I can not remember the last time I actually used a mouse at home. You know, 2 buttons, a scroll wheel and you have to move it around to move the cursor. When I was just a little fizzgig, I bought a Logitech Trackman Marble FX. It was completely insanely great (and quite expensive for just a young teenager); I still have it and I can not part with it, but not on my desk any more. At some point I came in possession of a Wacom Graphire3 tablet. Where the Marble FX had a learning curve (or more accurately: adjustment curve), the tablet had a short but steep hill. I had both on my desk for quite some time, using the Marble FX for playing StarCraft or other shenanigans I did not feel comfortable using the tablet.

That uncomfortable feeling vanished within a couple of months and the trustworthy trackball became obsolete. I bought the Marble FX because of its neutral position when using it and the tablet was even better. The trackball was neutral, the pen of the tablet was also less repetitive. It also fits more snugly in your bag :-)

At some point the pen gave out and I bought a Graphire4 without thinking. It still works, but I bought a Bamboo Fun a few weeks ago because of one feature: multitouch input. After I bought a new MacBook I was hooked on the touchpad of it. I kept swiping my tablet when I worked behind my external screen... And because Apple refuses to give me a magic trackpad, I bought the Wacom. My Graphire4 is now being cared for by my girlfriend.

So, all is well and great and ponyful? Not quite, after using it a couple of weeks I am starting to have a slight itch in my wrist and I think I know why:

1. It by default clicks when you touch it. You can disable this, but that makes clicking more intensive by moving to a button right next to the input field, which often moves your cursor just before you click it. But tap-to-click means you cannot rest your hand like on the MacBook's trackpad. It makes everything go haywire when you least expect it. And keeping your hand in the air with this thing is just what you DO NOT want. You are better off with a mouse. It is the reason people should tear off the little legs on most keyboards so they can never be used.

2. The whole thing becomes this repetitive out-of-center straining business again. The trackpad sits nice and comfy in the middle, but you cannot easily place the tablet in front of your keyboard because of the tap-to-click (I tried it, it failed :(). You have to move with your elbow in a very slightly uncomfortable position, just like with a pen, but now you have to force your wrist in a very uncomfortable position. It is just wrong.

3. I am just not used to it. I like my comfy pen. I like to play with it while I am thinking. I type with it between my fingers. I love holding it to move my cursor.

If I had to bet why Apple has not released a similar product it is because they also found out that a trackpad instead of a mouse (ie: placed off-center) is just a bad idea. Luckily the Bamboo still has a more than excellent pen, but I am seriously thinking about getting my Graphire4 back.

• You need Computer Science, so you know what is actually possible.
• You need Industrial Design, so you know how to design useable products.
• You need Anthropology, so you can observe and interpret what people actually do.
• But most importantly, you need Psychology to outmanoeuvre the bullshit of your client and especially: his/her boss.

But don't tell anyone.