Will Magic Trackpads Make Mice the Next Sought After Antique?

Apple Computers has developed a product they are calling a “Magic Trackpad” and industry speculation is buzzing that Apple is hopeful of the Magic Trackpad eventually replacing the standard mouse as the method by which users move the cursor around the screen on their computers. 

Many laptop computers, whether from Apple Computers or from manufacturers of Windows based machines, have had trackpads available for years.  There have even been Windows machines that allowed an external trackpad to be attached to a desktop machine instead of a mouse.  Users who advocate for the trackpad have found it easier to use than the mouse and have found it leaves them far less susceptible to repetitive stress injuries.

Now, if Apple is hopeful of eventually replacing the mouse with the Magic Trackpad, it is doubtful that the mouse will become an antique like an antique Persian rug.  Unlike Vintage rugs, a mouse based on technology will most likely not have much purpose going forward other than as a curiosity piece.  Or a museum piece somewhere like the Boston Computer Museum.

In order for Apple to have invested in the development of the Magic Trackpad, they would have to be convinced there is a market for them.  So they’ve most likely received thousands if not millions of phone calls over the years requesting a trackpad type function for desktop machines.  People who had worried about using the mouse because of repetitive stress or had just gotten tired of the mouse most likely decided the trackpad was the technology that most fit their needs so asked Apple to develop one.  Earlier Apple laptops had used trackballs and most likely some folks felt the trackball was almost as unwieldy to use as the mouse but the trackpad allows the user to use one or two fingers and either hand.

Will the Magic Trackpad actually be able to fully replace the mouse for all users?  Probably not as there are individuals today who attach a mouse to a laptop with a trackpad because they prefer using the technological tool they first learned.  There are individuals who will prefer the trackball.  But Apple obviously does see the market since they have developed the product.  As many industry analysts have noted, Steve Jobs has a fairly good track record on product development, even if there is not a ready market identified and if Apple has received enough requests for trackpad technology over the years, the market has already been identified.

Will the mouse become an antique?  Possibly, but most likely not as valuable as the antique Persian Rug.