According to some code found in the iOS 18.1 release candidate (via MacRumors), Apple may soon launch new versions of its infamous Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Keyboard. It’s about damn time.
The code references Magic Keyboard versions with and without Touch ID. There’s not much intel on the rest of the features for these devices, but we know they’re all, at least, switching to Type-C charging, as per the EU’s new mandate. MacRumors predicts October for the three releases, alongside the upcoming M4 Mac lineup.
Apple’s Magic peripherals have consistently received heavy criticism for years now. The mouse is designed incredibly unintuitively, with the Lighting port on its underside, out of all places. This obviously makes recharging it a pain, and it’s absurd that you can’t use it while it’s being charged.
My personal least favorite feature on the trackpad is the lack of travel. The button is ridiculously shallow, and the press is far from satisfying. I use my MacBook Air exclusively for reading and writing, but I can’t even imagine what a pain this trackpad would be for design or editing software. Like the trackpad, the keys on the Magic Keyboard also lack travel and are far from snappy or clicky.
Various engineers have attempted to make the Magic Mouse more ergonomic and user-friendly. To get it to recharge while being used, Matty Benedetto, the guy behind the famous YouTube channel Unnecessary Inventions, once 3D-printed a lifter for the back of the Magic Mouse 2 that rolled around on a pair of metal ball bearings. The lifter was supposed to allow the mouse to slide around a desk while connected to a power source. Unfortunately, that failed.
Another famous engineer, Ivan Kuleshov, shared a prototype he created for the mouse on X. He first experimented with several different mouse enclosures and ultimately picked one that could recharge the mouse while being used.
Also, let’s not forget that one hilarious clip with Apple CEO Tim Cook that went viral around the 2024 Worldwide Developer Conference. Post-conference, when YouTuber Marques Brownlee, more commonly known as MKBHD, sat down to have a one-on-one with the CEO and inquired about the Magic Mouse, this is what Cook had to say:
The Magic Mouse. Uhhhhhhh. It was also an incredible moment. Ummmmm. People don’t think of that as much as they would the Macbook Air and the iPad and whatever else you’re going to name probably. Uhhhhhhh. But the, getting the ergonomics well, done – and uh – was key. Yeah.
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