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.
Apple applied for ownership of the Magic Trackpad trademark in February furthering assumptions that the rectangular Bluetooth device vaguely described in the FCC filing is indeed a standalone multitouch trackpad. Engadget posted photographs purporting to be the Magic Trackpad in June.
The Engadget article also claims the device would allow for handwriting recognition as well as "every feature you can find on a Magic Mouse (and possibly features of a MacBook Pro trackpad)." These claims were made by a person claiming to be personally testing the trackpad.
The timing with this device seems about right. With rumors of new Mac Pros and iMacs starting to appear online, the Magic Trackpad device would be a nice addition to the touch-screen lineup currently offered by Apple, continuing the company's push for a more organic consumer-to-Mac interaction. An Apple-branded Magic Trackpad could also cause some concerns for companies like Wacom who enjoy a largely unchallenged position for padlike input devices for the Mac. If Apple's new device supports handwriting or can accept a pen input, I know I would have to seriously consider it over my current Wacom tablet.
Would you purchase a Magic Trackpad? If so, how would you use it? Let us know in the comments!
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