I initially reviewed the Wacom Bamboo Touch and took a bunch of marks off because of:
a) discomfort
b) poor button placement
c) overly-sensitive double-tap recognition.
After using the Magic Mouse for the better part of an hour (after figuring out I needed some obscure Apple software update that did not show up automatically under . . . that's right, SOFTWARE UPDATE), my experience is sweet and sour, which is great if you're eating Chinese, but not so great when you're testing a mouse.
So I finally got the mouse to work, but even before pairing it I noticed it had a button. A multitouch mouse with a button! Oooh, middle-click here I come! Wrong. No middle click. No assigning any functions to that button . . . because it's THE button. That's right, bring your Mighty Mouse thinking along because that is EXACTLY what Apple duplicated for the right/left click functions. So that's Strike One. Why am I clicking left and right on a MULTITOUCH mouse?
So what are the multitouch gestures? Screen Zoom (*yawn*, unless you specifically need it, does this need to be a standard gesture??), right/left swipe to go back and forth between webpages (and I assume any other horizontally-facing pages), and up/down scroll, which works like a dream. Vertical touch scrolling (with momentum turned on) is like cream for cats. Nicely done. But that's it.
So without left/right click (or "tap") touch functions the Magic Mouse feels half-finished. Admittedly, the vertical scrolling is sweet. But not sweet enough to divert my attention from the fact that a) I have no tap functions, and b) I have middle-click, which I loved to use in order to open a new Finder window.
But it's not all bad. There's some good here. Read on.
Weight:
Apple nailed this. This has to be one of the lightest mice I've ever used. I can move it around using two fingers with no effort at all. Mind you, I'm using Lithium batteries. Note that the mouse doesn't seem to work on only one battery, unlike the wireless Mighty Mouse. Odd, but it doesn't detract from the experience. This thing glides.
Shape:
The Magic Mouse's shape might seem awkward at first glance, but start using it and you'll see that it's shaped for SPEED. Two fingers up top are all you really need to move this thing. The low-slung profile looks great. The right/left swipe movements feel fine. Surprisingly, the acrylic texture feels good and it looks like even sweaty fingers won't hamper the use of what few touch gestures there are on this thing.
Looks:
Sublime.
It's fast. But is it comfortable?
This might be a personal preference, but being able to rest your hand on a mouse is a good thing. With the Magic Mouse you're only resting the tips of your fingers on the mouse. Not quite as comfortable as my Mighty Mouse. And those somewhat sharp, angular edges of the Magic Mouse don't quite feel right. My Mighty Mouse feels like "home", and felt like it from Day One. The Magic Mouse feels like it'll get the job done faster, but pull me along for the ride and expect me to shut up while it's doing me all those other favours. My wireless Mighty Mouse is like an S-Class Merc. The Magic Mouse is a Lambo. You get the idea.
Things I'll ignore:
Tracking. OS X's tracking/mouse acceleration is horrible. Been this way for years. I'll ignore this because it's not really a mouse-specific issue. There are terminal hacks and utilities (like USB Overdrive) which solves this issue. But I still hate having to look to 3rd parties just to get better tracking.
Perhaps USB Overdrive will also extend the touch functionality of the Magic Mouse, though I'm not betting on it. There's a new version already in the works with Magic Mouse support, so we'll see.
Really annoying:
So no right/left taps. Fine. Alright, I'll let this slide. But in that case, where's my middle click? At least give us ONE other button or somewhere else to touch in order to get a lousy middle click! Cool vertical scrolling and a great shape doesn't quite make up for this lost functionality. Yes, I can reach for the keyboard, but why should I? Can I at least assign left swipe to open the Finder and right swipe to do something else? Please?
Clicking takes a lot more downward pressure than with the Mighty Mouse (especially left-clicking, for some reason), or with any other mouse, really. I don't like that. When the click functionality on a multitouch mouse is NOT an afterthought, it should be implemented correctly.
Potential:
There's always the possibility that Apple could extend the touch functionality of the Magic Mouse or that a 3rd party will do it.
Conclusion:
I think The Magic Mouse's home is back in the Apple Store. My desktop still belongs to Apple's wireless Mighty Mouse (yes, I've got one of the ones that actually work right and continue to work right.) Gimped touch functionality plus ergonomics that aren't quite up to par all but break the deal. But the speed and the vertical scrolling are sweet.
I'll hang on to the Magic Mouse for a while longer and see if the seas suddenly part, but I'm not expecting any miracles.
70/100 (B-)
REVISED (1/11/09)
I'm bumping up the score.
I'm beginning to feel the ergonomic benefits of the Magic Mouse. Your hand, while not resting on top of the mouse surface, does rest in a more natural position. It's painless and it allows for very precise movement. Further, it can be gripped very high or very low. Nearly the entire surface of the mouse is responsive.
The addition of middle-click functionality in some form would put it over the top.
Clicking takes more pressure than it should, however, especially right-clicking.
80/100 (A-)
REVISED (2/11/09) AND FINAL SCORE
Yes, this review took nearly three days to complete. Interestingly enough, it shows the progression of my experiences with this mouse. The ergonomic benefits and sheer speed (due to the light weight) are becoming much more pronounced. I feel compelled to give Apple even more credit because these are such salient factors. The Magic Mouse has replaced my wireless Mighty Mouse completely, and even though there is no middle-click option, I'm finding that given the benefits of the mouse I'm not missing it as much.
A middle-click option or some sort of similar tap functionality would earn an A+.
All in all, well-done, Apple.
Final score:
85/100 (A)
a) discomfort
b) poor button placement
c) overly-sensitive double-tap recognition.
After using the Magic Mouse for the better part of an hour (after figuring out I needed some obscure Apple software update that did not show up automatically under . . . that's right, SOFTWARE UPDATE), my experience is sweet and sour, which is great if you're eating Chinese, but not so great when you're testing a mouse.
So I finally got the mouse to work, but even before pairing it I noticed it had a button. A multitouch mouse with a button! Oooh, middle-click here I come! Wrong. No middle click. No assigning any functions to that button . . . because it's THE button. That's right, bring your Mighty Mouse thinking along because that is EXACTLY what Apple duplicated for the right/left click functions. So that's Strike One. Why am I clicking left and right on a MULTITOUCH mouse?
So what are the multitouch gestures? Screen Zoom (*yawn*, unless you specifically need it, does this need to be a standard gesture??), right/left swipe to go back and forth between webpages (and I assume any other horizontally-facing pages), and up/down scroll, which works like a dream. Vertical touch scrolling (with momentum turned on) is like cream for cats. Nicely done. But that's it.
So without left/right click (or "tap") touch functions the Magic Mouse feels half-finished. Admittedly, the vertical scrolling is sweet. But not sweet enough to divert my attention from the fact that a) I have no tap functions, and b) I have middle-click, which I loved to use in order to open a new Finder window.
But it's not all bad. There's some good here. Read on.
Weight:
Apple nailed this. This has to be one of the lightest mice I've ever used. I can move it around using two fingers with no effort at all. Mind you, I'm using Lithium batteries. Note that the mouse doesn't seem to work on only one battery, unlike the wireless Mighty Mouse. Odd, but it doesn't detract from the experience. This thing glides.
Shape:
The Magic Mouse's shape might seem awkward at first glance, but start using it and you'll see that it's shaped for SPEED. Two fingers up top are all you really need to move this thing. The low-slung profile looks great. The right/left swipe movements feel fine. Surprisingly, the acrylic texture feels good and it looks like even sweaty fingers won't hamper the use of what few touch gestures there are on this thing.
Looks:
Sublime.
It's fast. But is it comfortable?
This might be a personal preference, but being able to rest your hand on a mouse is a good thing. With the Magic Mouse you're only resting the tips of your fingers on the mouse. Not quite as comfortable as my Mighty Mouse. And those somewhat sharp, angular edges of the Magic Mouse don't quite feel right. My Mighty Mouse feels like "home", and felt like it from Day One. The Magic Mouse feels like it'll get the job done faster, but pull me along for the ride and expect me to shut up while it's doing me all those other favours. My wireless Mighty Mouse is like an S-Class Merc. The Magic Mouse is a Lambo. You get the idea.
Things I'll ignore:
Tracking. OS X's tracking/mouse acceleration is horrible. Been this way for years. I'll ignore this because it's not really a mouse-specific issue. There are terminal hacks and utilities (like USB Overdrive) which solves this issue. But I still hate having to look to 3rd parties just to get better tracking.
Perhaps USB Overdrive will also extend the touch functionality of the Magic Mouse, though I'm not betting on it. There's a new version already in the works with Magic Mouse support, so we'll see.
Really annoying:
So no right/left taps. Fine. Alright, I'll let this slide. But in that case, where's my middle click? At least give us ONE other button or somewhere else to touch in order to get a lousy middle click! Cool vertical scrolling and a great shape doesn't quite make up for this lost functionality. Yes, I can reach for the keyboard, but why should I? Can I at least assign left swipe to open the Finder and right swipe to do something else? Please?
Clicking takes a lot more downward pressure than with the Mighty Mouse (especially left-clicking, for some reason), or with any other mouse, really. I don't like that. When the click functionality on a multitouch mouse is NOT an afterthought, it should be implemented correctly.
Potential:
There's always the possibility that Apple could extend the touch functionality of the Magic Mouse or that a 3rd party will do it.
Conclusion:
I think The Magic Mouse's home is back in the Apple Store. My desktop still belongs to Apple's wireless Mighty Mouse (yes, I've got one of the ones that actually work right and continue to work right.) Gimped touch functionality plus ergonomics that aren't quite up to par all but break the deal. But the speed and the vertical scrolling are sweet.
I'll hang on to the Magic Mouse for a while longer and see if the seas suddenly part, but I'm not expecting any miracles.
70/100 (B-)
REVISED (1/11/09)
I'm bumping up the score.
I'm beginning to feel the ergonomic benefits of the Magic Mouse. Your hand, while not resting on top of the mouse surface, does rest in a more natural position. It's painless and it allows for very precise movement. Further, it can be gripped very high or very low. Nearly the entire surface of the mouse is responsive.
The addition of middle-click functionality in some form would put it over the top.
Clicking takes more pressure than it should, however, especially right-clicking.
80/100 (A-)
REVISED (2/11/09) AND FINAL SCORE
Yes, this review took nearly three days to complete. Interestingly enough, it shows the progression of my experiences with this mouse. The ergonomic benefits and sheer speed (due to the light weight) are becoming much more pronounced. I feel compelled to give Apple even more credit because these are such salient factors. The Magic Mouse has replaced my wireless Mighty Mouse completely, and even though there is no middle-click option, I'm finding that given the benefits of the mouse I'm not missing it as much.
A middle-click option or some sort of similar tap functionality would earn an A+.
All in all, well-done, Apple.
Final score:
85/100 (A)
