Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard

[Cyborg21]

I'm going to buy an iMac, I never used an iMac before. I have some questions about Magic Mouse and Wireless keyboard;

What is the battery life for Magic mouse and Wireless keyboard?
Which kind of batteries they use?
How can I recharge them, do I need any accesorises or batteries?

 

[Weaselboy]

Battery life is VERY dependent on usage. I use my Apple KB and mouse about five hours a day. I get about 10-14 days out of the mouse batteries and about a month out of the KB batteries.

They are standard AA batteries. I got some of these Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables and they work great. You might want to buy eight batteries plus the four slot charger, then you can just swap the KB and mouse batteries back and forth from the charger.

 

[talmy]

I too recommend Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries. Buy enough for two sets then you will always have fresh batteries.

 

[Soccer5se]

If you are used to a notebook trackpad I recommend the external trackpad over the magic mouse. You can switch them for free. The magic mouse has some cool features but the trackpad is much more comfortable to use on a mac. Also, the magic mouse is not that great for gaming.

 

[LaunchpadBS]

I found both to be horrible, sold em and bought a logitech wireless mouse and keyboard, the keyboard is for the mac and solar powered so no need for batteries plus has all the keys.

 

[martosprint]

Both the wireless mouse and keyboard are pretty good. The mouse batteries do not last as long as the keyboard. To give you an idea about the keyboard, I bought the new 2012 iMac with fusion drive on March 25th and I use the computer all day long. So it's still going strong after 6 months with the original batteries in it. Of course we use the mouse more often than the keyboard. 

 

[jclardy]

Battery life is VERY dependent on usage. I use my Apple KB and mouse about five hours a day. I get about 10-14 days out of the mouse batteries and about a month out of the KB batteries.

They are standard AA batteries. I got some of these Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables and they work great. You might want to buy eight batteries plus the four slot charger, then you can just swap the KB and mouse batteries back and forth from the charger.

Do you quick charge your batteries? Mine last much longer (double or more) with similar usage. But I use a slow trickle charge each time I do recharge.

 

[Weaselboy]

Do you quick charge your batteries? Mine last much longer (double or more) with similar usage. But I use a slow trickle charge each time I do recharge.

I'm just using the Sanyo charger below that came with them. I leave four in the charger then swap them when the ones I am using run low.

Have you found a better charger?

 

[kazmac]

...

I found my usage to be 5-7 days Max with the rechargeable keyboard. The mouse 7-21 days depending on usage. The apple rechargeable batteries stink.

I stopped using the wireless keyboard and went back to an Apple wired keyboard and traditional batteries.

No matter what my next Mac is, I may stick with a wired keyboard or try the solar one mentioned above. Wireless is fine for mice, but I can't have the keyboard fizzling out on me during a class, while writing etc. That happened way too much for my liking with the Apple rechargables.

I appreciate the suggestions in this thread.

 

[jclardy]

I'm just using the Sanyo charger below that came with them. I leave four in the charger then swap them when the ones I am using run low.

Have you found a better charger?

I use this one (I got it on sale for $20.) It is a slow charger, but it will tell you how much charge batteries have and you don't have to charge in pairs.

And when you say leave them in the charger, do you mean literally? Like leave them plugged into the wall? I think that may actually be bad for them if that is the case. Eneloops are designed to hold their charge for a long time (Relatively, should be 80% after sitting for a year) so that could be shortening their lifespan.

 

[YMark]

Skip the POS magic mouse and get the Trackpad. Then download Better Touch Tool.

 

[talmy]

Seeing the comments to get the trackpad instead, I'd suggest trying both in the store before deciding. I found the trackpad to be either too small or have not enough resolution (take your pick) to work well with the 27" iMac. The Magic Mouse only works well if you hold it with a light touch on the sides -- if you are "heavy handed" or rest your fingers on the top it isn't good.

 

[Weaselboy]

I use this one (I got it on sale for $20.) It is a slow charger, but it will tell you how much charge batteries have and you don't have to charge in pairs.

And when you say leave them in the charger, do you mean literally? Like leave them plugged into the wall? I think that may actually be bad for them if that is the case. Eneloops are designed to hold their charge for a long time (Relatively, should be 80% after sitting for a year) so that could be shortening their lifespan.

Thanks, I'll give that charger a look.

I do leave them plugged in the wall when not in use. I assume the charger has a controller kind of like MacBooks do to prevent overcharging, but maybe not. I have been doing this almost two years and it does not seem to have hurt the batteries.