I have an unusual setup in that, while I am left handed, I mouse right handed. I suspect this is not terribly uncommon in left-handed users, since a number of circumstances conspire, both inside and outside of the computing world, to encourage (if not require) non-dominant hand use among us southpaws.

About 12 years ago, I developed some soreness while mousing in my left forearm and hand. Seeking a short-term fix, I switched to a right-handed setup, switching back only when playing a game. Over time, I grew to prefer right-handed mousing, a happy side effect of which was an increased number of third-party mice.

And then I moved to using a laptop full time, and, consequently, a trackpad. Most recently, I tried out a Magic Trackpad at the office, since I spend considerably more time at my desk due to the pandemic and school closures.

The Magic Trackpad is one part computer trackpad, one part iPad screen. The multitouch gestures that power iOS’s interface are largely available on the Mac, thanks to the Magic Trackpad. The standalone is larger than that on a MacBook of any size, and brings an almost iPad-like experience to using a desktop Mac.

I immediately placed the trackpad to the right of my keyboard, as it is a mouse replacement. Having used it for a couple of days, I realized it felt strange to me, more than I would have expected considering that I now mouse comfortably with my right hand.

I took to the iPad to see which hand I used to swipe and poke the screen. It’s mixed, but I largely use the right hand. With iPhone, it’s more 50/50. So the Magic Trackpad should feel at home with right-hand use… but it didn’t.

I then tried a trackpad on the iPad’s Magic Keyboard. And there it was: turns out I trackpad with my left hand. Somehow I had moved over from my left hand to my right hand in almost all of my interactions, but continued to use the trackpad with my left hand.

I’m still going to try getting used to the Magic Trackpad with my right hand. I like the challenge of making simple, rote tasks more challenging, like switching my clocks to military time.