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Apple Applies For Rotary Mouse Patent
Dregs of Tar writes "According to an article at The Mac Observer, Apple has applied for a patent on an interesting new mouse idea. A rotary disc on the surface of the mouse can be pushed straight down as a mouse button, tilted forward or back to scroll vertically, and tilted side to side for horizontal scrolling. In other words, it's a rotary scroll wheel! Could it be so? Could we soon see Apple-branded, multibutton, scrolling mice?"
Since quite a while IBM has some mice featuring a scroll/track-point device.
Although not really a 'rotary disc', it *is* a device which can be pushed as a button, and can be pushed/tilted in all directions for scrolling..
(See this one for example)
Sorry Apple, too late....
Ok, let's just read that article one more time: It describes a mouse with a DISC, not a TRACKBALL. Also, I can't see any hint of the disc serving as a second mouse button in the patent description. This being Apple, that disc thingy will probably be the only control-element on the mouse. One thing that the article itself seemed a bit confused about, was whether the disc was ROTARY (i.e. something you rotate, as on an old telephone) or just a kind of cross-button with 5 directions (horizontal, veritcal, and down).
here is a link.
Mouse powered Chips, Open source Processors and Lego
When the mouse was new people weren't used to using them, and Apple feared that more than one button would confuse people. It would be more familiar to do it like a keyboard where you have one key, but holding down a modifier key you can switch the functionality of they key. Apple went with this design simply for familiarity in concepts..
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid.
Also news flash for the other peple trapped in the last century: macs are three button enabled too! just buy a three button mouse
IBM has already done something similar. They make mice with something of a U-shaped nub where the scroll wheel normally goes. Brushing a fingertip across it causes it to register the movement in the direction it was brushed.
Jesus christ. How many times do I read this.
Go out and buy any one of a hundred multi-button USB mice and plug it into a Mac. The scrollwheel and contextual-menu buttons are supported out-of-the-box in OS X in all apps. Just because Apple don't ship a multi-button mouse does not mean that Apple don't support them.
Also, the round mice went out a long long time ago. Apple ship very nice optical mice with all Macs now. They also have a "no-button" design - rocking the mouse forward slightly clicks the mouse button. This is a very ergonomic design and means that you can use your whole hand to click, which reduces tendon strain substantially and makes the mice much better suited to anyone who suffers from RSI.
If you want to dislike Macs, pick a legitimate reason. If I had a dime for every person who says "I don't like Macs because x" and hasn't actually ever walked into an Apple store...
Except that buying a new mouse just doesn't work on touchpads. With those you're stuck with just one button.
It's called a hat switch. It's on lots of nice joysticks to control the direction you're looking. I've been after one to be put on a good mouse forever. If Logitech would put one on one of their corded MX models, I'd be in heaven.
There is definitely prior art. Take a look at the mouse component of this Saitek mouse/action pad bundle.
May we never see th
Anyway, here is a link to patent application 20030076303. You can see the images from there also.
But the point is, you don't ever need to use control+click to access features; they're always available via standard clicks through menus/lists etc (assuming the program is decent).
control+click provides a more advanced and convenient method in many cases, but it's for more advanced users. I novice user should be able to do everything with one button - and they can. If you want the extra button, buy a mouse with an extra button.
Maybe Apple should provide it as an option when buying a Mac, but they don't at the moment. Perhaps this new mouse they're patenting will be the optional mouse for their systems.
How hard is it really to hold down the control key with your left hand when you're clicking? It's not like you need to be doing anything else with that hand while you're using the mouse, and your left hand is already on the keyboard. Control is right there!
> It's a rotary dial
No, it's not.
Ummm... Yes, it is.
Come on, people. As patents go, Apple's actually done a pretty good job making this one pretty darn easy to read. Here's one of many claims that make it clear that the disc rotates:
Then get one of these mice. They don't require a surface to move on and they have two mouse buttons. Honestly though, there is no real need for a second mouse button in MacOS. Every function is either in a menu up top, or you can hold down the control key and click to bring up a contextual menu. Because of these two things I hardly ever use the second button on my third-party mouse.
Turn the mouse over. On the bottom of the mouse is a sensitivity adjustment. Turn it and the mouse will take more force before it clicks. I've never had a problem with my hand accidently clicking on the Apple mice, but if you do that's why there is an adjustment for it.
Sapere aude!
Unless you have a LAPTOP and want it to have more than one button. Your suggestion isn't really a viable option on a plane, train, bus, or a lot of the many of places people buy laptops so they can use them in.
Holy crap. I'm sorry. I didn't realise how much intensive contextual-menu using you do on trains and buses. I take it all back. It must be especially annoying on a laptop where the control-key is constantly sitting under your left pinky and the trackpad button is always under your thumbs. Using the two together must be a real strain.
Ergonomic my ass. Making the entire mouse a button means you can't rest your hand on the mouse. How exactly is that ergonomic? They've gone from a mouse that was nearly unclickable to one that you can't help but click accidentally. You have to rest your wrist eventually.
Don't rest your hand on the mouse. It's really bad for your wrist. Either hold the mouse lightly with your fingertips and rest your wrest on the desk, or get a proper wrist rest. Given all the intensive mousing you do, you'll be glad of that advice in a couple of years.
Just because a design flaw can be fixed, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Some people want to buy computers that they like "out of the box". (Isn't that what Macs are supposed to be?) They don't want to go out and buy an new mouse and worry about whether it will work with their Mac. (Yes, I know it will work, but does the average Joe? No, and it's a headache for them to find that out.)
I'm afraid it's a design flaw for only a very small minority of Apple's users. The truth is that multiple mouse buttons confuse most computer users. Spend some time in end-user support if you don't believe me. The "average Joe" has no need or desire for a multi-button mouse.
A user interface that requires the use of multiple button mice is crippled. With a Mac you should never need to use another button. You should never even need to use a contextual menu. They are supplied for the power-users. The kind of people who go out and buy their own mouse.
I have to use one of these pieces of shit in a music studio and that's about the only way I can describe it. I've considered dragging my own mouse up there just so I don't have to deal with that damned thing.
Then drag your own mouse up there. They're plug-n-play. You can even plug them both in at the same time.