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Leaked shot of Apple's "Magic Trackpad"  (Source: Engadget)

  (Source: Engadget)
Hardware builds on Apple's strong touch record

There are things that Apple does well and others that it does not so well.  But when it comes to hardware one of the things it does very well is touch.

Even as WWDC prepares to kick off with Apple CEO Steven P. Jobs' keynote address at 1 P.M. EST, its star product may have already leaked, and it unsurprisingly leverages Apple's touch legacy.

Multiple sources are reporting that Apple will unveil a product dubbed the "Magic Trackpad" according to Engadget.  The device follows in Apple's penchant for the using the word "magic" to describe is products -- as evidenced by Jobs's descriptions of the iPad which constantly describe it as magical and Apple's Magic mouse.

Will the Magic Trackpad deliver users a magical experience?  Apple is reportedly packing all the functionality of the Magic Mouse into the device, handwriting recognition support, and all the touch gestures available on its Macbook Pro.  The device reportedly is Apple's latest effort to differentiate its desktops as a superior experience to the PC.

There are no wires attached, as the device communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth.  Leaked images show a device with Chinese lettering on it, indicating that it was likely manufactured at the infamous Shenzhen plant run by Foxconn.

We'll update you later on price, a complete features run-down, and availability, assuming the rumors indeed prove true.

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Of all the things I have seen...
By quiksilvr on 6/7/2010 12:55:40 PM , Rating: 5
This has got to be the STUPIDEST thing I have EVER SEEN in my life.




RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By headbox on 6/7/10, Rating: 0
RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By FaceMaster on 6/7/10, Rating: 0
RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By Luticus on 6/7/2010 1:40:00 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
then it's obviously just a PC product that they stole and renamed

Oh, someone's never heard of a bamboo:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=bamboo+computer+pad&f...

:-) Sorry, couldn't resist.


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By Suntan on 6/11/2010 12:38:50 PM , Rating: 2
Actually the Wacom products are designed more for graphics work than general computer usage.

You're thinking of products more like this, which have been around for some time. Although they don't have fancy names, or pretty industrial design:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/481449-REG/A...

Personally, I'll take a real mouse any day. For places where a real mouse is not ideal, I'd rather have the touchpad ingerated into the keyboard so the whole thing is more stable and the little touchpad doesn't move around. There are a lot of those too.

-Suntan

-Suntan


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By headbox on 6/7/2010 2:42:47 PM , Rating: 3
no PC fanbois? You're the definition of one. Calling things "gay" is so 1990's closet homo. This product isn't even confirmed as real- it could just be a fake rumor photo- and already you're foaming at the mouth with your Apple hate. What a sheep you are. Go play quake.


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By Breathless on 6/7/2010 3:08:33 PM , Rating: 1
"Calling things "gay" is so 1990's closet homo"

lol, what? Calling things "gay" that clearly suck shouldn't/will never go out of style. Its like saying "cool" is restricted to the 70's... not to be confused with "groovy", which certainly has that limitation.


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By Tony Swash on 6/7/10, Rating: -1
RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By Cheesew1z69 on 6/7/2010 6:26:59 PM , Rating: 3
Main Entry: 1gay
Pronunciation: \'ga\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French gai, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German gahi quick, sudden
Date: 14th century

1 a : happily excited : merry <in a gay mood> b : keenly alive and exuberant : having or inducing high spirits <a bird's gay spring song>
2 a : bright, lively <gay sunny meadows> b : brilliant in color
3 : given to social pleasures; also : licentious
4 a : homosexual <gay men> b : of, relating to, or used by homosexuals <the gay rights movement> <a gay bar>
synonyms see lively

— gay adverb

— gay·ness noun


By FaceMaster on 6/8/2010 3:38:39 AM , Rating: 2
By Yawgm0th on 6/8/2010 10:45:32 AM , Rating: 1
The vernacular and especially derogatory use of the term "gay" relates, in my experience, to "things not liked" far more often than it relates to homosexuals. This meaning came about from a time when homosexuals were largely viewed as outcasts in society, but the meaning has definitely evolved for the younger generations.

Actually, South Park did an excellent episode on this topic with the word "faggot", which now refers to members of biker gangs or other annoying attention whores. South Park is considered an authoritative source on the subjects of denotation and etymology.


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By StevoLincolnite on 6/8/2010 12:10:11 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Calling things "gay" is so 1990's closet homo.


As a Gay male, I actually use the word "Gay" to describe allot of things in every day life, and so do allot of friends and relatives, it's at the point here that it's just part of every day talk.

When someone uses it as he does, it actually doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Does it make him look like a buffoon? Yes.
But to say it's an insulting use of wording is far from the truth for allot of Gay men and women who use it just as much as he does and in the same context.
However our demographic may be different, being located in a country area of Australia and all.


By FaceMaster on 6/8/2010 5:10:36 AM , Rating: 2
Actually, the semantic shift of the word 'gay' has occurred several times. The latest is towards a more general derogatory meaning and hardly involves homosexual people at all any more. Of course, everybody loves for words to retain their meaning from when they first heard them which is why there is always friction when a word begins to change its meaning. But it happens.

Did you know that 'gay' used to be used to describe a loose woman? MOD ME DOWN, Daily Tech users, you know you don't like being proven wrong by people who know what they're talking about!


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By Suntan on 6/11/2010 12:32:44 PM , Rating: 2
All gay talk aside, how big of a buffoon does a person look like when they use the word "allot" even when they mean "a lot?"

-Suntan


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By yomamafor1 on 6/7/2010 1:24:57 PM , Rating: 4
I've rarely met PC fanboys, and even rarer are the rabid ones.

Apple fanbois on the other hand....


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By jonmcc33 on 6/7/2010 2:31:36 PM , Rating: 4
I agree. People get expensive gaming rigs with triple Crossfire but they never tell others that they cannot get the same because they are poor.

To associate an Apple product with wealth...it's one of the biggest fanatic statements I have ever heard.


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By headbox on 6/7/10, Rating: -1
RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By hughlle on 6/7/2010 3:05:34 PM , Rating: 2
and you're a complete tool if you'd contemplate buying an alienware. they are abusively overpriced, as are apple


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By retrospooty on 6/7/2010 7:52:32 PM , Rating: 2
"and you're a complete tool if you'd contemplate buying an alienware. they are abusively overpriced, as are apple "

Yes and no. Yes, they are overpriced, but they do offer something that Apple cannot... Better performance than std OEM PC's. Its basically high performing parts for those without the time or knowledge to build their own overclocking rigs.

Apple is higher priced and performs slower than PC's.


By Phynaz on 6/7/2010 10:15:11 PM , Rating: 2
If speed is only measure of product performance.


By someguy123 on 6/7/2010 10:50:13 PM , Rating: 2
Well, technically only the "high-end of the high-end" computers offer better performance than other OEM PCs. Most OEMs have pretty good gaming rigs at decent (prebuilt kind of decent) prices.

The computers that perform better are even more grossly overpriced than apple computers, though. Some of these alienware computers have a 400% mark up over building it yourself.


By Temulent on 6/8/2010 11:07:30 AM , Rating: 2
In general, gamers are not the target audience for Mac computers.


By retrospooty on 6/7/2010 7:47:54 PM , Rating: 1
"And who makes the "wealth" association? "

Pirks, and many other Apple zealots just like him.

"There are bigger things to hate than Apple computers"

Totally agreed. We need Apple. If not for Apple, there wouldn't be a viable alternative to PC, therefore PC would be much more expensive and far slower to innovate.


By afkrotch on 6/7/2010 8:08:51 PM , Rating: 1
Aren't those premium PCs premium, cause they have your higher end parts, compared to the cookie cutter normal consumer products? Where as Apple's cookie cutter normal consumer products, cost as much as the premium machines.

I'm not saying either aren't overpriced. There's just a reason for the PC side, not the Apple side.


By icanhascpu on 6/8/2010 2:30:38 AM , Rating: 2
Youre both retarded and obviously never went to any sort of gaming forum. You will not miss the rabid fanboism ranging from CPU to GPU.

Ignorance is bliss, kid.


By Old Man Dotes on 6/7/2010 6:16:18 PM , Rating: 2
Not a fanboi of either Apple or MS, but if there's anything I don't need, it's a battery-eating, limited-reliability Bluetooth touchpad. I'll stick to my Logitech USB G-series 50-billion-button mouse, thanks.


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By cerx on 6/7/2010 1:11:02 PM , Rating: 4
I think it's pretty cool ... as long as it works. Not gonna buy an Apple, but if something like it comes to PC I may pick it up.


By muhahaaha on 6/8/2010 2:14:30 PM , Rating: 2
you, sir, are gay


RE: Of all the things I have seen...
By superPC on 6/7/2010 1:31:10 PM , Rating: 2
Plus if it uses bluetooth what's stopping this from being use in a PC? if it is wired, then it would be even easier to plug it to a PC (as far as i know, macbook or any apple desktop don't have any proprietery bus interface).


By Luticus on 6/7/2010 1:45:29 PM , Rating: 2
nothing as long as someone cooks up a driver.


By greylica on 6/7/2010 2:55:41 PM , Rating: 5
Someone will die because of this info.
Chinese will raid a home.
Someone will receive a letter from Steve Jobs personally.
CIA, FBI, MPAA, RIAA, MAAAFIAAAA will try to find proof.
Be carefull Chinmodo guys !


By Yawgm0th on 6/8/2010 10:45:55 AM , Rating: 2
Give this man a 6.


MAGIC you say...
By tech4tac on 6/7/2010 1:46:57 PM , Rating: 5
Could it be... powered by the soul of a Chinese worker trapped within?

It's blasphemy! Witchcraft! Better keep your children away from Apple--they just might start casting spells with all them MAGICAL gestures.




RE: MAGIC you say...
By Luticus on 6/7/2010 1:50:46 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Could it be... powered by the soul of a Chinese worker trapped within?


you owe me for the coke i just spit all over my monitor :)


RE: MAGIC you say...
By AssBall on 6/7/2010 3:46:35 PM , Rating: 2
Magical...

While the rest of the computing and electronics industries seek to further the technical knowledge of their customers, Apple continues to shelter and retard their community.

Sorry, Apple, it's not A.D. 1500 anymore (look up Commentariolus).

Or is it???


RE: MAGIC you say...
By Phynaz on 6/7/10, Rating: 0
RE: MAGIC you say...
By lightfoot on 6/7/2010 5:06:19 PM , Rating: 2
I'd just be happy if an Apple user knew that the car had an engine. Much less that the engine is what made the car go, and not the gas pedal.
quote:
what is the flame propagation rate of your cars engine?

To ask a similarly absurd question of an Apple computer product - what is the peak amperage draw of the iPhone 4 CPU?

But clearly Steve Jobs just wants his customers to think that the horseless carriage runs on magic and fairy dust.


RE: MAGIC you say...
By Phynaz on 6/7/2010 5:57:43 PM , Rating: 2
You didn't answer the question.

Why should the user of a properly designed consumer device have to be technically knowledgeable in order to use it properly?

I don't have to be technically knowledgeable to use a DVD player or a GPS. Why should a computer require it?

The vast majority of people want something powerful and yet easy to use. That is difficult to accomplish.

This is why Apple sells so many products. They are accessible by the average person, not the tech geek.


RE: MAGIC you say...
By Alexstarfire on 6/7/2010 7:51:15 PM , Rating: 2
I think you both ended up talking about the wrong issue, the real issue would be that most people don't shop around. Just like people should shop around for the best car, many don't. And yes, you have to know a few things if you want to make a proper informed decision. This is even more true when you look into used products.

If you don't shop around you'll never get the best of anything.

BTW, a computer isn't the same as a GPS or a DVD player. They are worlds apart.


RE: MAGIC you say...
By Phynaz on 6/7/2010 9:14:40 PM , Rating: 2
I think most people do shop around, or at least do online research and pick what is best for their needs.

I don't agree that a computer is any different than any other CE device. They should be just as easy to use for the average Joe.


RE: MAGIC you say...
By AssBall on 6/8/2010 2:56:16 AM , Rating: 2
Flame propagation rate? I'm knowledgeable enough to know that this is a non-factor in a vehicle purchase. I guess that is my answer.

You missed the point of my comment by a long shot, and changed the subject of the OP's thread. If you care to intelligently comment on the opinion that Apple negatively influences their customer base and exploit's their lack of education, while other tech companies do not, please feel free to talk about that instead of throwing out your off topic knee-jerk responses.


RE: MAGIC you say...
By Strunf on 6/7/2010 7:14:47 PM , Rating: 1
A car is not a tool nor is a Mac... if they were you would buy them based on their specs and not on their shape or color.


RE: MAGIC you say...
By Phynaz on 6/7/2010 9:07:03 PM , Rating: 2
Really?

So a color of a vehicle is not part of it's specifications?

The contour of the seats isn't part of its specifications?

Or do you mean the stuff that's easy to measure and compare?

If that's the case people would never, ever buy a BMW because it loses just about every specification to something much cheaper. And yet they are some of the most pleasurable vehicles to drive.


So after all this time...
By Redwin on 6/7/2010 1:01:26 PM , Rating: 5
Apple has finally made a mouse with NO buttons.

:P




RE: So after all this time...
By Hydrofirex on 6/7/2010 1:26:10 PM , Rating: 2
Your comment is full of win.


RE: So after all this time...
By themaster08 on 6/7/2010 2:30:10 PM , Rating: 2
It's all in the name ;)


RE: So after all this time...
By Proxes on 6/7/2010 1:27:09 PM , Rating: 2
Sweet! I can buy a wireless mouse pad now!


RE: So after all this time...
By AlexWade on 6/7/2010 2:34:59 PM , Rating: 4
I guess The Onion was on to something when they spoofed Apple.

http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-rev...


RE: So after all this time...
By makius on 6/7/2010 6:08:58 PM , Rating: 2
Haha I haven't seen that video in a while, thanks reminding me. I love it when the guy says, "I'll buy almost anything shiny and made by Apple" lol


RE: So after all this time...
By chaos386 on 6/7/2010 2:41:52 PM , Rating: 2
Another Stolen "innovative" idea
By carickw on 6/7/2010 1:26:39 PM , Rating: 2
By dubldwn on 6/7/2010 2:05:58 PM , Rating: 5
Wrong! Do you see a single reference to magic in the technical specifications? No. No, I don’t think you do. Plus, this product includes buttons, which are obviously an eyesore.


RE: Another Stolen "innovative" idea
By JCheng on 6/7/2010 2:30:41 PM , Rating: 2
Fingerworks iGesture pad did this eight years ago, and Fingerworks was acquired by Apple in 2005. So if anything, it's Wacom that stole the idea from Apple.


RE: Another Stolen "innovative" idea
By HolyHandGrenade on 6/7/2010 3:21:11 PM , Rating: 2
Soory, no, Wacom is much older than that:

Wacom
Established
July 12, 1983

So, maybe Fingerworks stole the idea from them.


By JCheng on 6/7/2010 11:58:02 PM , Rating: 1
Wacom wasn't making multitouch trackpads in 1983.


RE: Another Stolen "innovative" idea
By roadhog1974 on 6/8/2010 12:04:44 AM , Rating: 2
The salient issue is how old is the bamboo not how old is
wacom.


By callmeroy on 6/8/2010 9:01:15 AM , Rating: 2
Nah actually I think the significant point is Apple (sorry if the price is in the article now, when I wrote this I didn't notice the price!) will charge $400 for this when that "bamboo" thing can be had for like $50....

Either way I think someone should get punched in the head.....with a tac hammer....if they pay apple for this device (because you know it'll be waaaay over priced)....


By afkrotch on 6/8/2010 2:18:37 AM , Rating: 2
They just stole that idea from Tron.


There's things?
By ClownPuncher on 6/7/2010 1:11:12 PM , Rating: 5
There are things that Apple does well.

You don't say "Things is good", you say "Things are good".




RE: There's things?
By adiposity on 6/7/10, Rating: -1
RE: There's things?
By ClownPuncher on 6/7/2010 1:59:43 PM , Rating: 1
If you are paid to write, I would expect above a middle school level of understanding.

If you don't have time for the extra two keystrokes, you either type too slow or can't properly manage your time.


RE: There's things?
By adiposity on 6/7/2010 2:14:19 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
If you are paid to write, I would expect above a middle school level of understanding.


Even people that understand it, don't do it. That's my point. I agree that it's incorrect, but at this point, it has entered the vernacular. Just saying it's a losing battle...


RE: There's things?
By AssBall on 6/7/2010 3:35:20 PM , Rating: 2
There's nothing more amusing than a Nazi fowling up his own grammar.

quote:
type too slow


Did you mean: "type too slowly"?


RE: There's things?
By glitchc on 6/7/2010 3:41:49 PM , Rating: 5
I presume you meant "fouling", as in to screw up, rather than "fowling", which presumably has something to do with chickens?


RE: There's things?
By AssBall on 6/7/2010 4:25:52 PM , Rating: 2
oops

I rest my case...


RE: There's things?
By ClownPuncher on 6/7/2010 3:55:35 PM , Rating: 2
I did mean "too slowly".

People correcting my grammar doesn't bother me in any way, we all have room to improve.


The key to success
By lightfoot on 6/7/2010 1:16:17 PM , Rating: 2
The key to success for any peripheral is support. Will Windows be getting a driver for this device? At that point this device may become successful. But it can't just be magic, it has to work, and it has to be useful. And the features have to be supported in software.




RE: The key to success
By superPC on 6/7/2010 1:40:26 PM , Rating: 2
considering that people build wiimote driver for the PC than it's a sure bet that this thing will be ported to windows. hell maybe windows user would be the main buyer of this thing if it work as advertised.


RE: The key to success
By Temulent on 6/8/2010 11:05:24 AM , Rating: 2
It will be supported well on the Mac platform. My guess is that Apple could care less about PC support.


RE: The key to success
By lightfoot on 6/8/2010 11:51:08 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Apple could care less about PC support.

I agree with you, Apple could care less. However, if I were a Mac user and needed to use boot camp to run Windows for any reason, I would want my mouse to work properly. If the mouse on the Mac doesn't work when running Windows, that is Apple's fault, not Microsoft's. Thankfully for Apple, many Mac users won't know that, so they will just continue to blame Microsoft for Apple's failures.


RE: The key to success
By Temulent on 6/8/2010 12:55:33 PM , Rating: 2
Veering off topic, but IMHO Boot Camp really isn't the way to go if you want to run Windows on a Mac. Parallels or VMWare Fusion both offer better solutions that allow file sharing between the operating systems. I'm not sure about Fusion, but multitouch works perfectly in Parallels.

For those who would argue that running Windows in a VM is too much of a performance hit, I'd argue that if you are worried about performance, you should probably get a dedicated non-Mac machine that's tuned for Windows.


Can we please,
By S3anister on 6/7/2010 1:32:52 PM , Rating: 2
for the love of God, stop getting "magical" apple products?

Thanks.




RE: Can we please,
By cscpianoman on 6/7/2010 5:36:44 PM , Rating: 2
iYou iMean iEverything iFrom iThe iPad, iPhone, iMac and everything "i" Argh, when will it stop!!!!! <runs screaming into the streets>


RE: Can we please,
By roadhog1974 on 6/8/2010 12:18:52 AM , Rating: 2
I would suspect these announcements help some pc accessory
manufacturers as well.

Wacom might benefit quite nicely when people say
I want my computer to have one of those touch things.


More pads
By GreenEnvt on 6/7/2010 1:41:25 PM , Rating: 2
So now we've got an iPad and a magicPad.
Next up is mysteryPad?




RE: More pads
By xler8r on 6/7/2010 1:46:16 PM , Rating: 2
Macbook Wheel son!


Are things upside down?
By Mumrik on 6/7/2010 3:20:13 PM , Rating: 2
It sounds to me like they wish to bring one of the laptops greatest weaknesses to the desktop(?)




RE: Are things upside down?
By mydogfarted on 6/7/2010 3:52:30 PM , Rating: 2
Have you ever used the trackpad on a Macbook/Macbook Pro, or any multitouch device for that matter? Multitouch is a fabulous thing once you learn to use it. Works great on my Mac and my little Acer Netbook.


By Temulent on 6/8/2010 10:19:18 AM , Rating: 3
First off, I'm not an Apple "fanboy". I use Windows based PCs and servers at work. I use a Mac at home.

The trackpad in the PC world is far different than using it on the Mac. Apple has implemented a very elegant, intuitive solution on their laptops. For me, the experience is so good that I would never use a mouse with my MacBook - it simply doesn't work as well as the trackpad.

I just bought a Bamboo on Sunday because I wanted the multi-touch interface for the Mac Mini that I recently set up to use as a media center PC. The Bamboo is OK, but not nearly as responsive as the trackpad on my MacBook. Plus, there is NO SUCH THING as a wireless Bamboo.

In my opinion, wireless is key for a media center computer. Who wants a wire strung across the living room?




Ugh...
By avxo on 6/9/2010 1:40:37 PM , Rating: 3
Jason Mick wrote: "The device follows in Apple's penchant for the using the word "magic" to describe is products -- as evidenced by Jobs's descriptions of the iPad which constantly describe it as magical and Apple's Magic mouse."

Sheesh, can you use "describe" more often? You've been writing for how many years now? Haven't you learned how to produce decent output yet? This nonsense wouldn't be printed in a highschool newspaper. At a failing school. In the deep south!

How about rewriting the above as "The device is another in a long line of products that Apple describes as magical -- the most recent of which is the iPad."




So that's how Apple does it!
By MrBlastman on 6/7/2010 12:56:58 PM , Rating: 2
They've been "touching" people's "trackpads" all this time, making them feel good!

Man! Steve really has pulled a good one on us. Oh, wait, is that a sparkle in his eye and glitter coming from his hands... Magi... crap. Must... buy Apple. :-|




handwriting
By hughlle on 6/7/2010 3:11:41 PM , Rating: 2
for me, the only reason for pads such as this is for handwriting, although why you're not jsut writing it on paper i'm not sure, and graphic work.

at the end fo the day though unless VERY expensive touch pads and such tend to be crap, they need one that will register if you stick a piece of paper on the top and write/draw on the paper with a real pen (i can't handle the lack of ink when writing and drawing etc, disconcerting! haha)




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