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Apple Releases Multi-Button "Mighty Mouse"

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-that-is-freakin'-awesome dept.

TheRaven64 writes "Hot on the heels of the announcement of x86 Macs, Apple announced a multi-button mouse, known as the Mighty Mouse. It appears that the entire surface is touch-sensitive, allowing the mouse to be programmed as a single-button, multi-button or scrolling device."

7 of 1,502 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Welcome to 1986 by Daniel_Staal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apple is perfectly aware that intelegent users can handle more than one button at a time. They just don't believe that the average developer can handle more than one button at a time. At least, not and keep a good interface.

    So, they force the delevopers to think 'Oh, shit: this is a Mac, the user only has one button!', and then they actually think about what goes on the second.

    --
    'Sensible' is a curse word.
  2. Re:Welcome to 1986 by Golias · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But, if they believe that people want the simplicity of a one button mouse, wouldn't they ship this thing out of the box with only one button functioning? Those people that want the simplicity of a one button mouse surely won't be the ones changing the settings to disable the other buttons. After all, that sounds awfully hard to do!

    If I'm a dad with young children, I might want to set up the mouse preferences differently depending on the user. Full-functions for me and the older kids, one-button for the toddlers and grandparents. It's actually a pretty fucking cool idea.

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  3. PowerBook!? by pergamon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now all they have to do is make the button-bar underneath the touchpad on the PowerBooks be touch sensitive to allow for multibutton there too.

  4. Re:Finally by Reaperducer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How does making two buttons look like one, make this more intuitive?

    It's not two buttons. It's still one button, but there are sensors similar to the ones used in the iPod scroll wheel that sense which finger you're using.

    intuitive, no fucking way.

    Calm down, sport. It's just a mouse. It will be O.K. No one's going to take your Logitech away. But you might consider trading it in for some anger management classes.

    --
    -- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
  5. You don't get it do you? by interactive_civilian · · Score: 4, Insightful
    You don't understand why Apple advocates(d) the one-button mouse, do you?

    The reason is quite simple: it is for programmers to make their applications in such a way that you can access ANY features using a single mouse button. Nothing is to be hidden in only right-click-only accessable menus.

    THAT is a big part of the Apple UI philosphy. And, that is a good thing IMHO.

    /uses a 4 button mouse at home
    //can still get by 100% without it

    --
    "Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
  6. Re:Finally by Paradox · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Because the Apple fan-boys have been arguing that one button is best for many years, so they have to continue to pretend that one button is somehow better. Even though they have basically caved in on this issue and realised that extra UI hardware might actually make the UI better to use.
    Dude. Very few people are saying, "One Button Is Better." The people who are saying the one button mouse has merits are considering grandma and grandpa, who had to practice to learn to double click. No really, they actually did. For them, a single mouse button makes far more sense.

    Apple users who care though, can now simply change their perspective, click a checkbox, and progressively disclose new features. Heck, they can do it on their user profile, so that grandma and grandpa can share the same computer with me and still be comfortable.

    I think it's a rather elegant migration strategy. I didn't think that a multi-button mouse could have also looked just like a single button mouse.

    --
    Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
  7. Re:Finally by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Insightful
    > Crumbs won't clog my scroll wheel!

    Hey, these aren't crumbs! Crumbs aren't curl-eeeeew!