Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

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.

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.

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

103 Comments
  • Does the new Magic Trackpad 2 with Force Touch work with older pre-force touch MacBooks? I don't see why it wouldn't, except to incentivize upgrades. Haven't seen it commented on, either way, anywhere.
  • Requires a Mac running El Capitan or newer and with built-in Bluetooth 4 support. Won't work on pre-BT4 Macs.
  • It should also Just Work with an MBP fitted with a BT4 LE dongle. I'll test that theory tomorrow with my 2009 MBP after I make a trip to the shop to buy the dongle. At $20, even if it doesn't work, it's not a huge loss; the Magic Keyboard WILL work with my Mid-2011 iMac running El Cap. Saying goodbye to (even rechargeable) batteries is going to be *sweet!*
  • I picked up an IOGEAR GBU521. To get it to work, I've read you need to download Apple's Bluetooth Explorer utility which comes bundled with their Hardware IO Tools for Xcode download. So far so good, except that the moment you switch to the new BT host controller you lose connectivity with your existing BT keyboard and trackpad, rendering your Mac inoperable. So apparently you need to have a wired trackpad or mouse to complete the installation.
  • You are WRONG in regards to the BT4.0. Although they say that, I have read online, and have now proven to myself, it WILL work on older Mac's. I have it running perfectly fine on my Late 2011 iMac 27inch i7, with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The trick is to plug it in first, have it pair, then when you unplug it, it's good to go and works just fine! I even called Apple to ask them about this, of course, they would NOT answer the question. But trust me, if you are looking to get this track pad 2 and you have an older mac, it WILL work at least going back to BT 2.1+EDR!
  • You're responding to a 3 week old comment. I've already noted that the new trackpad works with my 2009 iMac, which does not have BT 4.
  • It requires BT4 support but you might be able to use it with the included cable instead. Here's what Sixcolors said: "If you plug a Magic Trackpad 2 into a Mac via the included Lightning-to-USB cable, it works even if Bluetooth is off. I can’t confirm that it’ll work on older Macs via wired mode, but it might."
  • At this point it's a bit backwards to pay top dollar for a wireless trackpad that requires a wire.
  • It only requires a wire to charge it, which is ONCE A MONTH. ;)
  • I'm currently looking at suiting an office with 14 iMacs and I'm worried about paired wireless HIDs getting shifted around causing chaos. I'd go with only wired devices, but some people want wireless. Also if 14 people have Apple chargers plugged in, they only get one DSO each anyway... no free mains sockets. If these guys re-pair when plugged in without having to use various Vulcan grip techniques, great for sorting out keyboard chaos. If the devices turn their Bluetooth off when plugged in, even better as I'm worried about wireless contention and 2.4GHz WiFi with so many of them in the same spot.
  • Is the new keyboard backlit?
  • Sadly no...
  • They already killed the backlit keyboard and MagSafe connector on the new Macbook so I suspect they eventually plan to eliminate these across the board.
  • "They already killed the backlit keyboard and MagSafe connector on the new Macbook" There's no MagSafe connector because of USB-C, but the backlit keyboard is still there and is better now, with individually backlit keys. [ https://www.imore.com/e?link=https2F2Fc2F4... ]
  • According to Jason Snell's review at sixcolors.com, the keyboard does not have the same butterfly mechanisms as the MacBook keyboard. This is pretty surprising to me. It appears to be a modified scissor format that puts it somewhere between the old scissor and the butterfly. I wonder why they designed yet another style? Any ideas? Something really bothers me about having full size left and right arrows but half size up and down. My OCD really doesn't like it. Not sure the function keys needed to be full size either, but it doesn't bother me like the arrows. PS - Also, isn't Force Touch called 3D Touch now?
  • The main technology is called Force Touch. 3D Touch is a more advanced version of the pressure sensor tech which in in use in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. The level of precision offered by the more advanced 3D Touch is pointless on Macs and Watches
  • I wouldn't say it's pointless. I can imagine many desktop applications where precision 3D Touch would be beneficial (graphics, video editing, musical instrumentation/mixing, etc.)
  • Functionally, ForceTouch on my MBP seems the same as 3D-Touch on my iPhone 6S+ in that there are 2 levels of 'force'. i.e. in QuickTime the first level of pressing the FF button speeds up media a little, pressing to the 2nd level speeds it up a lot.
  • Also, one of the only reasons you need a mouse nowadays is for text selection, which a 3D-touch trackpad would be able to accomplish, but a force-touch trackpad seemingly would not. A proper, precision, 3D-touch enabled trackpad *could* eliminate the need for a mouse. I don't think this one does though.
  • I have no difficulty doing text selection with a trackpad. It works with a click and drag or with a three finger drag. Most people who think a trackpad lags behind a mouse in usability have either never used an Apple trackpad or haven't invested the time to learn how to use it properly.
  • Well, based on your posts here I am certain that you think you are basically infallible so this does not surprise me. The fact is however that text selection is one of the hardest thins to do accurately with a track pad and one of the basic functions that keeps mice around for the majority of the buying public.
  • Once again, I have no difficulty with it and I don't consider myself to have a particular gift for manual dexterity. It's all a matter of learning how to make the most of its features and using it long enough to get the hang of it. I spent years using mice so I think I can speak with some authority on how the two devices compare. Anyone who has just tinkered with a trackpad a few times and given up is not in a position to critique its usability. Reminds me a lot of the old timers who made fun of the mouse, insisting that they could do everything better with a keyboard.
  • Yup, you're right. I only use my mouse when I'm playing a game or my hands are too sweaty (I live in India, so that's a legit problem.) I love the Apple Trackpad, and have never had any problems with it.
  • Wow they almost doubled the price of the track pad.
  • Lithium ion batteries and charging circuitry aren't free, nor is new technology like Force Touch.
  • Well of course but I don't see it being 100 percent more expensive either.
  • I wouldn't look at it in terms of percentages. The new trackpad costs $60 more than its predecessor. So the question you should ask yourself is whether its new features are worth an extra $60. The new trackpad comes with a built-in battery and integrated charging system. Note that Apple's price for a set of NiCad AA batteries and a wall charger is $30. You're now getting a much better and more expensive lithium ion battery and charging system. It also has the new Force Touch sensor along with its haptic feedback engine. And of course, It also has a new and larger design. All of these changes provide value as well as add costs for design, testing, manufacturing, and distribution. What would be Apple's incentive to develop all these innovations only to sell the resulting product at the same price as the old one which nobody was complaining about? The PC industry still hasn't caught up to the quality and performance of the old model so it's not as if competition forced their hand.
  • Defining the price difference as a 'pig' -- that pricing justification comment would be the definition of 'lipstick on a pig' ;-)
  • Who's forcing you to buy the pig? Folks wanting everything for "free" are probably better off sticking with Windows and Android.
  • No one ;-) I've actually been hoping they'd come out with a ForceTouch trackpad as the one on my new 13" MBP is great, but I wish it were bigger. At a price point identical to my pre-ordered Roku-4, I'll pass. Maybe now that OSX has external ForceTouch device functionality, someone will come out with an app for my iPhone 6S+ that somehow uses 3D-Touch to mimic a ForceTouch trackpad :-)
  • @ freediverx: You're really skewing the debate here and making unbiased claims. The fact that the new trackpad is twice the price of the old one is something that can in NO WAY be equated to ... "wanting everything for free." You're just putting words in people mouths that they didn't say, and then shooting them down. Staw man arguments at best.
  • I don't understand the fixation with "twice the price". It's an extra $60. For that money you get a larger trackpad, built-in Lithium Ion battery and charger, Force Touch, and haptic feedback. The battery alone easily accounts justifies an extra $30.
  • "The battery alone easily accounts justifies an extra $30" That's definitely an opinion, regardless of an attempt to present it as fact. As it can charge via a Lightning cable plugged into a power source via USB many don't need or want yet another charger. Hardly a justification for such a steep price increase.
  • "That's definitely an opinion " How much do you think a custom-designed lithium ion battery and charging system is worth, and what do you base your estimate on? Here's another point of reference. I searched for rechargeable trackpads for Mac and it turns out there's only one, made by Logitech. It sells for $90. It's smaller, lacks Force Touch and haptic feedback, and based on user reviews it can't match the smoothness and responsiveness of an Apple trackpad. Don't you think the differences are worth $40?
  • I guess if justification for the price increase has hit a dead end, why not start comparing with products that launched almost 3 years ago...
  • What a stupid comment. *Nothing* is free, but that doesn't prove (or mean) anything here.
  • #1 Buy one and pay the price #2 Choose not to buy one, save the money and can't get ANWHERE ELSE. Simple.
  • Anyone tried the Magic Trackpad 2 with a USB to BT4 adapter?
    Confused an Apple.com chat person with the question.
  • The topic of BT4 adapters was discussed and debated ad nauseum when it was revealed that Continuity/Handoff features wouldn't work on pre-BT4 Macs. As my perfectly good 2009 iMac still lacks these features I wouldn't hold my breath for a solution to accommodate the new trackpad. As with BT4, it seems Apple wants to use Force Touch as an exclusive feature to entice the sales of new computers. I'm now expecting a barrage of complaints about this, followed by the requisite Rene article explaining how Force Touch would kill trackpad battery life on a non-BT4 wireless connection. Incidentally, you should note that the quality of information you receive from Apple will vary greatly depending on how you contact them, and online chat is at the bottom of the list.
  • Just found this from last year: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/17/continuity-activation-tool-dongles/ "Continuity Activation Tool 2.0 has launched, bringing support for Bluetooth 4.0 USB dongles and thus allowing many of these older Macs without Bluetooth 4.0 to be more easily upgraded to support full Continuity. The update makes the process not only much easier, but far cheaper for the average user. "
  • For anyone reading this thread, I just wanted to add that the new trackpad works perfectly on my 2009 iMac, without BT4, and without any sort of BT4 adapter. The note on Apple's site indicating that BT4 is required is not accurate.
  • Sadly I have a 2010 iMac that does not have BT4. I've looked for articles about self upgrading but I just don't think it's possible even for someone willing to tear down that far. However, no reason to think the trackpad won't work if you leave it plugged in to the Mac, right?
  • I'm still going around in circles researching this. But I'm now thinking it may be possible with a USB dongle and Apple's Bluetooth Explorer utility. I'll report back when I find a wired mouse to complete the switch after disabling the built-in BT...
  • See my latest posts. I discovered the new trackpad worked perfectly on my 2009 iMac. BT4 is not required.
  • I was hoping for a Lightning-chargeable backlit keyboard with full sized arrow keys and a 10-key layout. Oh well. There's certainly little doubt about their long-term commitment to the Lightning cable considering how many devices are now utilizing it.
  • Same. Sent from the iMore App
  • "The Magic Trackpad 2 works over Bluetooth on any Bluetooth 4.0-capable Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later." They arbitrarily made the new trackpad Bluetooth 4 only? Bravo, Apple. In your failed attempt to persuade me to buy a new $2000+ iMac you lost a $230 keyboard and trackpad sale.
  • So, you are spending a whole lot of time trashing anyone who doesn't agree that this is a good buy, but then you tack on this comment which tells us that it isn't good enough for you either? Typical!
  • I'm disappointed that it requires BT 4.0, since that makes it incompatible with my older iMac. That's a separate issue from whether or not its a great device or whether it's reasonably priced.
  • Agreed. Apple has the ability to make it compatible with older Macs without issue. Surely, in the interest of the consumer, they would increase compatibility?
  • My guess is that the force touch and haptic feedback consume a lot of power on BT 2.0, which is why they restricted it to BT 4/LE. I'm testing to see if I can upgrade my iMac'd bluetooth with a USB dongle.
  • Surprise, it works fine on my old 2009 iMac, sans-BT4.
  • These do look really impressive! I'm using a magic keyboard 1 and Magic Trackpad 1 on my Mac right now, so I know they're top notch quality (and as close as a keyboard and trackpad could ever possibly come to deserving the adjective "sexy"). These look to only improve on an already great pair! My Mac is a 2009 MacBook Pro, tucked under a desk, and hooked to external everything (so, a de fact desktop). As old as it is, it doesn't support Bluetooth 4.0 natively, but with a USB BT 4.0 dongle and with a software hack, I CAN make it work with Handoff, so I'd imagine I could make it work with the trackpad too. However, for extenuating reasons, I think I will have to pass. I'm working on goon "multi-platform", and therefore will have AT LEAST three computers all hooked up to the same monitor and speakers at one desk (my Mac, a Windows 10 machine, and soon, a JiDe Remix mini, which is an Android PC running a modded version of Android called "RemixOS" which really does work like a PC OS.) Having multiple keyboards and mice to shuffle around the desk will be a nightmare - it already is with just the two machines! I think what I'll do instead is get one of those Logitech pairs that can sync up to four devices at once, and then it's just the flick of a switch on the keyboard to switch devices. That's the only option that really makes sense in my context - though it's certainly not for lack of love over these Apple devices! The old ones are phenomenal, and these new ones look to beat them by quite a bit! Two thumbs up! Cheers!
  • "with a USB BT 4.0 dongle and with a software hack, I CAN make it work with Handoff" Is that dongle working for you in El Capitan?
  • I haven't tried yet. Are there issues being reported with the handoff workaround and El Cap? I though I heard people were having success, but maybe I'm wrong.
  • Yeah. Some workarounds have run into conflicts with El Capitan's System Integrity Protection. I've also read that El Capitan isn't playing nice with USB dongles.
  • Hmmm. I'll have to look into this. I was planning on trying pretty soon. If I get to it before this thread expires I'll try to remember to shoot you back my results. Are you in the same boat I am with a pre-2012 Mac? :-)
  • Yes, I have two Macs, a 2013 rMBP and a 2009 27" iMac.
  • Nice! Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to being able to get a new Mac. The one I have is still basically viable, especially for things like day to day derping, and I imagine I could limp it along for another couple years if I needed to before things get critical. But it's definitely feeling like more and more of a dinosaur, and I'd definitely like to have something that doesn't "wheeze whenever it tries to run". In a Mac, I don't need a powerhouse, but I also don't want something totally bottom of the line, so my target will be for an upper-tier Mac Mini. That should be enough mojo for me, and hopefully I can get into a rhythm where I replace it once every 3 or 4 years or so, rather than trying to limp it along for 6...or 7....or even 8 years like ol' "grampasaur" here! :-) But, since the old Mac IS still viable, that means it's not critical that I get one right now. Therefore, I have a couple more pressing priorities than a Mac Mini, so it may have to wait a bit. I currently have nothing in the way of a gaming-capable, decently spec'd Windows 10 PC. The Windows 10 PC I have is also an old junker laptop tucked under a desk and turned faux desktop, and is actually even worse off than the Mac. It's an old 17" HP that was top of the line when it came out, but was bought on the exact same day as my Mac, only cost about a third of what the Mac cost, and has held up much more poorly. I can totally forget gaming on it. I basically just used it as an "Insider Preview" tester prior to Win 10's general release, and now it's just a tester for the upcoming builds. I mean, I can do Office, and Edge, and YouTube, and Pandora and the like, but anything beyond that is out of the question. So a "real" PC takes priority. Also, I have nothing in the way of an Android phone or tablet, right now, so I'm thinking this tax time I may buy the Nexus 6p and the Pixel C, so even the gaming PC might have to wait. But hopefully not too far into the future, I'll be able to revel in the joy of a fresh Mac once again! Hopefully you will too! :-) Cheers!
  • Lightning port on the underside of the mouse? Nil pwa!
  • I was really hoping they would make an ergonomically desirable Magic Mouse. If it's light enough it might be worth the upgrade but otherwise I think my Mac mini will get the Magic Trackpad treatment and give up on the mouse as a primary desktop input.
  • I stopped using a mouse the day Apple began selling the first Magic Trackpad.
  • Yeah, I just got a Mac mini a month-ish ago to use on dual 27" monitors. I have not missed the mouse in 4 years of using MacBook Pros so I don't think I'll miss the mouse on desktop. Definitely getting the Magic Trackpad 2 very soon!
  • Will the wired keyboard get a redesign to match the wireless one?
  • Any idea how many charges they can take before having to be replaced? I already have the old models with a bunch of rechargeable batteries
  • Considering how long bluetooth devices such as these can last on a single charge, I don't think this will become an issue. I think something to be concerned about would be the idle state of the battery contributing to its decay over the years. I haven't seen Apple bragging (I have to be petty about it, after all) about it yet, so I would guess they don't have any custom solution. I would still guess that it won't be an issue.
  • Considering that the lithium ion batteries in most consumer products are rated for somewhere between 300-500 discharge/recharge cycles, these should last for at least 25 years. Apple says these should last about a month on a charge. So 300 charges would get you to about 25 years of use. Odds are you'll have a new computer and a new trackpad well before then.
  • Would have preferred a new keyboard with a numeric keypad, but I'll give this a try (along with the new Trackpad). Anyone have an opinion about whether or not the new Mouse is really worth an upgrade over the old one?
  • I don't see any added functionality.
    The new things are - BTLE & built in rechargeable batteries. They claim redesigned / improved feet, but I don't see any obvious changes, nor do they explain what changed.
    Unless you're just tired of changing / charging batteries, keep the v1 until it stops working.
    Or explore other mice. I have a MADCATZ MOUS 9. It too is BTLE, a single AA lasts over a year, plus it has lots of buttons, and is a bit more ergonomic for me, I think it is a higher DPI as well. I use that for my Razer laptop, but kept using the MM for my iMac. I just can't use trackpads for extended periods of time, even the stellar Magic Trackpad. It cramps my hand; old injury. Sent from the iMore App
  • All look good except for the prices which are borderline ridiculous. I was going to pick up the new trackpad for instance, but in Canada it's $169 plus tax, so more or less $200!!! For a trackpad. That's just insane. I don't care how great it is or what went into it or how many fluffy bunnies were used to polish the glass. $200 for a trackpad is insane.
  • You Canadians seem pretty liberal about rounding prices... $169 is more or less $200?
  • freediverx, C$169 + 13% tax = C$190.97 - pretty close to $200. The C$ has tanked in recent months. I just bought a Magic Mouse 2, and I'm quite pleased with it.
  • About two seconds in I went, "Yeah, Rene wrote this." That is not a compliment. The new gadgets look cool though.
  • The Mouse is much better than my previous Magic Mouse it found my computer immediately and has not lost the connection once. Didn't do anything to it other than turn it on and it is great.
  • Interesting that Apple is already backtracking on USB-C
  • There would be no point in using USB-C on these two devices. The Lightning port is much smaller, more than suffices for the intended data and power throughput, and the standard USB plug on the other end is backward compatible with every Mac.
  • Like Canada Australia has seen significant price increases recently. The track pad is A$199, where as the old one was $79. My current trackpad and keyboard have replaceable batteries that last for about 3 months each which I see superior to inbuilt batteries that will eventually die and render the unit useless. I don't see any of these features being 3x better as the price would indicate.
    Price arguments could be made that our $ has slipped fair amounts recently, but conversely no reductions were made when it went the other way and trading at US$1.20 for large periods of time. I'm a huge Apple fan but they are starting to lose me with their insane Apple tax.
  • Magic Trackpad 2 works perfectly with 2009 Mac Pro and 17" MacBook Pro with GMYLE BT 4.0 dongle out of the box without hack Sent from the iMore App
  • Hello Mounir, I read that you were able to get your Magic Trackpad 2 to work on your older Macbook Pro using a GMYLE Bluetooth Adapter Dongle. I was wondering if you used the GMYLE Bluetooth Adapter Dongle 4.0 or GMYLE Bluetooth Adapter Dongle 4.0+EDR. I have a Macbook Pro 17 inch Late 2011 and was wondering if this bluetooth dongle might work with my computer too. Can you please tell me what you did in order to get the Magic Trackpad 2 to work? Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it. Sincerely,
    Neel
  • Hello Neel
    I used this one and it connected in less than a second. The guys at the apple store wanted my feed back so i went today and showed them my MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009) and they were astonished.
    Bluetooth Adapter Dongle, GMYLE Ultra-Mini USB Broadcom BCM20702 Class 2 Bluetooth V4.0 Dual Mode Dongle Wireless Adapter with LED
  • FYI, see my other post below. I tested the new trackpad with my 2009 iMac (pre-BT4) and it works just fine over the older Bluetooth tech.
  • Hello everyone, Has anyone gotten the Magic Trackpad 2 to work with a USB Bluetooth 4.0 dongle? Thanks for the help.
  • Hello Neel
    I used this one and it connected in less than a second. The guys at the apple store wanted my feed back so i went today and showed them my MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009) and they were astonished.
    Bluetooth Adapter Dongle, GMYLE Ultra-Mini USB Broadcom BCM20702 Class 2 Bluetooth V4.0 Dual Mode Dongle Wireless Adapter with LED (http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B007MKMJGO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_a...)
  • Hello Mounir, Thanks for the help. I ordered the same bluetooth dongle that you bought. Is there any way you can tell me exactly how you hooked it up? I have a 17 inch Macbook Pro (Late 2011) running Mac OS X El Capitan. I have my computer connected to a Thunderbolt monitor and currently have a Apple keyboard and Magic Trackpad connected to the computer via bluetooth. What steps did you use to register the bluetooth dongle and connect the new Magic Trackpad 2? Will I have to unpair my keyboard that is connected via the built in bluetooth and pair it with the dongle? Does your connected Magic Trackpad 2 wake your Macbook Pro (Mid-2009) from sleep? Thank you for your time. Sincerely,
    Neel
  • Hello Neel Just plug the dongle in the usb port then turn on the trackpad and it will be detected, do the pairing and that's it.
    To check if the usb bluetooth is the actual working device, you can go to :About this mac, system report, click on Bluetooth in the left column, and you should see these two lines : (Bluetooth Low Energy Supported: Yes. // scroll down // LMP Version: 0x6 ).
    Old devices need to be repaired again. But that wont be a problem, because you'll be able to reconnect everything in less than 30 seconds.
    The trackpad wakes the computer from sleeping as expected.
    Bottom line, everything works just fine.
    Let me know when you receive the dongle.
    Have a nice weekend. Sincerly
    Mounir
  • Since (bizarrely) this is the only article on the site on these new products (iPhone's apparently get 40 articles to every one article for another product here), I have a question: I tried to order one and it warns the user that it "only supports the US keyboard for now" or some such. Does anyone know what this actually means in practice? Keyboards are software based and should have nothing to do with the hardware, so I'm assuming this is a software support problem? Apple doesn't say whether the keyboard will ever support other languages, but the wording of the "currently" or "for now" part kind of implies that such support will come later? This is all terribly confusing for those of us that don't write in American. Has anyone out there looked into this or does anyone have an explanation that makes more sense than what Apple is saying?
  • From a user standpoint, how much better is the keyboard compared to the origional magic keyboard which I felt was too small and awkward to use, but I am looking for a BT Keyboard/Mouse combo to replace my Logitech BT setup which I will likely take to the office.
  • The new keyboard is about the same size as the old one, though some specific keys vary in size and shape. The keys have a decidedly lighter touch than those of its predecessor, with less travel. After typing for a few minutes, I quickly decided I like this better as it feels more responsive and requires less force.
  • Love this trackpad! It's everything I hoped it would be, and it's a good thing considering how much I paid for it!!
  • Rene wrote:
    "The Magic Trackpad 2 works over Bluetooth on any Bluetooth 4.0-capable Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later." On a lark, I decided to buy the Magic Trackpad 2 to test it out on my 2009 iMac. Surprise, it works just fine, wirelessly, despite the Mac not having Bluetooth 4.0. According to the system report, Bluetooth LMP version is 0x4, and according to a previous iMore article, anything with Bluetooth 4 should read at least 0x6 or higher.
  • Hey Freediver,
    Did you have to go through any special setup to get it to work? My Bluetooth is 0x4 as well and I was thinking of trying the new trackpad. Thanks for your help.
  • No, I had actually purchased a BT4 USB dongle and was planning to use Apple's Bluetooth Explorer utility to enable it. But when I bought the new trackpad I plugged it in to test it out and when I disconnected it it kept right on working. In also started to wonder if the reason why Apple said it required BT4 is because otherwise the new features would kill the battery. So far I've been using it non-stop for a few hours and battery life dropped maybe 1%. Worse case if it doesn't work on your machine, you can always return it.
  • So you connected it to your computer via the Lightning/USB cable first, then unplugged it and it kept working? I just want to make sure I go through the same steps you did. Thanks.
  • When you connect the new trackpad and keyboard via USB, a little dialog box appears to let you know they've been paired and that you can use them wirelessly. Incidentally, I went ahead and turned on the Bluetooth dongle. System Report confirms LMP version is now 0X6, and "Bluetooth Low Energy Supported" reports as "yes." Unfortunately, it turns out that my iMac has an Atheros wifi card, which renders Handoff and Continuity unusable. So the only reason to keep the dongle connected is for potentially better battery life and the potential to use other BT4 accessories. (BTW, if you do switch to a BT4 dongle for some reason, you will lose control of any BT devices. You will need a wired keyboard and trackpad/mouse to repair the devices with the new controller.)
  • Hey Freediver, Thanks for the help. I'm going to go try out a Magic Trackpad 2 next week. I, too, bought a BT4 dongle as well but I don't plan on using it if the Magic Trackpad 2 can connect via the built in bluetooth. I just hope that my Magic Trackpad 2 works with my Macbook 17 (Late 2011) the way it worked with your computer. Since I'm using a laptop I don't have to worry about needing a wired keyboard/mouse because I can always use the laptop keyboard/mouse. I have my laptop connected to a Thunderbolt display. Do you recommend I plug the Magic Trackpad 2 USB/lightning cable directly into the laptop?
  • "Do you recommend I plug the Magic Trackpad 2 USB/lightning cable directly into the laptop?" Yeah, that's the official way to pair it, although I'm pretty sure it can be paired in the more conventional way. In any event it can't harm your Macbook, if that's what you're worried about. Worse case it doesn't work.
  • I'm going to get the latest iMac Retina 27" but not sure whether to take both Magic Mouse and Trackpad or just Trackpad will be enough? I'm a software developer so most of the time I code. Any ideas?
  • I got the Magic Trackpad 2 to work with my Late 2011 Macbook Pro. So far, so good. I haven't tried it on the Mavericks HD so I don't know if it will work with that, but it is running smoothly on El Capitan right now.
  • Hey Neel
    Glad to read your new trackpad is working as you expected, so did you use the dongle or did it pair automatically?
    And don't waste your time trying with Mavericks cause this is an exclusivity for elcapitan
  • I paired it automatically. I was wondering if I could get basic trackpad functions (no force touch) in Mavericks. I have two separate hard drives that I run El Capitan and Mavericks off and was wondering if the Magic Trackpad 2 would give me basic functions on the Mavericks side? Thanks for your help Mounir.
  • Today I got some bizarre email notifications for this 1 year old thread--the messages that are supposed to be here in the comments are "testing," "testing reply," "testing again," "testing the reply, again," and "welcome to imore." The senders are Tom Kaminski and tomtom9876 But those messages are not actually in these comments! Anybody get the same emails? Anybody know what's going on?!
  • Looking for wired options for the latest iMac. I don't want to use wireless or bluetooth all the time. I'm highly sensitive to any and all cell and wi-fi transmissions. Love all the magic but want options to be hard wired.
    Thanks,
    Roberta
  • I would look into the Razer Mamba Tournament Edition - Professional Grade Chroma Ergonomic Gaming Mouse - 16,000 DPI - eSport Performance - RZ01-01370100-R3U1