The Official Mighty Mouse Poll

[~David]

I know that the Mighty Mouse is a "You either love it or you hate it" situation, so let's finally get a clear view of the public's view of the Apple MM.

Me? I hated it, here's why:

1. Both side buttons act as a single button, they can not be set as alternate controls.
2. The 360 wheel feels extremely cheap and constantly gets stuck/doesn't respond (This is not a defect, it happened with a few I tested out in the store, I figured it was just from all the wear and tear)
3. You can't right click without lifting your left finger off the mouse.
4. The side buttons are, for some odd reason, pressure sensitive instead of "clickable" buttons, making them easy to set off. Very unintuitive and useless.
5. Terrible tracking. The slightest bump in the tracking surface and the mouse would go flying. (I had the corded Optical version)
6. The noise when clicking is incredibly loud compared to your average mouse.
7. The amount of travel needed to click.
8. It's uncomfortable. If you're one who likes resting your palm on the mouse, it's not for you. If you just use your finger tips, it's OK.

 

[tersono]

I voted 'I like it' (I use them both at home and at work - 1 wired, 1 BT - the BT model is better), but you make some good points.

1. Yep. It would be good to have 5 buttons rather than 4, but I can cope with 4

2. I don't agree that it feels cheap, but yes they can be a problem unless you keep the mouse scrupulously clean.

3. I don't have a problem with that - albeit it took some time before I got sufficiently used to the mouse before I _could_ right click without any difficulty

4. Yep - it is rather an odd design choice. I've gotten used to it, but your point is well made.

5. Nope - not had this problem before. I find it very precise

6. Again, nope - I've used plenty of mice that were noisier (including most of the Microsoft optical mice we use at work - I really don't like them).

7. Doesn't bother me but yes, you're right - it does seem to take more travel than you'd expect

8. Now this is the real clincher - actually I find the mouse VERY comfortable. For me, resting my hand on the mouse too much leads to RSI very easily, so the shape of the mouse (and Apple's previous 'Pro' mouse, which I would have loved if it had more than one button) suits me very well.

Good post, though - it's always interesting to see why people do or don't get on with a particular product ergonomically, and the Mighty Mouse is certainly going to suit some people better than others...

 

[aafuss1]

I don't have to lift my finger off to right click, it seems-so that's not a issue for me.

The noise when clicking is about the same as the Logitech G7.

 

[simie]

They are like everything else in this world great until something goes wrong.

 

[kflook]

I have a mighty mouse with my PowerBook (bluetooth), and I love it.

I do agree that a 5th button would be nice though

 

[MikeTheC]

~David:

I, too, strongly dislike the MM. I owned one for about 2 hours one day and returned it in disgust.

I found the placement as well as the implementation of the side buttons to be very poor. I really don't like side buttons, but they should be along the top corner of either the left, right or left & right, not mid-way through nor towards the bottom. I mean, WTF are you supposed to mechanically grasp that sucker?

The scroll ball had no issues for the very brief period I owned it, so I can't speak from personal experience on that point. However, it's been a complaint of multitudinous users ever since the original Mighty Mouse was released.

The right-click action is horrible. You're right: you have to remove your left finger (or at a minimum counteract the super-majority of it's mass) in order for a right-sided click to register as such.

And while we're on the subject of right-clicking, why in God's name is the right click function -- for a two-button mouse in a UNIX-derived and therefore multi-button-supporting OS -- disabled by default?!?!?!?

I had to disable the side buttons because they did nothing but interfere with normal mouse operations for me. And frankly I've never really found either Dashboard or Exposé of particular use, so having them set to default to either of those is, while not a failure of the mouse, per se, a clearly suboptimal default for me.

I found the tracking to be perhaps the worst of any mouse I've used in recent times. In fact, I found it tracked worse, even on "non-laser optical"-friendly surfaces, than 5+ year old non-laser optical mice I've owned. I think I was floored the most by this particular deficiency.

The decibel level of the click wasn't all that worrisome to me; however I will agree the travel distance for a click was longer than it should have been.

As an owner (though not a user) of a white Pro Mouse (bundled with my iMac G4) and as a former user of a black Pro Mouse (at a school I used to work at), I can tell you that their appearance is far more aesthetically pleasing than the milky-white case used by the Mighty Mouse series.

On the whole, since the shape of it is essentially the same as that of the Pro Mouse, I found it no more or less uncomfortable than it; however I far prefer both my MS Laser Mouse 6000, my Logitch MX400, and heck, even my MS Notebook Laser Mouse 3000 to the Mighty Mouse's case design.

As I've observed previously, usually Apple gets it right and earns high marks in doing so; however this ain't one of those times, folks.

 

[GSMiller]

I love the Mighty Mouse but unfortunately it's poorly designed scroll ball cripples it. Anything that gets under it renders it totally useless! Plus the price is completely ridiculous. If I buy another Apple mouse it will be the Mighty Mouses successor.

 

[hayduke]

I have said it many times in this forum and I will say it again. The mighty mouse is pooh.

I have BT one, together with a BT apple keyboard that I need to unload. There is nothing wrong with either, they just don't suit my hands well. I should post a proper marketplace posting...

 

[Jordashebasics]

I really wanted to like the MM, but I've found that it's really unhealthy for me. My hand is too big for it. In order to keep my fingers in a clicking position, I have to rest my hand in a very awkward position. This means that my right hand gets really cramped by using it. As pleasing as it is to look at, I'd rather enjoy my Logitech Mx518 - which is considerably louder - in order to avoid the painful experience of using the MM.

 

[ivan1234]

yes; i like using my wireless MM and would recommend it to friends and family

 

[Jack Flash]

I like it, thought I've had to have it replaced twice at the Apple Store.

 

[Eidorian]

I like using it at work. I assign Exposé and Spaces to the extra buttons. I at least need 4 buttons on a mouse now.

The Logitech MX310 is another favorite of mine. The paint on has rubbed off from its years of use.

 

[gr8tfly]

I find it very comfortable to use. I've had the BT MM since it was release, and the wired one before that (also since its release). No problems with either one. I've had to clean the scroll ball a couple of times on the BT and it always works perfectly afterwards.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

I know that the Mighty Mouse is a "You either love it or you hate it" situation, so let's finally get a clear view of the public's view of the Apple MM.

Me? I hated it, here's why:

1. Both side buttons act as a single button, they can not be set as alternate controls.
2. The 360 wheel feels extremely cheap and constantly gets stuck/doesn't respond (This is not a defect, it happened with a few I tested out in the store, I figured it was just from all the wear and tear)
3. You can't right click without lifting your left finger off the mouse.
4. The side buttons are, for some odd reason, pressure sensitive instead of "clickable" buttons, making them easy to set off. Very unintuitive and useless.
5. Terrible tracking. The slightest bump in the tracking surface and the mouse would go flying. (I had the corded Optical version)
6. The noise when clicking is incredibly loud compared to your average mouse.
7. The amount of travel needed to click.
8. It's uncomfortable. If you're one who likes resting your palm on the mouse, it's not for you. If you just use your finger tips, it's OK.

I don't HATE the mighty mouse - I rather liked the 4 way scroll ball. But the cord was short, tracking was pretty sloppy, and I wanted something with a different feel.

Now - While I don't HATE the mighty mouse - I DO have more than twice the shortcut/click functions mapped to my MX Revolution buttons than you have reasons to hate your Mighty Mouse.

Lame as it may be, I'm almost proud of myself for it. Harder than you might guess getting 2 or 3 different functions out of single mouse buttons. That part isn't so hard - but getting to NOT inadvertently activate different or multiple functions in different apps is the hard part.

 

[Eidorian]

I find it very comfortable to use. I've had the BT MM since it was release, and the wired one before that (also since its release). No problems with either one. I've had to clean the scroll ball a couple of times on the BT and it always works perfectly afterwards.

How have you cleaned the scroll ball?

I've seen some people take it apart. I just rolled it vigorously with moist towelette I have for cleaning computer hardware.

Now - While I don't HATE the mighty mouse - I DO have more than twice the shortcut/click functions mapped to my MX Revolution buttons than you have reasons to hate your Mighty Mouse.

I had an MX1000 and it was a good mouse. It was just to heavy for my small hands!

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

The revolution is actually very light. It's only semi-drawback is the right-side edge slopes outward towards the bottom. So my right fingers slip sometimes when moving the mouse around. A simple cross-hatch of the surface likely would fix it, or even a little grip-tape. But it still looks too pretty, in spite of its age.

The logic (or lack of) I use when deciding to tear into and modify MUCH more expensive things, and not my Mouse - blows my mind.

I tear into $250,000 lasers for a living for research and repair studies. But I chicken out on my mouse.

 

[Eidorian]

The revolution is actually very light. It's only semi-drawback is the right-side edge slopes outward towards the bottom. So my right fingers slip sometimes when moving the mouse around. A simple cross-hatch of the surface likely would fix it, or even a little grip-tape. But it still looks too pretty, in spite of its age.

The logic (or lack of) I use when deciding to tear into and modify MUCH more expensive things, and not my Mouse - blows my mind.

I tear into $250,000 lasers for a living for research and repair studies. But I chicken out on my mouse.

I'm picky with my mice. I tend to pick the bilaterally symmetrical ones.

Though I did use an early Logitech USB one that was shaped for right hands. I paid $25 (a killer deal) for it and it lasted me 5 years.

 

[gr8tfly]

How have you cleaned the scroll ball?

I've seen some people take it apart. I just rolled it vigorously with moist towelette I have for cleaning computer hardware.

I've cleaned it pretty much the same way you have. I put a small amount of iKlear on microfiber cloth, then turn the mouse over and roll the cloth against the scroll ball. This is pretty much the procedure Apple recommends.

I don't think iKlear (KlearScreen) is necessarily the "trick". I mostly use it because it's already out when cleaning the MM's top case.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Seriously - I would have preferred a more symmetrical mouse, because I use my left hand sometimes. But with the scroll wheel and back/forward buttons - it could have been cumbersome for the masses, and expensive to manufacture.

I HAVE been tempted to drop these guts into a G5 Laser chassis - that one feels great to my hand. But between the prices of both, and likelihood I'd ruin BOTH. It has yet to go anywhere.

 

[hijofrizbe]

Hate it, but Like it...

Okay so I answered that I hated it, because I do. It's really expensive, I'm on my second one because the poor design of the scroller button (have you taken yours apart and seen the disaster that's under there???) It is cleanable, but in order to clean it you have to break the mouse seal take apart a ton of stuff, work with magnetic points, and then superglue the seal back on and pray to god you never have to clean it out again. In my case, I had to clean it out again and breaking the superglue seal - sealed mighty mouse #1's fate, and broke the seal completely and I couldn't put it back on so it was a pain in the @$$ to use the not broken, just limping mouse.

However, I do have to say, that for the streamline apple look the mighty mouse looks very pretty. I wouldn't EVER go back to the one button no function basic apple mouse. I refused to go buy a cheap non-apple mouse because it just didn't look streamlined. I guess that's the price that you pay for wanting to be superficial. Although as I was buying my 2nd one, I stood contemplating buying the wireless, but then I could imagine what challenges I would have come up against with that. Scary.

As far as the other things that it offers, sometimes the side buttons do get annoying especially when coming from a different mouse that I use a work back home to this one which is more sensitive. As a result, I've had to disable the side buttons because I would squeeze them when i was moving the mouse down.

It is a great looking product with a lot of potential, but somehow apple's focus on creating new products, I think it's potential may be thrown by the wayside - prove me wrong [please].

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

Well - my MX Revolution - is rechargeable, and 2.4GHZ includes a USB 2.0 Dongle (for the receiver) - so the response - at least as far as I can tell, equates that of a wired mouse.

It most certainly tracks better than my mighty mouse - especially so with a 3rd party driver.

After a long period of inactivity - it goes to "sleep" - but takes less than 2 seconds to be completely on it's feet again.

As for Mighty Mouse - my parents have one, and they are BRUTAL to computers / keyboards and mice. I think they now eat at their Apple every day, because it gets dirt gunk, sticky things - and stuff I'd rather not know about. Cleaning never worked, until I used a solution of Isopropanol and water soaked into a paper towel. Turn the MM upside down, and roll that wheel around in every conceivable direction. Try to use a good strong paper towel - or something that doesn't easily fray / shed. Don't forget to do a "drying run" on a dry paper towel to get the moisture out. I was lucky enough to have access to mono-fiber clean-room wipes, that don't really shed anything. But - good paper towels work just fine. Just stay away from TP and "Treated" Noise Tissues.

 

[siurpeeman]

3. I don't have a problem with that - albeit it took some time before I got sufficiently used to the mouse before I _could_ right click without any difficulty

you would think a good mouse wouldn't force the behavior to get such a simple action. the mighty mouse right click didn't bother me until i got my mx revolution (my first third party two-button mouse), when i realized how much easier it was just to click and not lift-click.

 

[gr8tfly]

you would think a good mouse wouldn't force the behavior to get such a simple action. the mighty mouse right click didn't bother me until i got my mx revolution (my first third party two-button mouse), when i realized how much easier it was just to click and not lift-click.

I'm sure they did some market research, but it doesn't cover everyone (obviously). For me, it's more effort to consciously keep my index finger on the left button when right-clicking. I didn't need any time to get used to the MM, since I guess I've naturally lifted my index finger [with other mice].

 

[martychang]

I must be a rare case because I find the mighty mouse almost perfectly fits my hand. I've only used one at school so far, but I already find I can't stand not having a 360 degree scrollball rather than a silly wheel, I find myself trying to tilt the wheel on my mouse at home(I haven't tried one of the tiltwheel mice yet).

I don't like the right click mechanism either, but ultimately found it to have it's own use. Using Steermouse to unlock the mouse binding entirely, I set the scrollball click to be my Right Click, and set the "Right Click" to be one of the Expose functions(Reveal Desktop in my case). For me, it's hard to do the MM's Right Click by accident, so it's a perfect thing to bind to it, because it's also readily accessible if I think about it.

I also agree that the squeeze buttons aren't really in the right place, I'd prefer a thumb button that works more like a "normal" button on either side.

I haven't had any problems with the tracking, it behaves fine and moves much more smoothly across physical surfaces than any mouse I've ever owned, possibly because of it's strange construction. Steermouse addresses any lack of tracking sensitivity handily.

Overall it's a very comfy mouse for me, I like the feel of "full" left clicks provided by one button mice, but I also get an easy right click on the scrollball, an nice hidden function on the right pressure click, and the squeeze buttons are there, even if they aren't easy to use: I haven't hit them by accident before so it's better than not having them. I think it's worth the price given everything.

However, I will say I'd be hard pressed to pay the premium for one if I couldn't use Steermouse. Steermouse is the second piece of the Mighty Mouse puzzle as far as I'm concerned.

 

[siurpeeman]

I'm sure they did some market research, but it doesn't cover everyone (obviously). For me, it's more effort to consciously keep my index finger on the left button when right-clicking. I didn't need any time to get used to the MM, since I guess I've naturally lifted my index finger [with other mice].

what mouse requires you to keep your index finger on the mouse for right clicks?