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trackpads

Is Apple's Magic Trackpad a gesture too far?

Remember just a few years ago when Apple was lambasted for shipping a one-button mouse with its Macs, and there was constant speculation as to why the company stubbornly refused to offer a multibutton option? The given reasoning was that more buttons would confuse people, even though PC users seemed to do just fine with them. Not that Apple has always shied away from a bit of complexity in the mouse arena--just look at the first Mighty Mouse--but still, there has been something about one-button products that Apple has consistently liked; both the iPhone and iPad have only one button … Read more

Making the switch to Apple? Get the perfect setup

With the undeniable popularity and success of the iPhone 4 (despite the antenna debacle), iPad, and ever-increasing Mac sales, Apple is gaining customers faster than ever. If you're thinking about making the switch, this could be your perfect setup.

Component one: iPhone 4 Now in its fourth iteration, Apple's iPhone has forever changed the mobile phone landscape by thrusting touch-screen technology to the tips of every tech geek's tongue and every consumer's wish list. Despite its early and somewhat overblown issues, iPhone 4 has had record-setting sales. With the exception of the complaints from a vocal minority regarding its antenna, … Read more

Apple releases OS X 10.6.4 update for iMacs; trackpad driver

Apple has released an update to OS X that is specifically for the newly released iMac systems. The update addresses some graphical anomalies that occur in the new systems with the current version of OS X 10.6.4, and also fixes some compatibility issues with reading SDXC memory cards.… Read more

The 404 631: Where we touch our magic trackpad (podcast)

Apple refreshed its lineup of iMac desktop computers this morning to include faster CPUs and an improved graphics chip for games and video editing. The new computers also support larger hard drives (and even solid-state drives) with a higher capacity SDXC card slot for your media and start at $1,199.

Apple also announced a new line of Mac pro machines that offer up to 12 cores and Turbo Boost, a technology that can deliver even higher processor speeds. And the company unveiled a gorgeous 27-inch LED display to complement the new system.

Finally, Apple showed off the Magic Trackpad, … Read more

Hands-on look at Apple Magic Trackpad

UPDATE: Post-software update multitouch impressions below.

Not too long ago, one of us at CNET foretold a future without mice where touch peripherals would dominate. We may not be there yet, but Apple's Magic Trackpad certainly takes us one step closer to fulfilling that prediction.

Announced and available Tuesday, Apple's $69 Bluetooth device is minimalist and not particularly cheap. It is what it seems to be at first glance: a large aluminum square mounted on a slight riser, just like Apple's Bluetooth keyboard. In fact, it's the same depth and height as the keyboard, which lets … Read more

Apple updates iMac line, intros Magic Trackpad

Apple on Tuesday released new iMacs, adding faster processors and new graphics cards. The company also introduced what it calls the Magic Trackpad, allowing users to have the same type of gesture control that they use on the iPhone and iPad.

The iMacs now use Intel's newest processors, the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7. David Moody, Apple's vice president of worldwide Mac product marketing, told CNET that the processors provide up to a 50 percent increase in processing power over the previous generation.

The 21.5-inch iMac starts with a 3.06GHz i3 processor and the … Read more

New Apple Bluetooth device gets FCC approval, could be rumored Magic Trackpad

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted approval for a yet-unnamed Apple Bluetooth device. Many are speculating this could be the rumored Magic Trackpad device, originally thought to debut with Apple's Magic Mouse last October.… Read more

Windows 7 with Boot Camp 3.1: All-around great, except for battery life

If you are waiting to install Windows 7 on your MacBook Pro, the wait is over. Apple recently released Boot Camp 3.1, a set of software drivers that provides official support for running Windows 7 on a Mac. I have used Windows on a MacBook Pro ever since Boot Camp 2.1, and here are my impressions of running Windows 7 64-bit with Boot Camp 3.1.

First of all, you will still need Mac OS X, at least at first, to install Windows 7. For Boot Camp 3.1 to work properly on certain Macs, it's necessary … Read more

Chrome dev for Mac earns minor but useful bump

An update Thursday to the Google Chrome developer's build for Mac introduces more than just stability-fixes. Included in version 4.0.295.0 are the basic beginnings of a bookmark manager and a trackpad gesture that allows users to open the previous and next pages in a new tab using the CMD-three finger swipe. The cookie manager has also been included in this minor update, so those three combined equal some actual feature improvements in this update.

Two other fixes, in addition to the spate of stability improvements, include making the devtools window dockable and fixing stuck hover states … Read more