Apple Magic Trackpad

In the fall of 2009, Apple released the Magic Mouse, an input device that has many similarities to the Multi-Touch trackpad on the company's line of Macbook Pro laptops: the same touch-sensitive body, and the same ability to use the swiping and inertia-based scrolling familar to anyone owning an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. It was as if Apple had taken the trackpad off of its MacBooks and made it into a mouse. Well, with the new Magic Trackpad, that's exactly what Apple did.

Measuring about 5 inches wide and 4 inches deep, the $69 Magic Trackpad is about 80 percent bigger than the Multi-Touch trackpad on a MacBook Pro laptop. In classic minimalist Apple style, there's not much to describe here design-wise. The body is slightly elevated at the back, by a cylinder in which the batteries are stored, causing this device to resemble the Apple Wireless Keyboard that ships with its iMacs. The bottom is covered in white plastic with an Apple logo in the middle. Two anti-slip grips hold the Magic Trackpad in place at the two corners below the batteries.

On top, you'll find the silver glass pad where all the action happens. You turn the device on by pressing a power button on the right side of the body. When powered on, a small green light shines in the upper right corner of the pad. On the other side is a twist-to-release door for the batterie