Comments on: Inside Apple’s new multitouch Magic Mouse

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:55:32 +0000

“The Magic Mouse does respond to two-fingered swipe gestures for navigating back and forth through webpages or photos or Cover Flow items, similar to the multitouch trackpads (which use three fingers for this).”

No matter what I try, I simply can’t make this feature work. Ideas, anyone?

By: cxc

cxc — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:03:22 +0000

Wireless trackpad seems simpler and better to me. Mice just give me tendonitis.

By: ChuckO

ChuckO — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:27:48 +0000

Dan, Good timing on the book! The new Mac Mini Servers should increase your audience.

By: ChuckO

ChuckO — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:44:19 +0000

gus2000 – That was very funny!

Is there any point (unintentional bad pun – sorry) to a mouse anymore? Do we just need a trackpad?

The lack of consistency between gestures is troubling. It seems oddly un-Apple.

By: JohnWatkins

JohnWatkins — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:15:26 +0000

Enzos,
Thanks for launching a series of images in my head. It makes sense these tail-less mice were bred on the Isle of Mann.
Perhaps the mice have been around a long time and then the cats lost their tails because of a dietary tail deficiency. LOL

By: enzos

enzos — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:45:32 +0000

Not a big fan of manx mouses. It’s unnatural(!) and, with the design of my computer desk, a cordless mouse is forever falling to the floor.

I’m guessing this is just the beginning for the touch mouse breed – new gestures and abilities are just a software update away, and premium models with accelerometers, etc. will no doubt follow.

By: adampeterfong

adampeterfong — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:14:51 +0000

Awful shame that Apple gives only the binary option of wired or wireless, when compared to the excellent system of controllers that has developed on the PS3, and to a lesser extent the Xbox 360 game systems. The Ps3 has a bluetooth-wireless control pad, with a sealed battery which charges by a regular mini-USB port. The extra beauty is that while USB is plugged in it functions as a wired controller, turning off the bluetooth to save power. If wireless isn’t a big sell for you and you have a long enough USB cord (the bundled one is about 1.5m I think) then you could have it plugged in all the time to save yourself the charging cycle hassle, and to reduce power consumption. Wireless on the PS3 is only really a big advantage for side-by-side multiplayer, at other times it’s a largely pointless luxury.

This seems an ideal principle to build a mouse on. Most people don’t really need a wireless mouse, those that do probably don’t need it to be wireless all the time, and absolutely no one enjoys the routine of changing batteries and either recharging or replacing them. I’m sure Apple could manage an unobtrusive mini/micro/dock-style USB connector on the front of the mouse without spoiling the aesthetic, and as mice become more power consumptive doesn’t it make sense to rethink the positive aspects of going wireless?

By: gus2000

gus2000 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:55:34 +0000

I don’t know which is more disturbing: the keyboard/mouse requiring batteries, or that the batteries are replaceable unlike those in my phone or laptop. For the sake of the environment, can Apple at least sell rechargeable batteries and a USB charger as a kit?? Slap on the Apple logo and sell it at 150% markup. :)

It’s still missing gestures. They should add an accelerometer so that tilt-up is Show Desktop, tilt-left is Dashboard, and tilt-right is Exposé. Plus, shake to undo!

Maybe I’ll so that myself with a Wii Remote and some duct tape. Call it the “TiltMouse”.

By: What Apple’s new multi-touch Magic Mouse means « Twek

What Apple’s new multi-touch Magic Mouse means « Twek — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:35:52 +0000

[...] two, of course. By replacing the top of the mouse and its buttons with an acrylic surface (thanks, Roughly Drafted), the user can do any gestures on the top of the mouse but still move it around and click it like a [...]

By: jkundert

jkundert — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:08:31 +0000

Hmmm, Daniel (or others), do you know if the mouse supports a “middle mouse click” feature? If not, sadly, I won’t be able to use it: Maya requires a middle mouse button, so if it doesn’t feature that, the mouse is pretty much useless to me. Sigh.