What kinds of pointing devices do you prefer?

[PhotoToyo]

I have both an Apple Magic Mouse (http://www.apple.com/magicmouse/) and an Apple Magic Trackpad (http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/). They are both always connected (wirelessly via Bluetooth) to my Mac Pro so I can switch back and forth as needed, no extra steps required. I love the gestures of a trackpad when doing simple everyday tasks in Mac OS, but like the "accuracy" of a mouse when using PS. I have really enjoyed having both available.

[paulr]

Rick "wondering if Apple supports multiple USB human interface devices" Denney

You can have at least two, probably as many as you want. The cursor acts confused if you try to actually use them at the same time.

[adam satushek]

I'm a little surprised there has not been more mention of Wacom tablets. In my opinionated opinion they are the only way to do Photoshop. Been using them for years and now don't feel I can properly manipulate Photoshop without one. Especially if I'm doing any layer masking, but even for precise curve adjustments. Also, prefer them over normal mice for everyday internet surfing and such. I have 2, the Intuos 3 6x11, and the Intuos 4x5. Smaller one is mostly used for traveling with the laptop, but can also hook them both up to the same computer and have each mapped to its own monitor. A nice setup if you use a second monitor for pallets.

[patrickjames]

I feel the opposite Adam. I have never been able to get used to tablets. I know quite a few others that feel the same and stick with mice. I always wanted to get used to them. I have a background in art before photography so they should be easy for me to use but I have always found them awkward.

[ROL]

I loved the standard Mac mouse (called the Mighty Mouse before Disney sued). The design was brilliant, except for where it sucked: the scroll ball would get gunked up and useless, and there was ultimately no way to clean it short of doing surgery (many Youtube videos describe the procedure. It involves tweezers, a tiny crowbar, and glue). After doing it once, I concluded: F**k This.

FYI: The ball did get frequently sludged up with finger grease and dirt, but every one I saw had an easily removable lock ring for cleaning. One could usually rub the gunk off with a finger or engage in a more thorough cleaning with alcohol. I believe clear vodka resulted in less headaches than Jack.

[cjbroadbent]

I follow Adam, and prefer a Wacom tablet. And a small one is less strain on the wrist. If you can sign your name with a pointing device then it's good for masking and retouching.

[Matus Kalisky]

I am not doing any heavy graphical work, but since I got my 13" MacBook back in late 2008 - all I ever needed was the touchpad. Large, smooth, with multi-finger ability which I love. I use it for all my Photoshop work. Should it not be enough I would go directly to some king of tablet. I would only get mouse if I would start to play computer games again

[paulr]

FYI: The ball did get frequently sludged up with finger grease and dirt, but every one I saw had an easily removable lock ring for cleaning. One could usually rub the gunk off with a finger or engage in a more thorough cleaning with alcohol. I believe clear vodka resulted in less headaches than Jack.

Different mouse. I'm talking about the one released as the mighty mouse, and now sold as the apple mouse. There's no lock ring, or easily removeable anything. It has to be broken to get to the insides, disassembled with tweezers, cleaned with q-tips and alcohol, and glued back together. Surgery is explained here. I won't go back.

I've actually started to appreciate the newer Magic Mouse (the one with the flat, touch sensitive top). Apple's driver software is crippled, but there's freeware called Better Touch Tool that lets you customize it with a huge range of multitouch gestures. I just got a used one on ebay to have alongside the wacom (which uses both pen and touch). I'm finding I'm faster for most things with the mouse, although the different modes of the wacom each offer advantages.

[joolsb]

I think you have to go a long way to beat the combination of a Wacom tablet (for the heavy PS work) and the Apple Magic Trackpad for multi-touch gestures that I use...

[paulr]

I think you have to go a long way to beat the combination of a Wacom tablet (for the heavy PS work) and the Apple Magic Trackpad for multi-touch gestures that I use...

Wacom is making models that do both. If they improve the drivers, and extend the touch capabilities to the pro models, they'll have a killer product.

I'm still finding that I'm a bit faster for most things with a mouse. Not sure if this is just because of years of habit.