Apple Magic Trackpad - White Multi-Touch Surface ​​​​​​​

The Apple Magic Trackpad is an incredible addition to my workspace! Its sleek design looks great alongside my Mac, and the touch surface is spacious and highly responsive. The ability to use gestures makes navigation a breeze, whether I'm scrolling through documents or zooming in on images. The rechargeable battery lasts for weeks, so I never have to worry about replacing batteries. Connecting via Bluetooth is effortless, providing a clutter-free setup. Overall, it’s an exceptional trackpad that enhances productivity and comfort for any Mac user. Highly recommend it for anyone looking to upgrade their input devices!Pros:Spacious, responsive touch surfaceSupports a variety of gestures for easy navigationSleek design complements Apple devicesLong-lasting rechargeable batteryEasy Bluetooth connectivity for a clean workspaceCons:Higher price point compared to standard trackpadsLimited functionality with non-Mac systems

The magic trackpad works out of the box on linux. Specifically, it works on the distribution release I use, ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS. I tried two other trackpads with usb receivers, logitech and perixx. The logitech was very flaky, but I bought it used, and it may have been defective to begin with, or damaged by its previous owner. I also don't think logitech makes it any more. The perixx was a reasonable deal given the price, but it required a touch that was a bit heavy and did not always pick up movement or taps. The magic trackpad, although not perfect, has a smoother surface, takes a lighter touch, and is more responsive and consistent in its behavior. The battery in my case lasts one to two months before I have to recharge — YMMV. The trackpad behaves the same way as the builtin touchpad on my laptop, supporting single, double, and two-finger taps, and it allows me to drag objects around the screen. There is a third party driver on github which enables three-finger gestures. I don't remember the name.I'll make some recommendations regarding the trackpad setup on ubuntu, using a combination of gui and terminal utilities. If you only want to use a gui interface or are not interested in a slightly off-label configuration, or if you don't use ubuntu or any of its derivative distributions (or maybe if you don't use apt or a gnome desktop), you can disregard the rest of the review.Configuration and usage recommendations for ubuntu:The open source bluetooth driver package included with debian and debian-based linuces, such as ubuntu, is called "bluez". Ubuntu LTS (long-term support) ships with bluez 5.64, in spite of the fact that stable debian (version 12, code-name "Bookworm") ships with 5.66. I'd recommend an upgrade to the later version.The easiest way to pair a new device is to use the settings/bluetooth page in the (gnome) gui desktop. Once paired, the system retains the definition, but the connection is lost during a reboot or suspend. If you are using bluez 5.66 or above, you can force a reconnection just by pressing down on the trackpad to produce a click (just tapping won't do it). The click inserts a bluetooth icon in the panel at the top the screen. After a few seconds, the pointer responds to additional trackpad events. Click-to-reconnect works both before and after login. Pointer movement and clicks work on the login page; taps are post-login only.If you are using bluez version 5.64, you will have to explicitly reconnect after logging in. In my opinion, the easiest option is to reconnect with a shell script. Obtain the trackpad's mac address by clicking on the "magic trackpad" link in the settings/bluetooth device listing, or by executing "bluetoothctl devices" in a terminal window. (I'll use A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6 as a sample address — obviously, you should substitute your own.) Create a shell script with the single line,bluetoothctl connect A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6and move or copy it to a directory in the path. For the script file name, use something short and suggestive, like "tpad". Then, whenever you reboot, or wake up from suspension, open a terminal window with the keyboard shortcut,ctrl+alt+t[control, alt, and the letter T], then type "tpad", and press return.If for some reason you want to disconnect and stay live, create a script containing the line,bluetoothctl disconnect A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6The simplest way of manually upgrading to bluez 5.66 is to search online for the package's file name, download, and install locally. If you're using an intel or amd PC with a 64-bit OS (and you probably are), the name isbluez_5.66-1_amd64.debIf you have a different architecture, search fordebian packages stable adminand follow the link. ("admin" refers to the administrative utilities page.) Find "bluez (5.66-1)" on the admin page and click on the link. Go to the bottom of the package page and select the architecture of your choice.After the download, in a terminal window, change to the download directory and install the package withsudo apt install ./bluez_5.66-1_amd64.debNormal apt upgrades will not replace 5.66 until a later version is added to the repository. To see what you have on your system, executedpkg -l bluez

This is an amazing trackpad with glorious features flawless design great battery life in a few surprises when it comes to customizations, it might be your best friend…. or, it may not be for you.I honestly don’t use it that much, but when I use it, it’s glorious. I probably use it once a week when I have to design social media post or create some Facebook ads and just having a large pad to glide around and that is uniquely responsive to many gestures, and it’s fast. I know that’s just anecdotal, but it is my feedback.Pros: It is large, and useful, very responsive and reliable, and it works great with Apple computers and devices that are compatible. The battery life is insanely good. There are third party software that allows you to customize even more features than native options, and automate tasks.Cons: not cheap, and requires some getting used to it. Some people may acclimate better than others so using this. Not sure if it’s only for Mac…? Any feedback is welcomed, as I have never seen a windows version.Conclusion: I am glad I bought it, but I can honestly say since I am not a designer nor a editor or a professional creator, it hasn’t really made a crucial difference that a good mouse like the Logitech M3 couldn’t do. And i use several kinds of mouse. But [ edit: it gets better with time…] I am finding it more and more appealing as time goes by.