CES 2012: BulletTrain eXpress Enclosure for Magic Trackpad and Apple Keyboard

A great way to waste money and create a set up that is worse for your posture.

I was checking out the website the other week for the eXpress enclosure...

1.) It's a GREAT product enhancement if you're using an HTPC... using a PC or Mac hooked up to an Home Theater setup. Most 'keyboard' remotes and mice just don't do the trick for such setups. This product brings the very best of a Mac (ie. the keyboard / trackpad for MacBook Pros) to such setups. I don't think most buyers will use it at a desktop, which seems to be what most posters here think, but rather for an HTPC or 'Media Center' computers...

2.) That said, the $139 list price on their website is way too expensive, even for a product such as this, machined in small quantities. Hopefully if they've upped their manufacturing ability, they are now able to drop the price down to $79... which, despite protest from other posters is perfectly reasonable for what it allows in an HTPC setup...

3.) Unless they've addressed the underside of the eXpress in the last few weeks, the bottom looks very unfinished... and needs either a 'pillow' bottom (such as old 'lap desks' had) or a rubberized non-sip bottom (like the Logitech lap desk i'm using for my wireless keyboard/mouse right now)...

4.) While I think the invention is GREAT, the guy hawking it is ridiculous... It's no where near as revolutionary as he's making it out to be, and 95% of his website is pure marketing fluff... I remember all my professors in college complaining about how long my essays were bc of all the unnecessary 'BS' I loaded them with... yeahhh, this guy would def get a stern talking to from my professors for saying the same thing in 99 diff ways to promote his product...

5.) Don't hate on me... I'm using an HTPC setup w/ a Dell still... But, knowing that this BulletTrain eXpress product is available (and knowing how much I LOOOVE my MacBook Pro), it makes me wanna run out and get a Mac MINI, and wireless keyboard / trackpad, and, well, this BulletTrain eXpress product.

Thoughts?

Looks kind of bulky and like it's from the stone age.
This is just lame.

If you want to carry your keyboard-trackpad bundle around in a compact way and with real Apple-like style, look at this thing.
http://twelvesouth.com/products/magicwand/

I think this is great if u wanted something to use while sitting on a couch say and ur laptop/mac mini was connected to ur tv and u didnt have a table in front. So why all the hate? It does have its uses

The enclosure will be shipping in March and will cost $79 for silver version and $99 for colored versions, a couple of which are shown above.

Funny, their web site says $139.

Wow. The way people are railing on this you'd think the guy had made it out of puppy skins and kittens eyeballs. It mimics exactly the same layout as an Apple notebook, but you don't hear anyone complaining about the ergonomics of a MacBook. I agree with the poster who said this was useful for an HTPC setup - it's not for everyone, but to claim this has no use whatsoever is just dumb.

Man, I can't believe how many whiners are posting on here. I see one purpose for this thing and it looks like it will fit the bill perfectly - using my htpc Mac mini sitting on my couch.

While I agree the asking prices are a bit steep (I think you'd boost sales by double if you knocked $20-30 off them), they're not totally unreasonable. My apple kb slipped off of my lap due to my dog wanting attention. I caught it wih my feet, then it fell 4" to the ground. The aluminum around the button bent from the tiny drop rendering the keyboard useless. It essentially cost me $75. Something like this would definitely make my life easier.

Just because you don't understand a good use for an item doesn't mean you should totally bash it and trash talk it. I have no affiliation with this company. I just felt all the trash talking was completely over-the-top. If they run a sale, I'll definitely pick one up.

You sure are stupid? It's exactly the same as a laptop, so how is that bad ergonomics?

The layout of a laptop is because if you place the trackpad on right or left from the keyboard would cause the laptop to be very wide. The more comfortable layout is of course placing the trackpad on the right of the keyboard (or left if you are left-handed).

Why so many poor ergonomics comments ? Surely this is trying to solve a real problem ?

Here's my experience of this.
I bought a Magic Trackpad and a wireless keyboard. No problems with the keyboard - big problems with the trackpad. Why ?
The angle of the trackpad requires the fingers not in current use to be lifted up and bent backwards otherwise the trackpad misinterprets the gesture. This is not an issue with the keyboard as there is somewhere to rest the unused fingers and it's not gesture based.

Then I bought a MacBook Air. No problems with the trackpad because it is flat - so much less strain on the fingers and there is somewhere to rest the unused ones.

This product is trying to do the same. Worth it or not ? We'll see.

It's not something that I personally have a use for since I only use a MacBook anyway/already, but the color ones as seen on the website certainly do look pretty. Almost like what a cross between aluminum MacBooks and the older color iBooks would look like.