I wasn’t convinced this particular project was worth its salt, but a little reflection convinced me. I don’t use Apple’s dainty little desk accessories — I always go back to a nice, meaty mechanical keyboard and high-performance mouse, because Apple’s keyboards are like toys and the trackpad is no good for gaming. But hey, some people like ‘em. The trouble is their naturally light and slippery nature, which causes them to slide about and become separated.
I would have thought Apple would foresee this and install powerful magnets in that round bit of the casing, so they’d stick together, but they didn’t, so it’s left to the ever-inventive fans to justify their purchase with a home-brewed accessory. The aTrackt on Kickstarter really does solve the problem, and passes the only test it needs to, in my opinion: if I had the keyboard and trackpad, I wouldn’t be caught dead without one of these as well.
The idea is extremely simple: a bar of aluminum with space for the feet of the peripherals to go in; they rest at the same height they normally would, so nothing is really changed about the user experience — except that now, your trackpad won’t go on walkabout. It doesn’t appear that the bar has any kind of non-slip surface on the bottom, though, which would be handy. That said, if this guy can put together a whole Kickstarter project and we can’t even be bothered to put a piece of gaffer’s tape on the bottom of the thing, that bespeaks a certain consumer entitlement I’d rather not admit to.
I’m not sure $50 and $100 for the normal and “go” versions respectively are going to fly, but then again, the appetite of Apple users for expensive accessories is bottomless, so maybe I shouldn’t naysay just yet. I’d also lose the irregular bolding in the logotype; it makes me angry. At any rate, the project is just starting out and if you can spare a ten spot to nudge it towards its relatively modest $8000 goal, I’m sure Mark would appreciate it.
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