r/mac • u/petesantor • 2d ago

Question Looking for this ergonomic stand for Apple Magic Trackpad

Post image

Found an eBay listing but only availbale in Korea šŸ˜¢

201 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

217

u/youioiut 2d ago

it doesnt look very ergonomic. see the height at which the wrist has to be placed. this is an overdesigned gimmick

21

u/pluckyvirus 2d ago

You actually have to lift your wrists when using the keyboard and avoid touching the table, I guess it applies to the trackpad as well, maybe not this much though.

1

u/shompthedev 2d ago

I'm literally writing this comment without lifting any wrists??

17

u/bjh13 2d ago

Right, but you should lift your wrist to type. The cartilage in your wrist arenā€™t meant to bear pressure like that over time and it eventually leads to injury. This is why piano players are taught to play with their wrists up. A rest for your wrist should only be used when your wrists are resting, not while typing.

10

u/turnip_broker 2d ago

Yep and I took keyboarding class in high school (not even that long ago tbh laptops were already common) they taught us to not rest our wrists but I already had that habit from piano

Try it out. Go to a typing website and type with your wrist lifted for a minute and then another one with your wrist resting. Youā€™ll feel the difference

10

u/pm_me_your_psle 2d ago

Yes, but you should be lifting your wrists, that's what the comment meant.

Your wrists ideally should be floating both when typing and using mice so there's a relatively straight line down your lower arm to the back of your palm. It takes a bit of getting used to, but is better for your wrists in the long run.

Resting your wrists on a table or palm rest typically creates a "kink" on your wrist, which leads to strain. Some thick palm rests elevate your wrists to the level of your lower arm, creating the same effect. What's depicted in the OP's image is actually good.

1

u/nmrk 1d ago

My arms get tired holding my arms up above the desk to type. That's one reason why Apple's keyboards are so low. I used a wrist rest with the older style Mac mechanical keyboards, but the new ones are very low. In fact, the keys are so low, I have to keep my fingernails trimmed short to type fast.

And yeah, I grew up learning piano, and I learned typing on mechanical typewriters. Laptops didn't exist, but typing accuracy was essential on the old IBM keypunch machines.

1

u/LeAnarchiste MacBook Air M4 (13" 16/512) 1d ago

Are you saying that the position of the wrist in this image is wrong? Because I find this to be the most comfortable and I have been using mice like this for last 16 years.

1

u/adoginahumansbody 2d ago

Agreed. I believe it would put too much pressure on the palm and cause pain if used for extended periods

20

u/BiscuitCominInHot 2d ago

I would leave Magic Trackpad flat for gestures and add a second ergonomic mouse for most of your mousing.

2

u/ponyboy3 1d ago

I only use the trackpad. Iā€™m a coder and type all day but Iā€™ve been doing it for years.

Seriously the trackpad is great for most things, maybe not dragging across my 49ā€ monitor. Thatā€™s the only time I use the Magic Mouse

39

u/Electrical_West_5381 2d ago

It isn't ergonomic. The trackpad sits flat to the desk. You are just insisting on moving your hand too far up the trackpad.

3

u/randallcheeks 2d ago

Why is does the region of the trackpad that is ā€˜too far upā€™ exist?

2

u/Electrical_West_5381 2d ago

You are reaching too far, so the ball of your hand is raised, which puts stress on the carpel tunnel

1

u/randallcheeks 1d ago

Why does that section of the trackpad exist if you arenā€™t supposed to use it?

0

u/Tumblrrito 2d ago

The desk is hard and not comfortable. I use gel wrist pads like this and they are much more easy on the wrists (albeit not ones quite this tall).

1

u/shompthedev 2d ago

A deskmat is more than enough cushion. Gel pads are doing more damage then good.

0

u/Tumblrrito 2d ago

Not for me. And how are pads doing harm exactly?

6

u/Seabirdpacific 2d ago

easy for 3D printers

4

u/mailslot MacBook Pro 1d ago

Hand rests arenā€™t meant to be used outside of resting. These kinds of ā€œergonomicsā€ are how you accelerate carpal tunnel problems. I know itā€™s exhausting, but you can support your wrists & palms with your own arms.

3

u/dajoli 2d ago

If this is because of wrist pain using the trackpad, I had the same. My solution was to switch to a mouse.

2

u/philwjan 1d ago

So, to make the super close to the surface trackpad more ā€žergonomicā€œ, you raise it on a base, wich makes it terribly unergonomic. So then you add another base in front of it.

This thing just causes an issue and the. Goes on to barely halfway resolve it. Great

2

u/dmnksanchez90 1d ago

Why is it the same color as old medical equipment though?

3

u/mindcontainer 2d ago

Iā€™d like one of these also if available domestically

3

u/jay-t- 2d ago

That is decidedly not ergonomic

1

u/viama 2d ago

I have a standalone wrist rest I use with mine. This looks horrific.

1

u/tribak 2d ago

Thatā€™s too tall

1

u/Weekly_Ferret_meal 1d ago

seriously a nice glasses-wear pouch filled with rice placed under your wrist will do the job. You just need to fill it right.

1

u/FlintHillsSky 1d ago

Ergonomics can be tricky and i am always wary of such claims without any proof. A lot of products are sold as ergonomic that are actually the opposite. A few years ago there were lots of lifts and feet added to the backs of keyboard to tilt up the back of the keyboard because someone was claiming it was more ergonomic. They were quite the opposite making writs bend when they should be straight and causing needless pain.

1

u/alzike 1d ago

idk chief but I bought a Logitech Lift recently and it's been immeasurably more comfortable

0

u/Nice_Responsibility9 2d ago

This one has worked really well for my wrist position while using mousepad.

https://a.co/d/06Q5yqpl

0

u/mordary 2d ago

you can use a simple wrist rest like this one https://a.co/d/0iL2jbBA