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Buying an iMac: Magic Mouse 2 or Magic Trackpad 2?

  • Magic Mouse 2

    Votes: 27 31.4%
  • Magic Trackpad 2

    Votes: 59 68.6%

  • Total voters
    86
Every now and then I simply check the battery level on my MM2 and if it looks as though it is getting low, after I shut down for the night I plug a lightning cable in her, plug that into a power adapter, stick that into a handy wall power source or surge protector and let her charge overnight. No fuss, no muss....
 
Every now and then I simply check the battery level on my MM2 and if it looks as though it is getting low, after I shut down for the night I plug a lightning cable in her, plug that into a power adapter, stick that into a handy wall power source or surge protector and let her charge overnight. No fuss, no muss....
Can you use it while charging? The reason I ask is because someone needing to use the mouse may not be able to wait until it is fully charged.
 
Can you use it while charging? The reason I ask is because someone needing to use the mouse may not be able to wait until it is fully charged.

No, you cannot use it while charging, which is why I pay attention to when it might need recharging and therefore can choose a time convenient for me, when I wouldn't be using the computer anyway. It holds charges pretty well; only have to recharge it about once a month, if that.....
 
Can you use it while charging? The reason I ask is because someone needing to use the mouse may not be able to wait until it is fully charged.
You can plug it in to charge ... go get a cup of coffee ... and when you return you will probably have a few hours of operation on that 5-10 minute charge. Then fully charge it over lunch or overnight.
 
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I'm, uh, different. I voted for the Trackpad. I use the Trackpad with my left hand and an Intuos Pro M with my right hand with a Contour Mouse (wireless) at hand - I've been using multiple input devices for CAD drafting and both Illy and PS for around 20 years, not even thinking about it. Wacom tablets were even more flexible with the Sensiva app/extension that shipped with the old ADB tablets in the late 90s.

Relevant to this thread, my Magic Trackpad 2 is on my desk. The MM2 that shipped with my new iMP is in a box, where it belongs.
 
I am using Magic Trackpad 2 exclusively now. Primarily due to gestures (switching between full screen apps, pinch to zoom, scrolling, Mission Control, force press).
With the aid of BetterTouchTool, can you not also perform your gestures on your Magic Mouse? Its been a long time since I used a MM2 so I may be wrong...
 
By default, Magic Mouse can do some gestures even without any 3rd party tool. But given by the size of the mouse compared to the size of the trackpad, its surface, etc. the gestures are way less comfortable. Especially those that require more than one or two fingers.

I think trackpad is by design much better tool for gesture control than any mouse.

See here what you can do:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/ht204895
 
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No forum poll is going to be able to answer this for you. I would just go to an Apple Store or a retailer that has Apple desktops and try both out.
 
I have both, and have yet to find a workflow where the trackpad is better. I'm still looking . . . . .

If photos or browsing were better integrated, or I cared about customizing some more gestures, I suppose the trackpad would win out.

If I had to choose one, it would definitely be Magic Mouse 2.
 
I use both. Ordered both with my iMac Pro and find myself using both equally. Each have their benefits I think.
 
I use both. Ordered both with my iMac Pro and find myself using both equally. Each have their benefits I think.
I use both as well, but it's like 95% mouse / 5% trackpad, if that. And I'm definitely not a fan of the Magic Mouse. It's too low for me and too heavy, and because I rest my hand on the thing, I always end up having to work extra hard to not touch the button areas with my fingers. I've tried going 100% trackpad but it just ends up feeling rather fatiguing and not very precise for graphic design work.

(After much switching, I think I found my endgame mouse, which is a Logitech wireless gaming mouse that just came out.. I've used however many dozens of mice over the years and this thing blows them all away. I'm not a gamer, but holy crap is this thing quick and accurate. It's a whole 'nother world.)
 
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I use both as well, but it's like 95% mouse / 5% trackpad, if that. And I'm definitely not a fan of the Magic Mouse. It's too low for me and too heavy, and because I rest my hand on the thing, I always end up having to work extra hard to not touch the button areas with my fingers. I've tried going 100% trackpad but it just ends up feeling rather fatiguing and not very precise for graphic design work.

(After much switching, I think I found my endgame mouse, which is a Logitech wireless gaming mouse that just came out.. I've used however many dozens of mice over the years and this thing blows them all away. I'm not a gamer, but holy crap is this thing quick and accurate. It's a whole 'nother world.)

Actually I do have a wired Logitech gaming mouse which I love. I don't have it always plugged in (to free up space and ports) and I'm usually too lazy to plug it back in afterwards, but when I do, I find I like it much more than the magic mouse. The cocks l clicks are easier and the movement is more precise, but mainly it just feels so much better. And I can click multiple buttons at once! Good for things like Maya or video games:D
 
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Actually I do have a wired Logitech gaming mouse which I love. I don't have it always plugged in (to free up space and ports) and I'm usually too lazy to plug it back in afterwards, but when I do, I find I like it much more than the magic mouse. The cocks l clicks are easier and the movement is more precise, but mainly it just feels so much better. And I can click multiple buttons at once! Good for things like Maya or video games:D

Have you been able to get the Logitech software to work at all? I installed and re-installed it but it won't recognize my mouse. It still works great but I can't customize the side buttons or the DPI settings. Hate to hijack this thread, but since like 99% of the user base for this thing is PC-based gamers, I'm not finding much help on this...
 
Go with Magic Trackpad and buy Logitech MX Master 2 mouse (I have one in white so it matches the esthetic). Don't buy Magic Mouse, unless you want to charge it with Apple Pencil ;). Ok seriously, this Logitech mouse is much better and Trackpad is really useful in Final Cut and other software.

Left hand for Magic Trackpad
Right hand for MX Master 2
That's how I roll :)
 
Using Magic Trackpad 2 with 2010 iMac. It's superb! Magic mouse left off since I've bought trackpad. And battery lasts pretty long even with Bluetooth 2.1 only Mac. I plug it in approximately every 2-3 weeks.
 
Magic Mouse if you have female or Trump sized hands, Trackpad otherwise. But if you want to use a mouse and have regular sized male hands, I really recommend getting one from a different manufacturer.
 
I bought TT eSports mouse a couple years ago. White version looks pretty good with Macs. It has an aluminium base and glossy white top like Magic Mouse has. It's big, has adjustable shape and a driver utility for assigning buttons for different actions which also allows to create switchable profiles (you can uninstall app after all profiles created – it flashes them to mouse itself). Now I have one profile for gaming and several other modes for Photoshop.
 
As others have stated, you really need to try both to decide. My girlfriend opted for one when she purchase her 2017 27 iMac and after using it for a couple weeks she absolutely despised it and she went back to the Magic Mouse. I took the trackpad and gave it a shot on my iMac and after using it for a week I was sold, my Magic Mouse went into the drawer and it hasn’t been used in a year..
 
It should be noted the Magic Mouse 2 is only compatible with OS X El Capitan and above. If you want to run older releases of OS X then the first generation Magic Mouse is the one to go for.
 
I use both simultaneously for LR and CAD.

The trackpad mostly for the zooming feature.

Perfect setup for me.
 
I can't stand the MM. The Magic Trackpad 2 can be used while charging, one of the many things I like about it over the MT 1. Can't imagine using anything else anymore.

Every once in awhile, I have to boot from a test drive that is older than OS 10.11. The MT2 doesn't work well with that. I keep an old Logitec Trackball velcro'd to my desk for those occasions.
 
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