With its ultra-thin design and single-use functionality, users might think that a teardown of Apple's new Magic Trackpad would be straightforward and uninteresting. But the experts at iFixit show us in one of their famous teardowns how Apple pulls off the design and puts it all together into a sleek package.
As is becoming increasingly common for Apple's device, particularly its peripherals, disassembly is not for the faint of heart, with a fair amount of prying required and some adhesive to fight through in order to fully access the internals.
Once inside, iFixit discovered a small logic board roughly in the center of the device carrying the same Broadcom Bluetooth chip used in the Magic Mouse and the same Broadcom touch controller found in the iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Air, in addition to 256 KB of flash memory. The remainder of the interior surrounding the logic board contains a white plastic spacer designed to prevent damage to the logic board should the device be squeezed.
Magic Trackpad's clicking mechanism
One of the other interesting design features we previously noted is the Apple's use of the Magic Trackpad's feet to generate the "click" when the user presses down on the device's surface. iFixit's teardown reveals how depressing the surface of the trackpad causes the feet to push up onto a hinged metal plate that runs along the front edge of the device inside the chassis. That metal plate then contacts a small mouse button to activate the clicking functionality.
Sunday September 24, 2023 12:45 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
Monday September 25, 2023 12:50 pm PDT by Marko Zivkovic
The iPhone 16 series is expected to gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the "Capture Button." Codenamed "Project Nova," the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. The Capture Button is located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower - where the mmWave cutout...
Monday September 25, 2023 3:16 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple could be preparing to release a seventh-generation iPad mini before the end of the year, based on a new report by DigiTimes. In an article discussing stagnating global tablet demand in the second half of 2023, the Taiwan-based outlet forecasts an uptick in Apple's share of the market owing to orders for a "small-size" iPad in the fourth quarter. From the report (see bold): In the...