One of the strengths of the MacBook is its trackpad: precise, wide and gestural. Apple has brought this experience to its desktop computers with the Magic Trackpad, so regular users don’t have to give up its virtues. However, Apple keeps the Magic Mouse as the default option on its iMacs. Which of the two is better? We put them face to face to know their characteristics, their differences and their prices.
Features Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse
|
Features |
magic mouse |
magic touchpad |
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions and weight |
2.16 cm (height) x 5.71 cm (width) x 11.35 cm (depth) and 99 grams of weight |
0.49 to 1.09 cm (height) x 16 cm wide x 11.49 cm deep and 230 grams in weight |
|
connectivity |
Bluetooth and Lightning |
Bluetooth and Lightning |
|
buttons |
Multi-touch and one-click surface |
Click, force click and secondary click (with two fingers), multi-touch surface and Force Touch technology |
|
battery |
months or more of duration. Rechargeable battery |
months or more of duration. Rechargeable battery |
|
compatibility |
Mac with Bluetooth and OS X 10.11 or later and iPad with iPadOS 13.4 or later |
Mac with Bluetooth and OS X 10.11 or later and iPad with iPadOS 13.4 or later |
|
price |
85 dollars |
135 dollars |
Apple Magic Trackpad – Apple Trackpad, wireless, multi-touch, Force Touch technology, white
- Functioning: despite the appearance of the Magic Mouse, it behaves like a conventional mouse; you have to move it on the table for the pointer to move, but as a peculiarity it has a touch surface to perform gestures, apart from the fact that it only has a physical click. The Magic Trackpad is like that of a MacBook, and you don’t have to move it to move the pointer, which which can be interesting for people who don’t have as much space.
- Touchpad gestures: tap to click, secondary click, smart zoom, scroll, zoom in or out, rotate, slide to rotate, open notification center, three finger swipe, search and data finder, show desktop, Launchpad, Mission Control , Exposed and switch between full-screen applications.
- mouse gestures: secondary click (right click), scrolling, smart zoom, Mission Control, switch between full-screen apps, swipe to turn pages.
- connectivity: Connect via Bluetooth to your Mac, and the Lightning connection is used to charge the battery.
- Battery: autonomy of a month or more duration in both cases, although it depends on the use. However, the Magic Trackpad allows you to continue using it while charging, which is not possible with the Magic Mouse due to the location of the Lightning connector.
- Price: while Apple sells the Magic Mouse at 85 dollars in its official store (and includes it as standard in the iMac), the Magic Trackpad costs 135 dollars.
Magic Trackpad VS Magic Mouse, which one to buy?
People who are used to using the trackpad on MacBooks will also be very comfortable using it on the desktop, as you can also create a good amount of gestures to navigate the system faster. However, if you have only used “conventional” mice, it may take some time to adapt to the new mechanics.
Yes they are not exclusive; some users combine them depending on the task, as they feel more comfortable using the Magic Trackpad for navigating the system and when a little more precision is needed (such as when using Photoshop tools), the Magic Mouse kicks in.
Apple Magic Trackpad – Apple Trackpad, wireless, multi-touch, Force Touch technology, white
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