Apple Mighty Mouse

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http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/

I want one.

Do you?

giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)

yes

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:48 (twenty years ago)

can i say kinda

s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:48 (twenty years ago)

Yes, you can.

giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Bakshi's gotten calmer in his old age.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

$49 is kind of expensive for a mouse. Are they going to be shipping these as standard with new Macs?

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

$49 is pretty steep but £35 if fucking insane.

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

it is expensive but the standard mac mouse was already about that price.

jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

I really really want one

Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

admittedly £35 hasn't put me off buying one

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)

I would worry that the little touch pad bits where the clickers usually are would be too susceptible to malfunction. Those sorts of things never seem to last as long as I think they should.

Good idea about the scroll wheel, though.

pullapartgirl (pullapartgirl), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Hmm, perhaps I will test drive one first.

Truckdrivin' Buddha (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

The two-buttons-in-one looks heartily unfriendly. How is a new user supposed to explain why clicking (apparently) the same button does two different things? Hmph.

stet (stet), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

no line between the buttons, oh no! take a look at the 5 function click wheel on an iPod.

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

Is there a bluetooth version?

I'll try one out I guess....

How is a new user supposed to explain why clicking (apparently) the same button does two different things? Hmph.

USE DIFFERENT FINGERS.

It also has an audio "click" like the iPod click. Maybe it uses a different tone for the right click?

I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

glad I paid $50 for bluetooth (and the useless one-button mouse) so they could start shipping a real mouse three weeks later.

milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

the wee ball hole looks weird

RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

take a look at the 5 function click wheel on an iPod.
OK. At all four cardinal points there are markers. On this mouse, none.

USE DIFFERENT FINGERS.
I don't want to know how to work the mouse, I understand that. But for Apple people and new users who are expecting a one-button mouse (where different fingers do exactly the same thing) and *see* a one-button mouse, it's crap that there's no obvious way of telling this isn't a one-button mouse.


stet (stet), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

I reckon it would take most people about 30 seconds to work it out.

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

This mouse IS a one-button mouse out of the box. After, however, it can be configured to be a multi-button mouse. So. People that are dumb and don't configure their computers and only use one-button mice aren't confused by ANYTHING. The only thing they'll likely notice is the scroll ball. Which is intuitive to everyone except stupid babies.

giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:29 (twenty years ago)

or do apple need to recreate the clicking and dragging tutorial that came with my SE all those years ago.

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

this is a wonderful dream

jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

This mouse IS a one-button mouse out of the box
Oh, that's well smart then.

stet (stet), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:39 (twenty years ago)

Actually, at first glance it's a no-button mouse unless you see the side buttons. The two at the top are a lot like the older version of this mouse where the entire surface clicks downward. You're not pushing a button as much as you're pushing down on the whole thing.

mike h. (mike h.), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

so. am i the only one who really thinks a mouse should just be a one-button pointing device, and that all these scroll wheels and squashy sides and fangling throoples and so on are a complete and utter waste of time?

seriously: the more buttons and widgets a mouse has, the more fucking annoying it is.

grimly purist (grimlord), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

two buttons and a scroll wheel are ideal. A one-button mouse is a pain in the ass.

milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

I concur. I bought a Logitech one with two buttons and a scrollwheel to replace my knackered Apple one and it's much better. How can ctrl+click be better than a right click?

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:01 (twenty years ago)

it just is.

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:01 (twenty years ago)

the one button mouse represents, for me, everything wrong w/ macs

RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

also: i use keyboard shortcuts, like a real man. even for scrolling.

pah. i'm off to live in a cave in the woods, you traitors.

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

You pesky kids and your new fangled GUIs. [shakes first]

Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

http://www.granneman.com/images/original_mac_mouse.jpg

now that's a mighty mouse.

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

I really hate mice, generally, I have to say. I think they have totally had their day and hamper progress in human-computer interfaces. I'm hoping something like the wavy arms thing from Minority Report/those Curry's ads is just around the corner.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

I'd like a touch pad type device integrated in with the keyboard located directly below the space bar that I would use with my thumbs. This would prevent a lot of wrist, elbow, and shoulder pain.

pullapartgirl (pullapartgirl), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:16 (twenty years ago)

the wavy arms thing from Minority Report

HELLO RSI

I'd like a touch pad type device integrated in with the keyboard located directly below the space bar that I would use with my thumbs. This would prevent a lot of wrist, elbow, and shoulder pain.

HELLO POWERBOOK

I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

The Minority Report thing wouldn't be RSI-y. The movements are free, creative, unrepetitive. Anyway, I only mean something on those vague lines. Just not a point and click device.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:25 (twenty years ago)

try right-clicking on a touch-screen

Britain's Jauntiest Shepherd (Alan), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:26 (twenty years ago)

the future of computer input devices

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:28 (twenty years ago)

I have a power book... Why is this something I feel I lack?

pullapartgirl (pullapartgirl), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:29 (twenty years ago)

I've just realised that the pad on my Nokia phone is highly remniscent of a ZX81 keyboard.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:29 (twenty years ago)

NB. it's the worst thing about the phone, nostalgia geeks.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:31 (twenty years ago)

the future of computer input devices, part two

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:35 (twenty years ago)

I don't see why drivers can't be written to make this mouse into a chord keyboard. You've got five buttons, that's all it takes. And then my dream of international sign language based purely on subtle hand movements done whilst shaking hands will be a reality, and spy fiction will flourish, ushering in a renaissance of Len Deighton racetrack shenanigans.

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

The Minority Report thing wouldn't be RSI-y. The movements are free, creative, unrepetitive. Anyway, I only mean something on those vague lines. Just not a point and click device.

I say this without a hint of joking -- you have no idea what the fuck you are talking about.

Also:
the future of computer input devices, part three

I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

I have every idea.

Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

...have you guys seen that crazy ass keyboard that can remap what appears on the keys themselves? You can change it as per the demands of the program (Final Cut, etc.).

!!!


At the other end of the spectrum: the super-sweet nerdboard with absolutely NOTHING printed on the keys.

giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

I'm with alba

RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

I don't see why drivers can't be written to make this mouse into a chord keyboard.

I don't know much that much about the technical stuff involved but I know some devices (computer keyboards for example) use chips that scan a matrix of keys and therefore can only have one output at a time. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case here.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

but only for fun because I think mouses are fine

RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:55 (twenty years ago)

Touchpad for life.

And jeah, use keyboard shortcuts! Seriously, once you learn a few good ones, you'll wonder why you ever bothered with a mouse to begin with. So much faster and easier.

Girolamo Savonarola, Tuesday, 2 August 2005 21:56 (twenty years ago)

total apple fanboi but might mouse blows. they need to suck it up and make a two button mouse.

bnw, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 22:58 (sixteen years ago)

God, what a pain. I'm not sure I'd want to do all that.

If you hold the mouse upside down and go over the little ball with cotton swab that has some isopropanol on it, pressing upward quite firmly so some of the isopropanol gets up into the socket (I don't know why holding it upside works better but it does) you will sometimes be able to use it for a month or two without needing to clean it again.

fields of salmon, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:00 (sixteen years ago)

Also I hate working on other people's mighty mouse equipped computers, people who haven't deactivated the side buttons (always in the way, always set to Exposé, always triggered accidentally).

fields of salmon, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:01 (sixteen years ago)

Yeh, these are not exactly impossible to clean. I've had mine a year or so and probably had to attack it with cotton buds three times at most. Not ideal, no, but hardly the end of the world.

grimly fiendish, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:02 (sixteen years ago)

these are not good mice, never mind good value for money

caek, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:10 (sixteen years ago)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/WilliamCrump63/WDYMHLL0709.jpg

The MM crossover move -- middle finger does the clicking, index finger diddles the little hard-rubber clitoris.

Beanbag the Gardener (WmC), Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:23 (sixteen years ago)

I have two of these and they live at the bottom of my junk drawer

Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:23 (sixteen years ago)

kinda wish in '84, they'd spent the extra $$ and went for light pen tablets instead of mice.

Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:26 (sixteen years ago)

Lady on a bike just got hit by a car turning into Jewel. And just like many of the other times this has happened, both the card and the pedestrian / biker are long gone when the cops show up. I suppose she's ok if she can get away that fast.

Jeff, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:37 (sixteen years ago)

Was she going to change her mouse or sumt?

Don't think gunk-tastic mice are because of dirt, but eating at the desk doesn't help.

stet, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:39 (sixteen years ago)

Wow, wrong thread. Let's just pretend the driver was cleaning his MM ball while driving. Soon to be illegal in Chicago.

Jeff, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:40 (sixteen years ago)

Don't think gunk-tastic mice are because of dirt, but eating at the desk doesn't help.

I'd say it's mainly skin oil + ambient dust, with the occasional larger piece of grit.

Beanbag the Gardener (WmC), Tuesday, 21 July 2009 23:44 (sixteen years ago)

Funny that using a Mighty Mouse has actually made me wash my hands more often. I have become paranoid about my oils, because when the track ball suddenly gets testy in the middle of something, it makes me want to pull my hair out.

If you hold the mouse upside down and go over the little ball with cotton swab that has some isopropanol on it, pressing upward quite firmly so some of the isopropanol gets up into the socket (I don't know why holding it upside works better but it does) you will sometimes be able to use it for a month or two without needing to clean it again.

I haven't heard that one. The quickie fix that I use is to put a drop of water on the trackball, turn it over, and roll it around medium-gently on a clean piece of white paper. You can often see it leaving gunk behind.

I don't want to use rubbing alcohol on it. Doesn't that melt plastic? Slightly, anyway?

(I'm white, btw.) (kenan), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 00:31 (sixteen years ago)

Anyway, I know it's a really bad idea to clean a plastic bong with alcohol.

(I'm white, btw.) (kenan), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 00:32 (sixteen years ago)

Alcohol cuts the mighty mouse grease so well though. I don't think it's getting melted.

fields of salmon, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 00:55 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

AppleInsider link so feel free to use as many grains of salt as necessary.

Apple plans Mightier Mouse

Apple's latest twist on the venerable mouse could arrive as early as this year, possibly in conjunction with the imminent release of new iMacs, the company's flagship desktop computer. Existing iMacs are reported to be in short supply in many locations, according to people familiar with Apple's retail channel inventory.

The company's existing standalone Mighty Mouse product, which ships in both wired and wireless models, is also currently on a two week backorder through at least one of the Mac maker's direct fulfillment channels. Mighty Mouse availability hasn't been an issue within the past two years, people who deal in those channels say. This could be seen as further evidence that a new mouse may be hiding around the corner.

Apple's next mouse is expected to do away with the Mighty Mouse's problematic mechanical roller ball, using expanded touch sensitive housing and "multipoint touch detection mechanism" technologies described in recent patent filings.

Given Apple's patented "inertia feedback" used on the iPod and iPhone, where item lists bounce when reaching the top or bottom and scrolling speeds accelerate in response to how the user touches the surface, the next Apple mouse is similarly expected to wed new hardware with sophisticated software to deliver an intuitive new feel in scroll navigation.

Should the new mouse arrive alongside revamped iMacs, it's also likely to drop the white plastic finish it formerly used to match previous Mac models. Informed speculation would suggest the new hardware could sport an aluminum appearance to fit in with Apple's current lineup of desktop computers and notebooks, though those familiar with the product have not commented either way. People familiar with the company's plans have indicated the new iMac will eventually receive a retooled IR remote that drops white plastic for an aluminum finish.

Elvis Telecom, Friday, 2 October 2009 21:09 (sixteen years ago)

lol i never got one of these

THE DUSKY VISITOR APPEALS TO CÆSAR (gbx), Friday, 2 October 2009 21:15 (sixteen years ago)

using expanded touch sensitive housing and "multipoint touch detection mechanism"

Ugh-- sounds like another "solution" to a problem like that stupid finger detection crap so that you couldn't have both fingers on the mouse while doing a right click, just so they wouldn't have to build a second descrete button on top.

Nhex, Friday, 2 October 2009 22:03 (sixteen years ago)

You won't fool me twice, Mighty Mouse.

Jeff, Saturday, 3 October 2009 00:17 (sixteen years ago)

ya - can no longer scroll down. mighty crappy.

The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall, Saturday, 3 October 2009 17:43 (sixteen years ago)

Mine's died, again. Am hoping this one has multitouch lunacy, but will basically settle for no scroll ball.

stet, Saturday, 3 October 2009 22:56 (sixteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

The Magic Mouse is a thing of beauty, as are the new iMacs.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=5072

tie me up, dress in drag, and read to me from the bible (kenan), Tuesday, 20 October 2009 20:24 (sixteen years ago)

Oh, and of course:
http://www.apple.com/imac/the-new-imac/

tie me up, dress in drag, and read to me from the bible (kenan), Tuesday, 20 October 2009 20:24 (sixteen years ago)

I'm skeptical. Apple's burned me before with mice.

Jeff, Tuesday, 20 October 2009 21:45 (sixteen years ago)

Have they ever actually made a really good mouse?

stet, Tuesday, 20 October 2009 22:03 (sixteen years ago)

Still no matte option for iMacs. F U Apple.

smashing aspirant (milo z), Tuesday, 20 October 2009 22:10 (sixteen years ago)

the video was tl;dw... what's good about it?

ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Tuesday, 20 October 2009 22:54 (sixteen years ago)

the mouse looks amazing though. you can spend extra cash so you can use your mouse as a touchpad? genius?

ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Tuesday, 20 October 2009 22:55 (sixteen years ago)

i don't trust it.
stet: no. not since the mid 80s.

The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall, Tuesday, 20 October 2009 23:10 (sixteen years ago)

I don't know which was worse, the mighty mouse, or the hockey puck:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Apple_iMac_USB_mouse.jpg

Jeff, Tuesday, 20 October 2009 23:29 (sixteen years ago)

the hockey puck was the least ergonomic mouse ever created

cutty, Tuesday, 20 October 2009 23:33 (sixteen years ago)

I actually quite liked the hockey puck, because it fit how I use a mouse perfectly (hand suspended and still, fingers touching outsides and driving it) but I know everybody else hated it.

stet, Tuesday, 20 October 2009 23:42 (sixteen years ago)

I just threw one away. If I'd known you liked them I would have sent it to you!

WmC, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 00:53 (sixteen years ago)

Thanks! Can't live without mouse scrolling now anyway, especially since IE5 died and took its quark-esque cmd-scroll grabber hand with it

stet, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 01:42 (sixteen years ago)

I think mighty mouse is fine, when I switch it to only one button and don't use the squeeze the sides thing. I like the little trackball. But I only use it at work anyway, I use a kensington trackball at home. Not enough desk space for a mouse.

dan selzer, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 07:41 (sixteen years ago)

Have they ever actually made a really good mouse? - their standard weighted, wireless version that has been around for a few years now is very nice imo.

you just freaked out more than our director of lols (Pillbox), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 07:47 (sixteen years ago)

As much as i hate the Mighty Mouse, it gets an edge over the hockey puck because when the scroll ball actually worked, it was great.

Nhex, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 07:49 (sixteen years ago)

yea when the ball works it's great

also, i love the side expose buttons, i use that all the time. hate it that windows doesn't have anything like that

mark cl, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 12:20 (sixteen years ago)

The ball on the mighty mouse iritatted my finger for some reason. I like having side buttons, but wow, my hand would get tired from using them.

Jeff, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 12:26 (sixteen years ago)

ugh - i was always squeezing those side thing by accident.

The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 16:32 (sixteen years ago)

Played with this today. It's not great at first blush: it's like a trackpad in that it gets confused if you have multiple fingers on it doing it different things, so to scroll or right-click you have to take all your other fingers off the mouse. It has a go at scrolling when your other finger is on the mouse, but it's juddery and weird.

stet, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:49 (sixteen years ago)

so to scroll or right-click you have to take all your other fingers off the mouse.

After looking at the video at Apple's site, that is what concerned me. Now I'm not sure I want one of these.

WmC, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:56 (sixteen years ago)

ugggh that was the annoying thing about the Mighty Mouse, having to lift my other finger into the air to right click, since it detects your non-clicking fingers being at rest...

Nhex, Thursday, 22 October 2009 00:29 (sixteen years ago)

hate the name! sideways scrolling is cool, but happy with the MBP pad for work purposes. have a mini microsoft bluetooth but only seem to use it for games in windows, which I never have time for now anyway, so ah, trackpad!

Dags in Space (S-), Thursday, 22 October 2009 01:56 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

I love the magic mouse gestures, although I wish there were exposé ones but it is ridiculously unergonomic.

American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 5 January 2010 14:47 (sixteen years ago)

I love this little critter. No ergonomic problems here. They go through batteries at a pretty good clip though.

America's Next Most Disabled Ballerina (WmC), Tuesday, 5 January 2010 15:06 (sixteen years ago)

I just changed mine for the first time; bought it the first day it was available.

exploding angel vagina (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 5 January 2010 15:16 (sixteen years ago)

I just changed mine for the first time; bought it the first day it was available.

Rechargeable batteries were the second thing I bought that day.

Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 5 January 2010 19:39 (sixteen years ago)

I've got a big box of Duracell AAs left over from something or other.

exploding angel vagina (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 5 January 2010 19:45 (sixteen years ago)


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