Is the Magic Trackpad designed upside down?

It would have seemed like a better idea to keep the pad as low as possible. Why is it better to have my wrist turned upwards? On a keyboard I can almost understand, when you need to reach a top level letter, it would reduce arm movement. But the trackpad just doesn't make sense to me.

If you're worried about the Magic Trackpad slant angle, there is a hidden default that lets you invert it automatically:
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20101029060726179
Enter this command in terminal (will prompt for root password), then restart your Mac or reconnect the Magic Trackpad:
sudo defaults write com.apple.MultitouchSupport ForceAutoOrientation YES
Now place the Magic Trackpad in desired orientation on your desk and drop all 5 fingers on it (outstretched towards the edges not scrunched up).
The coordinates of the trackpad automatically flip so all cursor and gesture motions match the new hand orientation.
This trick is particularly helpful to maintain a straight wrist if your desk height is relatively low. If your hand is too large for palms to rest comfortably on the battery hump, you may want to place a ~1/2" thick palm rest behind the battery hump. You'll have to click the button with forward fingers, or use tap click and 3-finger drag.

Similar Messages

  • How do I set up the magic trackpad when I can't access System Preferences

    Bought a new iMac and Magic Mouse.    After initial installation, decided to swap mouse for the Magic Trackpad.
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    Nancy,
    If you have the bluetooth icon in the menubar, you can reach that and open bluetooth preferences by
    pressing FN CNTL F8.  This will move focus to the right side of the menubar, then arrow across and down to get to the options you need.  Press the spacebar for "enter".
    Regards,
    Captfred

  • The "Magic" Trackpad

    Am I the only one who finds the Macbook Pro trackpad to be completely useless? I was looking forward to using all the neat multi-touch gestures when I first got my MBP but now I'm struggling just to use it as a normal trackpad.
    Pinching and rotating was nice at first but after a while, the accidental input got in the way of productivity. It got to the point where the trackpad was either too sensitive or not sensitive enough so I disabled those actions altogether. Also, it was never as precise as I needed it to be. If I tried rotating an object 90˚, I would only be able to rotate it to 89˚ or 91˚.
    Now, even simple manipulation is becoming a chore. Sometimes the object that I'm dragging is released prematurely, even though my finger is still pushing down on the trackpad. Soft clicking (tapping on the trackpad) is often too sensitive.
    The good news is that these are all software/firmware issues. In the meantime, if anyone has at least a temporary fix, I would appreciate it.
    Thanks

    The Pinch Open & Close feature can easily be turned off (I keep it turned off most of the time), and for rotating images, virtually every program that can display them can rotate them exactly 90° or 180° with one click on a button or in a menu. There's no reason to use the trackpad for precision rotations. It sure is great for in-between, casual rotations, though.
    It took me about two weeks to get used to the multitouch trackpad when I got my MBP, and now I can't believe I ever got along without it. When I bought a 27" Cinema Display recently, I got a Magic Trackpad with it, and without changing a single trackpad setting, it automatically just worked perfectly with the huge new screen. I used to use a graphics tablet for photo retouching, but I can do it just as precisely with the Magic Trackpad and have that much less clutter on my desk. And when I'm on the go, there's no readjustment to using the built-in trackpad: the transition from one trackpad to the other is completely seamless and transparent. I don't even notice the difference.

  • My iMac's Bluetooth isn't detecting the Wireless KB nor the Magic Trackpad.

    Hi All,
    I've been trying to pair my Wireless Kb and Magic Trackpad with my 24" iMac but with no use.
    I've went to the preferences of the bluetooth and tried to detect them but it just can't find them, also I've tried to connect the phone to it (just to see if the BT works) but even that isn't found.
    I have the latest OS and I don't know what's the problem.
    Please advise... Thanks.

    There are two known cures for this problem, documented on other threads that you can find by searching for "magic trackpad."
    1. Uninstall USB Overdrive, if you ever installed it in the first place. It comes with an uninstaller, which you should run. But the uninstaller doesn't remove everything, so you have to search in the Finder (with system files included) for any file with "usboverdrive" in the file name, and delete them. Then reboot.
    2. The problem may recur shortly after removing USB Overdrive. If it does recur, or if you never installed USB Overdrive, do this:
    Shut down your Mac, unplug the power cord, unplug the USB cable from all USB devices, wait a minute or two, plug the power cord back in, start up, then replug all USB devices (the last step will give you back control of your keyboard and other USB devices). Maybe you should shut down and restart again, but I don't think you have to.
    Here's the explanation for step 2: On many Macs (maybe all Macs), Bluetooth is handled through a USB driver. For some reason, the USB Bluetooth driver can become disabled. The symptom is that the Bluetooth preference pane no longer appears in System Preferences or, if it does appear, a line of text at the top of the Bluetooth pane says something like "Name of device unknown." In addition, if you had the Bluetooth menu item set to show in the menubar, it appears with a squiggly line through it, and its only menu item says something like "Bluetooth: not available." After you apply the cures described above, the Bluetooth preference pane will once again appear in System Preferences and work correctly (once you re-pair your Magic Trackpad, if you have to do that), and the Bluetooth menu item will function normally. You can also verify that everything is working correctly by running System Profiler and selecting Hardware > USB. When the Magic Trackpad is working correctly, you will see that one of the USB drivers is described as the Bluetooth USB driver. When Magic Trackpad is not working, the Bluetooth item is missing from the list of USB drivers.
    Another symptom, in my case, was that when the Magic Trackpad stopped working, iTunes stopped recognizing my iPhone 4 on its third-party USB charging stand. When I applied these cures, iTunes once again recognized the iPhone. I'm guessing that any USB device might become flaky while the Magic Trackpad isn't working, perhaps due to interaction unique to your particular setup.
    I have reported all this to Apple on the developer bug report site, and Apple has responded with interest. So I think they're on it.
    Hope this helps.

  • Has anyone figured a way to use the Magic Trackpad with Windows 7 on a partitioned disc using Bootcamp?

    Has anyone figured a way to use the magic trackpad with Windows 7 on a partitioned disc using Bootcamp?

    Yes. After Windows/Bootcamp discovers  your bluetooth device (Magic Trackpad or Mouse, be sure to make it discoverable), right click, with your wired mouse, of course, on the icon and select Properties.
    Then check the mouse drivers box and your device should work. (I located this solution on another thread)
    It works for both the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.
    Must admit, the solution was not intuitive within the Windows environment. But we all must remember. It IS Windows, after all.
    Another thing. Keep in mind that the gestures on these devices that work just dandy in OSX do not carry over into Windows.
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  • HT4273 Can the Magic Trackpad be set up to run on a Windows 8 computer...not in Boot Camp but an actual Windows Computer?

    My computer is a MacBook Pro using the Magic Trackpad and unfortunately I also have had to purchase a Windows 8 computer to teach Windows 8 touch gestures. I would much rather use the Trackpad which I have fallen in love with, on the new Win 8 machine.
    Thanks for any responses
    iPadProf

    it will show on itunes front summary page the date of last backup, but you can also find it in preferences, by going to edit - preferences - devices - you will see all of your backups.

  • Is apple going to fix the magic trackpad issue with Autocad zoom/pan soon? It only started happening when I updated to Yosemite

    is apple going to fix the magic trackpad issue with Autocad zoom/pan soon?
    It only started happening when I updated to Yosemite
    I am using macbook pro 15" Retina

    Although it not only bothers me but alot of other photo booth users aswell

  • Just installed Lion and the Magic TrackPad and I am having a problem with one click commands.  I have to hit the pad fairly hard with one finger to get it to accept the command.  Is this normal, is there another way that I am suppose to execute commands?

    Just installed Lion and the Magic TrackPad and I am having a problem with one click commands.  I have to hit the pad fairly hard with one finger to get it to accept the command.  Is this normal, is there another way that I am suppose to execute commands?

    No you just need to turn on Tap to Click. Go into System Preferences - Trackpad and click the Point to Click tab and select the first box which will say Tap to Click and you should be in business.

  • Anyone using the magic trackpad with iPhoto 11 in fullscreen mode?

    I love fullscreen mode in the new release of iPhoto. Does the magic trackpad make it more iPad/phone like?

    To answer you question, no. I have the trackpad and it does NOT make the experience any different than it is on a laptop. There is NOT any iPad like gestures that are included in the Photo App on the iPad. I thought there would be some but unfortunately there are not magic things LIKE the iPad

  • Can I disable the internal trackpad if I am using the magic trackpad

    I am using the magic trackpad with my 11" MacBook Air and want to disable the notebook trackpad. Is this possible. No obvious setting in the system trackpad  preferences.

    Yes, It's in System Preferences > Universal Access > Mouse & Trackpad tab > check "ignore internal trackpad when external mouse or trackpad present.
    Regards,
    Captfred

  • Need help with the Magic Trackpad

    I really need help with my Magic Trackpad. I just got it in the mail yesterday and when I was trying to set it up, it's not responding to the "one click." In the TrackPad Settings, I managed to turn off the Secondary Click and just have the Single Click checkbox turned on. How I managed that was double clicking on the bottom right side of the trackpad, but that's if I'm lucky enough for that even to respond. I have also tried to turn off my Mac and turning it back on with the trackpad on hoping it would just turn on the default settings. This is really starting to get frustrated and I know the Magic Trackpad is really cool on fun to use because I used it plenty of times I the Apple Store. Now I do know that all the motion gestures work, the only problem I'm having is the clicking mechanism.

    The clicking mechanism is located in the lower left or right corner of the trackpad, for single-click select, or secondary (menu) select, respectively. You can also configure single finger tap to select or double-finger tap for the alternate menu selection. Watch the trackpad preference videos by clicking on each setting text.
    Here are my System Preference settings for the Magic Trackpad.
    Point & Click
    Everything checked but three finger drag.
    Secondary click configured to click or tap with two fingers.
    Scroll & Zoom
    Everything checked
    More Gestures
    Everything checked but App Exposé

  • How do I set up pages to print a 5x7 catalog using doubled sided printing. When I try this layout the inside pages are upside down?

    I am trying to print a 5 x7 catalog. When I print it out using doubled sided the inside pages are upside down. Is there a way to setup and print using a 5x7 format?

    If your printer does duplex printing (i.e. you're not re-feeding the pages manually), there may be a setting in the print dialog. My Brother color laser has these option when I check the two-sided box. If you see something similar, test the various options & make a note of what works. It took me so many tries to figure out what they meant by long- or short-edge binding!
    If you're using something like CocoaBooklet or another program to create a booklet, see if it has an option to turn the second side upside down.

  • Is the magic trackpad recommended for an up grade to lion OS.

    I just upgraded to Lion OS.  It seems like the magic trackpad is a key component to fully experience Lion.  Is this true.

    Yes.  To fully experience the gesture support in Lion, you need the Trackpad.  I found that I don't use a mouse anymore, the trackpad is so much better.
    Regards,
    Captfred

  • When I import videos taken with my iPhone 4S to my Windows PC some of the landscape videos are upside down and all of the portrait videos are rotated 90 degrees.  It makes a difference depending how I hold the iPhone when taking videos.  Help!!!

    When I import videos taken with my iPhone 4S to my Windows PC, some of the landscape videos are upside down and all of the portrait videos are rotated 90 degrees.  It makes a difference depending on what position I hold the Iphone when taking videos.  Help!!!!

    Sometimes syncing will have problems with very large video files like this.  I'm not sure you will be able to overcome this, but if the videos are important enough you may consider purchasing 3rd party software such as Touch Copy to transfer them.

  • Can I have my wireless mouse and the magic trackpad both active at the same time next to my computer?

    Can I have both my wireless mouse and the Magic Trackpad active at the same time next to my desktop iMac?

    Yes.  I do.  I use the Trackpad to make fine adjustments for video edits.

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