Walt_Atwood

Q: Weird quirk

In early 2013, I bought a refurbished late-2012 iMac (the latest model) from Apple direct. The iMac naturally ships with Apple's bluetooth-wireless keyboard and "magic mouse". The magic mouse's quirks were a little too much for me. I set it aside and purchased an Apple Trackpad.

 

I have noticed something strange since I installed the Trackpad. I do not recall this problem before.

 

I will be typing in a sentence or phrase (doesn't matter which app I'm using) and suddenly the cursor will jump to another line or paragraph. If I don't catch it right away and keep typing, I'll have part of one sentence mixed in with another.

 

I have never experienced this before.

 

I find both the Magic Mouse and the Trackpad will each very quickly drain a pair of Eneloops. Of course, I do alot of scrolling and other gestures.

 

Is there something wrong? What can I do about it?

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8), late-2012 Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HD

Posted on Apr 25, 2014 9:59 PM

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Q: Weird quirk

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  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Apr 25, 2014 11:49 PM in response to Walt_Atwood
    Level 6 (15,120 points)
    Peripherals
    Apr 25, 2014 11:49 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

    Firstly check if you have any other electronic devices, mice, telephone base stations etc in the vicinity.  They (it) may be causing interference.   You haven't said how long is the drain period.   Here are a few notes I have put together on batteries and expectations.

     

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    Whether you use regular or rechargeable batteries you should buy the best. Discounted or unbranded batteries are more likely to give a depleted performance and may be of irregular size, often leading to connection problems.   Apple’s own brand, Eneloop and Energiser appear to be the best.

     

    Rechargeable batteries for the standard Magic mouse are unlikely to exceed eighteen days before needing a recharge although the mouse itself can be a limiting factor.   I have seen reports that some Logitech mice vastly exceed this.    Apple may suggest more in their sales blurb but this is a realistic expectation.   The benefit (if you are organised) is that you can always have charged batteries available.   Regular batteries will give you between 25 and 35 days before they need to be replaced.

     

    Note.  Never mix old and new batteries or rechargeable and regular.  

     

    Both the above are based on my personal experience, not shutting down my machine and using it for around four hours per day.   Note.   Monitors do not always faithfully report battery strength, particularly with rechargeable ones.

     

    When checking your mouse or keyboard batteries ...

     

    Turn off the device.

    Remove the batteries,

    Clean the terminals both inside the battery compartment and on the batteries themselves.

    Replace or renew both batteries.

    Turn on the device.   You should get a blinking green light if the device is paired.

    Click the mouse to activate it.  The green light becomes steady.

     

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