Magic Conundrum

I finally decided to replace my trusty, yet frustrating, Apple wireless mouse. The candidates for the replacement were the latest iteration of Apple's wireless mice, the Magic Mouse, and the ultimate of fanboy gadgets, the Magic Trackpad. With OSX Lion already released, and with the increased use of gestures in the OS, the timing for a new touch device really was quite good.

So, there are pros and cons to either of the two replacement devices I mentioned above. The mouse is more precise, more familiar in the hand, has a slick touch surface that replaces the scroll wheel, while at the same time containing a low profile that can be uncomfortable with prolonged use, has a touch surface that is narrow and thus limits the number and ease of the gestures that can be done. The touchpad provides ample space for making gestures, has more built-in gestures available in the OS, is familiar for users of Apple's touch-based gadgets like the MacBooks, iPads and iPhones, while at the same time also potentially uncomfortable (tiring) with prolonged use, particularly for certain specific uses like document editing that requires quite a bit of precision. I had the opportunity to try them both out at the local store for about an hour before I made my decision. Prior to that, I did a lot of reading up on the two devices and was really leaning towards the Touchpad as Apple's device for the present and future. However, after all my testing, I decided to go with the mouse. There is just something about using a device you are intimately familiar with. It is second nature to you, while at the same time adding some novel features, i.e. the touch surface, that makes it infinitely more useful than previous iterations. I also downloaded the MagicPrefs program (http://magicprefs.com), which adds even more functionality through an increased repertoire of gestures. This is highly recommended.

Just wanted to post this in case it was useful for people trying to decide between the two. From all the articles on the web, I would have to say the Trackpad is heavily favored, almost to the point where the decision is just about made for you. However, you really should try these out before you decide. I'm sure glad I did.


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