LinkedIn has reportedly purged more than 250,000 fake Apple employees from its database of professionals as it continues to wrestle with a growing number of imposters on its platform.

While LinkedIn is yet to confirm that it took action, numbers shared in a new report have a huge number of accounts, all claiming to be Apple employees, disappearing earlier this month. Notably, the same also seems to have happened to employees claiming to work for Amazon — almost 400,000 of them.

If you're wondering why that mysterious job offer at Apple Park has suddenly evaporated, you might want to check you were ever talking to the real Tim Cook...

Fake Tim Cook

According to numbers collected by developer Jay Pinho and shared with Krebs On Security, LinkedIn purged the accounts between 11:06 am and 11:02 pm on October 10. There were previously more than 576,000 accounts claiming to work for Apple, while the number fell to just 285,000.

It was a similar story for Amazon, also on the same day. The previous number of 1.2 million employees fell to less than 840,000 within a matter of hours. While LinkedIn isn't admitting that it deleted fake accounts, the fact that both of these numbers fell at the same time suggests something was done. Neither Apple nor Amazon commented when asked to by Krebs on Security. LinkedIn simply said that it constantly works to clear out fake accounts.

It isn't yet clear why these fake accounts exist or who is creating them, although one Cybersecurity firm previously told Bloomberg that some North Korean hackers have been faking profiles in an attempt to get themselves jobs at large crypto firms.

Another suggestion is that people are using impressive-looking LinkedIn accounts as a way to lure people into scams, particularly those that get unsuspecting people to invest in cryptocurrencies. Whatever the reason, it's easy to see why LinkedIn might want them gone.

What you need to know

• Apple hosted its "Peek Performance" event earlier today.
• The company revealed the Mac Studio and Studio Display at the event.
• It is releasing new color options for the Magic Keyboard, Mouse, and Trackpad to complement the display.

Earlier today, Apple hosted its "Peek Performance" special event. At the event, the company announced new generations of the iPhone SE and iPad Air as well as introduced the new Mac Studio and Studio Display.

The new Studio Display features an all-aluminum design with a black border and, in order to complement the design, Apple has announced new color options for your Mac accessories.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse will now come in both a Silver and Silver/Black color option so you can match your accessories with your Studio Display the way that you want.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse in the new Silver/Black color option are available to order today and are currently showing delivery dates as early as March 11.

You can actually preorder the Mac Studio and Studio Display already with both new products launching next Friday, March 18. Shipping dates are already starting to slip on both devices.

What you need to know

• Apple is discontinuing its Space Gray Magic accessories for the Mac.
• The change is occurring due to the company discontinuing the iMac Pro back in March.

Apple is wiping Space Gray Macs from the earth.

As reported by MacRumors, Apple is discontinuing its Space Gray Magic Keyboard, Mouse, and Trackpad. The accessories launched in tandem back with the iMac Pro, which the company discontinued back in March. Now, Apple seems to be discontinuing all of the accessories that were made for it as well.

Apple did also release a Space Gray Mac mini, but the only one available now is an Intel version. The latest version of the Mac mini, which includes the company's new M1 processor, only comes in Silver.

Of course, Apple will continue to sell silver versions of the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad to take care of existing iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro users.

While some Magic accessories are going away, an entire wave is about to hit with Apple's new M1 iMac. All of Magic Keyboards, Magic Mice, and Magic Trackpads have been color-matched to all seven of the new iMac's colors.

The new iMac is available for preorder now with shipments expected to begin to reach customers on May 21.

Both of Apple's branded computer navigation devices feature multi-touch gesture support. Both move the pointer around on your Mac, allow you to swipe up, down, left, and right, and have customizable settings to perfect your personal experience. The Magic Mouse is better for small spaces, while the Magic Trackpad is better for full gesture movement.

Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad: What are the differences?

The most obvious difference between the Magic Mouse and the Magic Trackpad is ... well ... one is a mouse, and the other is a trackpad. With the mouse, you rest your hand on the curved surface and move your arm around to move the pointer up, down, to the left, and to the right. With the Magic Trackpad, you move the pointer around by swiping with one finger on the surface.

When considering which pointer peripheral you should have for your computing needs, think about how much space you have. Do you have room for a trackpad that is about 6 inches wide by 4.5 inches deep? If not, the Magic Mouse is better. Do you suffer from finger cramping when using a mouse, especially the pinky finger? A trackpad solves that stationary finger issue.

Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad: Arm saving vs. space saving

If your desktop has room for a trackpad measuring about 6 x 4.5 inches, I highly recommend the Magic Trackpad. Personally, I find it the be more comfortable from an ergonomic standpoint. You don't keep your hand resting in the same place for long periods like you do on a mouse, which is overall better on your hands unless you're specifically using an ergonomic mouse. You don't have to move your whole arm around to move the pointer. With a mouse, your desk's surface (or a mouse pad) is what you use to move around on the screen. With a trackpad, your finger does the walking.

If you're limited by space, the Magic Trackpad may be too big for you if your desktop area is small. Sure, you need space to move the Magic Mouse around on, but there's a level of flexibility that doesn't exist with the Magic Trackpad. If you're using the Magic Keyboard with Number Pad, for example, on a keyboard tray, there may not be enough room on that tray for the keyboard and trackpad, but you could make it work with a mouse.

Plus, the Magic Mouse is more portable. You can lift it with the same hand you navigate, move it to a different surface, and continue clicking without missing a beat. You can shove it in your back pocket and take it with you on the go. The Magic Trackpad is a little too big to lift with one hand easily, and it definitely doesn't fit in your back pocket.

Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad: Gestures vs. Force Touch

The Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad support almost all of the same gestures, like swiping between pages and full apps, scrolling with one finger, and double-tapping to access Mission Control.

The Magic Trackpad, however, has a couple more cool gestures, like pinch-to-zoom and image rotating.

The Magic Trackpad also supports Force Touch, which is sort of like 3D Touch on an iPhone. You click on the trackpad surface and then press down. You'll feel a second sort of click when it's been triggered.

Force Touch only accesses Quick Look and Look Up, which are nice additions but not overly helpful on Mac. Again, like 3D Touch on the Home screen, it's nice, but not anything that totally changes the way you use your Mac.

Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad: Price

If you're buying a desktop Mac, and price matters the most, the Magic Mouse is a no-brainer. It comes with every Mac desktop. A Magic Trackpad will cost an additional $50. If you want both the Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, you'll pay a total of $129 for both. That's if you're buying a new Mac desktop.

If you're buying a Mac laptop or already have a desktop, the price of both goes up, but the Magic Trackpad is still more expensive than the Magic Mouse, and getting either in Space Gray will set you back an additional $20.

If your wallet is thin and saving money is your top priority, the Magic Mouse is the better priced of the two, especially if you're buying a Mac desktop because the price is zero extra dollars.

Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad: Charging while working

With the Magic Mouse 2, Apple did this unusual thing and put the charging port on the bottom. This was likely the only place they could put the port and still keep the iconic low-profile design. It is, however, inconvenient, at best.

You can't use the Magic Mouse 2 while it's charging. You have to wait at least 15 minutes for it to juice up enough for you to finish your current project, and then you can plug it in for the night.

On the other hand, the Magic Trackpad can still be used while charging, so you never lose productivity while in the middle of something important.

Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad: Bottom line

The Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad are ideal on Mac because they support certain gestures that no other mouse or trackpad support. Either one is going to make you happy.

If I were to recommend one over the other, however, I prefer the Magic Trackpad. I have both and use them both interchangeably at my desk. I find the Magic Trackpad to be more comfortable, and the pinch-to-zoom gesture works with my personal workflow.

When it comes to cursor speeds, everyone is different. Some people want that arrow pointer to fly across the screen as fast as a nitro-fueled RC racer. Others want it to move slowly, so they don't keep losing it on the screen. Whatever your preference is, you can speed up or slow down the tracking, scrolling, and double-clicking on the trackpad on your macOS Big Sur Mac.

How to speed up or slow down tracking on a Mac trackpad

Tracking controls how fast or slow the on-screen pointer (arrow) moves around on your Mac's screen. If you set the speed faster, it will fly across the screen in one swipe. If you set it slower, you will be able to watch it glide across the screen slowly as you move it along with multiple swipes.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Trackpad.
4. Choose on Point & Click tab.

5. Move the tracking speed slider to the right to speed up the cursor speed or to the left to slow it down.
6. Move the click pressure slider to the right to make the click pressure more firm or to the left to make it lighter.

7. Untick the box for Silent clicking if you want to turn off the clicking sound that comes from the trackpad.
8. Untick the box for Force Click and haptic feedback if you want to disable haptic feedback when you force click your trackpad (it feels like a little "bump" against your finger).

How to speed up or slow down scrolling on a Mac trackpad

You can use two-finger scrolling on a Mac trackpad, which allows you to scroll up or down on a page without having to drag the cursor or arrow along the scroll bar on the side. When trackpad scrolling is set to fast, you can swipe with two fingers all the way down to the bottom of the page with a single swipe. When scrolling is set to slow, you will be able to view more content as you move up or down with multiple swipes.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Accessibility.
4. Scroll down and click on Pointer Controls from the list.

5. Click on Trackpad Options.
6. Move the Scrolling speed slider to the right to speed up scrolling, or to the left to slow it down.

How to speed up or slow down double-clicking on a Mac trackpad

You can double-click on a Mac trackpad by quickly pressing the pad twice. If you are having trouble activating the double-click feature, you may need to adjust the speed. When double-click speed is slower, you can press the trackpad as long as three seconds apart and still activate the feature. When it is faster, you'll have to press the trackpad twice immediately to activate it.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Accessibility.
4. Scroll down and click on Pointer Controls from the list.

5. Move the Double-click speed slider to the right to speed up scrolling, or to the left to slow it down.

How to find the cursor on your Mac

That tiny little arrow on your Mac can get lost pretty easily, especially if you are using a 27-inch screen. Apple has a "Shake to find cursor" feature, which temporarily increases the arrow's size on the screen.

If you've looked everywhere, but can't seem to find the cursor, try vigorously moving your finger from side-to-side on your trackpad. The arrow will grow in size, hopefully making it easier for you to see.

New Mac?

Are you considering a new Mac desktop or laptop? Be sure to check out our favorite Macs of the year.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about speeding up tracking and scrolling on your Mac trackpad? Got any secret tips to share about the subject? Let us know in the comments.

Updated December 2020 for macOS Big Sur.

If you've just switched to the Mac, you may find yourself a bit confused by how the Mac's mice and trackpad work.

The Mac famously doesn't come with a mouse or trackpad that has a distinct right mouse button, but that doesn't mean you can't right-click on the Mac. Whether you use the built-in trackpad on your Mac laptop, a Magic Trackpad, a Magic Mouse, or a third-party mouse that has a distinct right button (such as the Logitech MX Master 3), here's how to enable right-click menus on your Mac.

How to right click on Mac

Regardless of how your Mac is set up, holding down the control key on the keyboard and pressing your primary mouse or trackpad button will open a shortcut or contextual menu, providing the same functionality that most Windows switchers are accustomed to seeing from a right-click.

If you have a third-party mouse that has a right physical button, macOS should recognize the button and map it accordingly after you plug in the mouse. If you like having a different button as your right-click, you can customize which button is primary — left or right — in the Mouse system preference pane.

You may also want to check your third-party mouse maker's website for Mac drivers. Some of the better ones, like Logitech, offer very sophisticated tools for programming not only buttons, but other great functionality like optic tracking speed and acceleration, scroll wheel motion, chording, and more.

How to turn right click on for a Magic Trackpad or MacBook trackpad

1. Launch System Preferences from the Dock or by clicking the Apple button in the top left corner and clicking System Preferences.
2. Click on the Trackpad icon.

3. Select the Point and Click tab.
4. Choose the checkbox next to Secondary click.

Once it's activated, you'll be able to right-click by tapping the trackpad with two fingers simultaneously. You can change the preference to click in the bottom left or right corners if you prefer.

How to turn right click on for a Magic Mouse

1. Launch System Preferences from the Dock or by clicking the Apple button in the top left corner and clicking System Preferences.
2. Click on Mouse.

3. Click the checkbox next to Secondary click, and choose either "click on the right side" or "click on the left side", depending on your preference.

In the market?

There are lots of awesome MacBooks available now! Check out our favorite models of the year.

Can't live without right click on Mac?

Do you prefer using a trackpad when you're on your MacBook, or do you opt for the Magic Mouse? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated November 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.

Apple's space gray Magic Trackpad 2 is down to $104.99 at Amazon. It usually sells for $149 and today's price is a match for its lowest ever. Before this month it had never actually gone below $130 and the few discounts it has seen have been short-lived so don't delay on this one.

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Having now been replaced by the 24-inch M1 iMac, Apple's 21.5-inch iMac has been discontinued. That means big savings at third-party retailers including at Amazon where it's discounted by $399.

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This sale includes iPhone models, the Apple Watch, iMac and iPad devices, Beats headphones, Apple services, and more. The deals vary by product, so be sure to check them all out now.

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Change how you use your iPad with the Apple Pencil. This stylus lets you use your iPad as a notepad, a canvas, or a drawing board for all of your ideas. Today's deal saves you 20% instantly at Verizon.

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Updated in late 2020, the Mac Mini has Apple's M1 chip that combines CPU, GPU, and machine learning for faster performance, better graphics, and an all around streamlined device. This version has 8GB RAM and a 256GB solid state drive.

From $329 1621244196

Apple Watch Series 6 models are available for some of their best prices ever right now. The lowest price is on the red 40mm version which is $70 off with 44mm and cellular models seeing discounts of up to $91.

The Magic Trackpad 2 brings Apple's Force Touch technology — previously only in its laptop trackpads — to the desktop. It has a large glass surface that is nearly 30% larger than the previous model offering plenty of room for multi-touch gestures. There are four integrated force sensors underneath the trackpad surface allowing you to click anywhere as well as detect subtle differences in the amount of pressure you apply for added functionality. The second-gen model is also rechargeable, meaning you don't need to stock up on AA batteries — simply plug in the included Lightning cable to top the trackpad up when your Mac tells you it is running low. It's also really easy to pair. Just plug it in once, and it's set up straight away.

The space gray model usually costs $20 more than the silver model despite the only difference being the color. It was initially exclusive with the iMac Pro, though it has been on sale on its own for a little while now. You can also pick up the space gray Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard separately if you want to complete the set.

Check out iMore's in-depth review of the Magic Trackpad 2 if you need to know more but be sure to snag it at a discount while you can.

Apple makes a series of accessories for the Mac that includes the Magic Keyboard and second editions of both the Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse. They were last updated last year, the big new feature being built-in lithium-ion batteries and, for the keyboard and trackpad, new wedge-shaped designs. That meant they could be charged and re-charged over USB to Lightning cables all while sitting flush on your desk. Well, except for the Magic Mouse, whose old design prevented use while charging...

So, if Apple came to you and asked what you wanted to see from their Magic accessories in 2017, what would you tell them?

1. Redesign the Magic Mouse so it can be used while charging.
2. Add Force Touch and Force Click to Magic Mouse.
3. Add Touch Bar and Touch ID to Magic Keyboard.
4. Split/ergonomic version for Magic Keyboard.
5. Retro deep travel clickety-clackity version of Magic Keyboard.
6. Magic Number Pad (or extended option) for Magic Keyboard.
7. Space Gray option on all Magic accessories.
8. Ahem. Black, jet black, gold, and rose gold options on all Magic accessories.
9. Switch from Lightning to USB-C connectors on all Magic accessories.
10. Extra USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 connector for daisy chaining additional accessories.

Those are just a few ideas — what are yours? What would you like to see in the next generation of Apple Magic accessories for Mac? (And, of course, the next generation of iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro that go with them!)

Force Touch trackpads come on the 12-inch MacBook, 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro, and the Magic Trackpad 2. And with Force Touch comes Force Click, a convenient way to invoke secondary actions with what is, in essence, a secondary, "deeper" press into the trackpad. Apple currently ties Force Click into the Quick Look, Look Up, data detector, and detail view functions, as well as a few extras. That means you can generally go deeper just by — wait for it — going deeper. Here are all the basics!

See all app windows

Force Click on an icon in the Dock and you'll get an Exposé preview of that app's open windows.

Preview a file

Force Click on a document and you'll get a Quick Look of the file's contents.

Rename a file

Force Click on a file name and you'll be able to rename it.

Look up a word

Force Click on a word or common grouping of words and a you'll get the Look Up popover with results from Dictionary or Wikipedia.

Preview a website

Force Click on a link and you'll get a popover showing you the contents of a link's webpage.

See Message details

Force Click on a thread in Messages and you'll call up the details view with location, attachments, and Do Not Disturb.

See Reminders details

Force Click on a reminder to see location, time, and other details about it.

See event details

Force Click on a Calendar event to see location, time, and other details. Force Click on an attendee to see contact details.

Add an event

Force Click on a date and you'll get a popover offering to add them to your calendar.

Preview an address

Force Click on an a address and you'll get a popover showing you a map of the location.

Drop a location pin

Force Click on a place in Maps to drop a pin on it.

Track a package

Force Click on a tracking number and you'll get a popup showing you all the shipping and delivery details, including progress and current status.

Annotate an image or PDF

Force Click on an image or or PDF in Mail and you'll open it in the Markup extension, ready for annotation.

More shortcuts

Apple is also using the pressure sensitive aspects of Force Click to let you accelerate fast forward and rewind in QuickTime and iMovie, and zoom in maps. The company is using the Taptic engine to hint when you're getting to the end of a clip in iMovie and to rotating back to zero degrees in Photos. It's safe to say we're at the very beginning of Force Click, and that there's a lot more to come!

• Secret Apple Watch controls
• Secret Siri commands
• Secret Safari shortcuts
• Secret Mail shortcuts
• Secret keyboard shortcuts
• Secret power-saving shortcuts
• Secret Apple TV controls

Originally published October 2015. Updated November 2016.

Force Click lets you not only click like you would on a traditional, mechanical trackpad, but press harder to engage a second click, or a range of additional click levels, that enable additional actions. For example, click on an icon and then Force Click to get a QuickLook, or click on a word and then Force Click to get a dictionary definition. How you set it up and adjust how Force Click works, however, is completely up to you!

• How to turn Force Click on or off for the Mac
• How to assign Force Click on the Mac
• How to change the firmness of Force Click on the Mac
• How to use Force Click on the Mac

How to turn Force Click on or off for the Mac

With a Force Click, you can do everything from bringing up Quick Look to Look Up, preview maps and websites, and more. If you like the way it works and feels, it's on by default and you can leave it that way. If you'd rather turn it off, however, and use your Force Touch trackpad more like a traditional trackpad, you can easily do that too. And if you later change your mind, you can turn it right back on.

1. Launch System Preferences.
2. Click on Trackpad.
3. Uncheck Force Click and haptic feedback to disable.
   
   
   

To re-enable Force Click, repeat the same steps and re-check Force Click and haptic feedback.

How to assign Force Click on the Mac

1. Launch System Preferences.
2. Click on Trackpad.
3. Click on Look up & data selectors
4. Set it to Force Click with one finger to use Force Click, or Tap with three fingers to disable Force Click.
   
   
   

If you later change your mind, simply perform the same steps again and switch to the other option.

How to change the firmness of Force Click on the Mac

By default, Force Click requires a "medium" level of intensity to activate. Apple gives you the option, however, of switching to "light", which makes it easier to engage, or "firm", which requires you to put even more muscle behind it. Whether you're having a hard time triggering Force Click, or you're triggering by mistake, there's likely a setting that's perfect for you.

1. Launch System Preferences.
2. Click on Trackpad.
3. Select between Light, Medium, and Firm.
   
   
   

Keep trying the different settings until you find the one that works best for you.

How to use Force Click on the Mac

Apple currently ties Force Click into the Quick Look, Look Up, data detector, and detail view functions, as well as a few extras. That means you can generally go deeper just by — wait for it — going deeper. Here are all the basics!

• Secret Force Click shortcuts: Thirteen Taptic tricks for your new Trackpad!

With "trackpad mode", you can quickly and easily switch from text entry to cursor movement, so you can put the insertion or selection point exactly where you want it. Using "trackpad mode" is a little different on the iPhone — it only works on iPhone that support 3D Touch — than it is on the iPad, so we will break down each one separately.

• How to use trackpad mode on iPad
• How to use trackpad mode on iPhone 6s with 3D Touch

How to use trackpad mode on iPad

Instead of tapping to move the cursor, you can swipe on the iPad keyboard to move the cursor, just like you would on a laptop trackpad.

1. Launch the app you want to use and bring up the keyboard.
2. Touch two fingers down on the keyboard to switch to the trackpad.
3. Swipe your finger around to move the cursor.

You can also use the virtual trackpad to select text. To select specific lengths of text:

1. Launch the app you want to use and bring up the keyboard.
2. Tap two fingers once to select the word.
3. Tap two fingers twice to select the sentence.
4. Tap two fingers three times to select the paragraph.

While selecting words, sentences ,and paragraphs can be useful, sometimes it's nice to select a certain length of text.

1. Touch two fingers down on the keyboard to switch to the trackpad.
2. Wait a moment for the cursor to switch to the text selector.
3. Drag your fingers around to move the text selection point.

You can also move the cursor when in editing mode, even with an external keyboard attached.

1. Tap in any text field.
2. Place two fingers anywhere inside the text field to activate Trackpad mode.
3. Move your fingers to move the cursor where you'd like it to be positioned.
4. To highlight a word, position your cursor over the word, release your fingers, then tap once. To highlight a paragraph, tap twice.

How to use trackpad mode on iPhones that support 3D Touch

When Apple unveiled the new trackpad mode on the iPad, many of us immediately wanted it elsewhere in the iOS ecosystem. Well, with iPhones that support 3D Touch, we got our wish. There is one difference, though. On the iPhone you don't need to use two fingers to switch from keyboard to trackpad, you only need to use one. And that's thanks to 3D Touch.

1. Launch the app you want to use and bring up the keyboard.
2. Press firmly on the keyboard.
3. Drag your finger around to move the cursor.

You can also use 3D Touch to switch between moving the cursor and selecting text:

1. Launch the app you want to use and bring up the keyboard.
2. Press firmly on the keyboard.
3. Press deeper to select text. (It's almost like relaxing slightly and pressing again—the equivalent of "clicking" on a laptop trackpad.)
4. Let go to finish.

What's great is that you can continue to "click" with 3D Touch to toggle between cursor movement and text selection. So, if you select the wrong text or simply change your mind, you just press again to go right back to moving around.

• Learn more about what you can do with 3D Touch

How do you change your trackpad settings? If your Mac's trackpad doesn't play nice with your fingers, you can change it!

• How to add clicking features on the trackpad on a Mac
• How to change scrolling and zooming on the trackpad on a Mac
• How to enable gestures on the trackpad on a Mac
• How to change the double-click and scrolling speed on the trackpad on a Mac

How to add clicking features on the trackpad on a Mac

You can turn on double-clicking, data look up, and tap-to-click features to the trackpad.

1. Click the Apple icon () in the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Trackpad in the System Preferences window.
4. Click on Point & Click.

5. Tick the box Look up and data detectors to enable the ability to search words and phrases in Safari, iTunes, and other searchable services on your Mac
6. Tick the box Secondary click to enable one-click double-clicking.You can select how you trigger Secondary click to work from the dropdown menu to click in the bottom right or bottom left corner or clicking with two fingers.

7. Tick the box Tap to click to enable the ability to tap lightly on the trackpad to trigger a click.
8. Drag the slider bar to the left or right to slow down or speed up how fast the pointer moves across the screen when you move your finger on the trackpad.

How to change scrolling and zooming on the trackpad on a Mac

You can use the trackpad to zoom in and out in windows and rotate items when supported.

1. Click the Apple icon () in the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Trackpad in the System Preferences window.
4. Click on Scroll & Zoom.

5. Tick the box Scroll direction: Natural to have the trackpad scroll follow your finger movement.
6. Tick the box Zoom in or out to pinch to zoom.

7. Tick the box Smart Zoom to enable the ability to double-tap with two fingers to zoom.
8. Tick the box Rotate to enable the ability to rotate documents, like pictures and PDFs, with two fingers.

How to enable gestures on the trackpad on a Mac

You can make the trackpad work like a touch screen by enabling additional swiping and pinching gestures.

1. Click the Apple icon () in the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Trackpad in the System Preferences window.
4. Click on More Gestures.

5. Tick the box Swipe between pages to enable the ability to switch windows in Safari, iTunes, and other supported apps by swiping from left to right on the trackpad.You can select which gesture works to switch between windows from the dropdown menu to scroll with two fingers, swipe with three fingers, or swipe with two or three fingers.
6. Tick the box Swipe between full-screen to enable the ability to swipe with three or four fingers to switch to different full-screen windows.

7. Tick the box Notification Center to swipe left from the right edge with two fingers.
8. Tick the box Mission Control to enable gestures to access Mission Control.You can select which gesture to trigger access to Mission control from the dropdown menu to swipe up with three or four fingers.

9. Tick the box App Expose to enable the gesture to highlight a single app and its recent files on your desktop.You can select which gesture to enable App Expose from the dropdown menu to swipe down with three or four fingers.
10. Tick the box Launchpad to pinch with your thumb and three fingers to access launchpad.
11. Tick the box Show Desktop to spread your thumb and three fingers to switch back from Launchpad to the desktop.

How to change the double-click and scrolling speed on the trackpad on a Mac

You can adjust how fast the trackpad reacts to your clicks and scrolls.

1. Click the Apple icon () in the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences... from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Accessibility.
4. Scroll down and select Mouse & Trackpad from the list of options.

5. Drag the Double-click speed slider bar to the left or right to slow down or speed up how long you can click a second time to trigger double-clicking.
6. Click Trackpad Options and adjust the slider bar to speed up or slow down how fast the trackpad scrolls down a web page or document.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about changing the trackpad settings on your Mac? Let us know in the comments and we'll help you out.

Force Touch may have been announced first with the Apple Watch but it shipped first on the new MacBook and, in so doing, brought the next generation of interactivity to the laptop. Now, the Magic Trackpad 2 aims to bring the same pressure sensitivity to desktop. Once again, it's multitouch made multidimensional, but this time for the iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro.

And while Force Touch—and Force Click—are the headline new features, the Magic Trackpad 2 also sports a new design and with it, a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Yet all of these updates come at a price—$129. So, is the Magic Trackpad 2 worth it?

• Force Touch on the desktop
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

• A mouse
• A cheap input device

Bottom Line

The new Magic Trackpad 2 is better than the old Magic Trackpad in every way. It's bigger, it's sturdier, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery is built right in, and it supports the same next-generation Force Touch technology found in the latest MacBooks. But all of that comes at a cost. For $129, you have to really want it.

$129 - Buy now from Apple

Magic Trackpad 2 Table of Contents

• Magic Trackpad 2 design
• Magic Trackpad 2 functionality
• Magic Trackpad 2 conclusion

Magic Trackpad 2 Design

Superficially, the Magic Trackpad 2 is a rounded rectangular wedge, lower in front, higher in back. It's 0.43 inches (109 mm) at its tallest point, 4.52 inches (1149 mm) deep, 6.3 inches (16 cm) wide, and weighs 0.51 pounds (0.231 kg). On the back there's an on/off switch, Lightning port, and plastic window to allow the Bluetooth signals in and out. Other than that, it's all aluminum and white glass.

The surface of the Magic Trackpad 2 is larger than the previous generation. Apple says by 29 percent. That makes it feel almost like a small touch-tablet, through stripped of everything but the touch. Because it no longer needs to hold AA batteries, it no longer needs the roll at the base. Because it does need to house the Force Touch and Tapic Engine assemblies, it no longer has the empty space beneath it either.

The result is something that feels remarkably solid. Indeed, it is solid and in a way beyond even the much thinner Force Touch trackpads in the new MacBook and MacBooks Pro. It feels exactly like them, though. Just more expansive, free even of the shallow cutout of the unibody.

The white color is stark, though. It's glass, and I know intellectually it won't discolor or get dirty the way other white finishes might, but emotionally it causes me stress. I initially wished Apple had kept the aluminum finish of the original Magic Trackpad, but now I'm not sure. Now I'm leaning towards wishing they'd gone with silver, space gray, and gold, like the MacBook.

I know it wouldn't match and iMac or Mac mini or Mac Pro, but neither does the white. The white matches only the white of the keys on the Magic Keyboard and the plastic on the Magic Mouse, and I'd prefer all of them be black or matched to Apple's more fashionable product lines.

The new footprint does take up more space on the desk, but the new feeling and functionality make it worth it. Especially since it's offset by the smaller footprint of the new Magic Keyboard.

It's another example, perhaps one of the purest examples ever, of Apple's "inevitability" aesthetic. When it comes to design, it is exactly what it is, and in the best way possible.

Magic Trackpad 2 Functionality

The Magic Trackpad 2 is rechargeable now. Plug it in over the supplied Lightning cable—the same one that charges iPhones, iPads, and new Apple TV remotes—and it'll not only instantly pair to your Mac, but it'll replenish itself enough to last you over a month of regular use. Now that that's out of the way, lets talk about Force Touch.

The greatest trick the new MacBook ever pulled was making you think you could click its Force Touch trackpad. Then, when you turned it off, you realized just how thoroughly you were being tricked. Just how great a lie your fingers were telling you. The Magic Trackpad 2 is exactly like that, but more so.

Because the Magic Trackpad 2 is just a wedge, when it's off it feels it really feels like just a wedge. Unmoving. That, if you tried to click it like it had a button, it would laugh at you. Then you turn it on and not only does proprioception make it feel like it's clicking, it makes it feel like it's clicking at different depths as well. It's ingeniously maddening. It also allows for a range of new functionality.

It's not necessary functionality because most people still don't have a Force Touch or Magic Trackpad, so Apple can't make OS X reliant on one being there. But it's convenient functionality, which can be extremely valuable. Similar to 3D Touch on the iPhons 6s, you can press deeper in links, data detectors, icons, avatars, and more to "peek" into other views and other apps.

• Force Click on a Dock icon to Expose the app's windows, a file icon to Quick Look it, or a file name to edit it.
• Force Click on a word to look it up in Dictionary or Wikipedia, an address to get a Maps preview, or a location to drop a pin.
• Force Click on a date to add it to Calendar, an event to see details, and an invitee to preview their contact card.
• Force Click on a link to preview a web site, an image or PDF to invoke Markup, or an iMessage conversation to see details.

You can also get the same type of pressure sensitivity out of it as you can 3D Touch, though sadly Apple's new Notes app doesn't include the Sketch functionality on OS X that it does on iOS. Apple is providing developer access to the Force Touch trackpad on OS X, though, so hopefully art, music, and other apps will soon start taking advantage of it.

There are already some interesting applications in Apple's apps. You can press harder to accelerate fast forward and rewind in QuickTime, for example, or to zoom in and out in Maps. And you can receive Taptic feedback so you "feel" when a slider is at its neutral or extreme points.

• How to set up and adjust Force Click on the Mac
• How to use Force Click on the Mac

The way Force Touch works on the stand-alone Magic Trackpad is identical to the way it works on the Force Touch Trackpad on the MacBooks. There are four sensors inside the trackpad that register how hard you press, and an electromagnetic Taptic Engine that returns haptic vibrations in response.

Crudely put, the Magic Trackpad is returning horizontal force that our fingers, because they're really not as discriminating as we think they are, are interpreting as vertical force. Even the sound of the click is partially faked—you can mute it in Settings if you prefer.

But Apple's not doing Force Touch to fool us or simply to be clever. The company is doing it so that they can fit fully operational trackpads into ridiculously thin laptops, since the mechanisms no longer have to stack beneath the surfaces. And provide fully functional clicks from top to bottom, since the mechanism no longer has to depend on an anchored physical switch.

It's science and engineering that feels like magic, and it's fascinating. The way in which it's being done, though, and even that it's being done, doesn't really matter. All that matters is that the magic totally work.

Magic Trackpad 2 Bottom Line

The minute Apple showed off the Force Touch Trackpad on the new MacBooks, everyone with a desktop or docked Mac wondered when it would be coming for them and theirs. With the Magic Trackpad 2, it's here. And it's glorious.

I'm not a huge fan of the color, but I like the new size and new design. And I love that I can now have a consistent experience between MacBook and iMac. That's incredibly important because Force Touch isn't currently a requirement for OS X. It's a convenience. And if it's not on all your devices, you'll never build up enough habit and enough muscle memory to really benefit from that convenience.

With the Magic Trackpad 2, though, I'm not just using Force Touch for the first time on my iMac, I remember to us it more often on my MacBook as well.

I'm not a fan of the mouse, and have never much enjoyed Apple's mouses, so whether or not those who love the mouse should switch to the Magic Trackpad 2 I can't say. If you have a Force Touch trackpad on your MacBook and want a consistent experience on our desktop Mac, however, you should consider it.

For those who have the original Magic Trackpad, the ability to recharge simply by plugging in is terrific, and the Force Touch, to me, makes it absolutely worth it.

And yes, that's taking into account the $129 sticker price, which is really high by input device standards. The future never comes cheap, especially Apple's vision of it, but if you can spare the cash you're in for a treat.

$129 - Buy now from Apple

Accessory company WaterField has announced a new set of cases and covers for Apple's new Magic Keyboard 2 and Magic Trackpad peripherals. The new cases are custom-fit for either accessory, meant to protect them when you travel.

WaterField has designed three products for the Magic Keyboard. The first, and least expensive, is the Magic Keyboard Socket, a simple, padded sleeve, into which you slip your keyboard for easy protection. The slightly more protective Slip is a slim case with a padded liner that comes in either black ballistic nylon or tan waxed canvas. Finally, the Magic Keyboard Travel Express is ready not only for your keyboard, but also your charger, mouse, and Lightning cable. The Socket costs $15, while the Slip is $29, and the Travel Express will run you $59.

There are also Socket and Slip products for the Magic Trackpad. Both products are smaller versions of their keyboard-protecting counterparts, with the Trackpad Socket available for $12, and the Slip costing $25.

You can find both sets of cases at WaterField right now.

• Check out WaterField's selection of Magic Keyboard cases from $15
• Check out WaterField's selection of Magic Trackpad cases from $12

If you really want to know what's inside the newly released Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard, the iFixit team has you covered. The iFixit crew has performed its usual, and highly extensive, teardowns of all three products to see what's really inside.

As you might expect, all three accessories share some similarities, including the new lithium-ion batteries that ditch the AA batteries found in the older versions of these devices. Specifically, the Magic Trackpad 2 has a 2024 mAh battery, and the one in the Magic Mouse 2 is 1986 mAh They also all share the same Broadcom BCM20733 Bluetooth 3.0 chip.

Everything you need to know about the new Magic accessories for the Mac

• $99 - Magic Keyboard
• $79 - Magic Mouse 2
• $129 - Magic Trackpad 2

Source: iFixit (Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Keyboard)

Apple's new 21.5 inch Retina 4K iMac and 27-inch Retina 5K iMac come with new accessories. Magic accessories. The Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and optional Magic Trackpad 2 to be specific. And yes, the Magic Trackpad 2 has Force Touch! Here's everything you need to know about Apple's new accessories.

• $99 - Magic Keyboard
• $79 - Magic Mouse 2
• $129 - Magic Trackpad 2

What makes these magic accessories so new?

The Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 have been redesigned: They're now slimmer, sleeker, and more comfortable to use than ever.

They're also now fully rechargeable, with built-in lithium-ion batteries, so say goodbye to having to swap disposable AA cells.

How do they recharge?

A Lightning cable! Just like the iPhone, iPad, and new Apple TV controller, the company's new Magic accessories all come with a Lightning-to-USB cable. Plug the Lightning end into the Magic accessory and the USB end into your Mac or an optional USB adapter, and charge away.

How often do I have to charge them? What's the battery life like?

Apple says the new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 should last you about a month or more on a single charge.

They're still wireless and use Bluetooth, though, right?

Yes, the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 work over Bluetooth on any Bluetooth-capable Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later. The Magic Trackpad 2 works over Bluetooth on any Bluetooth 4.0-capable Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later.

They'll come pre-paired with any new Mac that includes them; if bought separately, the accessories pair instantly when you plug the Lightning cable in to your Mac for the first time.

Okay, tell me about the Magic Keyboard?

The new Magic Keyboard isn't just a new version of the old Apple Wireless Keyboard: It's a complete redesign that takes up 13 percent less space.

The Magic Keyboard is still full sized, along with full-sized function keys, and uses a new scissor mechanism that provides 33% more key stability.

The keyboard now sports a new, lower profile, and is built like a solid wedge. Apple says it's been engineered for comfort and precision, and the Lightning port is located on the rear edge—so even when you have to recharge, you never have to stop typing.

What about the Magic Mouse 2?

The new Magic Mouse 2 is lighter and sturdier than the original. It also has newly redesigned feet for a smoother, more precise glide. It doesn't offer Force Touch, but remains multitouch, so you can swipe with one or multiple fingers, click, or double-click.

The Lightning plug is on the bottom, but 2 minutes of charging will give you a typical 9 hour day of use, so you can quickly top up if you have to and then finish charging when you're done for the day.

Okay, I'm ready. Hit me with the Magic Trackpad 2!

Right?! Physically, the Magic Trackpad 2 still has a glass surface, but it's now 29 percent larger, and sports the same lower profile as the new Magic Keyboard. They pair exceptionally well together.

Internally, the new Magic Trackpad 2 is like the Force Touch trackpads that ship in the MacBook and MacBooks Pro. There are four force sensors in the trackpad that detect how hard you push and where, along with a Taptic Engine that provides tactile, haptic feedback—including the simulation of a click and deeper force click.

You've got all the multitouch gestures you expect, including tap, swipe, pinch, for single and multiple fingers. But you've now got the multidimensional Force Touch interactions as well.

What can I do with Force Touch on the Magic Trackpad 2?

Same kinds of things you can do with it on the MacBook or MacBooks Pro:

• Force Click on a Dock icon to Expose the app's windows, a file icon to Quick Look it, or a file name to edit it.
• Force Click on a word to look it up in Dictionary or Wikipedia, an address to get a Maps preview, or a location to drop a pin.
• Force Click on a date to add it to Calendar, an event to see details, and an invitee to preview their contact card.
• Force Click on a link to preview a website, an image or PDF to invoke Markup, or an iMessage conversation to see details.
• Force Press in QuickTime to fast forward and rewind quicker.
• Force Press in Maps to Zoom.

And a variety of apps will provide haptic feedback when you slide or rotate to certain points as well.

What does this Magic cost and when and where can I get some?

The new iMacs ship with the new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2, and the Magic Trackpad 2 can be substituted instead (you simply pay the $50 difference). You can also buy them separately through Apple.com, Apple Retail, or authorized resellers.

• $99 - Magic Keyboard
• $79 - Magic Mouse 2
• $129 - Magic Trackpad 2

Apple has just announced a new 21.5-inch Retina 4K iMac and an updated 27-inch Retina 5K iMac with better color gamut, Intel Broadwell and Skylake chipsets, a lower priced Fusion Drive options, and new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2—which Force Touch!—accessories.

• Read our 21.5-inch 4K iMac and 27-inch 5K iMac FAQ
• Read our Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 FAQ

The new 21.5-inch Retina 4K iMac starts at $1499 for a 4096 x 2304 display, 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz), Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 8GB of 1867MHz LPDDR3 memory, and 1TB 5400-rpm hard drive. Build-to-order (BTO) options include 3.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz), 16 GB of memory, Fusion Drive from 1 TB to 2 TB, or flash drive from 256 GB to 512 GB.

The updated 27-inch Retina 5K iMac starts at $1799 for a 5120 x 2880, 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz), AMD Radeon R9 M380 with 2GB GDDR5, 8GB (2x4GB) of 1867MHz DDR3 memory, and 1TB 7200-rpm hard drive. Build-to-order (BTO) options max out at 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz), AMD Radeon R9 M395X with 4GB GDDR5, 32 GB of memory, 3 TB Fusion Drive, or 1 TB flash drive.

Both come with redesigned and rechargeable—via Lighning-to-USB cable—Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2, with optional Magic Trackpad 2. Separately, Magic Keyboard costs $99, Magic Mouse 2 costs $79 and Magic Trackpad 2 (with Force Touch) costs $129.

The new iMacs and Magic Accessories are available at Apple.com, Apple Retail, and authorized resellers. If you're thinking of picking any of it up, let me know in the comments!

New Wireless Accessories Bring Force Touch to the Desktop

CUPERTINO, California — October 13, 2015 — Apple® today updated the entire iMac® family, bringing a stunning new Retina® 4K display to the 21.5-inch iMac for the first time and the Retina 5K display to every 27-inch iMac. The new Retina displays make photos and videos more immersive and true-to-life thanks to a wider color gamut and spectacular image quality. The updated iMacs also feature more powerful processors and graphics, two Thunderbolt® 2 ports and new storage options that make the high-performance Fusion Drive even more affordable.

Apple today also introduced a new lineup of wireless accessories including the all-new Magic Keyboard™, Magic Mouse® 2 and Magic Trackpad® 2. The Magic devices have been redesigned to feel more comfortable than ever, and feature rechargeable batteries that completely eliminate the need for disposable batteries. The new Magic Trackpad 2 also brings Apple's revolutionary Force Touch interface to the desktop, adding a new dimension to the iMac experience.

"From the first iMac to today, the spirit of iMac has never wavered — deliver the ultimate desktop experience with the latest technologies, gorgeous displays and cutting-edge designs," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "These are the most stunning iMacs we've ever made. With our gorgeous new Retina displays, more powerful processors and graphics and all-new Magic accessories, the new iMac continues to redefine the ultimate desktop experience."

With Retina display, text appears sharper than ever, videos are unbelievably lifelike and you can see new levels of detail in your photos. The 21.5-inch iMac is available with the all-new Retina 4K display featuring an amazing 4096 x 2304 resolution and 9.4 million pixels, 4.5 times more than the standard 21.5-inch iMac display. Every 27-inch iMac features a Retina 5K display, the world's highest resolution all-in-one display with a stunning 14.7 million pixels, 7 times more pixels than an HD display. With a Retina display now on the 21.5-inch iMac and every 27-inch iMac, iMac with Retina display is more affordable than ever.

The new Retina displays feature a wider color gamut that brings more brilliant and true-to-life colors to your desktop. With standard sRGB-based displays, many of the colors you see in real life never make it to your screen. The new Retina 5K and 4K displays feature a wider P3-based color gamut that provides a 25 percent larger color space, and with more available colors, images are more vivid, reveal even greater detail and appear more lifelike than ever.

Faster and more powerful than ever, the new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display now comes with sixth-generation Intel Core processors and the latest AMD high-performance graphics that deliver up to 3.7 teraflops of compute power. The new 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display features a fifth-generation Intel Core processor and enhanced Intel Iris Pro Graphics. Two Thunderbolt 2 ports now come standard on all iMacs and deliver up to 20Gbps data transfer speeds for external drives and high-performance peripherals. And three stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi allows iMac to support up to 1.3Gbps wireless networking.*

Fusion Drive combines the large storage capacity of a hard drive with the high performance of flash to deliver shorter boot times and faster access to apps and files. Fusion Drive works in conjunction with OS X® to adapt to the way you use your iMac and automatically moves the files and apps you use most often to flash storage. The incredible performance of Fusion Drive is now more affordable with a new, lower-priced configuration that pairs a 1TB hard drive with 24GB of fast flash. Fusion Drive is also available with 2TB and 3TB configurations with 128GB of fast flash for more demanding workloads. For the ultimate in storage performance, optional all flash storage is available up to 1TB and is now up to 2.5 times faster.**

The all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 are more comfortable, capable and environmentally friendly. Designed around a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, all three accessories eliminate the need for disposable batteries and feature a noticeably more solid internal structure and quality feel. The new Magic Keyboard features a full-size keyboard in a sleek new design that takes up 13 percent less space on your desktop. With a new scissor mechanism and lower profile, the Magic Keyboard provides an incredibly stable, precise and comfortable typing experience. The new Magic Mouse 2 is lighter, sturdier and features an optimized foot design for a smoother glide. The new Magic Trackpad 2 features a 29 percent larger surface and brings Force Touch to the desktop for the first time. Force Touch enables a range of new ways to interact with your Mac®, including the new Force click to quickly look up a word, preview a file or bring up a map from an address. The new Magic devices pair instantly with your Mac as soon as they are plugged in via the Lightning®-to-USB charging cable, and can last about a month or more on a full charge.***

Every new Mac comes with OS X El Capitan, the latest version of OS X that refines the Mac experience and improves system performance. El Capitan builds on the groundbreaking features and beautiful design of OS X Yosemite, with updates to window management, built-in apps and Spotlight® search, and performance improvements to make everyday activities — like launching and switching apps, opening PDFs and accessing email — faster and more responsive. El Capitan was specifically designed for the Retina display and features a new system font called San Francisco that has been fine-tuned for optimal readability on a Retina display.

iMovie®, GarageBand® and the suite of iWork® apps come free with every new iMac. iMovie, updated today to support 4K video, lets you easily create beautiful movies, and you can use GarageBand to make new music or learn to play piano or guitar. The iWork suite of Pages®, Numbers® and Keynote® makes it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iCloud® let you create a document on iPhone® or iPad®, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they are on a PC.

Pricing & Availability

The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display is available today at Apple.com, Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The 27-inch iMac comes in three models starting at $1,799 (US), $1,999 (US) and $2,299 (US). Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/imac.

The 21.5-inch iMac is available today at Apple.com, Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The 21.5-inch iMac is available in three models starting at $1,099 (US) and $1,299 (US) and with a Retina 4K display starting at $1,499 (US). Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/imac.

Every new iMac comes standard with the new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2, and customers can order the new Magic Trackpad 2 as an option. The new Magic accessories are also available at Apple.com, Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Magic Keyboard is available starting today for $99 (US). Magic Mouse 2 is available starting today for $79 (US). And the Magic Trackpad 2 is available starting today for $129 (US).

*Actual speed will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors.

**Testing conducted by Apple in September 2015 using preproduction and shipping 27-inch iMac configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/imac/features.

***Testing conducted by Apple in September 2015 using preproduction Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 devices, firmware and software with shipping iMac systems.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple's three software platforms — iOS, OS X and watchOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple's 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

• More on the 21.5-inch 4K iMac and 27-inch 5K iMac
• More on the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2

Apple's austere, minimalist design aesthetics can leave your office feeling a bit cold and sterile. Grovemade is bucking to change that with a line of hand-crafted wood accessories it makes in Portland, Oregon. The company's latest effort, the Trackpad Tray, is designed for Apple's Magic Trackpad, and it's the perfect complement to Grovemade's Keyboard Tray.

The Keyboard Tray and Trackpad Tray are both part of Grovemade's Desk Collection, a series of accessories that include a laptop stand, a monitor stand (also suitable for iMacs), mouse pad, wrist pad and other desk accessories.

The Keyboard Tray fits the Apple Wireless Keyboard perfectly. Underneath the keyboard is room for spare AA batteries, business cards, paper clips, pens, and other things. An aluminum base complements the aluminum construction of the Mac superbly. The cutouts under the keyboard and the bottom of the tray itself are lined with cork. The tray is designed to enable you to simply pivot the keyboard up to access the gear underneath.

The Keyboard Tray measures 11.8 inches long and 6.2 inches deep. it's angled to help maintain the standard pitch of the Apple Wireless Keyboard, though it does raise the keyboard slightly.

The Trackpad Tray is cut from the exact same cloth as the Keyboard Tray. It's reinforced with aluminum and uses the trackpad as a lid to hide space underneath for two extra batteries. Other small items can rest in a cork-lined pocket. Just like the Keyboard Tray, the Trackpad Tray is cork-lined on the bottom to help protect your desk surface.

Like other Grovemade products, the Keyboard Tray and the Trackpad Tray are available in either walnut (darker) or maple (lighter). Walnut is pictured here.

Grovemade's products aren't cheap, but they are very well-crafted. This isn't cheap Ikea-style particle board and melamine. It's solid wood, sourced locally in Oregon, hand-sanded and filed, oiled and waxed to bring out the natural finish.

At $99 and $69 respectively, the Keyboard Tray and Trackpad Tray are not inexpensive. But they're gorgeous, well-crafted gear that adds a warmth and natural touch to your Mac office that is well worth the price.

Keyboard Tray

• $99 - Buy now

Trackpad Tray

• $69 - Buy now

I love it. I want to see it everywhere, especially on the desktop. I'm smitten with two parts of the new MacBook: The keyboard and the new trackpad. I'd love to see them available for desktop Macs too.

The MacBook keyboard uses a new switch mechanism that travels much less than the scissor switches inside the keyboards of other Macs; it helps to maintain the MacBook's slim profile, and also distributes the pressure of your fingers hitting the keys more evenly.

The net result is that returning to the keys on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro or even Apple's current Wireless Keyboard end up feeling like walking on warped deck planks of an old boat. They feel creaky, imprecise and uneven.

The MacBook keyboard spoils you fast. The keyboard is full-sized, though the actual grouping of the keys is closer than it is on other keyboards, so it take a bit of time to adjust to the placement. Once you do, though? You're flying.

Apple's pushing haptics — tactile feedback technology — in 2015 products in a big way. The "Taptic Engine" is a linear actuator found inside the Apple Watch that lets you feel someone else's heartbeat, or get taps from your watch to notify and direct you. Force Touch is what Apple calls the haptic technology inside the new MacBook's trackpad.

Other Macs (except for the new revision to the 13-inch MacBook Pro) use a mechanical trackpad - when you push it down with your finger or thumb, a mechanical button is depressed which produces that click noise and sensation.

No such apparatus exists inside the new MacBook. The trackpad feels the same as other Mac laptops, and pushing it produces the resistance and click sensation you'd expect from a trackpad. But it's all electronic. There is no button there. It's uncanny. And you adapt to it instantly.

I'm an unabashed fan of mechanical keyboards, so you might assume that I don't like the new tech in the MacBook, but you'd be wrong. I love it. I want to see it everywhere, especially on the desktop.

As much a fan as I am of mechanical keyboards and sophisticated gaming mice, I also really admire and respect a well-engineered, thin-profile keyboard like the Apple Wireless Keyboard and a great trackpad surface like the Magic Trackpad. I use them both with my 2008 Mac Pro.

The MacBook's keyboard is unique to that computer for now, but the Force Touch trackpad isn't. It's already found in the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. I assume it'll be in the next revision to the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro too, which should be out in the next few months. I'd love to see it in future MacBook Air models too.

But I'd also love to see Apple revise the keyboard and trackpad that they offer users more comfortable with stationary desktop systems. Wireless keyboards come with iMacs; assuming Apple is on track to revise the iMac later this year, as they often do annually, it'd be great to see a new keyboard appear at the same time (available also in separate retail dress). And yes, please, a Magic Trackpad with this phenomenal new haptic technology. Let's take it one step further, too. How about a Magic Mouse with Force Touch?

Well, I can dream, for now...

How about you? Does the new MacBook's tech set your imagination ablaze about what future Mac gear might look — and more importantly — feel like? Or do you like the old stuff better? Sound off in the comments, let me know.

Your fingers glide effortlessly along the expansive, glass-but-not-quite-glass-feeling surface. The cursor flies from edge to edge. You pause, press down, feel and hear a satisfying click, and then glide on. A double swipe sends the gallery hurtling down until it stops under the weight of its own virtualized momentum. A double twist rotates a photo. A click in the right corner brings up the contextual menu, a click in the left selects copy. A triple touch grabs the window and moves it aside, a quadruple swipe switches you to email and then another right click, another left, and the photo is pasted into the message. Your fingers pull clear of the Apple Magic Trackpad and you smile. Computing is fun again.

Apple went all-in on multitouch for the iOS-based iPhone, iPod touch, and now iPad, and they've been slowly extending that back to their Mac platform as well, first with MacBook trackpads, then the Magic Mouse, and now the Magic Pad.

"Wait, this is an iPhone and iPad blog, why are you talking about a Mac peripheral?" Because. That's why. iOS comes from Mac OS and if Apple has shown us anything over the years it's that they're the best in the business at leveraging advances back and forth between the two. With rumors of Apple TV going iOS and my persistent fantasy that Apple will replace DashBoard and Front Row with an iOS layer, what they do with multitouch for Mac is definitely something I want to keep an eye on. Two actually, as often as I can spare them. So if this isn't something you're personally interested in, no worries, hit up the next post. If it is, if you think like I do that nothing Apple releases exists in a vacuum, then hang on to your pinches and swipes; the review starts after the break.

Unboxed. Literally.

Magic Trackpad doesn't come in a fancy glass container like its magic mouse cousin. It comes in a box akin to what Apple uses for their software packages. The front shows the Magic Trackpad itself, the back describes the multitouch gestures you can do with it. Inside is the same as out, you get the trackpad and a the plain paper pamphlet that tells you about it. Yes, it includes batteries, and they're already installed.

Hardware

Clearly designed to sit side by side with the Apple Aluminum Keyboard -- especially the newer, numeric-keypad-less version -- the Magic Trackpad has the same look, the same angulation, the same round battery housing. "Look" being the key word because the surface of the Magic Trackpad isn't aluminum at all, it's glass like the MacBook Trackpad. It's mixed and coated -- according to what Apple has previously said about said MacBook Trackpad -- to provide just the perfect feel and friction. That's hyperbole, of course, and I find both to be usable enough if strangely desensitizing over time. Perhaps that's just the result of to much Stoneloops on the iPhone, however...

What's interesting is that Magic Trackpad feels cooler than my MacBook Pro trackpad, no doubt because it's not sitting on top of a furnace-hot Intel chipset.

As with most things Apple, the fit and finish is spectacular. Every edge is clean and crisp, every line straight and every curve precise. The power button on the right clicks perfectly, the battery door on the left screws smoothly and securely.

And yes, the little rubber feet are the buttons. Push down on the Magic Trackpad and just like the MacBook trackpad (and the BlackBerry Storm, of course), you get an audible, tangible, click.

So it looks great, it feels great, but how does it work?

Setup

Setup is simple. You need the latest version of Mac OS X, 10.6.4, and the Magic Trackpad software update if you don't have it already (MacBook and MacBook Pro users might -- so don't worry if you don't see it available). Once you have those, just hit "Bluetooth set up device", detect the Magic Trackpad, and it just works.

Preferences

If you're familiar with current generation MacBook trackpad preferences, then you'll feel right at home with the Magic Trackpad. If not, Apple makes it very easy. Go to Settings, chose Trackpad, and you'll be presented with a series of speed sliders, feature checkboxes, and movie to show you what those features do.

Tracking speed, double-click speed, and scrolling speed can all be adjusted from slow to fast. Between work and home, desktop and laptop, I use enough machines that I've just found it simpler to stick with the defaults. They work fine to me. If you like to tweak, though, you have the option.

One finger gestures include tap to click, dragging, drag lock, and secondary click (assignable to either bottom right or bottom left corner). Two fingers let you scroll (with inertia -- I heart inertia), rotate, pinch to open and close, screen zoom (with toggle key, move preferences, and image smoothing checkbox), and secondary click. Three fingers let you swipe to navigate (think going from one picture to another in Photos) or dragging (moving windows around). Four fingers let you swipe up/down for Exposé and left/right to tab-switch between apps.

##Usage

I've been using an iPhone and Macbook since 2007, I currently use a 2009 Magic Mouse and a 2010 iPad and MacBook Pro. I spend 12 to 18 hours a day using some form of Apple multitouch. So, needless to say, I had zero learning curve with the Magic Trackpad. (I'm using it to write this review, right now). That's one of the huge advantages you get if you've sold your soul to Apple hardware -- they've brought you along, trained you, and made you accustomed to their technology step-by-step, year after year.

I tried to capture the feeling of using Magic Trackpad at the beginning of the review. If I grant that I'm an anomaly, a freak, or a fanboy, however, then let me break it down into the tangibles.

The Bluetooth connection is good. I've experienced no lag, no loss of signal, no interruption in interactivity. The throw is excellent. A swipe from side to side sends the cursor flying from edge to edge. Gestures are quick and precise. I can tell nary a difference between my MacBook Pro's built-in trackpad and this Bluetooth one.

The gestures, while not intuitive, work well once you get used to them. If you have an iPhone but have never used a MacBook trackpad, it will be mixed bag of hurt. Some things are similar and others different. That creates a level of mental overhead you don't experience with the very different mouse. One finger will move you around but not select or swipe. Two fingers will scroll (like the iPhone does in frames) but everywhere. Three and four fingers you'll just have to learn.

In my Magic Mouse review I complained Apple left a lot of gestures out. Obviously, those gestures are all here for Magic Trackpad.

Rechargeable-ish

Apple is also selling a re-charger along with a pack of 6 NiCad batteries that you can use with Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse, Apple Aluminum Keyboard, or pretty much anything else that takes AAs.

That's great. I'd still like a real, rechargeable peripheral from Apple. Shove a LiOn battery inside and have the door open into a micro USB port and let me plug it in when I need and want to. That way if the battery goes dead in the middle of podcast, I'm not scrambling, I'm just plugging it in like an old fashioned peripheral.

Magic Pad vs. iOS apps, Magic Mouse, and Wacom

Does it invalidate iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad trackpad apps? Not at $69. If you already have one of those devices, and one of the trackpad simulating apps, as long as you don't find it too cumbersome or battery draining to keep launching and using the app, you'd be trading functionality and flexibility, convergence and coolness for the convenience and independence of a dedicated device.

Does is supersede the Magic Mouse? For anyone but die-hard mousers, for anyone who doesn't need to grip and move a physical object around, yes it does. It requires less desk space and offers more gesture support. While I was initially worried, trained perhaps by iPhone fingers, that there was no way the Magic Trackpad could be as precise, as pixel perfect, I haven't had the slightest problem so far. (And I live in Photoshop).

Should Wacom be afraid? Yes and no. While newer Wacom devices offer multitouch support their history and tradition is in pen-based, sensitivity-based, angle-based input. If you need that pen, if you need to produce that kind of art or design, you need to stay with Wacom, much as if you need the feel of that mouse you need to stay with the mouse. If iPhone and iPad have made your fingers do the working, however, then you can safely say goodbye to Wacom and hello to Magic Trackpad. (Bamboo touch users, you have a choice -- Apple matches look and feel, Wacom offers a stylistic alternative).

Conclusion

Magic Trackpad has just launched. I'm really, truly loving it so far but like any launch-timed review I've only used it for a short time. For now, it's replacing my Magic Mouse and it's replacing my iOS apps for controlling my Mac from the couch. I think it's going to stay that way but I'll come back after a week, and again after a month and update to let you know.

For now Apple has done with Magic Trackpad what Apple does best -- pushed technology further and faster by wrapping it up in gorgeous form and simple-enough function.