iPod Mouse

[Toe]

Why only build a simple two-button, bluetooth mouse?

Why not also build a Bluetooth iPod that doubles as a mouse? Carry your mouse from computer to computer, and listen to tunes in-between.

 

[jknight8907]

seems like the current design of the iPod would make a horrible mouse, a very un-ergonomic shape for that usage, and that chrome finish would scrape right off

...besides, why use space to add a almost-useless feature, when that space could be used for more storage space or for an FM transciever.

 

[Toe]

seems like the current design of the iPod would make a horrible mouse, a very un-ergonomic shape for that usage, and that chrome finish would scrape right off

...besides, why use space to add a almost-useless feature, when that space could be used for more storage space or for an FM transciever.

It would only take a little space on the bottom... instead of the chrome plate, there would be a thin layer of plastic that would contain an optical mouse sensor and a Bluetooth adapter. The scroll-wheel would have to move to the top too, to be the mouse buttons.

But in addition to the mouse functionality, BT would incidentally provide wireless iPod downloading, which I do believe people would enjoy.

I can see it now... "Send that song to my mouse."

 

[deral]

When I was trying to visualize your idea, I looked at my current Apple mouse. Wouldn't it be cool if there was like a touch senstive scroll wheel adapted from the iPod on the mouse. So that when you want to scroll down, you do the swirl as you would with your ipod.

 

[Toe]

Heck yeah.

I assume if Apple is indeed coming out with a new mouse, that it will have a touch-sensitive scroll feature (first seen, I think, in the Studio Mouse).

 

[rainman::|:|]

Something like this was rumored about a year ago, an iPod inside a Pro mouse, coupled with Home on iPod, it would mean you carry around your preferences/files/etc inside your mouse which also doubles as MP3 player. Can you see the fatal flaw here? Namely that it does three things, and Apple prefers things to do one thing really well than compromise on many things. So, they'll never make it, but it's interesting to think about.

 

[MacHarne]

I believe there is only so far a company can go to integrate major functions within the computing environment. Once you start to cram too many features into one device, you end up with a horrible user interface.

Remeber the MWSF 05 Keynote? Jobs spoke specifically how these other flash-mp3 players were trying to cram a display, tuner, voice recorder, etc. into such a simple device that the units became lame ducks. "Tortured user interface" was the term he reiterated.

Form is a great thing and so is functionality, but there must be some compromise for optimization.