Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ponyboy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 27, 2002
217
0
SLC UT/Italy
I was just goofing off in the apple store configuring my dream system and at the end noticed the the apple mouse had an estimated ship time of 40 days! How long till macworld? New mouse or some other input device, for sure! I seriously doubt their stock could be that low.
 

Mr. Anderson

Moderator emeritus
Nov 1, 2001
22,568
6
VA
now that is cool. If their redesigning the desktop, a new mouse makes sense, what about the keyboard?
 

neilt

macrumors regular
May 28, 2002
156
0
Phoenix, AZ
Maybe they will be releasing a graphic/handwriting tablet as well.

I have had a chance to mess with inkwell inthe newest jaguar build....really cool, although still pretty flaky. better than the newton was and tons better than graffiti on the palm.
 

Hemingray

macrumors 68030
Jan 9, 2002
2,926
37
Ha ha haaa!
Re: blue tooth is pricey

Originally posted by Royal Pineapple

blue tooth would be nice except for the people who dont want to shell out the dough for a bluetooth adapter.

Yeah, that is if Apple ever starts carrying them again... :rolleyes:
 

Quark

macrumors regular
Jan 9, 2002
245
0
KeyboardMouse...

What about the new concept that's been floating around several forums about the KeyboardMouse?

Essentially it is a Keyboard that has the mouse built into it. So you type and lightly push (adjustable sensitivity). It doesn't slide around the desktop and your palms do the pushing. I've seen a concept of this and the only problem I have is that it takes a little getting used to.

A better way to describe it is as if you had that "eraser" thingy, on many non-Apple notebook keyboards, built into the base/underside of the keyboard. You would lightly push the keyboard in the direction you want and the harder you push, the faster the pointer moves across the screen. The multiple buttons are just below the space bar -- two on each side so that you could use either thumb.

It's wireless (bluetooth) and has a FireWire port for charging and programming it. It only needs charging once a week, for a couple of hours.

Quark
 

boymerang

macrumors member
May 24, 2002
34
0
Toronto, Canada
it sounds clumsy and counter-intuitive and entirely un-apple. i really don't think you're going to see them deviate from having a mouse and a keyboard seperate...you might see a new mouse, but i don't think even that's going to happen any time soon - they'll probably leave that to third party companies. yes i'd give up my microsoft mouse in favour of a mac one if a mac one did what my microsoft can do :p...but, i just don't see a 5-button (and yes, i USE all 4 of those buttons and the scroll wheel) mouse coming from apple any time soon, ya know?
 

AmbitiousLemon

Moderator emeritus
Nov 28, 2001
3,415
3
down in Fraggle Rock
seems pretty easy to make a two click mouse with no buttons but im not sure how to fit a scroll wheel (probably an ipod style wheel since it can keep spinning unlike pc wheels). the normal click we have now is a forward and down motion. try clicking the back and you will see it doesnt work. so they could easily make the second click a backward and down motion. this would make clicking and dragging the same as it is now, unlike the left right buttonless mice.

still if i had to bet on what the next apple input would be i would guess as follows(in decreasing likelyhood):
1) different color pro mouse
2) tablet
3) two click no button mouse
4) blue tooth anything.
 

Rower_CPU

Moderator emeritus
Oct 5, 2001
11,219
2
San Diego, CA
The tablet rumor definitely jibes with Ink...but do you think Apple would try to compete with tablet makers like Wacom?

A new mouse would be welcome…scroll wheel at the least, two buttons...sure, why not?
 

Inhale420

macrumors regular
May 4, 2002
134
0
Re: KeyboardMouse...

Originally posted by Quark
What about the new concept that's been floating around several forums about the KeyboardMouse?

Essentially it is a Keyboard that has the mouse built into it. So you type and lightly push (adjustable sensitivity). It doesn't slide around the desktop and your palms do the pushing. I've seen a concept of this and the only problem I have is that it takes a little getting used to.


Quark

that's the crappiest idea i've ever heard. i wouldn't bet against apple doing something like this... they did come up with a round mouse :rolleyes:
 

neilt

macrumors regular
May 28, 2002
156
0
Phoenix, AZ
Re: Re: KeyboardMouse...

Originally posted by Inhale420


that's the crappiest idea i've ever heard. i wouldn't bet against apple doing something like this... they did come up with a round mouse :rolleyes:

There was nothing wrong with the round (hockey puck) mouse. It all depended on how you held it. You were supposed to hold the mouse between your thumb and middle finger only. Nothing else was supposed to really touch it. You could rest your palm directly on your desk or palm rest and move the mouse by moving only your thumb and middle finger.
This kept you from getting cts/rsi because your wrist was stationary. You used your index finger to press the button.
The only real problem is that people felt they needed to slap their entire hand on top of the mouse. Try to hold one this way, it takes a little getting used to, but you can use it for hours without ever getting tired.
 

alex_ant

macrumors 68020
Feb 5, 2002
2,473
0
All up in your bidness
Re: Re: Re: KeyboardMouse...

Originally posted by neilt
There was nothing wrong with the round (hockey puck) mouse. It all depended on how you held it. You were supposed to hold the mouse between your thumb and middle finger only. Nothing else was supposed to really touch it. You could rest your palm directly on your desk or palm rest and move the mouse by moving only your thumb and middle finger.
This kept you from getting cts/rsi because your wrist was stationary. You used your index finger to press the button.
The only real problem is that people felt they needed to slap their entire hand on top of the mouse. Try to hold one this way, it takes a little getting used to, but you can use it for hours without ever getting tired.
I don't hate the puck mouse, but one thing I noticed was that, because it was round, it had a tendency to turn in my hand without me noticing, so that, say, a 90-degree up motion would translate into an 80-degree up motion of the mouse pointer... quite annoying. What it needed was a good tactile directional cue.

Alex
 

irmongoose

macrumors 68030
Re: KeyboardMouse...

Originally posted by Quark
A better way to describe it is as if you had that "eraser" thingy, on many non-Apple notebook keyboards, built into the base/underside of the keyboard. You would lightly push the keyboard in the direction you want and the harder you push, the faster the pointer moves across the screen. The multiple buttons are just below the space bar -- two on each side so that you could use either thumb.

hehe.. I call that "the nipple"... its the worst kind fo mouse I've ever used (out of teh ones that DO work)... and its IMPOSSIBLE to do any kind of graphics with that! So, no, Apple will definetely NOT do that!





irmongoose
 

ponyboy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 27, 2002
217
0
SLC UT/Italy
back in stock

Looks like the ship times for the apple mice are back to normal. I guess apple found a crate of them in the back or something.

But it has got me thinking of what kind of input device I would really like, the current mouse is good I love that it is optical, but a scroll wheel would be nice. I tried for about a month to use a wacom tablet and never get used to, didnt feel connected to the pointer it was always somewhere I didnt want it to be. Ive been wondering, and flame me if you want, but has anyone ever developed a glove type device? Where your fingertips would give the input? I think it would be great, your index finger tracks and clicks, second finger is a right click, and third a scroll, it would similar to the way a trackpad works. It would have to be wireless, all of the tech stuff could concievably be contained in something no bigger than a wrist watch. you could use it in your lap on your desk whereever, Maybe this kind of thing is a long way off but I think it would be perfect
 

boymerang

macrumors member
May 24, 2002
34
0
Toronto, Canada
the glove idea's interesting. except if you wanted to use your dominant hand (assuming that's the one you use as your 'mouse' hand...) for writing or answering the phone. this is basically a no-tablet version of those awful finger pads on laptops.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.