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

Former Apple Engineer Recalls Steve Jobs' Great Displeasure with Multi-Button Mouse Concepts

flottenheimer said:
I feel the very same way. To me Apple mice (every single one of them) are all form over function/ergonomics. As an Apple purist I have really tried. But I have ultimately given up on all of them.
Click to expand...
I suspect Ives has the hands of a small child, judging by the ergonomics of the mice he designs.


On the other hand our friends at Apple have seriously nailed the trackpad (all laptops+magic trackpad).
Big in size. No need to physically click when using 'Tab to click'. Multitouch. And that oh so perfect surface.
It is trackpad heaven.
Click to expand...
Although Apple once again claimed to have invented scrolling and such with trackpads, their current offering are indeed excellent. I have one for my desktop as well. :)
Having said that, the default setting for it on a laptop are awful [which is the case for all laptops it seems, not just Apple] and until you tweak the numerous settings it isn't so nice to use. No idea why manufacturers have such poor setting as default, though I'm sure this is why most people hate trackpads as they do not think or know how to tweak them.
 
FWIW, I used a Sun SPARCstation with a non-ball mouse in the early (1991-93). I don't know the exact light technology (LED or other), but it was definitely ball-less, having to sit on a reflective mousemat. Like this:

IMAG0228.jpg

It's possible he's confusing being first with ball-less with being first with LED (versus LCD, laser or whatever else was in vogue).
 
After Apple advertised why an optical mouse was so superior to a trackball, they then placed said poor trackball design on top of the mouse for scrolling. Which inevitably had the same problems as mice always had with trackballs playing up. Except you can't take one apart for cleaning. :(
 
I don't think Apple has had a problem with the actual "no button" idea, but I think they've had major problems over the years with finding an ergonomic mouse shape that fits like a glove.

You'd think that a design oriented company like Apple would be the first out to unveil a mouse that almost feels like an extension of yourself, but surprisingly and in hindsight, nothing could have been further from the truth.

I always think that's been kind of weird with Apple. A top human/computer interaction IT company with no idea how to make a mouse feel good in the hand.

Anyway, this is really just regarding their past. Nowadays I'm more than happy with my MacBook Pro touchpad 90% of the time. But when I play games that are best played with a mouse, I grab a Logitech.
 
batchtaster said:
FWIW, I used a Sun SPARCstation with a non-ball mouse in the early (1991-93). I don't know the exact light technology (LED or other), but it was definitely ball-less, having to sit on a reflective mousemat. Like this:

View attachment 464399

It's possible he's confusing being first with ball-less with being first with LED (versus LCD, laser or whatever else was in vogue).
Click to expand...
I think those ones were indeed lasers, but I think the term laser mouse was used as a generic term for all optical mice for many years even if they used LEDs
 
Apple's trackpad and Magic Mouse have been pretty grand innovations, but that hockey puck mouse for the early iMacs were just horrendous. Horribly uncomfortable and stupid lookin too.
 
I've used and (mostly) enjoyed all those mouses -- including the hockey-puck one. The Pro one was gorgeous, with its clear case. The Mighty Mouse's biggest problem was the scroll-ball which didn't always move the way you wanted, for the same reasons as a ball-based mouse.

The hockey-puck one was ahead of its time. The initial version was obviously confusing, but it was revved to add an indentation on the button so you could easily tell whether you had it oriented correctly (which people often forget when they talk about it). What people couldn't grasp (pun intended) is that not only can't you rest your whole hand on the thing, but you're not supposed to try to. You use just your fingertips - just as you do with an iPad screen more than a decade later. Which made it a very nimble device.

Today, on iMacs I use the supplied Magic Mouse, alongside the supplied wireless keyboard (can we talk about how awesome it is that you can use startup keyboard commands on a wireless keyboard?). There are probably a ton of interesting mouses and mouse-replacements out there, but I've never felt the need to go looking, and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
 
Apple mice are beautiful but an ergonomic nightmare. It's nice to see that I'm not alone in thinking that.

I suppose the only advantage of Jobs's stubbornness was the eventual creation of the trackpad, which is superior to any Apple mouse.
 
Andy-V said:
For me personally, Apple has never made a mouse I enjoy using.
Click to expand...

Me too. Although having said that I have been using Apple's track-pad a lot recently. However I have never understood SJs insistence that a one button mouse was ever the superior minimalist experience.
 
BBCWatcher said:
LED-based optical mice have been around a very long time. Originally they used special mouse pads with grids.

Microsoft (with some help from HP) introduced a pad-less, ball-less optical mouse in 1999. And they may not have been the first either, but they were a bit ahead of Apple, to their credit.

I don't think Farag's memory is accurate on this point.
Click to expand...

LED is different than laser optical tracking. I, however, suspect that Farag meant that Apple was the first to ship it as a standard mouse included with the product. Microsoft's mouse was sold separately.
 
Last edited:
This is one of those obsessions i can't get behind. A 2-button mouse works because a 2-button mouse works. Its a standard that everyone is happy with. A 1-button mouse just makes life un-necessarily difficult.

Why should i have to do finger acrobatics to right click and bring up a contextual menu.

This is why i gave up on Apple mice very early on and switched to Logitech.
 
I actually prefer the Magic Trackpad over a mouse now. After using the trackpad on the MBP for so long I've gotten used to it. So if I was going to use an external keyboard and mouse then the Magic Trackpad seemed like the best option as I was already used to using it on the MBP itself. But of those pictured in the article I think the Pro Mouse was the best in terms of looks and feel in the hand. If it only had a two button sensor underneath it would have been perfect.
 
SmoMo said:
People always criticise Steve Job's hatred of multi button mouses, but I'm not sure they realise he only had one finger.
That's why he always kept his hands behind his back and would secretly poke his finger up onto the desk to click the mouse when no-one was watching.
Click to expand...

Funny 'cos it's true. This is also why he only ever had "one more thing".
 
Andy-V said:
For me personally, Apple has never made a mouse I enjoy using.
Click to expand...

I may be a die-hard Apple fan, but I have to agree... Of all of Apple's mice, I find the mighty mouse the nicest. However, I have always had a Logitech for as long as I can remember.

The puck and the Pro mice didn't bother me in aesthetics or feel. I chose not to use them because they had no secondary button or scroll wheel.

The Mighty Mouse is at least very useable. The drawbacks were that the trackball had to be cleaned from time to time, and right clicking required lifting the index finger off the mouse...

The magic mouse is just awful. Its too small, and very heavy. Its not ergonomic, and I find that my hand hurts after using it for any extended period of time. Worst of all is the amount of accidental swipes I get while using it. The concept seems great, but I dread using it.

I'll just stick with my Logitech mouse, thank you.
 
I use Microsoft mouses and a Magic Trackpad for most of my point-and-click needs because I find the Apple mouses to be uncooperative more often than not.
 
Just another example of why I would never, ever have worked for a manager like Jobs. If he called me or any member of my team a moron to out faces, I would have tossed him the "moronic" mouse on my way to HR to file a grievance and to resign.

Being a "genius" does not give you a pass from being a decent human being.

The more I learn about this guy, the less I like him.
 
technopimp said:
Just another example of why I would never, ever have worked for a manager like Jobs. If he called me or any member of my team a moron to out faces, I would have tossed him the "moronic" mouse on my way to HR to file a grievance and to resign.

Being a "genius" does not give you a pass from being a decent human being.

The more I learn about this guy, the less I like him.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I think genius is overrated though. Steve just had good engineers that is all.
 
With the purchase of the latest iMac in December 2012, I made the switch to the track pad. I think that is even better than the mouse. As a lefty with a righty wife, this works out great since there is nothing to do other than switch the track pad from the left to the right side of the keyboard. Or just below it if you want to pretend its a laptop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back