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Apple debuting two-button mouse?

Man it's about time, I'm sorry to say I'm using one of those cheap blue microsoft mice. As slick as the Pro Mice are, I just love me some War/Starcraft, and FPS too much. (Oops did I pick the wrong platform? Heh.) Other than that, I really just use keyboard commands, but a scroll wheel is pretty much a necessity. (Yeah I've been spoiled by this newfangled 2005 powerbook 2 finger scrolling)

What I really, really, reeeeally want to see Apple do is make a mouse with 3 buttons, a scroll wheel (but like the ipod's, of course) and adopt system-wide mouse gestures. Who needs separate forward and back buttons when a quick flip of the wrist does it better?
 
Who's willing to bet this new-fangled mouse by Apple will be released coinciding with Tiger's? It'll most likely have a trackpad based on my findings.
 
manu chao said:
Exposé is only real fun with hot corners.
Click to expand...

Actually, I think it's cooler with mouse buttons... because with a button you can click-hold or just click. A click-hold just moves the windows out of the way as long as you hold, then they snap back when you release. Pretty cool.
 
ok, you guys just wait for a multi-button mouse

and i am going to buy some stock for the single button mouse, at least enough for me to use for another 10 years.
:cool:
 
slffl said:
Man, why do people need so many buttons? Have you ever used the hot corners to control expose? Works perfectly IMO.

Once again, DO NOT PUT 2 BUTTONS on the laptops Apple!
Click to expand...

Hot corners activate too often on accident. No modal change should happen in a corner that doesn't "undo" by moving the mouse out of that corner ... screen saver activate/deactivate works for a corner action, but triggering Expose does not.

FWIW, on the laptop, I'm very happy with Sidetrack and the five buttons it provides :)
 
maka said:
that is not a summary of the thread. That kind of response takes away all your credibility...

Apple doesn't need to copy Windows features, it's always been the other way around, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe fast user switching is something that unix systems had first, and as OS X is a unix system it's perfectly normal for Apple to implement it too...
Click to expand...
Offcourse Apple needs to copy good stuff from Windows!
If Unix had Fast User Switching first... then why did Steve Jobs say Windows did, and that Apple copied it from Microsoft..?
 
Rod Rod said:
That's because unix isn't a mainstream desktop OS.
Click to expand...

I don't remember what year it was, but I think around mid-nineties, Linux did also have the possibility of fast user switching... (I remember a friend showing me how he could have all the sessions he wanted open and going from one to the next with a key combination)
 
mac-er said:
According to AppleInsider, Apple is readying a two-button, wireless optical mouse for release.

Further fueling expectations are the recent price drops for the current one-button mice. ($29 for the wired mouse and $59 for the wireless mouse).
Click to expand...

Chronological Order:
- OS X
- iLife
- iWork
- 2-Button Mouse

Is it just me or shouldn't that list be backwards from what would seem realistic? Anyway, this is another great step for Apple to become a better company. Bring it on Apple. :cool:

I hope it includes a scroll wheel.
 
All i know, is that i wont be happy with this new iMouse unless it holds at least 1000 songs, usb and firewire 400 and 800 support, scroll wheel, a slot for headphones, a small full color LCD, a tiny camera to take pictures, and all this for under 19 US dollars (after edu discount :D )

Lets hope apple doesnt dissapoint... :rolleyes:
 
http://www.macpolls.com/index.php

Welll this poll seems to show that the one button mouse fanatics are clearly a miniority. It would appear that almost 75% of mac users who participated in the poll are using a two or more button pointing device. I would also consider trackballs and other as multibutton since they generally are. The folks who are using a trackpad are using laptops which count as one button though but they probably use a multi-button pointing device in conjuction with the trackpad or prefer to use trackpad only as to have less to tote around.

The vast majority of the 25% of one button mouse users were probably too lazy/cheap to buy another mouse so they settle with what they have. Another portion of the 25% probably have been Mac Users their whole life and on top of that never experimented with muli-button pointing devices so they are content out of ignorance. I would say half or more of the one button users would not mind if their next mac had a multi-button mouse in the box.

If Apple ships a Multi-button mouse with macs it would only be a good thing as it would save money and time for 75% of it's user base from having to go out and buy a third party device, and the vast majority or people who use single button mice will be happy as well.

I think the Single button mouse fanatics make up less than 10% of the Macintosh community. Why should Apple and the rest of the Mac users in the world be held back for them? Think about it Single button mouse fanatics make up less than 10% of macintosh users who themselves make up less than 5% of the PC market. So I got news for the single button mouse fanatics they make probably up less than 0.5% of the worlds computing population, I thinks it's time to move forward people.
 
i think the argument about scrolling through webpages stands wonderful ground. ok pro users could be like "well i dont need to read long websites im too busy making a movie", but matter of the fact is there is a home market. where most people there have Windows. who are now used to the fact that they can scroll effectively by just turned a wheel or touching a plate (Logitech V500). without having to move around the page for the scrollbar, which leads me to another point...

Perhaps its just me but i find the offical Apple mice PAINFUL to use. after 30 minutes i start to get pains, after a while i got RSI. the chair and everything was in the 'safe' position to use it but still... so i plugged my V500 in and everything was fine again. but this is just me, i severly doubt every Apple mouse owner has had RSI.

ps. currently using a Microsoft IntelliEye Explorer. as much as i hate M$ it is a very good mouse. had it about 5 years now. does not want to die :D infact! the one i had before this developed a faulty cable, so i tried to open it up (before i knew the screws were under the glide pads) only it took me a good 30 minutes trying to break into the case. that thing was built like a tank!
 
raggedjimmi said:
Perhaps its just me but i find the offical Apple mice PAINFUL to use.
Click to expand...

It's not just you. I got a new iMac in the fall and the new pro mouse to go with it (my beloved old mouse was an ADB II mouse... which I sold with my old machine). I tried so hard to like that new apple mouse simply because it looked so good next to my iMac. I tried for a month. I gave up. That mouse is probably the worst mouse ever designed. It's too small. It's too shallow (should be at least another cm higher in the back). You can't click and lift it to reposition (with the bluetooth version). The click is too stiff. And the fact that the entire thing is a button makes clicking feel really weird to me... those teeny tiny non-button tabs on the side should be at least twice the size so you can grip something other than the button. And the fact that the whole thing is a button makes the distance the thing has to travel to activate a click too long... the entire friggin' thing pivots from the back and it's like your whole entire hand has to move to click the thing. I hate it hate it hate it. Beautiful too look at, but from a functional and ergonomic point of view... total garbage... umm... IMHO :rolleyes:
 
Takeo said:
I tried so hard to like that new apple mouse simply because it looked so good next to my iMac. I tried for a month. I gave up.

The click is too stiff.
Click to expand...

I won't defend the standard Apple mouse too vigorously, but I had a problem with the stiff click - it made my whole arm ache - until I discovered the stiffness adjuster wheel underneath. Instant relief.
 
Little Endian said:
http://www.macpolls.com/index.php

Welll this poll seems to show that the one button mouse fanatics are clearly a miniority. It would appear that almost 75% of mac users who participated in the poll are using a two or more button pointing device….
Click to expand...

While I’m a multi-button user myself it should probably be pointed out that the poll only asked what mouse those people were using not whether they were using it with a Mac. I’m sure a large number were but just to be fair.

Those one button devotees, who were earlier in the thread touting the theory that there are right click contextual menus with commands that can’t be accessed with a single button click, have any of you found an example yet? The only two that were offered earlier were either incorrect or because old version of software was being used.

I haven’t got a problem with people wanting to use any input device through preference but don’t go spreading incorrect theories as to why an alternative is bad.
 
Little Endian said:
http://www.macpolls.com/index.php

Welll this poll seems to show that the one button mouse fanatics are clearly a miniority. It would appear that almost 75% of mac users who participated in the poll are using a two or more button pointing device. I would also consider trackballs and other as multibutton since they generally are. The folks who are using a trackpad are using laptops which count as one button though but they probably use a multi-button pointing device in conjuction with the trackpad or prefer to use trackpad only as to have less to tote around.

The vast majority of the 25% of one button mouse users were probably too lazy/cheap to buy another mouse so they settle with what they have. Another portion of the 25% probably have been Mac Users their whole life and on top of that never experimented with muli-button pointing devices so they are content out of ignorance. I would say half or more of the one button users would not mind if their next mac had a multi-button mouse in the box.

If Apple ships a Multi-button mouse with macs it would only be a good thing as it would save money and time for 75% of it's user base from having to go out and buy a third party device, and the vast majority or people who use single button mice will be happy as well.

I think the Single button mouse fanatics make up less than 10% of the Macintosh community. Why should Apple and the rest of the Mac users in the world be held back for them? Think about it Single button mouse fanatics make up less than 10% of macintosh users who themselves make up less than 5% of the PC market. So I got news for the single button mouse fanatics they make probably up less than 0.5% of the worlds computing population, I thinks it's time to move forward people.
Click to expand...

Ok. I'll make another interpretation of the poll: Maybe 25% people really like the one button mouse and see no need of getting a multibutton mouse. Then from the 60% that use multibutton mouse maybe half are switchers used to the 2 button mouse and the other half are people that like more than 2 buttons to use their macs from the sofa. That would make three groups of about 30% showing that there are as many people that like the one button mouse as in any other group...

Polls can be interpreted in many ways, and so can this one...

Also, the poll is not fair because it's one specific mouse (Apple's standard one button mouse) against a whole group that includes 2, 3, 4, 5 and more buttons... How many people from that 60% use a 2 button mouse with scroll wheel? (which seems to be what many expect from Apple) and how many use 5, 6 or 8 buttons? (those people would still not use Apple's new mouse)

Edit: Where do you get 75%? I see less than 60%. Don't include track pads as they're mostly one button... and this discussion is about a mouse, not other devices...
 
maka said:
Ok. I'll make another interpretation of the poll: Maybe 25% people really like the one button mouse and see no need of getting a multibutton mouse. Then from the 60% that use multibutton mouse maybe half are switchers used to the 2 button mouse and the other half are people that like more than 2 buttons to use their macs from the sofa. That would make three groups of about 30% showing that there are as many people that like the one button mouse as in any other group...
Click to expand...

So what if half of us are switchers, we still use and prefer the 2 button mouse, and therefore, as you said, "like more than 2 buttons to use our macs from the sofa", meaning there are clearly 2 times as many people that like 2 button mice as in any other group.

The fact that we are switchers means our vote doesnt count?

:O
 
jettredmont said:
FWIW, on the laptop, I'm very happy with Sidetrack and the five buttons it provides :)
Click to expand...

Can you middle-drag and right-drag using the corners?

I don't know, but I think that trying to have so many fingers at once on the trackpad would be a drag...
 
Keep in mind that when people say they prefer a "2 button mouse with scroll wheel" they often really mean a "3 button mouse" because the scroll wheel acts as a third (middle) button and they set it up to open a page in a new tab in Safari and other operations in other applications.

When the rumours say Apple is making a 2 button mouse, even if it has a scrolling capability of some sort, it may still have only 2 buttons. For example, suppose the whole thing was one button (like the current mouse), but it had an ipod-like scroll area with a button in the middle on the top somehow. That would make 2 buttons, and a scroll area. Some of those people who prefer a "2 button mouse with scroll wheel" will not be as impressed by that, as they lose a button...
 
maka said:
Ok. I'll make another interpretation of the poll: Maybe 25% people really like the one button mouse and see no need of getting a multibutton mouse. Then from the 60% that use multibutton mouse maybe half are switchers used to the 2 button mouse and the other half are people that like more than 2 buttons to use their macs from the sofa. That would make three groups of about 30% showing that there are as many people that like the one button mouse as in any other group...

Polls can be interpreted in many ways, and so can this one...

Also, the poll is not fair because it's one specific mouse (Apple's standard one button mouse) against a whole group that includes 2, 3, 4, 5 and more buttons... How many people from that 60% use a 2 button mouse with scroll wheel? (which seems to be what many expect from Apple) and how many use 5, 6 or 8 buttons? (those people would still not use Apple's new mouse)

Edit: Where do you get 75%? I see less than 60%. Don't include track pads as they're mostly one button... and this discussion is about a mouse, not other devices...
Click to expand...

Buttons are the issue. The whole argument for Apple's current mouse is single button and why some people think that it is superior because it is simpler. Forget about 2,3,4,5, buttons etc. My point was about the phobia that a small amount of mac users have about a pointing device with more than ONE button being unnecesary or to complicated etc. As far as the 75% figure that is my estimate and the poll is still onging so we will see how it ends.
 
maka said:
Ok. I'll make another interpretation of the poll: Maybe 25% people really like the one button mouse and see no need of getting a multibutton mouse. Then from the 60% that use multibutton mouse maybe half are switchers used to the 2 button mouse and the other half are people that like more than 2 buttons to use their macs from the sofa. That would make three groups of about 30% showing that there are as many people that like the one button mouse as in any other group...
Click to expand...

... which doesn't matter. It's not how many buttons you like, but how many buttons you NEED. So Apple trackpads have to provide the maximum number of NEEDED buttons to effectively use a desktop, which is 3 (X Window).

When I use a Unix system through the convoluted route of Citrix+VNC+X I lose the middle button. I end up having to retype whole series of commands because I cannot copy 'The Right Way' (plus, there's no right button menu in the VNC desktop). You have no idea what a painful waste of time this is.

FIXED: see later posts
 
Chappers said:
I didn't realise that the mouse was such an emotive subject.
Click to expand...
It is. Why do you think Logitech has so many diferent models out? A wide variety of button count and shapes. As well as a few connectivity options for their mice.

Of course Logitech does not make a bluetooth mouse in the size/shape/button count that is most comfortable for my hand. Which is why other companies also have a variety of mice out.

And for reference, my wired mice are Logitech Mx300 mice. My Bluetooth mouse is a "The Mouse BT" by MacMice. (And of course different people have different opinions and experience about this mouse.)

Remember everyone is different. Including the size and shape of thier hands, including finger length. So what works for one person may be rather uncomfortable for another.
 
After following this thread from its onset I've come to the conclusion that Apple developing a multi-button mouse is good if......

The OS remains as it is. In other words the OS doesn't rely on the need to "right click" on something just to have it work. If that's the case I don't see why anyone would be against them offering a multi-button? Things for people enamored with a single would go on with life as usual.

But I can only imagine that if Apple does release a new mouse it won't be something usual. It'll have to have the "typical Apple flair" which I'm sure it will.

If on the other hand people are just against multi-button mouses because of tradition then phhttt that's no argument at all.
 
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