Apple introduced the much-anticipated Magic Trackpad at the Apple Store Tuesday, bringing the multi-touch gestures familiar to iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users to the desktop. The Magic Trackpad is a new wireless device that connects via Bluetooth to any Mac computer and allows users to interact with the machine through gestures, rather than pointing and clicking. Some analysts say the Magic Trackpad is a gateway to the future of computer interfaces. Others say this rumor how the PC mouse is the latest victim of Apple industrial design is premature.
Magic Trackpad a classic Apple industrial design
The Magic Trackpad conforms to the distinct Apple industrial design. The sleek, glass-covered aluminum device matches the very same angle and height as the Mac desktop keyboard it’s designed to sit next to. CNNMoney.com reports that Apple started selling the multi-touch Magic Trackpad in its Apple Stores and on it is website Tuesday morning. The blogosphere erupted with speculation about what Apple would come up with next when the online store went down shortly before the Magic Trackpad went live.
Enhanced multi-touch for the desktop
Multi-touch gestures enabled by the Magic Trackpad include two-finger scrolling, pinching to zoom, rotating with your fingertips, three-finger swiping or switching between applications with four fingers . Apple says users can switch from typing to gesturing seamlessly, or do both simultaneously, also as swipe through pages online like flipping through a magazine. Plus, inertial scrolling makes moving up or down a page feel entirely natural.
Was the Magic Trackpad made for 3D computing?
The Magic Trackpad could possibly be a part of Apple’s long-term plans for changing the future of computing with a 3D interface. Johnny Evans at Computerworld said that Apple owns patents for 3D user interfaces and the Magic Trackpad is a key step in the company’s try to educate a population of customers into position for fully utilizing its advanced user interface. Evan’s shares his dream about a 3D multi-touch interface that feels like reaching right to the screen. He also visualizes the possibilities of using Apple’s iSight camera to detect motion and allow users to compute via head movement, arm movement or voice.
Is the Magic Trackpad a mouse killer?
The Magic Trackpad doesn’t signal the demise of the mouse, said Jared Newman at PC World. Old habits are hard to break, he said. His fingers got tired, he said, because of the Magic Trackpad’s absence of ergonomics. Being able to lift and click when you run out of dragging room on the mousepad was also frustrating. But Newman’s main reason the Magic Trackpad dominate anytime soon: gamers can’t play shooter games without a mouse .
Additional reading
CNNMoney.com
cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/07/27/apple.magic.track.pad/index.html?npt=NP1″
Computerworld
blogs.computerworld.com/16607/apples_magic_trackpad_is_more_than_you_think?source=rss_blogs”
PC World
pcworld.com/article/201978/4_reasons_apples_magic_trackpad_wont_kill_the_mouse.html?tk=hp_blg”
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