Apple Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse 2 reviewed

Magic Trackpad 2 (£109)

This revamped trackpad initially looks huge, but that’s an illusion of sorts. Battery hump removed (the Magic Trackpad 2 is charged using a Lightning cable), the usable area has actually increased in width by only three centimetres.

In use, the reduced pitch is more notable, boosting comfort, although there’s an odd friction to the surface compared to the older Magic Trackpad. Also, its surface is no longer flush with the body of Apple’s keyboard (it’s close — but not exactly — the height of the keys); this is odd when the accessories are adjacent. Responsiveness is decent, if not quite magical with very small movements.

Force Touch is the headline feature. A deep press can now trigger actions, such as Quick Look in Finder (when, in that case, a standard tap/click would merely select an item); but software support is spotty, while functionality is inconsistent and not terribly discoverable. The light touch for the standard click also makes the trackpad feel fragile, despite its solid build.

Things become more interesting when scribbling with a stylus, Preview and Pixelmator ably dealing with multiple levels of pressure; but anyone doing digital art or document annotation very regularly would be better catered for with a Wacom. And at twice the price of the original Magic Trackpad, these slight benefits make the newer model a much tougher sell.

Magic Keyboard (£79)

If you’ve desperately hoped Apple would return to clacky, chunky keyboards, game over. Magic Keyboard feels akin to typing on the new MacBook, even if the technology used within is different. Key travel is substantially reduced, leading to a kind of dead action that’s a little too close to typing on iPad glass. But a few hours in, Apple’s older (non-Magic) keyboard comparatively appears to advocate stodge and key wobble. The Magic Keyboard becomes the typing equivalent of seeing a high-res display for the first time; and it’s hard to go back to what you had before.

Like the Magic Trackpad 2, the new keyboard is recharged using a Lightning cable. Doing away with the battery compartment allows for a lower profile, which is more ergonomic and comfortable. Set-up is simpler, too — plugging in the keyboard once pairs it instantly, rather than you yelling “The. Keyboard. Is. RIGHT. NEXT. TO. YOU.” at the Bluetooth pane in System Preferences. (Pairing with an iPad in the normal way is also possible, and took only seconds during testing.)

There have been minor key layout changes, too. Function keys are full-size — useful, since they’re now often used for OS and playback features. The bottom row — modifiers and Space — are the same height as all the others, rather than a few millimetres taller, initially mucking up muscle memory and accuracy. However, only the full-height left- and right-arrow keys prove troubling — only now the gaps above them have gone do you realise how useful they were for finger positioning.

This is still a quite vanilla keyboard. There’s no backlighting, nor the means to pair with multiple devices (although 1Keyboard provides a software solution). But the Magic Keyboard 2’s rechargeable nature, improved design, and no-nonsense set-up make it a worthy new purchase or upgrade, despite the 20-quid price-hike.

Magic Mouse 2 (£65)

Of the three updated accessories, the mouse has changed the least. It retains a sleek, vaguely futuristic design, the surface acting both as a huge button and also a means of gestural input.

The main change is the device being charged with a cable rather than housing two AA batteries, thereby making it a bit lighter. Although if you felt the old Magic Mouse had a bit too much heft to it, you probably need to head to the gym.

In use, it’s fine. The Magic Mouse 2 is precise, and the gestural stuff works reasonably well, even if overuse causes cramp — multi-finger swiping across a tiny mouse surface is not great ergonomics. The Lightning port is awkwardly positioned on the bottom of the unit, though, meaning the Magic Mouse 2 can’t be used while recharging, and the lack of distinct buttons rules it out for gaming and CAD.

At six quid more than its predecessor, the Magic Mouse 2 remains a decent choice if you need a new Mac mouse, assuming you use the gestures. If you don’t and can live without an Apple logo on your mouse, shop around; and as an upgrade, don’t bother, unless you hate rechargeable batteries with a vengeance.