Mac Trackballs & Accessories

Mac Trackballs

Most usb and bluetooth trackballs will work with a Mac. I have used the MarbleMouse trackball for years. Its optical technology makes it move smoothly and it works for both left and right-handed people. Note that it doesn't have a scroll wheel. Instead it just has two little buttons which can be configured for scrolling but only if you install the driver.

Some trackballs have drivers written specifically for Mac OS X. That said, they are usually less powerful than their Windows counterparts and often even buggy. Most trackballs will work without a driver, using just the built-in Apple mouse driver which supports left and right buttons as well as many scroll wheels.

My son, who has always used a trackball, asked me recently, "Why do people use a mouse?". I had to answer, "I don't know".

Mac Trackballs

Left-handed Trackballing

Positioning a mouse or trackball on the left-hand side of the keyboard is an advantage.

Consider the layout of a keyboard: there are about 6 inches of keys to the right of the main keypad. So a mouse or trackball on the right side is distant from the main keyboard. On the left hand side, in contrast, the mouse or trackball is very close to the main keyboard. That makes for less hand movement when changing between keyboard and trackball.

Many of my clients and family have switched over and now see the benefit. It only takes a day or so to get used to it. It can also help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.