Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Introduces Magic Mouse - A Multi-Touch Mouse
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Can you finally press and hold two mouse buttons, eg for UT2004?
Apologies if this has already been answered, but looking at the demo video on the Apple site, it appears you need to lift your left-click finger off the surface in order to right-click. So like the Mighty Mouse before it, you can't click and hold both "buttons" at once.
Which makes the mouse useless for gaming.
Eh, I guess I really cannot complain that it is not ergonomical since it has to be designed to allow for multi touch. But for a mouse it just seems painful to use. I got a mighty mouse for free so I have been trying to fall in love with that. But the way it sits in my hand it just makes for a painful experience. I don't really mind the trackball but I will be moving back to my microsoft bluetooth mouse. If I wanted multitouch I would rather get this to accompany my Wacom Tablet: Wacom Bamboo Multitouch. (They are the same price too). I really wish I waited a few months and purchased the new Bamboo Pen & Touch, but eh.
That thing is horrible. I returned mine (Touch tablet, not pen.) It's a good way to get RSI. It's a pain to use. I posted a "review" (more like a rant) about this in the peripherals section. Of course, YMMV, but I don't recommend it.
I want to purchase this, but it all will come down to whether I can control Expose with it. If I can't, then I'm not buying.
I find it interesting that people are calling this a "revolution."
Its essentially a multi-touch track pad over a desktop mouse. I wouldn't quite call its revolutionary.
Whenever someone gets one give a mini review. But first impressions are obviously not that high even on this forum.
Its essentially a multi-touch track pad over a desktop mouse. I wouldn't quite call its revolutionary.
Whenever someone gets one give a mini review. But first impressions are obviously not that high even on this forum.
I like accessing expose and dashboard from my mighty mouse. I'm gonna buy the new magic for my lady and let her give it a test drive. If she likes it, then it can't be all to bad, since she's way too picky.
Looks good but they've only released a wireless model - what about those of us who don't want to recharge batteries all the time? I might want it if it came with a recharging dock but it doesn't.
Stupid Apple with its anti-wires fetish. There is nothing wrong with having cables - stop this stupid idea that wireless equals more modern and high tech.
Stupid Apple with its anti-wires fetish. There is nothing wrong with having cables - stop this stupid idea that wireless equals more modern and high tech.
It's cool thT they are adding the multi-touch functionality to the desktop experience. If I were buying an iMac right now and that mouse was included like it is in the box, then I'd be pretty happy about it. Since I only have a laptop, no reason for me to get it since the trackpad does the same thing. It's pretty cool though.
It does look sleek & all but rather to thin for my hands. I like to feel like I have a grip on things.
Another issue that Cnet's preview showed: when you do a horizontal swipe with two fingers, you really have to hold on to the mouse while you do it, or it will slide on the table as you swipe (try practicing on something else to see how uncomfortable that is).
I'm astounded that Apple designed this. I guess as mouse included in their consumer range systems it's fine and more appealing than what others offer. But they certainly should have made up their mind: mouse OR multitouch pad. The combination is painfully contradictory.
I'm astounded that Apple designed this. I guess as mouse included in their consumer range systems it's fine and more appealing than what others offer. But they certainly should have made up their mind: mouse OR multitouch pad. The combination is painfully contradictory.
Pardon my french
Yes I adore the little trackball, each night I pray in front of the altar I built for it It provides smooth and quick scrolling for me.But it does get stuck and it's annoying. Thats why I like the idea of a touchpad on the top of the mouse.
How is "reaching for the top surface" different from reaching to click and use the scroll wheel on just about every other mice? And since just about every other mice is thicker than the Magic Mouse, wouldn't this aggravate the problem you're describing since these are more elevated?
As for that "tense gripping" you're talking about, technique #2 is achieved by NOT gripping the mouse firmly, it's quite the opposite as you have to loosely hold it so it can move between your fingers, instead of having to grip the whole mouse.
How about trackpads on laptops? They have nothing for your palm to rest on and require a lot of finger movements, yet people with RSI will switch to trackpads or trackballs to alleviate the pain because they require less wrist movements. Gently moving the mouse using fingers require much less wrist movements and thick mice that fit your hand prevent you from doing that and force you to use your wrists all the time.
Personally, mice that fits my hand shape then to hurt my wrists after a while (I sometimes have to use them at work) while small mice that I can move mostly using my fingers don't. Note that in both case I use a wrist pad.
I'm wondering how heavy it's going to feel. Using the Bluetooth Mighty Mouse is very heavy feeling compared to the wired version. Also, I hope they've improved the Bluetooth performance in this version because my Bluetooth Mighty Mouse is laggy and hard to use. The cursor doesn't move smoothly.
I tried it at Regent Street today. Wonderful mouse. Can't wait to get rid of my Mighty Mouse.
It will take some time to get adept at some of the motions, but I cannot agree with posters who think it is a clumsy cludge of a touchpad.
With some practice, this will be the mouse you've ever used.
It will take some time to get adept at some of the motions, but I cannot agree with posters who think it is a clumsy cludge of a touchpad.
With some practice, this will be the mouse you've ever used.
I have to disagree with a lot of your post, partly on logic but mostly just on personal experience. It's not that the ergonomics you mention above are wrong, but just that there is no such thing as a universal ergonomic mouse. There is no one mouse design which fits everyone's hand size/finger length and grip/usage perfectly.
I find flat mice far more comfortable to use, than mice which require you to bend or twist your wrist. A BIG plus to Apple's designs over many ergonomic mice, is the lack of physical buttons. A lot of ergonomic mice have lots of small buttons. Great, if your fingertips naturally line up where the designers think, very awkward if they don't. Because of the button-less design, with these mice you click where you want, you don't have to contort your hand to click where someone with longer fingers or a different grip might. In a natural position, my index finger normally hovers over the scroll wheel/ball; so on most mice I have to stretch to reach the left button. Not with Apple mice.
It would be interesting to see Apple offer one more "button." Given that it is right and left hand aware, and you can switch the side on which the "right click" resides, enabling both would allow you to see one to say expose, and keep the other as the right click.
You may also be able to disable right click, but enable that mouse button for expose in sysprefs.
Mine won't be here for awhile, so I won't be able to test that out until next week.
You may also be able to disable right click, but enable that mouse button for expose in sysprefs.
Mine won't be here for awhile, so I won't be able to test that out until next week.
I abhor it.
Glad I never bought one myself since I saw how sticky that ball gets. I'm definitely looking forward to the Magic Mouse. I wonder, though, about some of the environmental facts. Quite simply, the lack thereof.
I'm not saying that most mice are good. Most mice are ergonomically poor.There are good ones out there, for example http://www.aerobicmouse.com/, but only a few of them and with caveats. The issues with a touchpad are different from those of a mouse. The problem with Apple's mouse is that it's trying to be both. If it were just a mouse, meaning that the surface was not used for any purpose except perhaps a scroll ball, then it would be ok, though certainly not ideal. The problem is that they've given you a small area in which to move your fingers while maintaining the need to hold the mouse in place. That's different from a regular mouse where your whole hand hand rest on the mouse and you just use a finger to scroll with -- try it out on a small raised object to see how you'll naturally move your hand/fingers on a regular mouse vs. the magic mouse. The old mighty mouse allows you to place your hand any way you want around it and just lean a little more to click - not bad actually. I use it occasionally when travelling and I've found that it's good because I can constantly change the way I hold it, i.e. it's very flexible and doesn't force you into any position.
In any case, there are only a few good mice on the market today, so I'm not saying that Apple is the only bad guy. I'm just disappointed that they didn't do better.
In order to keep the mouse in place while you scroll with two fingers you're going to have to grip in one way or another to keep it steady. Check out Cnet's preview for a good example of that.
We're talking about both wrist and finger/hand movement, as well as shoulder and arm movement. All mice can cause RSI, but some are better for you than others, and even that will vary depending on the person and how they use their body while working at a computer. Laptop ergonomics are usually bad -- apple's latest multitouch button, for example, is far too stiff to be good for anybody's fingers/hands. If used in a relaxed manner, without hovering the hand and fingers above (thus tensing), the multitouch pad can be really good. But of course that requires the user to be aware and to learn a certain way of using it, and that's something most people won't do.
I suffered from debilitating RSI and spent almost two years researching and trying literally all input devices available at the time ( a few years ago). I found that there is no perfect device and that the best way to deal with RSI is to use multiple devices, take rests, have good posture and listen to your body. I primarily use a wacom tablet for input, as it allows my entire hand to be relaxed and my fingers to barely grip the pen. I also use the aerobic mouse mentioned above, but it's of terrible quality and keeps breaking down.
It'll be interesting to see what people say once they start using this thing. I'm going to go check it out this weekend...
The anatomically neutral position, whether you prefer it or not, is when thumbs are pointing ip and the the inside of the forearms are pointing inward. That prevents the two main bones of the forearm from twisting and putting pressure on the nerves. I agree that lots of buttons are problematic, but I also think that one should be cautious to believe when a company states that something is ergonomic -- it may or may not be, just like any other advertising. I like the idea of the button-less design and think it works pretty well in the mighty mouse, but this is no mighty mouse! Anyway, we can choose whichever mouse is good for us or, better still, many different ones to alternate between...I'm certainly not saying that people shouldn't use this thing, just that it really is not promoting good, neutral and strain-reducing posture.
Exposé
Exposé is essencial for most users, I hope Apple listens and implement this via Software Update..
IMHO 4-finger gestures are a little tricky because the 1st and 4th fingers would be on the edge of the mouse, therefore not noticeable to the mouse surface.
Anyway, 4-finguer gesture or not, please Apple find a way - any way - to implement the 3rd and 4th mouse buttons.
PS. Apple sure likes the M alliteration...
Exposé is essencial for most users, I hope Apple listens and implement this via Software Update..
IMHO 4-finger gestures are a little tricky because the 1st and 4th fingers would be on the edge of the mouse, therefore not noticeable to the mouse surface.
Anyway, 4-finguer gesture or not, please Apple find a way - any way - to implement the 3rd and 4th mouse buttons.
PS. Apple sure likes the M alliteration...
There is no one perfect mouse...
The multi-touch functions on this one, with updates in the future, would be great for graphics work assuming that PS and such are updated to support it.
The "ergo" one mentioned above, while great for those suffering from RSI, is terrible for percision graphics work.
But this new magic mouse will fail miserably for gaming, and Apple I am sure knows that.
Regarding the mouse being flat.. one of the best devices I ever used was a near-flat trackball made by CoStar. The ball was the size of an oversized large marble, but set deep in the device, so your had could rest without being hunched over. Assuming your arm/wrist is in the correct position, a flat device can be very comfortable.
But there is no one perfect solution.
The multi-touch functions on this one, with updates in the future, would be great for graphics work assuming that PS and such are updated to support it.
The "ergo" one mentioned above, while great for those suffering from RSI, is terrible for percision graphics work.
But this new magic mouse will fail miserably for gaming, and Apple I am sure knows that.
Regarding the mouse being flat.. one of the best devices I ever used was a near-flat trackball made by CoStar. The ball was the size of an oversized large marble, but set deep in the device, so your had could rest without being hunched over. Assuming your arm/wrist is in the correct position, a flat device can be very comfortable.
But there is no one perfect solution.
Good to hear some actual use reports. Thanks. I think I'm going to find it more comfortable than the Mighty, too (and that's been one of the most comfortable mice for me). Off to check for a ship notice!
Supposedly will get 4 months on two AAs, so I would except maybe half that or a little less on just one?
Seems to me that all mice that come with proprietary li-ion batteries need to be recharged CONSTANTLY. My MX Rev and Mamba barely hold a charge more than a couple days (I do enjoy that the Mamba can be wired, the battery life is so abysmal). How is that better than rechargeable AAs that will last much, much longer or non-rechargeables lasting months and months? I greatly prefer this approach.
I am way more hyped for this mouse than I would have guessed. I was surprised at how nice the flat aluminum keyboard is and I think this mouse could make an awesome complement to it. Just gotta see if I can demo it at the Apple Store soon.