AppleZulu said: They didn't put the charging port on the bottom because that was the only place left after they eliminated all the other places where they didn't want to put it. They put the charging port on the bottom because it would prevent people from leaving it plugged in while they use it.
Any evidence for that? Why haven't they done that with the rest of their products?
Well, it seems pretty self-evident, if you're not all tense and offended by the port being on the bottom. Then there's also the fact that the patent for the mouse includes drawing with a cord out the front "for the purposes of example," but notes that "the force sensing mouse may not include a cord in various implementations, and/or may communicate with an associated electronic device utilizing various wireless communication methods such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and so on." So they had a completely elegant-looking design with a cord coming out of the front, but yet when they made it wireless, by golly, the port's on the bottom. It's a wireless mouse. It's not meant to be plugged in while you're using it.
Ironically, there's a popular self-help book called Who Moved My Cheese that seems to address the sort of angst some people feel about the charging port being on the bottom of this wireless mouse.
Fixity tear down suggests they put in the bottom because all they did Engineeering wise was replace the battery carrier with a rechargeable pack.
I see see no evidence of design in that tear down certainly not the level of skill other Apple products have.
While he's often lauded, not everything Apple has cranked out under Jony Ive's design lead has been spectacular. We've been on the Apple beat nearly as long as Ive has, and we have some thoughts on the flops from Ive's design studio.
Malcolm Owen -- Magic Mouse 2
For the most part, the Magic Mouse 2 is a well-designed peripheral. Following on from the original, it retained the same physical appearance while also losing some weight and adding a rechargeable battery, changes that are on the face of it quite useful to end users.
A Magic Mouse 2 being recharged
My beef with the Magic Mouse 2 is the lapse of judgement in its design to place the charging point for it on the bottom edge. Rather than sully the outside of the mouse, Apple hid it at the very bottom of the device, where users won't see it unless they need to recharge the thing.
Granted, the idea of hiding it there isn't entirely that bad, but it does mean that the mouse isn't able to be used at times while it's being recharged, as there's a cable and connector in the way. It may only be for less than a minute to get a few hours worth of charge, but it still leaves the user sitting there, twiddling their thumbs waiting for the thing to get enough power to do the thing they actually want to do.
I'd also argue that there isn't anything wrong with placing the charging point at the front point of the Magic Mouse. Some other wireless mouse producers do so, effectively turning it into a "wired" mouse while charging, and it isn't unsightly.
Add in that the front of the mouse isn't usually on view to the person wielding it through normal use, and it makes the base-based port seem even more daft.
William Gallagher -- The original iMac
It's heresy to say it when the product is often beloved, and when it unquestionably saved Apple. Yet back in 1998 when it was new and on through today when it's an antique, I've really disliked the design. It looks bulbous and ugly to me, and I understand that this is because there's a whacking great CRT monitor in there -- but that doesn't change my mind.
The original 1998 Mac
And nor did any of the range of colors it came in.
I liked that the iMac came in many colors, and I have since become an absolute fan of the iMac range. Just not that original version.
Mike Wuerthele -- The "hockey puck" mouse
Apple has a long and storied history with pointing devices. The company may have ushered in the dawn of the mouse with the Lisa, and then for everybody else with the Mac, but there have been some missteps along the way.
The AppleDesign mouse that shipped after Apple's original ADB mouse wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. Its successor, the "hockey puck" mouse that shipped with the iMac, was fully terrible.
Original blue and white hockey puck mouse, without mouse button indent
With it being circular, there was no clear "up" without looking at the protruding cable. It was a wreck ergonomically, too, so it was a good thing that there were USB mice from third parties when it shipped.
A bit later, Apple put a divot on the mouse button for a better orientation, similarly to how it has put a raised circle around the Menu button on Apple TV remote. But that didn't help that much.
It was replaced by Apple's optical mouse, which was better, but again, still not great.
Andrew O'Hara -- Smart Keyboard Folio
I was a pretty big fan of the original iPad Pro Smart Keyboard. I liked typing on it, liked being able to easily remove it, and liked using it to prop up my iPad when watching TV or movies. There was a fraction of users though who had issues with the presumed complexity of folding the cover around.
Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard Folio
With the second-generation Smart Keyboard Folio, Apple seems to have tried to make up for this and overcorrected. The Smart Keyboard Folio forces back protection onto users instead of making it only an option, as with the first generation. It added cost and bulk to the otherwise extremely slim third-generation Pro. With the case attached, the 2018 Pro is actually thicker than its predecessor.
It also can't be used to prop up a Pro without the keyboard sticking out, taking up a huge footprint on your desk. When not using the keyboard and folding it around the back, there's an awkward experience when users are holding onto the keys -- it feels squishy and just odd.
Here's hoping that the Ive-less design team comes up with some improvements for the fourth generation of Apple's pro tablets.
Amber -- The third generation iPod shuffle
For the most part, the iPod shuffle wasn't really on my radar. In fact I didn't routinely own iPods or really any Apple products until the introduction of the sixth-generation iPod nano. I was aware of the Shuffle however. After all, nearly half of everyone I knew owned a second-gen model at some point.
Who wouldn't want a tiny, wearable MP3 player? It was certainly a lot more gym-friendly than most.
Third generation iPod Shuffle. It looks good from this side, but the other side is just blank metal.
As before, the third generation was a thumb drive-sized stick that you plugged headphones into. It had one control on the device itself that dictated whether you listened to your music in order or shuffled -- leaving additional control to the earbuds' in-line remote.
The product was a confusing choice for Apple to make. From a design standpoint, it was a big step backward. The second generation was a small, squat rectangle with a clickwheel that clipped onto your pocket, and allowed you to easily change songs and volume without much thought.
Functionally, the third-gen Shuffle was a total miss. If a user had a favorite pair of existing headphones that didn't feature that inline, three-button remote, they wouldn't be able to control their music. If they did, they'd still have to learn a series of non-intuitive clicking patterns just to navigate a series of invisible menus.
The third-gen was clearly not the hit that Apple had been expecting, because the fourth-gen Shuffle was released a little over a year later and was a slightly stumpier version of the second-gen. Not only was the clickwheel back, it also included an expanded color range, making it the most iconic in the product line.
I think apple knows what they are doing exactly here, they always find a way to reach people with their high tech. design is also good for me though.
AppleZulu said: That’s precisely the reason it’s evident that, after making a nice drawing of a lovely wired version with the wire coming out of the front, they made a conscious decision, apart from vain aesthetics, to put the charging port on the bottom. It’s a wireless mouse. It’s not meant to be plugged in while you’re using it.
What other Apple product can't you even properly set down while charging, because the cord is coming out in such an awkward way? I'm not even talking about having it plugged in while using it. It's a crazy design even when not using it!
AppleZulu said: P.P.S. The Apple Watch also can’t be used (apart from as an alarm clock) while its charging. Yet somehow people aren’t claiming that’s an oversight or bad design. That’s because people aren’t accustomed to wearing a watch with a cord coming out of the side. It’s a wireless watch. It’s not meant to be plugged in while you’re wearing it.
I'm not sure these two things have enough in common with one another for a point to be made.
Not sure what “properly set down” even means. The picture atop this thread shows the mouse set down with the charger cable plugged in. Perhaps it’d be more proper if it had some knickers to cover up such an immodest display.
Also, this seems like a fresh, newly conceived complaint. That’s what people do when they’re just mad about something and don’t really have a good reason why.
AppleZulu said: They didn't put the charging port on the bottom because that was the only place left after they eliminated all the other places where they didn't want to put it. They put the charging port on the bottom because it would prevent people from leaving it plugged in while they use it.
Any evidence for that? Why haven't they done that with the rest of their products?
Well, it seems pretty self-evident, if you're not all tense and offended by the port being on the bottom. Then there's also the fact that the patent for the mouse includes drawing with a cord out the front "for the purposes of example," but notes that "the force sensing mouse may not include a cord in various implementations, and/or may communicate with an associated electronic device utilizing various wireless communication methods such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and so on." So they had a completely elegant-looking design with a cord coming out of the front, but yet when they made it wireless, by golly, the port's on the bottom. It's a wireless mouse. It's not meant to be plugged in while you're using it.
Ironically, there's a popular self-help book called Who Moved My Cheese that seems to address the sort of angst some people feel about the charging port being on the bottom of this wireless mouse.
Fixity tear down suggests they put in the bottom because all they did Engineeering wise was replace the battery carrier with a rechargeable pack.
I see see no evidence of design in that tear down certainly not the level of skill other Apple products have.
Nobody complained that the prior version had the battery access cover on the bottom. You couldn’t use it whilst changing batteries, but not a peep.
No, this whole complaint is just about preconceived expectations of where a thing that looks like another thing should be.
AppleZulu said: Not sure what “properly set down” even means. The picture atop this thread shows the mouse set down with the charger cable plugged in. Perhaps it’d be more proper if it had some knickers to cover up such an immodest display.
So, you have to lay the mouse upside down on that nice shiny surface to charge it? Should we put a blanket down first in case our desk has a few grains of sand on it?
AppleZulu said: Nobody complained that the prior version had the battery access cover on the bottom. You couldn’t use it whilst changing batteries, but not a peep.
I didn't have to lay the mouse upside-down on my desk for hours. I just held it in my hand while switching in some new batteries. Done. I had no need to use it for the 30 seconds it took to do that.
AppleZulu said: Not sure what “properly set down” even means. The picture atop this thread shows the mouse set down with the charger cable plugged in. Perhaps it’d be more proper if it had some knickers to cover up such an immodest display.
So, you have to lay the mouse upside down on that nice shiny surface to charge it? Should we put a blanket down first in case our desk has a few grains of sand on it?
AppleZulu said: Nobody complained that the prior version had the battery access cover on the bottom. You couldn’t use it whilst changing batteries, but not a peep.
I didn't have to lay the mouse upside-down on my desk for hours. I just held it in my hand while switching in some new batteries. Done. I had no need to use it for the 30 seconds it took to do that.
I’ll refer you back to the original point that you can charge the mouse for a day’s work in two minutes. Then, see your point here about having no need to use it for very short periods of time. You should buy that cheese book. It could help you.
AppleZulu said: Not sure what “properly set down” even means. The picture atop this thread shows the mouse set down with the charger cable plugged in. Perhaps it’d be more proper if it had some knickers to cover up such an immodest display.
So, you have to lay the mouse upside down on that nice shiny surface to charge it? Should we put a blanket down first in case our desk has a few grains of sand on it?
AppleZulu said: Nobody complained that the prior version had the battery access cover on the bottom. You couldn’t use it whilst changing batteries, but not a peep.
I didn't have to lay the mouse upside-down on my desk for hours. I just held it in my hand while switching in some new batteries. Done. I had no need to use it for the 30 seconds it took to do that.
I’ll refer you back to the original point that you can charge the mouse for a day’s work in two minutes. Then, see your point here about having no need to use it for very short periods of time. You should buy that cheese book. It could help you.
Charged mine about 10 times this week alone. 2 minutes doesn’t get you a day of work unless your work is mostly texted based. Good design would also warn me at 20% not 2% which made sense for replaceable batteries not recharging ones. Good design should have also balanced the weight better. Oh good design would have had smarter charging circuits to not damage the battery without resorting to bricking the device while charging as a strategy.
Its lazy design regardless of where the cheese is. Hopefully it’s in the fridge or the toaster.
AppleZulu said: I’ll refer you back to the original point that you can charge the mouse for a day’s work in two minutes. Then, see your point here about having no need to use it for very short periods of time.
So, every morning, you plug in a lightning cable, then plug it into your mouse while holding it for a couple of minutes... then continue with your day? I guess each to their own, but that sounds rather inconvenient. What I was talking about was taking a minute or two to change batteries, like once every other month or more.
I suppose if a car maker put the fuel filler cap under the car so you had to jack it up on its side at the gas station to fill it, you'd say it's good because you can open the doors and the trash all dumps out? But, hey, it would mostly solve that problem where people sometimes drive off with the gas nozzle still in the filler spot.
AppleZulu said: I’ll refer you back to the original point that you can charge the mouse for a day’s work in two minutes. Then, see your point here about having no need to use it for very short periods of time.
So, every morning, you plug in a lightning cable, then plug it into your mouse while holding it for a couple of minutes... then continue with your day? I guess each to their own, but that sounds rather inconvenient. What I was talking about was taking a minute or two to change batteries, like once every other month or more.
I suppose if a car maker put the fuel filler cap under the car so you had to jack it up on its side at the gas station to fill it, you'd say it's good because you can open the doors and the trash all dumps out? But, hey, it would mostly solve that problem where people sometimes drive off with the gas nozzle still in the filler spot.
You can plug it in and leave it overnight, when you wouldn't be using it anyway, and have no problem for a few weeks or a month or whatever. If you've forgotten to do that, you can plug it in, go get a cup of coffee and you're good to go when you get back. You don't have to do it every day, though, unless you're not bright enough to remember to plug it in over night every once in a blue moon. But I'm repeating myself, mainly because you're pretending you haven't read that already.
Thanks for the car reference, however, because it kind of proves my point. Most cars have a fuel port on one side or the other, which is definitely not where you'd put it if you're expecting to plug in to a fuel truck while you're driving on the highway. You'd probably have to put it center front or center back if you were ever going to try to do that. Of course, most cars have gas tanks or batteries, and the fuel ports are very intentionally designed with the expectation that the car will be parked while taking on fuel, not driving down the road. Of course, Hammond and May hilariously tried to do that on The Grand Tour a couple of years ago. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be an asinine idea.
I'm not sure if it's Ives' design or not but that blasted square-ended strain-inducing 'strain-reliever' on all of Apple's iOS-device cables really gets my goat. I don't have cables that last more than 18 months before they crack at at least one end of the cable, with the cable's connectivity then failing not long after.
To call it a moronic piece of design is being highly charitable. As a textbook case of what not to do when designing something, it's almost without peer (there are others with far more fatal consequences of course, but this is a little 'gem' in its own right).
They might look 'cool', but it's the sort of 'cool' that I can do
without. It might also happen to be a nice little money-spinner for Apple, but
it's an enormous source of annoyance for me. I can't be the only one,
either.
On the other hand, maybe I use the iOS devices too much when
plugged in. Still highly annoying, however, as battery charge doesn't
last forever, and it doesn't alter the fact that the so-called design functions in completely
the opposite way that normal tapering strain-relievers do.
If it was Ives who 'designed' that - or let it through - I can only say "Good riddance!"
Comments
I see see no evidence of design in that tear down certainly not the level of skill other Apple products have.
Also, this seems like a fresh, newly conceived complaint. That’s what people do when they’re just mad about something and don’t really have a good reason why.
No, this whole complaint is just about preconceived expectations of where a thing that looks like another thing should be.
I didn't have to lay the mouse upside-down on my desk for hours. I just held it in my hand while switching in some new batteries. Done. I had no need to use it for the 30 seconds it took to do that.
Its lazy design regardless of where the cheese is. Hopefully it’s in the fridge or the toaster.
I suppose if a car maker put the fuel filler cap under the car so you had to jack it up on its side at the gas station to fill it, you'd say it's good because you can open the doors and the trash all dumps out? But, hey, it would mostly solve that problem where people sometimes drive off with the gas nozzle still in the filler spot.
Thanks for the car reference, however, because it kind of proves my point. Most cars have a fuel port on one side or the other, which is definitely not where you'd put it if you're expecting to plug in to a fuel truck while you're driving on the highway. You'd probably have to put it center front or center back if you were ever going to try to do that. Of course, most cars have gas tanks or batteries, and the fuel ports are very intentionally designed with the expectation that the car will be parked while taking on fuel, not driving down the road. Of course, Hammond and May hilariously tried to do that on The Grand Tour a couple of years ago. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be an asinine idea.