Review of Apple's "Mighty Mouse"

hanser writes "Ars Technica is running an in-depth review of the new Apple "Mighty Mouse." From the review: "As it turns out, Apple blew the description of its "aural feedback" and "touch sensitivity" out of proportion and led most of us to believe that 1) there was some sort of speaker built into the mouse with synthetic mouse sounds coming out of it, and 2) the shell might be solid-state touch-sensitive like our beloved iPod wheels.""

Comments

Not as versatile as a normal multi-button mouse

[mrchaotica]

The "innovative" virtual button design is great for letting people use it as a single-button or multi-button mouse, but the consequence is that it doesn't do everything a normal multi-button mouse can do. Namely, it can't click both the left and right button at the same time, and register them as a (left+right) click. Instead, (according to the review) it just gets registered as a left click. Additionally, people who rest their fingers on the mouse buttons are going to be annoyed, because they have to lift their index finger in order to right-click.

Re:Well...

[bigman2003]

A couple of years ago, I bought my wife a wireless Microsoft Intellimouse for her Mac (OS 9, since upgraded to X).

Prior to her getting that on the computer, I (windows user) would go crazy with the lack of 'right-click' whenever I used her computer. She had no idea what I was talking about whenever I would start cursing and cussing, complaining, "god-damn stupid one-button mouse! I don't want to hold down the ctrl key!" (She was still using the hockey puck at the time)

Now it is great to hear her do the same thing whenever she gets on someone elses Mac. She starts complaining about how stupid it is, and where the heck is the right-button, who thought of this stupid system, and why don't they add another button...etc. etc..

And all the while, the other person (who owns the computer with a single button mouse) sits there wondering what the heck my wife is talking about.

Long story short...why the hell did it take them so long?

Re:Well...

[bigman2003]

Yes, absolutely. They are just working away happily, with no idea what they are missing.

Just like we all did before the Internet (what would we need that for?)

Or, just how we did before electric lights. (time to go to bed!)

Just like we did before automobiles (I've got a fast horse!)

Yes, you could easily argue that people can be just fine, dandy, and happy when don't even know what they are missing.

But once you have it, it is very hard to go back.

Re:Well...

[Rolo Tomasi]

The second mouse button wasn't "invented". The first mouse ever had three buttons. Only Apple thought they'd have to dumb it down to one because they thought their users couldn't count farther or whatever. It's not "different", it's just stupid. Everyone with half a brain can cope with at least two mouse buttons.

Logitech MX1000

[ThinkFr33ly]

For $41 I can get the Logitech MX1000 laser mouse.

It uses a real laser (as opposed to a red LED and a camera) for tracking, has an ergonomic design, is wireless, has a recharging stand, battery indicator, 8 buttons (left, right, forward, back, "tasks", scroll up, scroll down), and a up/down/left/right tilt wheel.

I use this thing for everything from Photoshop to Counter Strike, and it is BY FAR the best mouse I've ever used, corded or not. Never jumps around. Is incredibly accurate. Extremely comfortable. Battery lasts a very long time. It's just great.

Can somebody tell me why I would want the Apple mouse? Oh... ya... because Apple made it. My bad.

Re: planned?

[gidds]

Ah, but they do do something on the old mouse: they let you keep the main button pressed while lifting the mouse off the desk. Which is vital if you need to drag something across the screen and run out of desk space.

Goodness knows how you do that with the new mouse...

Re:Drivers licenses

[kiddailey]

In my personal experience, it appears that most non-geek people "turn off" their brains when computing and subconciously decide that they won't exert any (and I mean ANY) effort to figure out a problem.

There are fundamental differences between using a mouse and driving a car, and using a keyboard and putting on shoes that I think are also woth mentioning:

1. People are usually trained (at some basic level) to drive a car.
   
   
2. Turning off your brain and/or not exerting any effort while driving will probably result in an accident.
   
   
3. The keys on the keyboard are labeled with symbols that most of us have been exposed to since grade school.
   
   
4. Keyboard confusion does exist. Specifically with the modifier keys like "control", "alt", "command", "windows."
   
   Try to explain these to an inexperienced user and you'll get as much of a blank stare as when talking about the difference between left and right mouse buttons.
   
   
5. Putting shoes on the wrong feet gives tactile, intuititive feedback - they feel funny. The mouse has no way of communicating when you're doing something other than what you meant to do. Add to that the fact that mice are quite often perfectly symmetrical, unlike your shoes.

It amazes me (okay, not really) that there are so many holier-than-thou attitudes here disregarding the 'two mouse buttons are too confusing' argument. I guess they fail to realize that the world is full of people, and not everyone is as knowledgeable, skilled, smart, dexterous or experienced as themselves.

Many people here would do a lot for their awareness of this reality by reading The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman.