Apple Introduces Mighty Mouse

[Doctor Q]

I've equipped all of my Macs with Macally mice, never happy with Apple's one-button version. I've read the specs but I need to try the Mighty Mouse myself to know whether I'll prefer it to what I have. Mice are very personal, and a mouse with the wrong shape or size might not suit me, whether or not it matches feature-by-feature with other multi-button scrollwheel mice.

 

[Lord Kythe]

Don't beat me up!

The Mighty Mouse is pretty and sleek, the 360° web-ball is cool, but I hoped Apple would try a "Titanium" or "Aluminum" feel/look with their new two-buttons mice... Kind of like Kensington's.

It would sure match the Powerbooks, PM G5s and iMacs... The Mighty Mouse matches the keyboard, iBook, G4 iMac, eMac and Mac Mini though... I guess it tells all about their target market

 

[iMeowbot]

Ok, so suppose you're not an experienced Mac user and you sit down in front of an iMac equiped with mighty mouse to do whatever. How is this person supposed to know that this is in fact a two button mouse? It doesn't look like one.

Apple thought of that. By default it is a single button mouse, you have to go into the preferences to enable right clicks.

 

[powerbook911]

Apple.com is now on 2-4 days, for the mouse shipping. They have obviously had a high demand, for this mouse. I ordered when it said "Same Day," indeed, my order was placed early in the day, but it never shipped.

 

[Jimmery]

Apple's reference to "see the mouse control panel" to see how the Mighty Mouse functions in Windows XP/2000 is such a hollow statement... Does anyone know if all of the buttons/functions can be used in Windows?

 

[OryHara]

The name rocks.

I'll take a lightweight wired mouse over a heavy battery-ladened finger-tank any day.

totally

 

[ug.mac]

I want a BT version.

 

[xrayzed]

I don't see how a mouse would have any impact on ones decision to buy a Mac. For a lot of people, their first post-new-mac purchase is a real mouse like Logitech's wireless 9 button laser mouse... and a replacement mouse doesn't add that much to your overall purchase price.

It suppose it might impact on some people's decision to switch, but that wasn't my point. I was questioning whether I should buy the new mouse, not a Mac.

 

[Griffindor73]

I use an RF mouse from Logitech and it's as fast as lightning and smooth as butter. I agree about BT mice. My BT Apple mouse was used for a week when I got my new mac and has been sitting in a drawer ever since collecting dust. It's crap... and this new mouse shares a few of it's flaws.

Posts like these annoy me! HOW DO YOU KNOW! You haven't used it yet! How do you know it has any flaws? Honestly....

 

[SkAlex]

Yeah, I can't really read through 32 pages of replies, but I thought that I'd answer a couple of the brief questions I've seen after using one at the apple store today.

About the newbie mac user that "won't know it's a two-button mouse", this was a concern of mine in a way. I've gotten used to basically clicking down the entire mouse to click - with all three of my middle fingers. The Mighty Mouse beautifully treats this type of click as a normal (left click). It only right-clicks when you pick up your finger off the left side. This really made me think about its use as a gaming mouse - I don't think it will cut it, being as I'm pretty sure I leave both fingers on the mouse (esp in FPS)

The "squeeze" activating dashboard seemed a little awkward to me...dashboard was only active while you kept squeezing. I could see how some people might like this as well though. I thought the scroll ball was perfect...especially when I brought it into photoshop and was scrolling around a ultra-zoomed picture and using various tools.

All in all, I think I'm going to wait for a BT version if I can contain myself...actually I'll probably just break, buy it AND a BT one when it comes out...

 

[duke49er]

Apple thought of that. By default it is a single button mouse, you have to go into the preferences to enable right clicks.

Yeah well that doesn't solve the problem, suppose that when the inexperienced Mac user sits down to use the computer the mouse will already be enabled to be a two button mouse. So again I ask, how will anyone know?

Apple did in fact put design ahead of funtionality here.

 

[Bradjc]

Good but...

Glad they have kept to the clean minimilist design. Asthetically just a tiny track ball descreetly added with lots more functionality.

But... I have a 30" monitor and occasionally when I am dragging items between window the surface of my mouse mat isn't big enough so I have to bick up the mouse keeping it depressed by gripping the grips on the side of my bluetooth mouse and continuing to drag by centering the mouse. I do this more often than I thought I did when I noticed my workflow today. Do it often. Activating Dashboard everytime I do this might get annoying and I'm sure I'll end up just switching it off.

Do the sensors on the top of the mouse respond to touch or pressure?? If touch then will have problems because most people activate these buttons by pressing down fingers that are already contacting the mouse.

Looking forward to getting one in my hands!


2 Issues

 

[erio]

Here are some pics!

Here are someone pictures from someone who bought it Japan. Apparently, there is a small bug that was discovered by the user. The bug was discovered during dragging and dropping while accidentally lifting the mouse and "squeezing" it, causing expose (default for squeeze) to open. when that occured, the mouse can no longer click, but still able to move around. Please don't quote me on this since there's something "lost in translation".

I'm not sure if uploading pictures on new Apple products are okay on this board since I am new. If not, please let me know, and I will take it down.

 

[JesterJJZ]

I hope this thing isn't as sensative as the mice that come with G5's. I can't use them, I had to swap it out for the mouse that came with my dual 500 G4. Everytime I'd pick the mouse up and place it down it would click. The thing clicks from barely touching it.

 

[iMeowbot]

Yeah well that doesn't solve the problem, suppose that when the inexperienced Mac user sits down to use the computer the mouse will already be enabled to be a two button mouse. So again I ask, how will anyone know?

It's enabled for each user. What is this person doing sitting at a stranger's computer using their account?

 

[CiBoys]

I hope this thing isn't as sensative as the mice that come with G5's. I can't use them, I had to swap it out for the mouse that came with my dual 500 G4. Everytime I'd pick the mouse up and place it down it would click. The thing clicks from barely touching it.

the one that comes with the G5 is a Pro Mouse, comparing to the mighty mouse, it would be the same, IMO because the setting for the sentivitiy is same setting in the System Preferences.

 

[Squozen]

i'm amazed at the number of people on this thread who think that there is a sizeable population of people out there who can't figure out left-click, right-click. The only people I've EVER met who didn't understand the concept were old-school Mac people who were like..."Right click?" A 4-year-old child knows what right-click means.

Tell you what. I work tech support. I'll record every conversation I have with a customer who's been using the internet for 2+ years and still gets confused between left/right-clicking, and you pay me $1 for each one. Deal?

hint: You'll be paying me around $5-10 a day.

 

[nagromme]

Form ahead of function? To an extent, certainly.

The "squeeze" activating dashboard seemed a little awkward to me...dashboard was only active while you kept squeezing.

Just give it a quick "single-squeeze"--equivalent to a single click--and it should toggle Exposé (or Dashboard). It should stay on until you "click" again.

Not that I care about non-mac users...but I'm just saying, they're gonna start clicking and it's gonna start doing things that they've never seen before and they're gonna be pretty annoyed and confused.

I don't think people will be confused as you describe. If they don't understand that they can right-click, and treat it like a single-button mouse... it will work that way just fine. EVEN if it's configured for right-clicking, it won't be triggered accidentally. Press the left and get a left-click. Press the middle, or across the whole thing, and get a left click. Only if you press the right side ALONE will you get a right click, and people expecting just one button won't do that anyway.

Nonetheless, the truth people need not bother denying is this: the design COULD be better. True of most products, isn't it?

There's no question that the benefits of this unified zero-button design are minor and superficial to most people, while the disadvantages are more obvious (especially the inability to combine buttons).

So I do think this mouse would be a better mouse with 2 completely separate clicking buttons. Better in terms of usability for a greater number of people, better for a wider range of tasks (game support), better for sales, and better for Apple's reputation.

But... how MUCH better? Not that much. The monobutton is a choice I wouldn't have made, but I doubt it's a deal-breaker for that many people. And there are SOME advantages--including the "cool" factor which does count for something.

And offsetting that one "bad choice" are some really GOOD things--especially the scroll ball... and the squeeze-trigger which you can use without affecting your click/scroll fingers at all, and without moving your other fingers away from where they normally rest... and the customizability... and the ability to set very different motions to be your main click (variety is good for your hand)... and the overall shape which is still the best mouse shape ever in my opinion.

So this may not be a perfect mouse for everyone, but then what mouse is? It's still a very GOOD mouse. (And BT is coming in the end, fear not.)

I DO like it despite the issues noted, and I'm trying to justify getting one It would be fun and useful. But I don't feel the need to deny the flaws it DOES have. It's a personal call whether the flaws are important to each buyer or not. I think they're minor flaws for most people--once they TRY it--but they are still real and people aren't wrong to point them out.

 

[~Shard~]

So this may not be a perfect mouse for everyone, but then what mouse is? It's still a very GOOD mouse.

I like it despite the issues noted, and I'm trying to justify getting one But I don't feel the need to deny the flaws it DOES have. It's a personal call whether they're that important to each buyer or not. I think they're minor for most people--once they try it--but they are real and people aren't wrong to point them out.

Precisely - well put. Mouses are a very personal thing, so I think people have to actually physically try the Mighty Mouse out before passing judgment - if you don't try it yourself, how can you possibly know? What some people like, others hate, and what works for someone and meets their needs, does not for another - plain and simple. So, as you imply, it's best to take an objective stance with things like this and recognize the faults, not just the strengths (or vice versa).

 

[NicP]

I think Apple's Mighty Mouse is great product

but can someone give me educated guess, when a Mighty Mouse BT

will come out, a week, mouth, year....???

Nobody had any idea this mouse was coming out, how the hell can we make an educated guess when a BT version will come out?

 

[duke49er]

It's enabled for each user. What is this person doing sitting at a stranger's computer using their account?

Yeah you're right, sharing a computer is a far fetched idea...what was I thinking. But humor and imagine:

In university computer labs for example people actually have to use the same computer as others, without the luxury of switching users. Shocking, I know. Many computer labs have macs, which PC users are forced to use because that's what the school has...or maybe they're just at the Apple store testing out a new computer.

When a PC using friend comes over to my house and uses my computer one of the first things they say is: "This is why I don't like Macs: I can't right click". Never mind that there is a way to "right click", if they don't see the button they don't know that it's possible.

 

[iMeowbot]

In university computer labs for example people actually have to use the same computer as others, without the luxury of switching users. Shocking, I know. Many computer labs have macs, which PC users are forced to use because that's what the school has...or maybe they're just at the Apple store testing out a new computer.

You know, that might be a good idea, to go to that store and actually try the mouse and see how it acts. The way it behaves really doesn't fit with these dreamt-up examples.

 

[Counterfit]

My pro mouse died yesterday and I was just on my way out to buy a new one, glad I looked at the net before I went out. Just ordered mine now.

You might want to check your room for any cameras


and damn, I WANT ONE! Now I can relegate my battery-murdering macally BT Mouse Jr. for travel only. It's just about to finish sucking the life out of its second set of batteries (and these were Duracell Ultra, not the crap they came with!) within three weeks of ownership. It really needs an on/off button.

 

[TreeHugger]

nice, but way to expensive for a wired multi button mouse...

 

[im_noahselby]

I'm surprised Macrumors didn't see this one coming. Especially with it's immediate availability and all...

Anyways, it's nice to finally have an official two button Apple mouse.

Noah