Aiming to bring its multi-touch technology to its desktop systems, Apple on Tuesday introduced the "Magic Trackpad," a navigation device that looks much like the trackpads on its current MacBook Pro line of laptops.
The device, which retails for $69, would allow the user to employ the same gestures available to those using its laptops. The device would run on two AA batteries and connect wirelessly to the computer via Bluetooth.
Some of the gestures available include pinch and spread to adjust size, rotating, and swiping -- all of which are natively supported in the most current versions of Mac OS X. They are also quite similar to the gestures used on Apple's popular iPhone devices, so those familiar with the popular device would already understand the Magic Trackpad's concept.
Like the MacBook Pro trackpad, the entire surface is clickable. However, the size of the device comes in about 80 percent larger, meaning there would be more space for the user to maneuver and manipulate objects on the screen. This is done to make the device the same size as its most current iteration of the wireless keyboard, Apple said.
Apple's Magic Trackpad looks exactly like pictures of a navigation device that surfaced on sites like Engadget earlier this summer. Many sites reported about a week ago that the device had received FCC approval.
It isn't Apple's first foray into gesture equipped peripherals, though -- that belongs to the Magic Mouse, which it introduced last year and supported some rudimentary gestures. iMac and Mac Pro desktops ship with that mouse.
In related news, Apple also announced a $29 battery charger that includes six NiMH AA batteries. The company claims that these batteries have about a ten year service life, and the charger itself has the lowest standby power usage value.
Both devices are currently available from the Apple Store.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
