Apple's designs based on looks for the mouse have always failed. Both the mighty mouse and the hockey puck look great next to the mac desktop but fail in real world use. Even Microsoft which has ugly mice work better in the hand.
Exactly. When mine broke I didn't say "I will figure out how to fix this wonderful mouse". I said, "Great, now I can go out and buy a mouse that I'll actually enjoy using."
Chalk me up as one more person who liked the puck. What the reaction to the puck revealed, mostly, is that the vast majority of people hold their mice in a way that is more or less guaranteed to destroy their wrists. That's why they need those bulky humpback mice: they don't bother to keep their wrists up otherwise, either when mousing or when typing. And then they wonder why they get carpal tunnel.
Anyway.
The Mighty Mouse is... OK. It could very easily be better. I've run into the dead scroll wheel problem and the context-click processed as a select-click. The ergonomics are adequate.
I'll be interested to see how they improve the design, but with my current computer setup I'm looking at tablets.
Apple seems determined to move away from physical buttons with tactile feedback to touch interfaces. In response I will continue to purchase 3rd party mouses with real buttons.
The person who commented on the positive ergonomics of the hockey puck mouse when used as originally intended missed the fundamental problem with the thing: it was round and the cord caused it to rotate to some completely bizarre position if you ever took your fingers off the thing to type.
I hate the mighty mouse because there's nowhere to rest your fingers that isn't recognized as a touch or click. In order to perform a right click you must lift your index finger off the thing and hold it in mid air. It's far worse for left handers who have to lift their entire hand off the thing to perform a right side click. The fact that the tiny scroll wheel is also a very easily pressed button is also very annoying. Those who actually use the darn things also complain about the scroll ball clogging and the side buttons being both difficult to press and being in exactly the place where you'd put pressure while picking it up to re-position it.
I honestly can't see a single thing about the Mighty Mouse that isn't a serious design flaw.
Having had Macs for decades, I've been through a lot of Mac mice designs.
I had high expectations for the Mighty Mouse, even going so far as to almost order one sight-unseen. Thank god I did not.
In my use of many of the Mighty Mouse(s), my own and clients, I just have never found one that properly right-clicks. Always I (and the user) find we have to intentionally aim for the front right edge, practically falling off the front of the mouse (causing it to shift back and down - losing the cursor click spot intended).
I mean, it is so ludicrously poorly designed that I wonder what they are thinking/smoking/drinking in the mouse design department. Probably another case of art-museum design takes priority over actual human being usage.
I have filed official complaints with Apple support, have sent one back for replacement (new was no better) and just end up buying and using third party mice, as do most of the folks that I work with.
So sad that we spend our money on a mostly user-friendly Mac computer, and then have to put the Apple OEM mouse on a shelf and buy a third-party mouse to get actual usability.
(Specific issues are: (1) right-click very difficult to make work reliably, (2) the MM side buttons are a disaster for me, because they are right where I want to hold and pick up the mouse to move it when it gets to edge of table/pad space, thus inadvertently activating the various expose etc. -- so I disable the side buttons.)
I hope they have tested with real humans who have had experience with a wide range of computers and mice...
IMO the very best mouse alternative for a laptop is the Trackpoint, executed perfectly (well, almost perfectly) on ThinkPads and the number one reason I prefer - way prefer - my ThinkPad to my MacBook.
They take a while to get used to but once you do - well, I prefer the trackpoint even to a physical mouse.
I had a ThinkPad for 3 years. Hated the trackpoint with a passion. I like mighty mouse much better than the trackpad.
Apple seems determined to move away from physical buttons with tactile feedback to touch interfaces. In response I will continue to purchase 3rd party mouses with real buttons.
The person who commented on the positive ergonomics of the hockey puck mouse when used as originally intended missed the fundamental problem with the thing: it was round and the cord caused it to rotate to some completely bizarre position if you ever took your fingers off the thing to type.
I hate the mighty mouse because there's nowhere to rest your fingers that isn't recognized as a touch or click. In order to perform a right click you must lift your index finger off the thing and hold it in mid air. It's far worse for left handers who have to lift their entire hand off the thing to perform a right side click. The fact that the tiny scroll wheel is also a very easily pressed button is also very annoying. Those who actually use the darn things also complain about the scroll ball clogging and the side buttons being both difficult to press and being in exactly the place where you'd put pressure while picking it up to re-position it.
I honestly can't see a single thing about the Mighty Mouse that isn't a serious design flaw.
This is the best post I've seen in a while. Sorry Spam, I may have a new favorite.
I have come to the conclusion that if Apple designed a car which was essentially the same as every other car, but had the steering wheel above the drivers head on the ceiling there would be people out there that would argue: "it's a good design choice, you're just using it wrong".
Considering their amazing array of innovative products and the fact that Apple was the first tech company to take the computer mouse mainstream, it amazes me that the company has never made a good mouse. I remember in the 90s scratching my head wondering when Apple would introduce a 2 button mouse... the answer: 2005!?! JESUS!
I hope they bring back the hockey puck design... that thing was a winner.
I hope Apple doesn't waste too much resources over-innovating and obsessing over the mouse. Other things are more important, Logitech has proven the mouse has reached a certain apex of design and usability. With Apple's track record, I don't expect a "superior multi-touch experience" to blow me out of the water and run out and get the new Bluetooth Apple mouse.
Get to work on the tablet. By the way, last night I thought the tablet would be killer in all sorts of education environments, K-12 to college/university. The tablet would re-ignite Apple in education... Which isn't too bad so far, but globally an affordable tablet may extend far beyond US campuses.
How many here are disappointed with track pads on PC laptops? In my case it is the Dell supplied at work vs my MBP at home. If there is ever a sign of good engineering it is constantly trying to use a PC track pad like Apples. Apple has done incredibly well with this input method.
I bring this up because somebody suggested a track pad for the desktop. The concept is interesting and frankly makes me wonder why Apple keeps trying to innovate the mouse when they have this excellent solution that has been well recieved.
Dave
I think a trackpad is already a compromise for a real mouse. Laptops have trackpads because they need to have some sort of facility to move the cursor built into them. A proper mouse easily blows them away as far as usability is concerned. I really can't see Apple backtracking on usability for the iMac where there's no need for a trackpad.
Comments
You mean form over function?
Apple's designs based on looks for the mouse have always failed. Both the mighty mouse and the hockey puck look great next to the mac desktop but fail in real world use. Even Microsoft which has ugly mice work better in the hand.
Exactly. When mine broke I didn't say "I will figure out how to fix this wonderful mouse". I said, "Great, now I can go out and buy a mouse that I'll actually enjoy using."
Did it twice, in fact : )
Seriously, has Apple ever released a half decent mouse? They come up with a lot of good stuff, but somehow they can't get this right.
I could really go for a right mouse button.
You've been using the wrong mouse button this whole time?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Anyway.
The Mighty Mouse is... OK. It could very easily be better. I've run into the dead scroll wheel problem and the context-click processed as a select-click. The ergonomics are adequate.
I'll be interested to see how they improve the design, but with my current computer setup I'm looking at tablets.
You've been using the wrong mouse button this whole time?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Try harder next time, please!
The person who commented on the positive ergonomics of the hockey puck mouse when used as originally intended missed the fundamental problem with the thing: it was round and the cord caused it to rotate to some completely bizarre position if you ever took your fingers off the thing to type.
I hate the mighty mouse because there's nowhere to rest your fingers that isn't recognized as a touch or click. In order to perform a right click you must lift your index finger off the thing and hold it in mid air. It's far worse for left handers who have to lift their entire hand off the thing to perform a right side click. The fact that the tiny scroll wheel is also a very easily pressed button is also very annoying. Those who actually use the darn things also complain about the scroll ball clogging and the side buttons being both difficult to press and being in exactly the place where you'd put pressure while picking it up to re-position it.
I honestly can't see a single thing about the Mighty Mouse that isn't a serious design flaw.
I had high expectations for the Mighty Mouse, even going so far as to almost order one sight-unseen. Thank god I did not.
In my use of many of the Mighty Mouse(s), my own and clients, I just have never found one that properly right-clicks. Always I (and the user) find we have to intentionally aim for the front right edge, practically falling off the front of the mouse (causing it to shift back and down - losing the cursor click spot intended).
I mean, it is so ludicrously poorly designed that I wonder what they are thinking/smoking/drinking in the mouse design department. Probably another case of art-museum design takes priority over actual human being usage.
I have filed official complaints with Apple support, have sent one back for replacement (new was no better) and just end up buying and using third party mice, as do most of the folks that I work with.
So sad that we spend our money on a mostly user-friendly Mac computer, and then have to put the Apple OEM mouse on a shelf and buy a third-party mouse to get actual usability.
(Specific issues are: (1) right-click very difficult to make work reliably, (2) the MM side buttons are a disaster for me, because they are right where I want to hold and pick up the mouse to move it when it gets to edge of table/pad space, thus inadvertently activating the various expose etc. -- so I disable the side buttons.)
I hope they have tested with real humans who have had experience with a wide range of computers and mice...
Then this can only be the bottom of the device.
If that's true, then where is the IR sensor? Around the edge?
This makes no sense to me unless the "multi-touch mouse" is actually a "multi-touch trackball."
I just realised that if this drawing is accurate:
Then this can only be the bottom of the device.
Relax, it's only a drawing. The FCC isn't concerned about looks only radio waves and shit.
IMO the very best mouse alternative for a laptop is the Trackpoint, executed perfectly (well, almost perfectly) on ThinkPads and the number one reason I prefer - way prefer - my ThinkPad to my MacBook.
They take a while to get used to but once you do - well, I prefer the trackpoint even to a physical mouse.
I had a ThinkPad for 3 years. Hated the trackpoint with a passion. I like mighty mouse much better than the trackpad.
To each his own.
Apple seems determined to move away from physical buttons with tactile feedback to touch interfaces. In response I will continue to purchase 3rd party mouses with real buttons.
The person who commented on the positive ergonomics of the hockey puck mouse when used as originally intended missed the fundamental problem with the thing: it was round and the cord caused it to rotate to some completely bizarre position if you ever took your fingers off the thing to type.
I hate the mighty mouse because there's nowhere to rest your fingers that isn't recognized as a touch or click. In order to perform a right click you must lift your index finger off the thing and hold it in mid air. It's far worse for left handers who have to lift their entire hand off the thing to perform a right side click. The fact that the tiny scroll wheel is also a very easily pressed button is also very annoying. Those who actually use the darn things also complain about the scroll ball clogging and the side buttons being both difficult to press and being in exactly the place where you'd put pressure while picking it up to re-position it.
I honestly can't see a single thing about the Mighty Mouse that isn't a serious design flaw.
This is the best post I've seen in a while. Sorry Spam, I may have a new favorite.
I hope they bring back the hockey puck design... that thing was a winner.
Get to work on the tablet. By the way, last night I thought the tablet would be killer in all sorts of education environments, K-12 to college/university. The tablet would re-ignite Apple in education... Which isn't too bad so far, but globally an affordable tablet may extend far beyond US campuses.
Ah well, just rambling on here, just woke up.
Touch area for scrollwheel. Not that actually blows me away.
OMFG finally. The current apple mouse is inaccurate and shaky you look like you have parkinson's.
It doesn't have the best tracking on various surfaces, other mice do better sometimes.
Touch area for scrollwheel. Not that actually blows me away.
i've been suggesting that for months!
Relax, it's only a drawing. The FCC isn't concerned about looks only radio waves and shit.
Yeah. But the FCC won't let me be or let me be me, so let me see...They try to shut me down on MTV*...
*http://www.lyrics007.com/Eminem Lyrics/Without Me Lyrics.html
How many here are disappointed with track pads on PC laptops? In my case it is the Dell supplied at work vs my MBP at home. If there is ever a sign of good engineering it is constantly trying to use a PC track pad like Apples. Apple has done incredibly well with this input method.
I bring this up because somebody suggested a track pad for the desktop. The concept is interesting and frankly makes me wonder why Apple keeps trying to innovate the mouse when they have this excellent solution that has been well recieved.
Dave
I think a trackpad is already a compromise for a real mouse. Laptops have trackpads because they need to have some sort of facility to move the cursor built into them. A proper mouse easily blows them away as far as usability is concerned. I really can't see Apple backtracking on usability for the iMac where there's no need for a trackpad.