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Apple Developing Two-Button Mouse

An anonymous reader writes "Always the innovator, Apple is rumored to be developing a two-button mouse! Personally, I don't think it will catch on. Two buttons will be way too confusing for your average user." A few users noted a related Slashdot story from awhile back that discusses why Apple has historically avoided the two-button mouse. The article also mentions a revision to the AirPort Base Station with built-in optical audio.

2 of 1,070 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Pan wheel... by mysticwhiskey · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Y'know what's really funny is that OS-X supports poly-button mice with wheel-scrolling ability, yet Apple don't (as yet) sell such a mouse. This has been good for those 3rd party vendors who produce asthetically-pleasing multi-button mice. Please, no flames about Control-Click, I'm a Mac user, yet respect the right-click.

    --

    Stuck down a hole! In the middle of the night! With an owl!

  2. Re:Meh by lcfactor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    PC or no apple has long supported two button mice which is fine for me (as that's all one would ever want to use...) in fact my mac also has 5 buttons, two of which are hooked into the expose features and one I use in a more traditional (X) oriented fashion...

    The issue is really with powerbooks which only support one button on the case trackpad- a major pain - will apple release a two button config with the new PB's as well? I hope so.

    As as side note, I use (as do many others) a program called sidetrack, ( http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/ ) which allows you to place regions on the track pad to support up to an additional 4 buttons, and v/h scrolling on the edges of the pad. It works well- but takes a lot of getting used to (to avoid accidentally hitting the buttons) IMHO but it's better than nothing- however howabout a mod for the PB itself to have it on the HW, along with the two button mouse.

    I wonder how Job's will keynote this. Not a guy who likes to say 'I was wrong'