Magic Trackpad

jetboy

Niemann wrote:

Apple is doing the right thing, they're letting their customers do the research and development. They've finally reached a level where they can, they have enough users plus their fanatic user-base. People will buy it, people will use it, people will come up with some interesting ideas on how to implement it.

Yeah I think Apple being rich/popular is great. In the past they dumped quite a few of their less successful projects simply because they needed to consolidate, or die out. They had:
- The 1st consumer digital camera out there!
- The Newton
- eWorld
- Hypercard
- Pippin (which I have... randomly... found it in Japan)

... probably quite a few more. It's great that Apple can now experiment and advertise experimental things properly without the scare of going bust.

dickmedd

I thought I'd just see what everyone here thought of Apple's new peripheral. I can't personally see an everyday practical use when I'm in a desktop situation given that the majority of the time I move my Macbook into a desktop situation, I'm glad to get away from my trackpad.

That said, I've not got a newer Mac with the larger, multitouch trackpad so I can't be sure. I do have a Magic Mouse however, which when used alongside Magic Prefs lets me perform all sorts of multitouch actions with something a little more familiar.

How does everyone else feel about it?

mossy_11

I think it looks cool, and I'd love to try it out. But I'm not sure if it'd be worth the A$99 price tag.

I know I would use it for quick sketches that I currently perform (very awkwardly) with my mouse, and for drawing/writing all over the screen with OmniDazzle, but I don't know how I'd feel about performing the rest of my daily tasks with the Magic Trackpad.

I think we should all reserve judgement until we can actually try it out, though, as Apple devices do have a tendency to wow you with the way they "feel" when in use.

So it's a definite "maybe" for me.

jetboy

Love the idea and everything the trackpad can do, but... what's the target audience for this device? Maybe it's just me, but the release seems a little random. Does Apple have a video outlining its strategy...etc with this device?

dickmedd

jetboy wrote:

Love the idea and everything the trackpad can do

On that note, one thing that interests me about this device is its potential if exploited a little. For example, there's already a MaxMSP external that lets you use the full multitouch potential of the Macbook Pro trackpad that should work this device. With that it could be a nice multitouch, wireless interface which is comparatively cheap to alternatives.

EDIT: Also in my opinion, it's possible this could do worse than the iPod Hi-fi or Apple TV. It doesn't feel like it would be as widely-used as it needs to be.

Squishy Tia

I wouldn't mind trying it. Unfortunately I have had little luck in any good sense with Bluetooth devices as they constantly drop out, so I prefer wired. And as this has no wired version...I won't be getting it.

Niemann

I actually think this is a great project announcement, although as is typical with Apple lately, the software level hasn't reached the hardware level. I think what Apple is doing is putting as many of their 'hobby projects' in front of consumers and getting some feedback. It's probable I will buy one eventually (probably for iPhone / iPad development; which is the lag in software I mentioned, where's the Xcode runtime that emulates a real iPhone / iPad screen?). Looking at it I see a lot of potential for the Apple TV, as well, and excellent media device input system (I would guess we'll see support for it in Plex and other media centers). And there''s countless other possibilities.

Apple is doing the right thing, they're letting their customers do the research and development. They've finally reached a level where they can, they have enough users plus their fanatic user-base. People will buy it, people will use it, people will come up with some interesting ideas on how to implement it.

After playing Starcraft II, I wonder what sort of interface we will playing Starcraft III in. The biggest change I have seen has been the graphics, and scope. The interface from Starcraft to Starcraft II hasn't changed at all, but I can see lots of areas where touch interfaces and alternate forms of feedback would be beneficial. I think the same evolution is true for OSX; the OS9 to OSX change was very cosmetic (I know I'm being extremely general here), but the future of input changes a lot. I already see a lot of sites talking about the merger of iOS and MacOS, and this is the fundamental evolution;..input.

mossy_11

Yeah, it does seem kind of like they're testing the water - seeing what uses/implementations people can come up with that showcase the potential of this stuff. Crowd-sourcing is a great way to get products consumer-ready.

I, like many others it seems, think this is a step toward a paradigm shift in human computer interaction. The core of the user experience today is built on ideas that are a half century old, and the richness of information and interactivity that we now have in digital form far surpasses what we had then. It's pretty scary to think that the Mac, Linux, and Windows user interfaces are essentially better versions of the Xerox Alto and Smalltalk (which are nearly 30 years old).

The technology is ready, but it will take a while yet before there is a primary input device that marks the mouse obsolete. I'd love to see what crazy and cool ideas people are cooking up in research labs. It must be an exciting time to be an interaction designer.

As an aside, I won't be surprised if Mac OS XI is marketed as a "revolution" in computing - even though the coming revisions of OS X will almost certainly start implementing the changes.

Mucx

You can expect more devices like this coming from Apple in the next few years I think. The Magic TrackPad is a classic test bed device (aka crowd sourcing). Apple now have the money to test potential new ideas and hardware forms on the marketplace before committing to more advanced ideas based on their initial tests.

If a somewhat moderate success, how long until this Trackpad is a touchscreen? Or a full length keyboard touchscreen with virtual buttons, their own apps (e.g. an app that transforms the touchscreen keyboard into a piano)...

dickmedd

Niemann wrote:

Looking at it I see a lot of potential for the Apple TV, as well, and excellent media device input system (I would guess we'll see support for it in Plex and other media centers). And there''s countless other possibilities.

An iOS for Apple TV is quite possible, web browsing and downloading apps from your sofa is what GoogleTV is going to be like isn't it?

mossy_11 wrote:

The technology is ready, but it will take a while yet before there is a primary input device that marks the mouse obsolete. I'd love to see what crazy and cool ideas people are cooking up in research labs. It must be an exciting time to be an interaction designer.

If the mouse is getting some competition, I think I'd rather use a Magic Trackpad than this!

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Wizo

jetboy wrote:

Yeah I think Apple being rich/popular is great. In the past they dumped quite a few of their less successful projects simply because they needed to consolidate, or die out...

There was also that set-top box which never went beyond the prototype stage. And that stylish CD drive that could work either as an external SCSI drive or as a standalone CD player, I guess it was called PowerCD and actually build by Philips.