Magic Mouse software update released

[AppleInsider]

Today, Apple released updates for both Leopard and Snow Leopard enabling the OS to use the multi-touch capabilities of standalone versions of the Magic Mouse.

The updates, which weigh in at 64 and 36 megabytes respectively, require Mac OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard) or 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard) in order to install. Alternatively, yet to be released OS X version 10.6.2 is slated to have native Magic Mouse support and will not require this update for the multi-touch functions to work.

The Magic Mouse is included with the newly introduced iMac models. The standalone version of the mouse retails for $69.

The Magic Mouse is the world's first multi-touch enabled mouse and was introduced October 20th alongside updated iMac and MacBook models. It replaced the Mighty Mouse, which had to be renamed the Apple Mouse due to trademark issues.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[xwiredtva]

Huh. It's 10:27pm on 10/27/2009 (I know right)...

Software Update is down.

Mighty Mouse was a copyright issue? I didn't think the cartoon would care.

[AppleZilla]

Can you do the, almost universally amongst most mice, easy task of click-locking now? No? Why not. It would be So easy to add it to the control panel. sigh...

[teckstud]

Madge likes to be stroked with both 1 and 2 fingers. Just be careful when dragging her as she 's very skinny and can mess up your thumbs. I wanna hear some in depth user reviews on using Madge.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by xwiredtva

Huh. It's 10:27pm on 10/27/2009 (I know right)...

Software Update is down.

Mighty Mouse was a copyright issue? I didn't think the cartoon would care.

The story is not quite accurate. A licensing fee would have to be paid to continue using the copyrighted name "Mighty Mouse". So, while it's true that copyright comes into play it's really a licensing issue. However, there is really no proof that the name "Mighty Mouse" was dropped due to copyright or licensing considerations.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Just be careful when dragging her as she 's very skinny and can mess up your thumbs.

Plastic surgery is always an option.

[NasserAE]

Do they have the Magic Mouse available in Apple stores?

[Crimguy]

Don't know if it's in stores yet but my suite-mate just got a new iMac on my advice (my office now has 3 attorneys and one secretary with macs - not bad for the legal profession!).

The new mouse is giving me a multiple-personality disorder. Sometimes when I use it it's great. BUT . . . if my fingers are even slightly sweaty, or I just put down a drink with condensation (coca-cola etc) I can't execute any of the gestures on it. My fingers stick to the plastic. It's almost as if they need a Teflon coating instead of plastic.

I really want to like the mouse, but am having issues with it, in short.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by Crimguy

Don't know if it's in stores yet but my suite-mate just got a new iMac on my advice (my office now has 3 attorneys and one secretary with macs - not bad for the legal profession!).

The new mouse is giving me a multiple-personality disorder. Sometimes when I use it it's great. BUT . . . if my fingers are even slightly sweaty, or I just put down a drink with condensation (coca-cola etc) I can't execute any of the gestures on it. My fingers stick to the plastic. It's almost as if they need a Teflon coating instead of plastic.

I really want to like the mouse, but am having issues with it, in short.

Interesting problem... just like what happens with the iPod touch with sweat or slight amounts of oil on the fingertips.

Let's face it, touch is a bit of a fad and Apple's the best purveyor of the fad so far. Touch is not the answer to everything, and this too, shall pass.

[MacTripper]

A little magic mushroom for the Magic Mouse?

[Dlux]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

Let's face it, touch is a bit of a fad and Apple's the best purveyor of the fad so far. Touch is not the answer to everything, and this too, shall pass.

I don't think it's a fad, just early in the development curve. (You're not suggesting going back to a mechanical ball, are you?)

I'm actually surprised how long the bloody Qwerty keyboard has persisted. Future generations will look back on us and think we had no imagination for the past hundred years.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Dlux

I don't think it's a fad, just early in the development curve. (You're not suggesting going back to a mechanical ball, are you?)

I recall there were a couple different revisions between ball mouse and touch, so why skip all the way back to the original design?

I'm actually surprised how long the bloody Qwerty keyboard has persisted. Future generations will look back on us and think we had no imagination for the past hundred years.

That may become true, but so far, on the desktop/notebook, it's the best we have for high speed human character entry, and it's not for the lack of trying. There are people working on voice control, but they still really haven't made it work well for mainstream use, it's not an easy problem. A touch controlled keyboard works well on a handheld because of size constraints, the same constraint on a desktop/notebook would revert everyone to little better than hunt and peck for text or number entry. There are people working on using brain waves, but that's no picnic either.

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

The story is not quite accurate. A licensing fee would have to be paid to continue using the copyrighted name "Mighty Mouse". So, while it's true that copyright comes into play it's really a licensing issue. However, there is really no proof that the name "Mighty Mouse" was dropped due to copyright or licensing considerations.

Are you talking about using the mouse name as it relates to the cartoon (which I recall was licensed), or as it relates to the fact there was an obscure specialized mouse already on the market with the same name?

[Dlux]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

That may become true, but so far, on the desktop/notebook, it's the best we have for high speed human character entry, and it's not for the lack of trying. There are people working on voice control, but they still really haven't made it work well for mainstream use, it's not an easy problem. A touch controlled keyboard works well on a handheld because of size constraints, the same constraint on a desktop/notebook would revert everyone to little better than hunt and peck for text or number entry. There are people working on using brain waves, but that's no picnic either.

I was hoping that chording keyboards or something else that fit the relaxed human hand would receive more mainstream attention by now. The old argument is that the Qwerty keyboard dominates because it's what everyone already uses and has been trained on, but these days with sophisticated small electronics I'd like to see personalized input devices that you own (kind of like a person's own set of eye glasses) that can be used to interface with any system you walk up to.

Imagine that you grab a clump of soft clay and form a blob that fits your hand. Now imbue that blob with input sensors, combinations of which can be triggered to enter Unicode into your computer. It would take some up-front training, but once you know how to 'play' the blob you should be able to enter text fairly fast, and not stress all your ligaments in the process.

[muser]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

That may become true, but so far, on the desktop/notebook, it's the best we have for high speed human character entry, and it's not for the lack of trying.

Actually, that's not necessarily the case. The poster seems to be referring to the "Qwerty" keyboard. There are other options, for example the Dvorak keyboard and various chord keyboards, which are better for high speed character entry. The problem is that we are stuck with Qwerty because it became a standard on the old mechanical typewriters, and it is extremely difficult to get a culture to change once a standard like this is ingrained.

[ryanbridgwood]

It's not in my software update?

[Felix01]

Originally Posted by ryanbridgwood

It's not in my software update?

Mine neither. Maybe it won't load unless a Magic Mouse is detected via Bluetooth?

[hdasmith]

I need buttons to initiate expose and pinch zoom for iPhoto before it becomes useful. I can't believe these were missed by Apple.

N.B. I don't want full screen zoom, which the mouse already does (as does every other mouse with scroll function), I want to be able to zoom into a photo or PDF without zooming into the rest of the screen.

[ryanbridgwood]

Originally Posted by Felix01

Mine neither. Maybe it won't load unless a Magic Mouse is detected via Bluetooth?

Found it - http://support.apple.com/kb/DL950

[brucep]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Madge likes to be stroked with both 1 and 2 fingers. Just be careful when dragging her as she 's very skinny and can mess up your thumbs. I wanna hear some in depth user reviews on using Madge.

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Plastic surgery is always an option.

does the magic mice work on all macs ???

if yes then the touch revolution just went mainstreet or mainstream

its nice to see you guys are buddies

peace

9

[numac42]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Today, Apple released updates for both Leopard and Snow Leopard enabling the OS to use the multi-touch capabilities of standalone versions of the Magic Mouse.

The updates, which weigh in at 64 and 36 megabytes respectively, require Mac OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard) or 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard) in order to install. Alternatively, yet to be released OS X version 10.6.2 is slated to have native Magic Mouse support and will not require this update for the multi-touch functions to work.

The Magic Mouse is included with the newly introduced iMac models. The standalone version of the mouse retails for $69.

The Magic Mouse is the world's first multi-touch enabled mouse and was introduced October 20th alongside updated iMac and MacBook models. It replaced the Mighty Mouse, which had to be renamed the Apple Mouse due to trademark issues.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

Weird things happening. The original article refers to "trademark issues" as does this reply form noted above. However, the forum version (#1) refers it as a "copyright issue."

As the original version states and the link confirms, it is a "trademark" issue as warranted by the patent approval.

[Quadra 610]

Originally Posted by Crimguy

Don't know if it's in stores yet but my suite-mate just got a new iMac on my advice (my office now has 3 attorneys and one secretary with macs - not bad for the legal profession!).

The new mouse is giving me a multiple-personality disorder. Sometimes when I use it it's great. BUT . . . if my fingers are even slightly sweaty, or I just put down a drink with condensation (coca-cola etc) I can't execute any of the gestures on it. My fingers stick to the plastic. It's almost as if they need a Teflon coating instead of plastic.

I really want to like the mouse, but am having issues with it, in short.

You'd think the logical thing to do wold be to make it a matte surface. I plan on gettng a Magic Mouse, but if the surface is the same kind of plastic as the Might Mouse, then I have serious reservations about this product.

[Dlux]

Originally Posted by muser

Actually, that's not necessarily the case. The poster seems to be referring to the "Qwerty" keyboard.

Actually, I was referring to all keyboards, and called it 'Qwerty' as a shortcut. I know someone with a Dvorak keyboard (thankfully not named after the columnist) who can type pretty fast, but also know some people who can out-type him on a standard Qwerty. But in all cases the standard configuration of mechanical keys on a rectilinear platform (even if it's folded or bent in the middle) seems like an archaic system of interacting with a computer, and fraught with RSS issues. I'd love to see advancements to get us beyond this.

[Quadra 610]

Originally Posted by Dlux

Actually, I was referring to all keyboards, and called it 'Qwerty' as a shortcut. I know someone with a Dvorak keyboard (thankfully not named after the columnist) who can type pretty fast, but also know some people who can out-type him on a standard Qwerty. But in all cases the standard configuration of mechanical keys on a rectilinear platform (even if it's folded or bent in the middle) seems like an archaic system of interacting with a computer, and fraught with RSS issues. I'd love to see advancements to get us beyond this.

[Galley]

Originally Posted by NasserAE

Do they have the Magic Mouse available in Apple stores?

They had them in the Charlotte store this past Friday.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by brucep

its nice to see you guys are buddies

peace

9

I have no issues with him at all, except when he starts to derail threads -- otherwise, I find him to be quite fine! (Unfortunately, the former happens, in my estimation, about 80% of the time ).

[buceta]

Are they shipping yet?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

I have no issues with him at all, except when he starts to derail threads -- otherwise, I find him to be quite fine! (Unfortunately, the former happens, in my estimation, about 80% of the time ).

Hey- I usually am responding to someone when I derail a thread. Not fare. Peace.

[orangetbear]

Just had shipping confirmation on my mouse, so I guess they're on the way...

Yay!

[buceta]

Originally Posted by orangetbear

Just had shipping confirmation on my mouse, so I guess they're on the way...

Yay!

Cool beans!

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Dlux

I was hoping that chording keyboards or something else that fit the relaxed human hand would receive more mainstream attention by now. The old argument is that the Qwerty keyboard dominates because it's what everyone already uses and has been trained on, but these days with sophisticated small electronics I'd like to see personalized input devices that you own (kind of like a person's own set of eye glasses) that can be used to interface with any system you walk up to.

Imagine that you grab a clump of soft clay and form a blob that fits your hand. Now imbue that blob with input sensors, combinations of which can be triggered to enter Unicode into your computer. It would take some up-front training, but once you know how to 'play' the blob you should be able to enter text fairly fast, and not stress all your ligaments in the process.

Chording keyboards have been around for some time, if you want one, it's not a problem to get one. Complaining that it hasn't been widely accepted doesn't do much good. I'm not convinced that chording is time efficient or worthwhile except in edge cases. Other specialized input devices are available, mostly for disability reasons. The device just needs to conform to USB HID or Bluetooth HID standards, and any computer you walk up to should accept it when plugged in or paired.

[Crimguy]

As a follow-up, I borrowed my office mates magic mouse and downloaded the driver image. When I tried to run the installer it stated I needed SL version 10.6.2 to install. That'll be tough considering 10.6.2 isn't released yet.

Hmmmmmm.

I need the Apple version of apt-get install --force-install . . .

[Kung Fu Guy]

The magic mouse is a piece of crap! I've tested it out. This is the case where apple has engineered a solution looking for a problem. It's over-engineered for a relatively simple pointing device. It's form over function.

Multi-touch is a gimmick. Finger swiping gives you less control than a wheel. The two finger swipe controls forward/backward in Safari doesn't work well. It"s aggravating. Requires too much effort and is not sensitive. Two finger touch requires you to curl you fingers to the middle of the mouse. It's awkward, since you fingers naturally rest at the top of the mouse. The mouse is too light. It would not stay put when swiping. It needs more grip on the bottom.

Most OEMs give you a cheap mouse and keyboard with you pc. Mice and keyboards are very personal tools. Everyone's comfort levels are different. Apple has given us two very expensive disfunctional periferals. Apple has taken away functionality in the wireless keyboard (numeric pad). The mouse is troublesome at best. It won't work with windows. How do you scroll on a pc?

This is as bad as apple's puck mouse and original imac keyboard. This is beyond a joke. Why does apple continue to offer poor mice.

[VeloRandy]

Originally Posted by orangetbear

Just had shipping confirmation on my mouse, so I guess they're on the way...

Yay!

Me too

[dougit]

this update might fix certain Bluetooth glitches for older BT devices besides the Magic Mouse...

here is what I am thinking... It almost seems like Apple is sneaking a cryptic OS update addressing a wide range of Bluetooth issues to us in the form of a software package for a new Apple-branded mouse!...

read the rest:

http://dougitdesign.com/blog/2009/10...tooth-devices/

[mclarenf1]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu Guy

The magic mouse is a piece of crap! I've tested it out. This is the case where apple has engineered a solution looking for a problem. It's over-engineered for a relatively simple pointing device. It's form over function.

Multi-touch is a gimmick. Finger swiping gives you less control than a wheel. The two finger swipe controls forward/backward in Safari doesn't work well. It"s aggravating. Requires too much effort and is not sensitive. Two finger touch requires you to curl you fingers to the middle of the mouse. It's awkward, since you fingers naturally rest at the top of the mouse. The mouse is too light. It would not stay put when swiping. It needs more grip on the bottom.

Most OEMs give you a cheap mouse and keyboard with you pc. Mice and keyboards are very personal tools. Everyone's comfort levels are different. Apple has given us two very expensive disfunctional periferals. Apple has taken away functionality in the wireless keyboard (numeric pad). The mouse is troublesome at best. It won't work with windows. How do you scroll on a pc?

This is as bad as apple's puck mouse and original imac keyboard. This is beyond a joke. Why does apple continue to offer poor mice.

Um, this mouse is excellent actually. The way it scrolls with speed sensitivity, it acts more like a track ball, being able to flick once to the bottom of a very long web page or move lightly to travel a small distance. The swipe is easy, not sure where you are having a problem. It is very elegant and tracks nicely. It is not a "power mouse" with six thousand buttons ( I have never seen the need for that in my day to day FCP work) but for a standard shipped mouse with every desktop Mac, it is unbelievably good. It's great on a Final Cut Timeline where you can wing that thing right to the end in one fast swipe instead of burning rubber with your scroll ball. Nothing to clean either. No parts. I love it.

The Mighty Mouse was a little crap in that you had to know some kind of voodoo to get the right click to work and the scroll wheel kept gumming up, but it was a very nice concept that led us to the Magic Mouse. For a "comes with every Mac" mouse, I give it 5 stars. For a power mouse, you should just buy a power mouse if that's your thing. I hope this helps those who are deciding.

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu Guy

The magic mouse is a piece of crap! I've tested it out. This is the case where apple has engineered a solution looking for a problem. It's over-engineered for a relatively simple pointing device. It's form over function.

Multi-touch is a gimmick. Finger swiping gives you less control than a wheel. The two finger swipe controls forward/backward in Safari doesn't work well. It"s aggravating. Requires too much effort and is not sensitive. Two finger touch requires you to curl you fingers to the middle of the mouse. It's awkward, since you fingers naturally rest at the top of the mouse. The mouse is too light. It would not stay put when swiping. It needs more grip on the bottom.

Most OEMs give you a cheap mouse and keyboard with you pc. Mice and keyboards are very personal tools. Everyone's comfort levels are different. Apple has given us two very expensive disfunctional periferals. Apple has taken away functionality in the wireless keyboard (numeric pad). The mouse is troublesome at best. It won't work with windows. How do you scroll on a pc?

This is as bad as apple's puck mouse and original imac keyboard. This is beyond a joke. Why does apple continue to offer poor mice.

I see it more like the mighty mouse, great potential, but the execution isn't quite there. With the exception of the weight, it has at least the potential of having its faults corrected through software. Hopefully Apple will be willing to listen this time.

[buceta]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu Guy

The magic mouse is a piece of crap! I've tested it out. This is the case where apple has engineered a solution looking for a problem. It's over-engineered for a relatively simple pointing device. It's form over function.

Multi-touch is a gimmick. Finger swiping gives you less control than a wheel. The two finger swipe controls forward/backward in Safari doesn't work well. It"s aggravating. Requires too much effort and is not sensitive. Two finger touch requires you to curl you fingers to the middle of the mouse. It's awkward, since you fingers naturally rest at the top of the mouse. The mouse is too light. It would not stay put when swiping. It needs more grip on the bottom.

Most OEMs give you a cheap mouse and keyboard with you pc. Mice and keyboards are very personal tools. Everyone's comfort levels are different. Apple has given us two very expensive disfunctional periferals. Apple has taken away functionality in the wireless keyboard (numeric pad). The mouse is troublesome at best. It won't work with windows. How do you scroll on a pc?

This is as bad as apple's puck mouse and original imac keyboard. This is beyond a joke. Why does apple continue to offer poor mice.

Just because you are Andre The Giant and you need a bucket-sized mouse doesn't mean the rest of us do too.

[buceta]

Originally Posted by mclarenf1

Um, this mouse is excellent actually. The way it scrolls with speed sensitivity, it acts more like a track ball, being able to flick once to the bottom of a very long web page or move lightly to travel a small distance. The swipe is easy, not sure where you are having a problem. It is very elegant and tracks nicely. It is not a "power mouse" with six thousand buttons ( I have never seen the need for that in my day to day FCP work) but for a standard shipped mouse with every desktop Mac, it is unbelievably good. It's great on a Final Cut Timeline where you can wing that thing right to the end in one fast swipe instead of burning rubber with your scroll ball. Nothing to clean either. No parts. I love it.

The Mighty Mouse was a little crap in that you had to know some kind of voodoo to get the right click to work and the scroll wheel kept gumming up, but it was a very nice concept that led us to the Magic Mouse. For a "comes with every Mac" mouse, I give it 5 stars. For a power mouse, you should just buy a power mouse if that's your thing. I hope this helps those who are deciding.

Look I went to my local apple store to test the new magic mouse. After 3 minutes of using the little beauty I was having multiple orgasms. I must have ejaculated all over the monitor from the cheer tactile pleasure that is was using this instrument of perfection. I went back to my home and ordered it online. I am counting the days until my magic little mouse arrives so we can be happy together.

[pmz]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu Guy

The magic mouse is a piece of crap! I've tested it out. This is the case where apple has engineered a solution looking for a problem. It's over-engineered for a relatively simple pointing device. It's form over function.

Multi-touch is a gimmick. Finger swiping gives you less control than a wheel. The two finger swipe controls forward/backward in Safari doesn't work well. It"s aggravating. Requires too much effort and is not sensitive. Two finger touch requires you to curl you fingers to the middle of the mouse. It's awkward, since you fingers naturally rest at the top of the mouse. The mouse is too light. It would not stay put when swiping. It needs more grip on the bottom.

Most OEMs give you a cheap mouse and keyboard with you pc. Mice and keyboards are very personal tools. Everyone's comfort levels are different. Apple has given us two very expensive disfunctional periferals. Apple has taken away functionality in the wireless keyboard (numeric pad). The mouse is troublesome at best. It won't work with windows. How do you scroll on a pc?

This is as bad as apple's puck mouse and original imac keyboard. This is beyond a joke. Why does apple continue to offer poor mice.

Better question: Why do Neanderthals continue to try to advance to the next stage of civilization? The result is always the same. Just re-read your post

Its not the mouse. Its you.

[tonton]

One of the reviewers on the Apple website gave it a negative review and said "try holding your iPhone like a mouse with your fingertips on the sides and pretend you're using it as a mouse... that's how this feels".

Yes. That's how it feels. But that's how I hold every mouse I've ever used.

Contrary to the belief of many, mice aren't supposed to touch the palm of your hand. That's why so many people are getting carpal tunnel!

The people who say this mouse is ergonomically incorrect are still holding a mouse like they are children with tiny hands. If you learn to hold a mouse properly, with the fingertips, i'm sure you'll never go back to the "kindergarten" way again.

I used the Magic Mouse at an Apple Reseller and it feels perfect.

The only real criticism is the lack of the exposé button and dashboard button. Which will be addressed in a software update.