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Apple’s magical trackpad, as they like to call it, consists of nine parts none of which are user replaceable. In addition, the $69 multitouch accessory is probably one of the most-profitable products Apple has ever made.
The Magic Trackpad model number A1339 offers no user serviceable parts beyond two AA batteries (provided) that slide into the battery door on the left. iFixIt summed it up nicely: “Thin and pretty = not user serviceable.” The device boasts a really thin profile and its touch panel is just 0.5mm thick.
Everything inside is glued together so removing the bottom panel and prying off the touch pad from the aluminum chassis isn’t possible without a heat gun and special opening tools. In short, you don’t just void warranty by prying open the Magic Trackpad, you as well risk damaging the device, iFixit warned:
This is not for the faint of heart. A copious amount of heat, guitar picks and plastic opening tools were required to make this thing bulge.
Surprisingly, the device’s touch-sensitive surface doesn’t depress when you click it, like on the trackpads found on Mac notebooks, iFixIt noted:
As you press down on the top surface of the Trackpad, the two rubber feet near its front edge push up on the hinged plate and set screw attached to the chassis. This squeezes the electronic mouse button switch, producing the characteristic “click”.
A tiny printed circuit board is about one fifth of the Magic Trackpad’s surface. Component suppliers include Broadcom (Bluetooth connectivity and touch screen controller chip) and SST (2Mbit of serial flash memory).
The multitouch accessory is made of aluminum and connects to any Mac or PC via Bluetooth. It has a smooth glass surface and is of the same angle and height as the Apple Wireless Keyboard.
As we noted in our analysis of the Magic Trackpad, it’s basically an eighty-percent-larger MacBook Pro trackpad that sits on your desktop and supports pointer motion, inertial scrolling, and a bunch of other multi-finger gestures found on Apple’s notebooks. It’s a supplement to your mouse more than it is a replacement for it.
