The long-awaited Magic Trackpad that Apple introduced at the Apple Store Tuesday brings the very same multi-touch gestures used with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to the Apple desktop. A new wireless device that connects via Bluetooth, the Magic Trackpad lets you use your computer with gestures, instead of pointing and clicking. Some industry insiders say the Magic Trackpad provides a glimpse to the future computer interface. Others believe the demise of the PC mouse at the hand of Apple industrial design is premature.
Apple industrial design comes out in Magic Trackpad
Apple’s distinctive industrial design comes through within the Magic Trackpad. The sleek, glass-covered aluminum device is designed to complement the Mac keyboard with a matching angle and height. CNNMoney.com reports the multi-touch Magic Trackpad became available at the Apple Store 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.
Multi-touch on steroids for the desktop
Apple says the Magic Trackpad supports a set of multi-touch gestures that consist of two-finger scrolling, pinching to zoom, rotating with your fingertips, three-finger swiping or switching between applications with four fingers . Apple product information says that inertial scrolling makes moving up or down a page feel entirely natural. And users can switch from typing to gesturing seamlessly, or do both simultaneously, also as swipe through pages online like flipping through a magazine.
Was the Magic Trackpad made for 3D computing?
The Magic Trackpad could be a part of Apple’s long-term plans for changing the future of computing with a 3D interface. Johnny Evans at Computerworld reports how the business owns various patents on a 3D user interface, and the Magic Trackpad could be a key step in Apple’s campaign to get its users accustomed to it. Evans imagines a 3D user interface in which you virtually reach into your computer screen using MultiTouch. 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 better mousetrap?
The Magic Trackpad may be the hottest new device in the Apple Store, but it won’t kill the mouse, according to Jared Newman at PC World. Newman said old habits die hard. The Magic Trackpad’s minimal ergonomics made his fingers tired. Being able to lift and click when you run out of dragging room on the mousepad was also frustrating. But his number one reason the mouse will never die is that gamers can’t play shooter games without pointing and clicking .
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”
