The only way is wireless, or is it?

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Level 1

8 points

The only way is wireless, or is it?

Any other pointing device, other than a traditional mouse like the button or touch pad on laptops were near to useless, until I've purchased the mac powerbook.

The very first impression was fantastic and now I really fill it works magnificent.

When I've lately purchased the mac mini, the traditional mouse is far from satisfying. I've tried apparently world's best, the Wacom Bamboo touch pad. It is in my opinion very useless device in respect to gestures or touch pointer.

Well, I was very tempted to get the mac magic trackpad, but the only way is to get it in wireless form. I do not have anything wireless and wish to keep it that way.

Is there any chance to convert the magic trackpad into fully operational wired usb pad?

I wish it due to reducing an amount of emf radiation surrounding me, and I've seen on internet some people modify this nice pad to usb powered, just to save on batteries. Those people also regret that this pad is not offered in usb format.

I've tried to source such a device from outside mac, but I've learned that nothing else match mac. I also refused to purchase a beautiful mac wireless keyboard, just because there is no usb cable attached to it.

The mac powerbook has also fantastic illuminated keyboard.

How to appeal to mac decision makers to issue the peripherals in both versions, wired and wireless?

There is also a moral aspect of mac decision to offer only wireless: they deprive people of choice.

To finish off, the very reason I've purchased the mac mini having so nice powerbook is that it also was designed to connect to internet wireless. There is no longer a proper network socket and the usb of thunderbolt are only for once off use, not permanent use. Again, from my perspective, this potentially excellent device become a trouble because the wired option was denied.

Mac mini (Late 2014), OS X Yosemite (10.10.4), wireless or wired

Posted on Jul 25, 2015 7:09 AM

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Answer 1

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,846 points

Jul 25, 2015 8:56 AM in response to commonsense3

Welcome!

Are you sure you have a "PowerBook" and not a "MacBook Pro?" The last new Powerbooks were sold before early 2006. Also PowerBook trackpads were incapable of recognizing gestures. As the gestures appear to be part of the appeal to you, you must have a MacBook or MaBook Pro and are in the seldom-visited forums for pre-2006 Apple notebooks.

So let us find out what Mac you really have. Please do About this Mac" from the notebook's Apple menu at the left end of the menubar. With newer Mac OS versions you wiull get a screen similar to this:

Please tell us what the large first line and the top line inside the red box I drew read on your computer. Do not post your serial number. Then we can see if we need to get you moved to a more active and appropriate forum for your product.

The magic trackpad is technically wireless, but is Bluetooth--not WiFi like the world uses for internet connectivity. Bluetooth is very short-range--a matter of a few meters--so you will not be transmitting anything that could be compromised. If you choose to fear Bluetooth, then you have no solution for the Mini like you are enjoying on the Mac notebook, whatever it is.

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Answer 2

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,996 points

Jul 25, 2015 2:19 PM in response to commonsense3

There are a few USB keyboards that have a built-in touchpad that works as a mouse, too;

so the third-party device may or may not offer an avenue to this wired aspect you seek.

And having migrated to a newer Mac computer from older and in some ways better OS X

version, the need to upgrade to a different multiple button mouse (with scroll wheel) due to

the greater expanse of wasted desktop space that the missing side-bar window arrows in

newer OS X versions do not have and cannot be force to display... I bought a new mouse.

Contextual menus and a few keyboard options allowed me to avoid that. And I did not want

to be purchasing batteries/recharging duplicate sets, syncing bluetooth or wi-fi, and all of

that drain on personal resources the consumer electronics game is geared toward.

After getting a non-Apple USB 'mouse-in-a-box' at the grocery, having looked into the USB

Apple mouse (used to be known as Mighty Mouse, the wired version of early magic mouse)

at $50-$60. I was glad to get the $12. one with clickable scroll-wheel and programmable

buttons that I could choose to ignore, or set to perform useful function instead of accidents.

Then I happened across an original Mighty Mouse (USB with scroll-ball and hidden buttons

on the top plus regular buttons on the side) for only 50¢ at a charity thrift store; not knowing

if it would work at all. And having read of the troubles some users had with the Apple USB

mouse of same specs in the Apple Store at retail. There is a cure to the problems that had

been noted, so the current offered one is not as bad as critics claim. You can clean the tiny

roller ball on top of this mouse without disassembly, quickly, using a clean piece of paper.

So that is an option, to get and use (in addition to other devices?) the keyboard with a built-

in touch pad, and a wired USB Apple or other third party mouse with the scroll wheel. After

finding the great deal on this previously owned Apple USB 'mighty mouse' I'd consider a

new one, now. I was able to use it for a month before it failed to scroll, but I knew about it

due to previous study; and also found it is possible to take it apart, but not necessarily.

The 'mouse-in-a-box' is a good update to the old Mini G4 1.5GHz with 10.5.8, as it had

been doing OK with the original Apple white mouse and contextual menu choices. At least

there were no drivers to install, the different mouse products just worked in various OS X.

If you find a local source for a suitable key board with touchpad built in, you can test it and

see if whichever one you find is truly capable of working with Mac OS X and be sure to get

one that is not marked for Windows OS unless you want to learn the keymapping difference.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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Answer 3

commonsense3 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 26, 2015 6:56 AM in response to Allan Jones

Yes, it is macbook pro.

Whatever it is it works really well.

My point is that I want wired touch pad and that option was denied. I prefer not to be in situation that I give up and try to convince myself that a little or emf radiation is not so bad. I prefer to have the option I want. Also some mac users converted the magic track pad to usb purely for the purpose of supplying it not from batteries but usb power.

The actual frequencies of the wireless devices are in the range of the microwave stoves, sure with less power.

But the effect of such radiation depends proportionally to a distance. And with pointing devices the distances to your body are minimal. And the strength of emf field decrees with the square of distance. http://www.emfwise.com/distance.php

Have you read the book by Robet Becker - The body electric and another one - Cross currents ?

I highly recommend those books.

Let me bring another example. The very mammograms that suppose to save women, they actually contribute towards cancer, despite having been developed to detect and be safe and despite all assurances.

We know also that an xray in general is carcinogenic and it's effect is cumulative.

On one hand there is scientific evidence, but the problem is in interpretation of findings.

I put the dilemma this way: the technology of producing usb track pad exists and is not overly expensive and actually is simpler and cheaper than wireless.

Perhaps IR connection between track pad and pc would be really safe and I could be persuaded. You know, the common remote control you use for tv, they are almost visible. Your digital camera can actually see the IR led operating. They are harmless.

Well, my general point was a Choice.

I propose that Mac offers us all peripherals connected by:

a) usb

b) IR

c) radio frequencies

I wish that Mac sets the good trend in industry. Therefore more choices not less I expect.

The keyboard with built in track pad would be ideal for me and also I would prefer wired one or IR.

Thanks for tips

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Answer 4

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,846 points

Jul 26, 2015 7:56 AM in response to commonsense3

commonsense3 wrote:

I propose that Mac offers us....

We are all end users like you volunteering our time to help our fellow Mac users. Apple development does not read these forums. The link below is the best way to get your concerns to someone at Apple actually involved in development. You likely won't get a response, but that channel gets your issues to people who can take action.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macmini.html

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