Apple's MightyMouse

[Monica]

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

Meet the mouse that reinvented the wheel. The scroll wheel, that is. At $49, Mighty Mouse features the revolutionary Scroll Ball that lets you move anywhere inside a document, without lifting a finger. And with touch-sensitive technology concealed under the seamless top shell, you get the programability of a four-button mouse in a single-button design. Click, roll, squeeze and scroll. This mouse just aced the maze.
Spry and Mighty

In the beginning, there was one button. Then there were two. Then there were clickable scroll wheels and programmable toggles and solid-state slides. But nobody made a mouse as easy to use as your Mac. Until now. Mighty Mouse combines the capability of a multibutton mouse with Apple’s signature top-shell design for the best of both form and function. Use it any way you work: Stick with single-button simplicity or click with multibutton efficiency.
Get Around

Time is round. Space is curved. Why should your mouse be linear? Plenty of applications require you to do more than scroll up and down. Mighty Mouse offers 360-degree scrolling capability, thanks to its Scroll Ball, perfectly positioned to roll smoothly under just one finger. Explore the farthest reaches of your files — pan images in iPhoto, view timelines in iMovie HD and Final Cut Pro, traverse bars in GarageBand and Logic Pro — with one hand tied behind your back (or holding a cup of coffee or typing). Mighty Mouse gives you room to roam.
You’ll Really Click

Touch-sensitive technology under Mighty Mouse’s seamless top shell detect where you’re clicking, transforming your sleek, one-button mouse into a two-button wonder. But the innovation doesn’t end there. Apple engineers added force-sensing buttons on either side of Mighty Mouse that let you squeeze the mouse between your thumb and finger, activating Mac OS X Tiger Dashboard, Exposé or a whole host of other, customizable features — instantly.
The Mouse That Roared

Unlike any other mouse on the market, Mighty Mouse was designed specifically to work with Mac OS X Tiger. Up-to-the minute information on Dashboard is only a click away. Viewing, hiding and selecting your windows via Exposé is just as simple. And because Mac OS X Tiger makes Mighty Mouse programmable, you choose where every click takes you.

Wow, that looks kinda cool, but I can do most of that on my PC mouse that came with my computer 4 years ago. Is Apple a tad behind?

[bigjoe]

Apple basically does everything a good bit later and (usually) just adds 'i' to the front of the name.

[Cloral]

Really the only new feature here is the scroll wheel is a ball and so you can go sideways with it. Though the truth of the matter is I don't know that would be very practical. Most things that scroll do so in one direction, and the wheel works better for that since it forces you along the correct axis. If you really want to move around in multi directions, just click the wheel and scroll with the whole mouse.

Also I can't say I like the idea of not having actual buttons at the top. Buttons give you a tactile response when you click that makes the mouse more user-friendly. And it really strikes me that Apple hasn't figured out yet that an asymmetrical design is more comfortable to hold.

[AlexMax]

A two button mouse?

Hear that? That's the sound of all Apple trolls that just exploded all in unison.

[ZomfgIts0rzlolo]

Uh 50 bucks for a mouse that does nothing more than my free with comp one? how about not.

[vegeta1215]

We got a one button mouse with our Power Mac. Although the one button mouse didn't bother me, my Dad and brother couldn't stand it. We replaced it with an MS optical mouse.

The Mighty Mouse looks cool, but not for $49.

[Starkist]

Apple: Bringing you pretty things for a bigger price. The pretention is free.

[Darth Marsden]

But... but I like my scroll wheel...

Anyway, I use a PC, so this really doesn't bother me. I will admit though, having tried out a friends Mac, I just could not cope with having one button and no wheel. It just felt wrong.

[Verman]

Um... Its not exactly the same as your microsoft scroll mouse if any of you guys bothered to read the article. It has more features then two buttons or scrolling... Granted its a tad stupid but you can always use your favorite microsoft or logitech mouse on a mac as well....This is just apples little specialty like they like to make...



Apple basically does everything a good bit later and (usually) just adds 'i' to the front of the name.

Wow...Thats a pretty asinine comment! I am disappointed in you BigJoe, usually you aren't such an idiot. What exactly does apple do a bit later then everyone else?

Apple is actully an innovative company and 'usually' comes out with very good technologies. Then people copy and make a cheaper, shittier version which consumers buy because cheaper is better to most.

I think it will get alot more interesting with Apple and Intel working together. Who knows? We will see!

[Daarkseid]

That sales pitch read much like a lot of those old home computer ads I'd see in issues of Popular Mechanics or something similar that my 6th grade science teacher had for us to read. The magazines were old even then, having been published between the years 1978 and 1989.

[vegeta1215]

Ars Technica got their hands on the Might Mouse already and has a review up for it: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/mightymouse.ars

In short, they liked the scroll ball, and it worked well for those used to one button or two button mice (you can configure it to work like either). They didn't like the side buttons, and thought the cord was too short.

[Axel]

New things are always expensive. You think it's cheap adding a touchpad to the top of a mouse? Give them a little time, the price will drop. And shortly before it does $omeone will steal the idea and make another one for half the price that lasts about one fourth as long, has more stuff glued on it, and is a much greater hassle.

[Darth Marsden]

New things are always expensive. You think it's cheap adding a touchpad to the top of a mouse? Give them a little time, the price will drop. And shortly before it does $omeone will steal the idea and make another one for half the price that lasts about one fourth as long, has more stuff glued on it, and is a much greater hassle. What, like M1cr0s0ft?

[Carcer]

...and thought the cord was too short.
How can the cord be too short? The keyboard has two USB ports...
Well, at last they caught on. I'm quite pleased about that now because I'm getting a mac in the next few months.
I expect that after a short time, Apple will package this mouse with all its computers. I mean, if they package their computers with Tiger now, it would make sense to update the hardware, too.

[bigjoe]

Wow...Thats a pretty asinine comment! I am disappointed in you BigJoe, usually you aren't such an idiot. What exactly does apple do a bit later then everyone else?
I was just providing a wisecrack that turned out not being very wise. I dont have enough knowledge about Apple systems to provide any constructive criticism. From what little I do know, though, I find using the operating system to be a bit difficult. I know that there are some excellent programs for the Mac that relate to music and graphics. (Thats just word of mouth though, I've never actually used one).

Ironically, the first computer I ever used was an Apple from the eighties. It had monopoly on it, and some form of BASIC which I enjoyed attempting to use. (There was a nearby instruction booklet.) All I wrote was very simple text based stuff, though.


BigJoe, usually you aren't such an idiot.
Actually, if you'd have paid more attention, since the beginning of time, you'd have known that I was an idiot all along. ;)

[Verman]

hahahah! I forgive you then bigjoe :P

Its funny that you find a Mac OS hard to use...Its quite simple and if you already know windows its usually easy to switch from one to the other.

Unless of course your someone like my dad, who's 46 and only used Macs all his life then goes crazy when you say click the start button!

"Where is it? What are you talking about? The computer is on already???"

hahah!


Edit: The best was him asking if he had to turn the computer on in a certian order, monitor then CPU etc etc. hahah! He was used to the press the button on the keyboard and everything turns on method...