MagicWand review

Provides: Attaches Apple’s Magic Trackpad to the Apple Wireless Keyboard
Developer: Twelve South
Minimum Requirements:
Price: $29.99
Availability: Now

Twelve South’s MagicWand is the kind of device you may need to look at for a few moments before you figure out if you need it. Let me speed that process along for you; you do. If you use Apple’s Wireless Keyboard and the Magic Trackpad, you do. If you haven’t yet been able to justify the purchase of the Magic Trackpad, this is it.

Why? That’s a fair question, considering all the MagicWand does is attach the Magic Trackpad to the Apple Wireless Keyboard. But that’s enough.

The MagicWand attaches easily enough. Snap onto the rounded back of your Apple Wireless Keyboard, snap the Magic Trackpad into the overhanging portion of the MagicWand, then place the inserts between the two, and you’re done. The inserts are a nice touch typical of Twelve South, providing both stabilization and filling in the gap to keep the units looking cohesive.

Now, in its most obvious use, the MagicWand keeps things positioned on your desk. You’ll find its much easier to grow accustomed to using the Magic Trackpad if it’s always in the exact same spot in proportion to your keyboard.

But then you’ll start to get a little more creative. Place the Trackpad opposite your mouse hand, and you’ve got convenient access to two input methods aside from your keyboard; precision from the mouse, gesture controls from the Trackpad. Yes, you can do this without the MagicWand, but this way it seems more like a system, less like a mess.

The big advantage, though, is that you can easily take the gesture controls with you. By combining the MagicWand with the stabilizer, you’re able to create a single unit that can be used on your lap. Why would you need to do this? Those using Mac minis for home theater control wouldn’t need to ask that question.

Of course, there are some drawbacks. Depending upon where you position the Trackpad, you’re either blocking the power button or the battery access on your keyboard. The power button isn’t a big deal…the keyboard shuts itself down if you’re not using it. For battery access, you’ll have to remove the MagicWand to take care of it. That’s not a big deal, though, as it’s easy to do.

Also, the stabilizer can affect the Magic Trackpad’s click when you try to do it close to the keyboard. Twelve South recommends you separate the units a bit or not use the stabilizer on a desk. When using the devices on your lap, you’ll need to enable tap to click in your system settings, as pushing the Trackpad would just shove the whole device down.

The MagicWand has a limited audience. You need to have both the Magic Trackpad and the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and you need to use them both heavily. But if that is you, check this out. It looks and works as if Apple wanted this to be your setup all along.