Since the first time I used one of the multi-touch trackpads on the current MacBooks I have wanted to have similar multi-touch abilities when using my iMac. I love using the trackpad on the MacBook. It works beautifully. The buttonless left and right click work great. And the multi-touch capabilities… well I didn’t really understand why I would want such a thing… until three minutes after I first tried it. Now I would never use a notebook without one. (Except the netbook I am using to write this, but that is another story.)
When Apple announced the new Magic Mouse, I was excited; finally Apple was bringing the amazing technology to their desktops. So when Larry IM’d me earlier today that the new Magic Mouse was finally in stock in Apple retails stores, I wanted one… fast.
I called my wife Elana and asked if she was near an Apple Store. “Nope but I can be if you like.” (Now THAT’S a good gadget-freak’s mate!) A short time later she IMed the following to me…
Mouse in hand. $69. Expensive, no?? Nice Style and packaging- shocking for Apple
So do I love the new Magic Mouse? Does Apple hit a home run with their new mouse? Yes… and NO!
I like the Magic Mouse, and I like its low profile; it feels much more comfortable to use than the Mighty Mouse ever did to me. As someone who deals with inflammatory arthritis, the old mouse was problematic at best.
I like the fact that it doesn’t have the ridiculous scroll ball that constantly stopped working. Having the entire surface work as the scroll-wheel is a much better option than that ball-thing ever was. While it is taking some getting used to, the new scroll-surface is a huge improvement.
I like the fact that it gets up to four months with one set of batteries rather than sucking a set dry every couple of weeks. And the way it glides on the desk- nice!
So why is it that I am so very disappointed in the new Magic Mouse?
It’s simple, really — I truly believe that Apple missed the boat with the new mouse. I can’t get past the thought that for once Apple was constrained by “old thinking”. It seems to me that they started from the position of “How can we make our Mighty Mouse all over again while using our new multi-touch technology?” when instead they should have scratched the entire concept of the Mighty Mouse and started over.
More precisely, Apple should have scrapped the whole mouse idea, and instead they should have used something they already had all but perfected- the multi-touch trackpad.
Seriously, the MacBook trackpad is a thing of beauty. It works beautifully and requires far less finger and wrist movement than any other mouse does – including the Mighty Mouse and the Magic Mouse. So why didn’t Apple just package a Bluetooth version of the trackpad and dump the entire mouse thing? Now THAT would have been an example of “Think Different”.
Well they didn’t, so I’ll just have to settle for the Magic Mouse. In comparison to its predecessor it is a huge improvement, so I can’t complain — too much. But I still can’t help but wonder… what if.
The Magic Mouse has an MSRP of $69, and it is available now.
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