan to by one specifically because it’s bigger, and specifically for force touch. It’s only expensive if you’re a cheap bastard who is too lazy to read the product description before buying, and too lazy to learn how to use it! I have had a Magic Trackpad since they first shipped. I love it. I never use a mouse unless I’m working on someone else’s computer. To get the full benefits of OS X, you need a trackpad.
I use track pads all the time.
On my MBP, I don’t bother with the mouse. I find that using the trackpad with multitouch is more fluid than a mouse. Sure I use a mouse too. I have a couple of keyboards and mice, switching out on a regular bases, to break up the monotony and prevent CTS.
As it is, I have ordered the MT2 and New keyboard. I went to the Apple Store last night, and they had put out the new iMacs, keyboards and mice a couple of hours earlier. They don’t have the MT2 yet. So I can’t say anything for the moment.
All i know, is Apple’s Trackpad is the “BEST” without reservation, Logitech who is second, can’t come close.
I purchased the original Magic Trackpad and rarely ever use it. The Magic Mouse and Wacom pen are much better tools IMO for graphic designers. Then again, everyone seems to love laptops while I could never imagine having to work on such a small screen.
My initial gripe with the new Magic Trackpad, besides the cost, is that Apple decided to go with a white surface. Why Apple didn’t choose to model the new keyboard after the ones on their laptops, and make a matching aluminum and black Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad beats me.
A black surface (or previous silver) surface is less prone to show dirt and is one of the main things I hate about the exiting keyboard. Black keys with LED backlighting would be a blessing for designers, photographers and those who like to work in low-light environments. To top it off, Apple failed to release an Bluetooth EXTENDED keyboard and no longer provides the option of choosing a wired extended keyboard with a new Mac purchase. There’s no reason Apple should force such a limited keyboard on it’s users. Most professionals want the extra programable F-keys, full size key (Control, Option, Command, Arrows) and the numeric keypad.
I haven’t used a mouse on my iMac or rMBP in years — track pad only. I look forward to getting a Magic Trackpad for the iMac as soon as possible.
Trackball’s have been my favorite since my Powerbook 170 days starting in ’92. I now use the Logitech Trackball wireless USB ones. Can’t stand waving my arm around using a regular mouse. I was thinking these new Apple Bluetooth input devices, especially the keyboard, might be nice but then I thought again. I’m happy with what I got and won’t go out of my way to upgrade (or downgrade?). I bought a Trackpad years ago but never could get used to it. Trackballs rule, at least for me.
It might not be “poorly designed”, but $129 is robbery.
I have both the new keyboard and touchpad I use a macbook
and a Mac Pro I replace the old keyboard and trackpad on the mac pro and could not be happier the feel is the same from macbook to mac pro and the force touch on the new trackpad works just like the macbook.
I love this this and its worth the cash
Never liked trackpads, even on laptops, but to try and compare the price of the original with this is just stupid. The technology in the new one is far more advanced; Force Touch, Taptic Engine, rechargeable battery and it’s larger. The rechargeable battery alone could save you a lot of money over the years.
But yeah, as others have said and most reviews I’ve read, ForceTouch and 3D Touch, for that matter, is that it takes some getting used to. This guy with his “accidental” invocation of it isn’t very competent – the levels of pressure for each action can be adjusted.
The last Mac trackpad I used was on my 2001 iBook. That was so long ago I don’t remember the experience. Lately they’ve all been on crappy PCs. I’ve read lots of reviews of Apple’s laptops and the trackpad is almost always raved about.
With all the new interaction features in the trackpad (and the rechargeable battery) I may actually give this a try. I’m also interested in the ability to use a stylus for sketching – anyone have any experience with this?
Why is it so expensive?
Because people will pay that.
Economics 101.
I have the last model and loved having it on the coffee table for my Mini music/video server. I got rid of the Mini so decided to use it with an Apple TV. No luck. That would be so nice rather than click down, over down, whoops go back…..
Not a fan of force touch or 3D Touch or whatever…maybe in a couple of months when it’s more mature…but now it’s just a new gesture that interferes with other gestures.
I wasn’t surprise that the new Magic Mouse costs $10 more than the old one, but I was surprised that the Magic Keyboard costs $30 more than the old one. Aside from the batteries, how is the Magic Keyboard different from the Apple Wireless keyboard?
What’s importantly different is that it uses Bluetooth 4, which, well, I ain’t got. I love the Magic Trackpad, been using it since Day One, but, regardless of price, I can’t use the new one.
I have the 1st generation trackpad and have no desire for an overpriced, white (yuck, Jony), trackpad with no replaceable batteries.
Just in case, I ordered another one of the good (1st generation) models.
Enjoy your wired wireless trackpad that has been Ive’d ( synonym for form over function).
Steveville here,
Too large? He must have a 3.5 inch, er, Android phone.
Force Touch feature useless ? Perhaps he didn’t install OS X El Capitan or just isn’t use to taking advantage of the feature yet.
As a Logic Pro X with plugins user, I’m not about to upgrade my OS just yet, not on my aging hardware. The new mouse and trackpad aren’t even supported for me, plus I’m a mouse person. I am also an illustrator, so I’ll take all of this into account next time, when I’m forced to upgrade all. From what I’ve read, however- the new trackpad is great if it’s compatible and you take just a little time to get to know how to use it.
Understood. The difference is you’re not writing an article declaring that Force Touch is useless.
I’ve had to stop listening to Apple-centric podcasts because all people do on them is bitch and whine. On the last Committed podcast all Adam Engst did is whine about Apple Music. But the stuff he whined about wasn’t really a flaw with Apple Music, it was stuff like not wanting to be recommend new music, or complaining about curated playlists. OK then just buy or rip the CDs you want to listen to and don’t use Apple Music!
I can’t listen to this stuff any more because it is is whine whine whine, bitch bitch bitch from a bunch of old stodgy people set in their ways who don’t want anything to ever change or be different.
True- I don’t know who’s more negative- Apple haters or Apple lovers who also happen to be frustrated critics in general.
Kirk doesn’t even explain why it’s “poorly designed” other than he doesn’t like Force Touch. I’m sorry just because you have no use for something doesn’t mean it’s poorly designed. It’s the same thing with the keyboard on the rMacBook. Just because some people prefer keyboards that have keys with more travel doesn’t mean the rMacBook’s keyboard is poorly designed. I type on an iPad every day, it would take me maybe 5 minutes to get used to typing on a rMacBook keyboard. I’m sick of people assuming their preferences, their dislikes mirror everybody else and anything they don’t like constitute poor design.
I have a trackpad. Does the new one offer a significant improvement in performance? – on the face of it, not £109 worth of improvement. And at that price I’ll probably not investigate further for now.
The reviewer is an idiot. You can drag by lightly pressing the trackpad. More pressure will bring up quick look. Took me less than a minute to figure it out.
I haven’t got used to force touch on my MacBook. It makes drag and drop very awkward and I may switch it off… Maintaining an equal pressure without invoking the force function seems quite difficult.
What’s annoying with El Capitan is the lack of information about the feature changes – Apple are always infuriatingly light on documentation a. I HATE full screen – I always have multiple windows open and Windows have a life if their own now, randomly moving to other spaces (how do I turn this off) and maximising so that the controls disappear. Nothing in the “what’s new” about this as far I saw.
A change to the user interface should be optional – leave it as it was, document it properly and let the user decide. Otherwise it just makes using the Mac harder after an upgrade – not welcome when you are in the middle of a project and don’t have time to explore.
I agree with the comment on the Mac Pro – the power button on the back is just stupid and mine is just a mess of cables which are easy to dislodge and very tricky to connect. The cylindrical shape may look cool when nothing is connected but it’s a nightmare in real use.
It’s not expensive at all.😱
It’s not. Here’s a PC “gaming” mouse for $600! In fact, there are several gaming mice for sale at Amazon that cost more than $300.
I hope you are being sarcastic