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Apple Phasing Out Magic Mouse in Favor of Magic Trackpad?
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Apple has a number of patents on even better ideas, such as (1) sensor-based keyboard that allows entire keyboard itself to become touch trackpad at will (moving your fingers over keys and gap areas) and (2) virtual keyboard and trackpad.
Both approaches have pros and cons, but I am sure Apple is just as anxious at introducing next generation input device as much as any of us.
Just turn it off overnight.
My magic mouse has been at 100% battery for the past week and a half.
What? That looks much better than Apple's. It's got a higher profile and physical buttons. Apple's mice always mis-detect my right-clicks.
I'm a graphic designer myself and can't imagine my usage of an input device being limited to a magic trackpad OR wacom pen. The pens drive me just as crazy as the magic trackpad. You can hardly rest your hand anywhere and it's quite annoying. You also loose the accuracy of pen movements IMO when your hand is unsupported (as in when you're cradling the pen).
Damn you lol, I spat my tea out, I even read your comment in Agent Smith's slow, monotone voice
If Apple replaces the magic mouse, then that's cool, but eliminating it is not a good idea. People will turn to third party mice. Also, it's just a rumor right now. Hopefully it stays that way.
I already did that about 12 years ago, and haven't looked back.
iMac drops the floppy: inspired. Mac mini drops the optical disk: a little early maybe, but I'm fine with that. Apple dropping the mouse? That's not thinking different That's just thinking stupid. There's no curve to get ahead of here Some of us just prefer the precision of a mouse for our work, and no one has yet come up with an input method that effectively replaces it on the desktop.
Gosh I hope this rumour isn't true. I've wanted Microsoft to give up on developing Internet Explorer just admit that after all these years they failed and let users choose any of the other wonderful browsers on the market. I could say the same thing about Apple and its mice over the last 12 years or so, but this wouldn't be an admission of defeat It would be Apple telling us that the mouse is outdated technology, and that they know better than us. Let's hope not.
I keep both on the table next to my keyboard. I find myself using the mouse for precision and the pad when I don't need it. For photo editing I use a Wacom tablet. It's good to have lots of options
I think this is another conflict between media consumers and people who create the content. Apple used to care about the people who made the content. But of late I think they've gotten greedy and figured out that consumers out number the creators and even better the consumers will buy junk like screens that lack anti-glare treatments.
I think this is another conflict between media consumers and people who create the content. Apple used to care about the people who made the content. But of late I think they've gotten greedy and figured out that consumers out number the creators and even better the consumers will buy junk like screens that lack anti-glare treatments.
Anybody serious about gaming doesn't use an Apple mouse anyway.
I'm not sure about always using a Magic Trackpad (certain applications would probably suck without a mouse) but it certainly is better at managing Lion commands.
I'm not sure about always using a Magic Trackpad (certain applications would probably suck without a mouse) but it certainly is better at managing Lion commands.
Not removing mouse, just updating.
I don't think they have any intention of phasing the mouse out altogether. I myself have both a Magic Mouse and a Magic Trackpad, but find that each is better for different purposes. The trackpad IS in fact better to use for multitouch gestures because it is awkward to do them on the mouse, however clicking and dragging, and precision work is MUCH easier with a mouse.
I prefer to think that the magic mouse is instead going to be replaced my a more advanced version. More like an iPod touch crossed with a mouse. If you keep up on apple's patents, you would see that they have been investing a lot of R&D into future mouse technologies. Now why would they do this if they planned to phase them out altogether?
Based on the patents, they could be building a mouse that features a display, and a camera underneath, giving it many features including:
-Scanning flat imagery beneath the mouse (apple hasn't made a scanner since the 90's) and this would be an amazing way to reduce desktop clutter and bring multiple functions into one tiny device.
-Magnifying text and image and displaying it on top of the mouse.
-Reading text out loud or copying text on paper directly into a word document through text recognition and the camera.
-The screen could display a virtual number pad, since apple has removed the number pad from the majority of its keyboards.
-The screen could even display text, video, or other information.
Imagine a mouse that could magnify images and text beneath it. You could pinch and zoom photos in a book or magazine so you could interact with them as if they were digital images on your iPhone. You could use the mouse for more than clicking, but for typing numbers, and watching videos. Perhaps you could even change the color of the mouse, our have ripple animations on the screen each time you clicked. The possibilites are endless. This may be going too far, but I could even see apps being developed for use on your "truly" magic mouse.
Anyway, that's the end of my rant, heres some images associated with their mouse patents:
I don't think they have any intention of phasing the mouse out altogether. I myself have both a Magic Mouse and a Magic Trackpad, but find that each is better for different purposes. The trackpad IS in fact better to use for multitouch gestures because it is awkward to do them on the mouse, however clicking and dragging, and precision work is MUCH easier with a mouse.
I prefer to think that the magic mouse is instead going to be replaced my a more advanced version. More like an iPod touch crossed with a mouse. If you keep up on apple's patents, you would see that they have been investing a lot of R&D into future mouse technologies. Now why would they do this if they planned to phase them out altogether?
Based on the patents, they could be building a mouse that features a display, and a camera underneath, giving it many features including:
-Scanning flat imagery beneath the mouse (apple hasn't made a scanner since the 90's) and this would be an amazing way to reduce desktop clutter and bring multiple functions into one tiny device.
-Magnifying text and image and displaying it on top of the mouse.
-Reading text out loud or copying text on paper directly into a word document through text recognition and the camera.
-The screen could display a virtual number pad, since apple has removed the number pad from the majority of its keyboards.
-The screen could even display text, video, or other information.
Imagine a mouse that could magnify images and text beneath it. You could pinch and zoom photos in a book or magazine so you could interact with them as if they were digital images on your iPhone. You could use the mouse for more than clicking, but for typing numbers, and watching videos. Perhaps you could even change the color of the mouse, our have ripple animations on the screen each time you clicked. The possibilites are endless. This may be going too far, but I could even see apps being developed for use on your "truly" magic mouse.
Anyway, that's the end of my rant, heres some images associated with their mouse patents:
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GOOD! The Magic Mouse is a waste, and Apple is too good of a company to keep such a weak product as this.
I mean really... $70 for a wireless mouse with just two buttons? Yeah, I love touch-gesture scrolling, but I REALLY miss the 3rd button I'd usually get underneath a conventional scroll wheel. And that's like all the mouse can do, too! Just scrolling, very little else compared to all the multi-fingered gestures you can pull off with a track-pad.
It was a neat idea to merge a trackpad and a mouse into one single device, but the end result doesn't perform either task admirably and it's way overpriced at $70... especially when my $30 logitech wireless mouse performs as well if not better than this melted soap-bar. :/
I mean really... $70 for a wireless mouse with just two buttons? Yeah, I love touch-gesture scrolling, but I REALLY miss the 3rd button I'd usually get underneath a conventional scroll wheel. And that's like all the mouse can do, too! Just scrolling, very little else compared to all the multi-fingered gestures you can pull off with a track-pad.
It was a neat idea to merge a trackpad and a mouse into one single device, but the end result doesn't perform either task admirably and it's way overpriced at $70... especially when my $30 logitech wireless mouse performs as well if not better than this melted soap-bar. :/
I agree they need to do something like this. A while ago someone created a mockup of an extended keyboard, where the number keypad doubled as a trackpad. I'm sure Apple designers could come up with something very usable if they put their minds to it something that would allow us to have basic trackpad functionality for Lion gestures AND use a mouse if we so desire.
Those bluetooth battery gauges seem to be like the gas gauge on my car. It's 100% full for 2 weeks, then slips to 35% overnight, then it's 6%, then it's empty.
I do not think it is right for Apple to phase out its mouse pointing devices in the near future. Without a mouse, we either find a replacement or turn to the arrow keys on the keyboard. Note that the trackpad is yet not good enough for precision-tracking.
Don't Care One Way or The Other....But PLEASE!!!
Stop using the word "magic" to describe computers and computer peripherals.
It is childish and a bit condescending.
Stop using the word "magic" to describe computers and computer peripherals.
It is childish and a bit condescending.