Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've used the previous version of this trackpad for many years, and instantly leapt to buy one directly from Apple when they became available. This review is mainly about whether owners of the previous model should also update. I liked the previous model to the point where I bought copies for home, work, and my son's desk. Trackpads might be the piece of hardware with which Apple is farthest ahead of its competition. (I've had the distasteful task of reviewing some of the competition's trackpads too.) I'm not a fan of Apple keyboards or mice, but in trackpads they dominate. So, making a better trackpad is an ambitious undertaking. My only real problem with the previous trackpad was the rate at which it consumed batteries. Even though I keep a battery charger on my desk, and there was no waste involved, I don't want to take the time every week to unscrew the battery container and replace the batteries. It was annoying. This new trackpad has a convenient Lighting port which, if I am so inclined, I can just leave plugged in all the time. The Bluetooth item in the menu bar will even tell you its charging status. Apparently, Apple figures most Mac users will have plenty of Lightning cables attached to appropriate chargers on their desks. Similarly, the remote on the new AppleTV also takes a Lightning cable for charging. Apple will not be bullied by the universe into using USB-C for low power charging. So, yes, much improved on the convenience front. Battery usage is better than before even if you don't go the constantly tethered route, I was able to go 26 days on a charge, while using the trackpad for an average of a couple hours a day. Oddly, my Mac didn't warn me the first time the battery was low. The trackpad just went dead, which in its case means it became inert with no clicking feedback. Tethering it immediately brought it back. The second time, the Mac warned me of a low battery. I assume that after many charge cycles and many years, the batteries will go bad and tethering will become the only mode available. I've seen estimates online that indicate this might take 20-30 years. By comparison, I've already lost one of my Magic Trackpad 1s because the mechanical clicking mechanism failed (after perhaps 5 years of daily use). One nice feature of tethering is that if I share the trackpad between multiple computers, as when I hook, over Thunderbolt, my work laptop to my home display, a trackpad tethered to the display will immediately pair itself with the new computer. No more futzing with the Bluetooth settings panel. This newer model has Force Touch, which is compelling, if your apps supports it and you can incorporate it into how your brain communicates with your computer. Since many of us use Safari, we get out of the box support in a most convenient way: hard tapping on a link will bring up a peek into the contents of the linked page. This is fabulous, if, again, you remember to do this, and you avoid doing it by accident. Wow, I can just peek and not navigate all the way there. On the other hand, you are going to do this by accident sometimes, and it is less fab then. As other apps add this to their toolkit, it's going to become a must have. Really nice. The older model was more affected by its environment. A stray cable that crossed it would often interfere with its tracking. This one seems much less susceptible. Also, you can now tap easily anywhere on the trackpad's surface and register a click, wherein the older model was really only good at clicking towards the bottom. I have half a lifetime of muscle memory for using my thumb for clicking, but if I can unlearn it, it will make mousing much more fluid and quick. The sound of clicking is a bit loud and could be more harmonious—but because the clicking is only feedback instead of integral to the mechanism, you can just go to the Trackpad control panel and mute it. Great for crowded offices. Unfortunately, there is a bug where the system stops honoring "Silent clicking," but disconnecting and reconnecting brings it back. It's bigger than its predecessor, but not so much as to be noticeable in actual use. It lies flatter and can be used on non-flat surfaces, unlike the older model whose mechanism was picky about where it would work. I can balance it on my belly or leg and still have it click. Quite an improvement. Gestures remain as smooth as a proper glass trackpad should provide. If you take full advantage of such features as two finger swipe for back and forth in Safari, two finger scroll, or the five finger pinch to get to the app launcher, you will be at least as happy as before. I always recommend hiding the back/forward buttons in Safari to force yourself into the swiping habit. So, yes, this is a better trackpad. If you are wealthy, get yourself one or more. It's tempting. I don't normally bring up price in my reviews. The cost is one factor that the consumer can read himself. But here the question is whether the Trackpad 2 is worth its price premium over the older model. For many users looking to upgrade, I'd say no. The older model is almost as good at half the price. If you are a Mac developer and need to incorporate Force Touch in your software, run out and buy one. Otherwise, wait for more software supporting Force Touch, and for Apple to come to its senses and lower the price. There is a Space Gray version of this device available, which I have also purchased as I was setting up a new work area. It is exactly like its white counterpart other than having a black charging cable. In summary, the greatest trackpad in history. But too pricey.