Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
From the moment Apple infix the Magic Trackpad , a standalone , Bluetooth adaptation of the company ’s Multi - Touch trackpad , some Mac users have pined for a way to link it with Apple ’s Wireless Keyboard — after all , the two are fundamentally identical in their designs , draw them come out to be a perfect brace . For some people , such a setup would be staring for hold in a Mac miniskirt used in a home - amusement scheme from your lap . Others just require a tidier desk .
We ’ve seen a few options for pairing the two devices — no Bluetooth pun mean — include Mrs. Henry Wood trays fromCombine CollectiveandTree design ; Magic Lapdesk’sside - by - sideandlaptop - styleplastic trays ; and the machined - aluminum BulletTrain Express mounting platform .
A less - expensive , and in many ways more graceful , solution can be detect in Twelve South’sMagicWand , a childlike , aluminum - colored plastic track that withstand your Wireless Keyboard and MagicTrackpad together , securely , without tote up a bulky bod or commute the overall size of it or coming into court of either .
The MagicWand is almost on the dot the length of a Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad place side - by - side , and is shaped like a electron tube with the top slit off . You snap — don’t slide — the rounded battery compartment of each remark equipment into the groove , rotating the equipment until the MagicWand ’s own silicone “ understructure ” dot straight down . At that orientation , grooves inside the MagicWand grab the gadget ’s own silicone feet to help prevent revolution during use . you could place the Magic Trackpad on either side of the Wireless Keyboard , depending on whether you prefer to use the trackpad with your left or right hand .
Twelve South could have stopped here , which would have resulted in a frame-up that ’s static on a desk or other flat Earth’s surface . But if you pick up the entire contraption by the keyboard , the Magic Trackpad can revolve independently about 20 or 30 degrees ; if you pick it up by the trackpad , the Wireless Keyboard rotates a bit more thanks to its fleshy system of weights . So the ship’s company has included a thin , aluminum - colourise piece of plastic with an atomic number 1 - mould profile . Twelve South calls this the H - beam Stabilizer , and it slide between the two devices , essentially lock them together . With the H - beam in place , the setup is considerably more strong .
Twelve South also includes a small piece of grey silicone polymer , called the T - pad Insert , to fill the bit of quad between the H - beam and the MagicWand itself . This slice is a serious-minded touch that makes the software program look much more polished .
Once all three while are installed , you barely even observe the MagicWand is there . you could see a petite sliver of it along the top edge of the keyboard and trackpad , and , of course , you see the H - beam and the piece of gray silicone polymer . But as the images above make unmortgaged , the fit and conclusion are impressive — Twelve South has done an first-class caper of fit the finish and design of Apple ’s gadget . The setup is also surprisingly stable . you’re able to pick it up by either oddment , and the most you ’ll see is a very slight flexure at the joint between the trackpad and the keyboard — and only if you foot it up by the trackpad , thanks to the keyboard ’s weight .
There are , however , a couple drawbacks to joining your keyboard and trackpad together like this . The first is that , since both the Wireless Keyboard and the Magic Trackpad have their battery compartment on the left and their tycoon button on the rightfield , each twist will have one of the two block . This is only a minor inconvenience when it come to the blocked bombardment compartment , given how infrequently you ask to change the batteries on the two equipment — the MagicWand is well-off enough to remove and reinstall . But if you regularly power down your keyboard or trackpad , doing so is more of a rough-and-tumble when using the MagicWand . ( Twelve South points out — right — that both gadget sleep when not in habit , so there ’s small need to actually power them down . Unless , I should point out , you ’re planning on travel with the apparatus andwant to void accidental input ; but I suspect few people would actually trip with the frame-up in full piece . )
The second drawback relate to the MagicTrackpad ’s “ clicker . ” As I noted in our review of the Magic Trackpad , although the gimmick does n’t have a traditional trackpad release , it does indeed abide physical “ clicking”—each of the trackpad ’s two front groundwork has a button built into it , so when you constrict down on the trackpad , one or both of those buttons is depressed . But when the Magic Trackpad is attached to the Wireless Keyboard using the MagicWand , the hydrogen - beam Stabilizer damp the trackpad ’s movement on the boundary closest to the keyboard . So if the trackpad is positioned to the right hand of the keyboard , you must bid a bit more securely to get a mouse click in the lower - left corner ; if the trackpad is to the left of the keyboard , you must iron more firmly to get a click in the lower - right box . ( TheTap to Clickfeature is unaffected . )
The only other potential issue is that , in my experience with many Apple - focused accessories , metal - looking finishes lean to break off of plastic over time . We ’ll have to waitress and see how the MagicWand holds up in this deference . ( It ’s worth noting that if you take away the H - beam Stabilizer , it leaves a fleck of its silver close on the edge of your Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad , though you’re able to easily pass over off the residue . )
ease up its minimalist , gimmick - matching intention ; stability ; and reasonable Mary Leontyne Price ( compared to similar accessories we ’ve regard ) , it ’s easy to recommend the MagicWand . For those who wish Apple made a Wireless Keyboard with a built - in Magic Trackpad , the MagicWand feed you the next best thing .
