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Is the Magic Mouse an Ergonomic Mouse?

A

Aadhil

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 4, 2009
236
0
California
No and I don't think it ever was meant to be. Is that bad? I actually think it's quite a good thing. Let me 'splain you ;),

The top surface is a touch surface so therefore it's not designed to hug the contours of your palm. Rather, it has a low profile designed to be guided by your fingertips instead of your palm. That way, the white surface is cleared off your palm allowing your finger tips access to it's multi touch surface for various gestures. Once you get used to the mouse being a "fingertip controlled" mouse instead of a "palm controlled" mouse, it performs exceedingly well. :)
 
agreed the flatter than normal shape fits the way the mouse is designed to be used. fingers gestures would not work with a regular curved shape

this is a great mouse
 
I really love the design also. It is very comfortable. I dont put my palm on the mouse, just use fingers. I hate the so called ergonomic mice, which are bulky and not very comfortable.

The click sound is very satisfying, apple really got that right.
 
Got mine this morning. agreed. not very ergonomic. after using MM abit, I held my old mouse and it was way more comfy. But like the others here I don't/can't put my palm on it. Too flat too. sides are a bit sharp. I get what others are saying, but it's ok. not entirely what I expected. needs some more multi touch gestures, but over all its nice.
 
Aadhil said:
One thing that's great about this mouse is that more gestures can be programmed into it via software updates which I'm pretty sure Apple is going to start doing soon. :)
Click to expand...

But we don't know that; that's just a guess. Being able to do it with a Software Update requires that Apple also built the ability into the hardware to detect more multiple-finger gestures (more than the two-finger swipes they currently allow), which we all hope they did (the mouse would be perfect for me if I could use it for Exposé), but don't actually know.

I'm sure you remember back when some Macs could have multitouch enabled on their trackpads by a software update but some could not.
 
I'm not real sure how anyone could have thought this was an ergonomic mouse for any small length of time. A quick glance at a photo should be enough to clue most people in on that.

I just got mine this morning and I like it, personally. I have rather small hands, so a lot of ergonomic ones aren't so comfy as they are bulky to me anyway. I do like the gestures. I like the flatness for the comfort of my hand and also for the space it won't take up when I toss it into my laptop bag. I appreciate how it tells you how much battery you have left, too.

Among the negatives or perhaps just things to get used to though are: 1) The surface feels a bit tacky, making gestures a little more difficult than the trackpad on my MBP, but I'm hoping it's just the "newness" of it and that it will sort itself out; and 2) it does appear to track rather slow. Others have mentioned this too, so I'm hoping it's something that will be fine tuned via software updates. It isn't that big of a problem since I can adjust track speed and such through the settings, but I've never had to set a mouse on the fastest possible setting before just to match my comfort or ease of use.

Overall I like it, though. To me, I think it feels better than my small non-Apple ergonomic mouse and certainly has better functionality.
 
ahahaha i love watching fanboys explain why a mouse not being ergonomic is a good thing
 
Dybbuk said:
ahahaha i love watching fanboys explain why a mouse not being ergonomic is a good thing
Click to expand...

Funny thing is that now all the other mice makers are gonna start imitating apples design and add a multi touch surface to their mice. Except it won't be as good ;)
 
Aadhil said:
Funny thing is that now all the other mice makers are gonna start imitating apples design and add a multi touch surface to their mice. Except it won't be as good ;)
Click to expand...

yes, just like everyone rushed to emulate every other mouse apple has made
 
Just got one, LOVE it. I have gigantic hands... over 9 inches from my wrist, and this mouse, while not even remotely ergonomic, makes me feel like I am using a fine surgical instrument. The tracking great, and the scrolling is about the best I have ever seen.
Buy it now, heck with the carpal tunnel.
 
Ergonomics? At first it might seem odd, but it works. I don't know what it is because I'm usually a big proponent of being able to rest your hand on a mouse. But Apple's take on ergonomics seems to work here, strangely enough.

No middle click is still a killer, though.

But the Magic Mouse scrolling technology trumps every other scrolling technology out there, I have to admit. And this thing is FAST. It's very light.

Did I mention that no middle click is a huge problem (for me anyway)? ;)
 
It's not an "ergonomic mouse" in the industry-defined sense. However, once you use one, you realize that it is ergonomic in the sense that it is designed to accommodate your hand in a natural way. The touch surface combines the functionality of a mouse and a track pad into a new input device, and standards for traditional mice do not apply to it.

Apple has done an excellent job with this design. Those "sharp edges" some are complaining about actually provide a place for your finger tips to grip the mouse without the need for any pressure. It is very light and glides across the desktop easily so you don't need a tight grip on it. The low profile keeps your palm away from the mouse, which is ideal because you won't be gripping it to scroll like you would with a traditional scroll ball or wheel.

If any of you doubt the possibility of adding gesture support via future software updates, you aren't giving Apple enough credit as the innovative company that they are. They have been consistently expanding their use of multitouch and gestures in all of their laptop track pads, even enabling support via software for older products. If anything, this new mouse is probably capable of far greater multitouch capabilities then any other current Apple product.
 
The touch surface combines the functionality of a mouse and a track pad into a new input device, and standards for traditional mice do not apply to it.
Click to expand...

hahahahahaha really

it's not some transcendent, magnificent piece of machinery, it's all the downfalls of a trackpad combined into the least ergonomic mouse ever
 
Dybbuk said:
yes, just like everyone rushed to emulate every other mouse apple has made
Click to expand...

You don't get it. This mouse has a multi touch sensitive surface. Maybe you'll boycott other mice when they start applying the same multi touch surface? :D

Dybbuk said:
hahahahahaha really

it's not some transcendent, magnificent piece of machinery, it's all the downfalls of a trackpad combined into the least ergonomic mouse ever
Click to expand...

Spoken like a true ignorant PC user ;)
And pray; what are the downfalls of a trackpad? (note: before you embarrass yourself further, the touch surface does not move the mouse cursor).
 
Dybbuk said:
hahahahahaha really

it's not some transcendent, magnificent piece of machinery, it's all the downfalls of a trackpad combined into the least ergonomic mouse ever
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing at first (about the mouse ergonomics), but it started to grow on me, and after some time I realized that the Magic Mouse encourages a more natural hand position.

Yo should try it. It won't won't feel bad at first, but it won't feel great, either. But after a day or so of use, it'll feel quite natural. And the mouse can be held from very high on the mouse or very low on the mouse. Nearly the entire mouse surface is responsive.
 
I did try the Magic Mouse, and I really really wanted to like it. But I just couldn't, the whole thing feels so awkward. After being burned by the Mighty Mouse before, I'll not take that risk again. I love the trackpad on my MacBook but the Magic Mouse actually has less functionality than the trackpad.
 
Aadhil said:
And pray; what are the downfalls of a trackpad? (note: before you embarrass yourself further, the touch surface does not move the mouse cursor).
Click to expand...

Unergonomic, limited movement space and lack of precision. If the trackpad didn't have downfalls, we wouldn't have mouses. Apple didn't take the best parts of the trackpad, though; half the gestures are missing.

And also, I won't boycott other mouses that use touch; I'll get the one that uses it better than Apple.

also, lol at "ignorant pc user"

sorry for double post
 
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