What is a "Magic Trackpad?"

[Paul Daniel Ash]

Sometimes I think that Apple knows how much the press and blogs like to follow its every move, and throws fake clues out there. This is one of those times.

Apple applied this week for a trademark on the term “Magic Trackpad.” According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, the company identified the product or products that the trademark might cover as being any one of the following:

Computers; computer software; computer operating system software; computer utility software; computer hardware; computer peripherals; scanners; touchscreens; keyboards; computer mice; trackballs; trackpads; touchpads; light pens; joysticks; game controllers; graphics tablets; digitizers; cables and connectors; flash memory drives; USB drives; solid state storage devices; barcode readers.

A reasonable inference is that the Magic Trackpad - building on the Magic Mouse name - would be an external multitouch trackpad that would work with desktop computers or laptops with ordinary touch-sensitive trackpads. Since MacBooks currently have multitouch trackpads built in, and it wouldn't really make sense for Apple to trademark a new name for old products, it's unlikely it would refer to those devices. There had been rumors late last year that Apple was getting ready to bring such a peripheral to market, but no product emerged. Apple has been putting a lot of focus on touch and gestural interfaces lately, however.

Of course, Apple could just be "trademark squatting" to prevent any other companies from claiming the name. Patently Apple notes that Apple already claimed the name in a filing with the tiny island nation of Trinidad and Tobago: "application number 41309, filed 08/24/2009."

They could just be messing with us, though. Seriously: "flash drives?" "Barcode readers?"

[pyromcr]

probably something for the ipad...

[RonHC]

iPad will still be seen as a big iPod Touch no matter what

[holdemdogg]

Interesting

[JStraitiff]

iPad will still be seen as a big iPod Touch no matter what

im glad you thought that was relevant

[CMOSlabs]

Wait a minute, I got it. You get a iPad and one of the built in apps is called "Magic Trackpad". Run the app and poof! You now have a large track pad. Kinda like the Air Mouse with the iPod touch, which by the way is so bichin and cool. So I would think the iPad - Magic Trackpad would hook up viva wifi or bluetooth. Although, that would make it a real expensive Trackpad. But then again its just a real expensive iPod touch.

[waroftyr]

except airmouse and logitech already covered this

[///Maybach]

iPad will still be seen as a big iPod Touch no matter what

Reminds me of that episode of the soup where the guy came out and was like "look at my new iPad Mini" and then Joel says "No, thats a iPod Touch" then the guy "Uh no Joel, this is an iPad MINI!!"

haha so true

[santaf]

wow some of the things they listed were so stupid for that name haha... really?

[steve-z17]

iPad will still be seen as a big iPod Touch no matter what

The whole "big ipod touch" thing is getting old. If you don't like it then don't get it, but just let it be.

I'm not surprised they gave so many descriptions for it, they pretty much have to now a days with so many things getting leaked out, pretty sad.

[fishbone]

When the magic mouse came out, I asked myself why the heck Apple didn't went to trackpad on desktop keyboards for good. It would be a logical step, since they invested so much in multi touch gestures, which has proven to be the next step in user interaction, IMHO.

To add fuel to that speculation, there was the fact that recently Apple desktop keyboards omitted numeric keypads, which was believed to get a smaller footprint, but it could very well be an anticipation for the inclusion of a trackpad where the numeric keypads used to be, which would probably make mouses a thing of the past.

So now I wonder if magic mouse wasn't just a way to make that transition more easy for those that didn't had the chance to play with an iPhone/iPodtouch or a Macbook pro, and now time has come to finally proclaim the death of the mouses, which would fit perfectly with the whole "magic trackpad" thing.

[CMOSlabs]

The whole "big ipod touch" thing is getting old. If you don't like it then don't get it, but just let it be.

Hmm, well that's what it is. A iTouch with a bigger screen. Has nothing to do with not liking it. Just wished it had more features. It is what it is, a big Itouch.

[rhekt]

im sure it has something to do with track responsiveness within the touch screen of a device. possibly the function of a curser on the iPAd without an external device. i dont know...sometimes i just make this stuff up.

[SquareWheel]

Apple has to stop patent whoring.

[huyanti]

Maybe they making the ipad to be a Photoshop dreamers drawing pad as well