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So how many people here want 2 button mouse from Apple?
- Thread starter macphoria
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gotta have 3... ideally scroll wheel/button in the middle.
i don't think they have to release something like that, as people who actually *need* one (ie, users of shake, maya, etc) have the $ to buy a 3rd party one
but i don't think it would hurt, either
i don't think they have to release something like that, as people who actually *need* one (ie, users of shake, maya, etc) have the $ to buy a 3rd party one
but i don't think it would hurt, either
laptops
my big thing is laptops....
On a desktop, replacing the mouse is a non-issue, however on laptops, you're stuck with what comes with it and the 1 button mouse is ridiculous. It's one of the reasons that kept me from a Mac PB. They should have scroll wheels and a second mouse button.
[And for those of you who are thinking "why doesn't he just plug in an external mouse?"-- doesn't that defeat the purpose of laptops? When I'm using my laptop I don't want an external keyboard, firewire drives attached, a powerbrick... I want nothing that encumbers ease of use anywhere or adds extra weight (to much to ask, don't think so.)
Laptops should be self-contained, ie, the total package for a user]
my big thing is laptops....
On a desktop, replacing the mouse is a non-issue, however on laptops, you're stuck with what comes with it and the 1 button mouse is ridiculous. It's one of the reasons that kept me from a Mac PB. They should have scroll wheels and a second mouse button.
[And for those of you who are thinking "why doesn't he just plug in an external mouse?"-- doesn't that defeat the purpose of laptops? When I'm using my laptop I don't want an external keyboard, firewire drives attached, a powerbrick... I want nothing that encumbers ease of use anywhere or adds extra weight (to much to ask, don't think so.)
Laptops should be self-contained, ie, the total package for a user]
They should only ship them with the pro line, thats my opinion, cuz honestly I don't think anyone is playing games on their ibook or imac...not to say that *no one* does 
Steve doesn't want to give us a two-button mouse because he thinks we'll find it confusing.
Typical case of Steve putting into the computers what Steve wants.
Maybe Steve will find it confusing, but I sure don't find it confusing.
Typical case of Steve putting into the computers what Steve wants.
Maybe Steve will find it confusing, but I sure don't find it confusing.
Im dam well willing to bet that on what ever computer it is that steve has as his MAIN computer at his home it has a two button mouse at least(3rd party or not).
well i dont see it a huge issue for the laptops. personally i feel a second button and a scroll would make the laptop unattractive. i also find it kindof odd that someone would refrain from buying a powerbook for not having a 2nd button or a scroll. since you have the trackpad right there, that means the control key is left of the trackpad, which acts as a second button. and the page up and down key are to the right of the trackpad which act just fine as a scroll. to me it sounds you are to picky or to lazy, but honestly it doesnt matter because its your money and thats all that matters. i just found it odd because ive never heard someone not buy a powerbook for those 2 reasons.
iJon
iJon
btw i think the "mouse"-thingy on the IBM Thinkpads is great, especially when you need to save space. but i guess apple can't use that because ibm owns the idea.
If Apple added the option to sell a real keyboard an mouse with buying a new mac - it would be good enough.
I've not seen a single good input peripheral made by apple... They are so full with their dogmas, I don't think the'll ever come up with a decent solution.
I've not seen a single good input peripheral made by apple... They are so full with their dogmas, I don't think the'll ever come up with a decent solution.
There's more people that think like that. Having only one mouse button was one of the reasons for my roommate not to buy a PB. He uses Linux and heavily relies on having three mouse buttons. Emulating three buttons with two is fine, but if you only have one, it gets a bit difficult... Also, Linux and Windows distinguish between Ctrl+Click and Right-Click.
That, and the fact that the 16" Dell he bought has a 1600x1200 resolution. I wish Apple had a PB with that resolution, too...
i do
for the last 3 years i have used the 5 button itellimouse optical with scroll wheel in os9 and osx, it truly increases productivity, i also like the longer cord. and yes microsoft makes great hardware, including xbox and thier mouse software is top notch, really works good with fps games. 1=shoot2=jump3=crouch4=open5=zoom,scroll=weapons change.
i also prefer thier pro keyboard to my dinky bw one.
i am hoping for an ipod inspired mouse and a keyboard with seperate media keys (i know they are not needed but i like them)
i will buy if it looks cool has quality and it must be wireless.
i am eyeing the wireless logiteck and bluetooth microsoft combos, but i am waiting to see what apple offers, i know it wont be standard as they need to make money, i will buy.hopefully it will be detacable usb /wireless for all macs
for the last 3 years i have used the 5 button itellimouse optical with scroll wheel in os9 and osx, it truly increases productivity, i also like the longer cord. and yes microsoft makes great hardware, including xbox and thier mouse software is top notch, really works good with fps games. 1=shoot2=jump3=crouch4=open5=zoom,scroll=weapons change.
i also prefer thier pro keyboard to my dinky bw one.
i am hoping for an ipod inspired mouse and a keyboard with seperate media keys (i know they are not needed but i like them)
i will buy if it looks cool has quality and it must be wireless.
i am eyeing the wireless logiteck and bluetooth microsoft combos, but i am waiting to see what apple offers, i know it wont be standard as they need to make money, i will buy.hopefully it will be detacable usb /wireless for all macs
I would like to see them make a good 2 button mouse w/ wheel standard with all systems, but I'd never buy one as a separate item. The current Pro mouse is a rip-off(c'mon, £40 for one button! ), and I'm sure a 2 button w/ wheel would cost even more. I'm really not to bothered, I'll just get a good mouse from a third party, Logitech, dare I say it...Microsoft
), and I'm sure a 2 button w/ wheel would cost even more. I'm really not to bothered, I'll just get a good mouse from a third party, Logitech, dare I say it...Microsoft 
Originally posted by edesignuk
I would like to see them make a good 2 button mouse w/ wheel standard with all systems, but I'd never buy one as a separate item. The current Pro mouse is a rip-off(c'mon, £40 for one button!
Agreed. I would love for Apple to make a two button, or even add a scroll wheel, but since the current Apple mouse is $49.00, I shudder to think how much they would charge for another button.
Scroll wheels are stupid
Scroll wheels are an obvious band-aid on a design which is close to being good, but not quite there.
You folks should really try an optical trackball. Kensington has just come out with one, as has MacAlly. Unfortunately MacAlly's is not symmetrical, so lefties are left out.
People who say "I tried a trackball in 1983 and it was crappy" should remember that mice were pretty crappy in 1983 too.
Moving a tiny cursor on the screen by moving your whole hand around on the desk is extremely inefficient, don't you think?
As for what Apple should come out with: Apple should come out with Aluminum Powerbooks with G5 processors. Let third parties deal with stupid stuff like mice and keyboards.
Scroll wheels are an obvious band-aid on a design which is close to being good, but not quite there.
You folks should really try an optical trackball. Kensington has just come out with one, as has MacAlly. Unfortunately MacAlly's is not symmetrical, so lefties are left out.
People who say "I tried a trackball in 1983 and it was crappy" should remember that mice were pretty crappy in 1983 too.
Moving a tiny cursor on the screen by moving your whole hand around on the desk is extremely inefficient, don't you think?
As for what Apple should come out with: Apple should come out with Aluminum Powerbooks with G5 processors. Let third parties deal with stupid stuff like mice and keyboards.
Re: Scroll wheels are stupid
Not really, I only have to move my mouse about 10cm to move it across 2560 pixels (2 x 1280x1024 displays), doesn't exactly take a lot of effort. Besides that, I just hate trackballs.
so far kensington has be best design/functionality that i have seen for three button (scroll wheel) mice. that touch sensitive area was just a great idea.
but i would love to see apple take a clue or two from logitech's mx700 mouse. those things are amazing.
but i would love to see apple take a clue or two from logitech's mx700 mouse. those things are amazing.
Re: Re: Scroll wheels are stupid
Same setup here. I don't even need to move my arm, just moving the hand a bit gets me everywhere I want on the Desktop.
And I do love the old Logi pilot ergonmics. it feels just extremly right and is never tiring for the wrist.
Same setup here. I don't even need to move my arm, just moving the hand a bit gets me everywhere I want on the Desktop.
And I do love the old Logi pilot ergonmics. it feels just extremly right and is never tiring for the wrist.
Wasn't there a rumor a while back that Apple was working on a two-button optical mouse with a iPod-style touch wheel on top? That would be amazing -- so much cooler and more functional than anything else out there.
Throw in some Bluetooth and rechargable batteries and that sounds like a winner.
Easier said than done though, of course...
Throw in some Bluetooth and rechargable batteries and that sounds like a winner.
Easier said than done though, of course...
Mav451
I've seen those mini mice, it's just that once again you require desk space to make those useful. I prefer the "self-contained" approach. Plus you end up with a cord looping down and the size of those mice can't be good for your hands.
synthetickittie and sparks9
Steve Jobs used an IBM ThinkPad for at least 2 years after coming back to Apple as CEO for his own personal computer and they all have at least 2 mouse buttons. My ThinkPad has a total of 7 buttons useable as mouse buttons, though I only use 3 (I've turned off the others) As it stands, my hands never have to leave the home keys and since I've always been a touch-typist, I tend to be a lot more productive.
iJon
I guess I wasn't clear, the lack of mouse options was one (1!) of the reasons I decided not to go with a PB. I tend to pro/con everything and the balance fell against the PBs. As for laziness, wasn't really expecting a personal attack, but I'll respond professionally...
The 17" PB places the keyboard so forward that the distance from the keyboard to the trackpad and button is awkard. The use of two hands verses one hand to accomplish the same goal seems un-elegant (right-click/contextual menus selection.) Using PgUp and PgDn gives you no accuracy in movement (it becomes an all or nothing action) The solution I'm working with now gives me great precision in scrolling and allows me to scroll from side to side as well, without changing my hand position (this is great for film and audio editing-- very equivalent to a jog shuttle)
I can't be the only one who's been rebuffed by the PBs for the lack of mouse buttons. For all the advancements in computers, the means for user input is still fairly archaic. However, since keyboards and mice/trackpads/etc.. are still the most common means to input into a laptop and I'd guess user input is one of the greatest bottlenecks in a computer's performance, I place a high value on my own personal functionality with keyboards and mice. One of my tests when checking laptops has always been just sitting or standing in front of the laptop model and typing for 30mins straight (long enough for my concentration on typing to lapse so I can see real-world results for my touch-typing) and then seeing how many errors I have and if I had any issues with the mouse input functions.
I've seen those mini mice, it's just that once again you require desk space to make those useful. I prefer the "self-contained" approach. Plus you end up with a cord looping down and the size of those mice can't be good for your hands.
synthetickittie and sparks9
Steve Jobs used an IBM ThinkPad for at least 2 years after coming back to Apple as CEO for his own personal computer and they all have at least 2 mouse buttons. My ThinkPad has a total of 7 buttons useable as mouse buttons, though I only use 3 (I've turned off the others) As it stands, my hands never have to leave the home keys and since I've always been a touch-typist, I tend to be a lot more productive.
iJon
I guess I wasn't clear, the lack of mouse options was one (1!) of the reasons I decided not to go with a PB. I tend to pro/con everything and the balance fell against the PBs. As for laziness, wasn't really expecting a personal attack, but I'll respond professionally...
The 17" PB places the keyboard so forward that the distance from the keyboard to the trackpad and button is awkard. The use of two hands verses one hand to accomplish the same goal seems un-elegant (right-click/contextual menus selection.) Using PgUp and PgDn gives you no accuracy in movement (it becomes an all or nothing action) The solution I'm working with now gives me great precision in scrolling and allows me to scroll from side to side as well, without changing my hand position (this is great for film and audio editing-- very equivalent to a jog shuttle)
I can't be the only one who's been rebuffed by the PBs for the lack of mouse buttons. For all the advancements in computers, the means for user input is still fairly archaic. However, since keyboards and mice/trackpads/etc.. are still the most common means to input into a laptop and I'd guess user input is one of the greatest bottlenecks in a computer's performance, I place a high value on my own personal functionality with keyboards and mice. One of my tests when checking laptops has always been just sitting or standing in front of the laptop model and typing for 30mins straight (long enough for my concentration on typing to lapse so I can see real-world results for my touch-typing) and then seeing how many errors I have and if I had any issues with the mouse input functions.