Apple's Magic Mouse charging port design has never been a big deal

Posted:
in General Discussion

The newly updated Apple Magic Mouse now has a USB-C charging port, but it's still on the bottom -- and that still doesn't matter.

The underside of a silver computer mouse with a charging cable connected, black grip strips, and a partially visible notebook spiral.
Since 2015, you've charged the Magic Mouse through a port on its base



It's nine years since the Magic Mouse was first redesigned to be rechargeable instead of having removable batteries. And at the time, Apple's design and attention to detail were commended -- for the sound of the mouse.

From that day to this, though, the Magic Mouse design has been criticized and mocked for how apparently appalling it is that the charging port is on the bottom. It is seemingly an existential threat to mankind that you have to turn the mouse over for a minute.

Because that's the thing. It's a minute. If the mouse battery is so low that you cannot use it, just sticking that cable into the port for a minute or two will get it going again.

Go have a coffee and when you're back, the mouse will have been charged up enough to use for at least, at the very least, the rest of the day. Then leave it charging overnight and you can forget all of this for at least a month.

And that's the other thing. A month. The charge lasts for at least a month.

It does of course depend on how much you use the Magic Mouse. So maybe you are a very heavy user of it, maybe your work is genuinely so time-critical that you literally cannot spare two minutes to charge the mouse up.

If that's the case, the port on the bottom could be genuinely bad and inconvenient -- except for one thing.

The Magic Mouse battery does not die suddenly or quietly. If you are complaining that it's died just when you were on an absolutely crucial job, it's your fault for ignoring all the low battery warnings you have been getting for days and days.

Having that charging point on the bottom is not Apple's disastrously bad design, it's trivial. Keeping it on the bottom after changing the port is a shrug -- and USB-C might even speed up charging

Now, the iMac hockey-puck mouse, that really was Apple design at its worst.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45
    Can anybody tell me how many rechargeable mice are left plugged in all the time? I think the old mouse with AA batteries had to be put in more frequently than a month. You can check the battery level and you get the low battery notifications. Why not put a calendar event to remind to charge every so often? How about putting it on charge before you leave for your weekend? I don't understand why all the hate for the port where it is. 
    lukeiChromejobwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 45
    The Apple Apologist in full effect. If that was ANY other company that did that, you'd be talking about how bad of a design it was and who in the world would put the charging port on the bottom of a mouse so that you can't use it while it's charging.

    Doesn't matter how often or not it needs charging, still an awful way to do that!!
    maltzalex cumbersAnObserverbrianmindieshackwilliamlondongatorguyelijahgjamesrebmuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 3 of 45
    William, thank you, thank you! I use a Magic Mouse at home and a MX Master at work. I have NEVER used the MX Master while plugged in. If it needs to be charged, I do it when I leave the office/desk for the day and let it charge over night. Part of Apple's "brand" is the aesthetics, and hiding the charging port on the bottom so it cannot be seen on a regular basis, is definitely on brand. I just have never understood the countless posts, articles, and videos that have been made over it. 🤷🏼‍♂️
    michelb76Fidonet127appleinsideruserChromejobwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 45
    1.For the old mouse, after you realize that it is out of battery, then you go to find the spare batteries (if you don’t have to go to buy it) and change it, it may has enough time to charge the rechargeable model to work for a day. 
    2.May the next model has wireless charging, and works on a wireless charging pad, then no more complain.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 45
    raymondai said:
    1.For the old mouse, after you realize that it is out of battery, then you go to find the spare batteries (if you don’t have to go to buy it) and change it, it may has enough time to charge the rechargeable model to work for a day. 
    2.May the next model has wireless charging, and works on a wireless charging pad, then no more complain.
    The new mouse shows battery level and gives notifications. How do you miss that to the point of running out of power? Plugging it in for a few minutes gives you a lot of charge. You can't spare a few minutes to allow it to charge? For health reasons alone one should get up for at least a minute every hour. Should have at least 1/2 hour for lunch, plug it in for lunch hour and again after completing work for the day. Now you have plenty of power for the day after the lunch and other breaks, and for a month after charging over night.
    williamlondonChromejobwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 45
    Look, is it a dealbreaker issue? No of course not it’s just a stupid inconvenience and just a meme at this point, we all know that. But the fact is is that this IS a stupid design choice that’s persisted for almost 10 years now. A company like Apple who hones in on the notion that products shouldn’t even see the light of day until they’re “right” should’ve found a better solution to this a long time ago. Wireless charging on a mousepad while in use? Or maybe just PUT THE PORT IN THE FRONT??? Who cares if people never take the cord out? That’ll be their choice to make. Even if charging is quick, having to stop using it to awkwardly charge the thing on its side is so clunky and un-Apple-like. Just get rid of it so people stop talking about it.
    brianmwilliamlondongatorguy
  • Reply 7 of 45
    maltzmaltz Posts: 497member
    Yeah, it doesn't matter at all when you're gaming - especially in a multi-player game, and your mouse dies unexpectedly.  The 39 other people in your raid will be happy to wait while you get a coffee after the wipe you caused...

    The port on the bottom has always been a dumb idea.  Even if they're hell-bent on aesthetics over usability, it looks ridiculous flipped upside down with a cable sticking out of the bottom.  And it's especially unnecessary in the era of wireless charging where you could put a charger in the mousepad itself.  At least include some sort of charging stand to keep it topped off when you're not using it.
    edited October 29 williamlondondiman80
  • Reply 8 of 45
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 8,004member
    The design is bad. There is no getting away from that.

    It is not the end of the world from a usage perspective but if this were a ground up design I'm sure the port wouldn't be where it is now. 

    Of course, it isn't a ground up redesign so they made do with what they had when they eliminated the replaceable battery space for a rechargeable battery. They're doing the same here with the port change. The law of minimal effort perhaps. 

    Mine is the battery version and the two black glide strips get very dirty. Having a port in the same area would also get clogged unless it comes with some kind of port cover (I don't know if it does). 

    The mouse itself isn't particularly ergonomic either so any ground up design change should seek to improve that too. 
    Fidonet127brianmmuthuk_vanalingamMplsP
  • Reply 9 of 45
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 3,017member
    The Apple Apologist in full effect. If that was ANY other company that did that, you'd be talking about how bad of a design it was and who in the world would put the charging port on the bottom of a mouse so that you can't use it while it's charging.

    Doesn't matter how often or not it needs charging, still an awful way to do that!!
    Exactly, it’s a stupid design. form over function. Yet in this article we have assertions that the workarounds are trivial, when the point is that there should not HAVE to be any workarounds. Suggestions that there’s something wrong with the people who complain, when the complaints are absolutely legitimate is simply victim blaming. 

    It’s a stupid design, period, full stop. Want proof? Every other mouse out there that needs to be recharged allows you to use the mouse while it’s charging. Only Apple, and Jony I’ve’s design team would have the mouse inoperable while doing a basic function. It also shows that there was no reason for this, this was a design CHOICE at the expense of usability. 

    brianmindieshackwilliamlondongatorguyjamesrebmuthuk_vanalingamMplsP
  • Reply 10 of 45
    omasouomasou Posts: 624member
    Perhaps I need to pay more attention but the only notifications I remember from the mouse or keyboard is that it's about to die and it seems to always happen at the most inopportune time.

    I did not know that a "quick" charge would keep me going to EOD. So thanks for that. I'll have to look for notifications and try that next time.

    My solution to date has been to plug the mouse in to charge and use an old battery version mouse to keep going while charging. The keyboard isn't a problem b/c I can plug it in and use it while charging. Hence everyone's comments about putting the mouse charging port on the front end to emulate a corded mouse so that it too can be used while charging. It may not be "a big deal" but for a company like Apple it seems like a missed opportunity.

    Either way, I'll be ordering the new USB C version of both the keyboard and mouse so that I can finally ditch the lightening cables and move these last two Apple items to USB C.
    brianmChromejobwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 45
    I guess the joke is on me because I really never liked any of Apple’s mouse designs and only used the adb version back in the day. The rest of the time I would buy a Logitech, or gasp, a Microsoft wireless mouse and load the drivers for MacOS to use the other button. Heresy you say? Well maybe, but I need to get shit done and want a real 2nd button and scroll wheel. 
    williamlondonChromejob
  • Reply 12 of 45
    The Apple Apologist in full effect. If that was ANY other company that did that, you'd be talking about how bad of a design it was and who in the world would put the charging port on the bottom of a mouse so that you can't use it while it's charging.

    Doesn't matter how often or not it needs charging, still an awful way to do that!!
    I agree.  Apple should have moved the port🤢
    brianmindieshackwilliamlondon
  • Reply 13 of 45
    88ip88ip Posts: 4member
    My Logitech wireless mouse has the charging port on the bottom ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
    Fidonet127williamlondonChromejobwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 45
    thttht Posts: 5,659member
    I like the Magic Mouse. It's the only mouse on the market with multitouch gestures. The left-right scrolling or paging through a gesture is nice. Apple likely sees the multtouch gestures as the primary feature of the Magic Mouse, and hence has maintained this design for so long.

    The mouse form factor it uses is a finger mouse, where you use your thumb and pinky+ring fingers to move the mouse, and minimizes wrist and arm movement. It's been this way since the hockey puck mouse.

    If you want a palm style form factor, there are obviously a lot on the market you can choose from. Same with keyboards. They aren't interested in filling any niches in the mouse and keyboard markets. There are a gazillion keyboard and mouse form factors. Like there are about 10 tiers of mechanical keyboards! Apple basically offers nothing in the mechanical keyboard market, just like the mouse market.

    They just have a perfunctory offering in the style they like.
    williamlondonChromejob
  • Reply 15 of 45
    mfrydmfryd Posts: 223member
    It's a bad design as it limits functionality.  As is pointed out, it's not a big problem for those who use the mouse wirelessly, but it is a problem for those who use it as a wired mouse.

    Wired mice are quite useful in scenarios with a KVM switch, or a shared station where someone comes over with their laptop, and plugs into a monitor with keyboard/mouse attached. A wired keyboard/mouse will work with whatever computer is plugged in.  Apple automatically pairs their wireless keyboard/mouse when plugged in via USB.  

    Sure, this issue doesn't affect everyone, but it does affect many.

    The bottom line is that there is no functional advantage for having the USB port on the bottom, but there are advantages to having it on the back.  This is simply an example of Apple choosing aesthetics over functionality.

    williamlondonentropys
  • Reply 16 of 45
    88ip said:
    My Logitech wireless mouse has the charging port on the bottom ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
    Weird, what model is it?  I haven't run across any other brand/model yet that had the charging port on the bottom. (not just as a user, but as someone who does IT support for companies and individuals)
  • Reply 17 of 45
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,136member
    The mouse should use old-school MagSafe, and magnetically snap onto the side of the keyboard (without flipping it over) for charging. Not the newer inefficient and bulky “wireless” MagSafe, but the old laptop kind with a direct connection. That way, you’d just have to remember to periodically slide the mouse over to the keyboard when you weren’t actively using the mouse. And of course the keyboards should be wired and backlit.
    edited October 29 Chromejob
  • Reply 18 of 45
    thttht Posts: 5,659member
    The mouse should use old-school MagSafe, and magnetically snap onto the side of the keyboard (without flipping it over) for charging. Not the newer inefficient and bulky “wireless” MagSafe, but the old laptop kind with a direct connection. That way, you’d just have to remember to periodically slide the mouse over to the keyboard when you weren’t actively using the mouse. And of course the keyboards should be wired and backlit.
    Add solar for trickle charging. A nice conformal thin-film PV over the entire surface. For certain users, they may never need to charge.

    I'm a solar junkie, so adding solar PV to everything is my default answer. 😇
    retrogusto
  • Reply 19 of 45
    Not moving the port will End Apple!

    ...tech blogger somewhere.
    williamlondonChromejob
  • Reply 20 of 45
    The Apple Apologist in full effect. If that was ANY other company that did that, you'd be talking about how bad of a design it was and who in the world would put the charging port on the bottom of a mouse so that you can't use it while it's charging.

    Doesn't matter how often or not it needs charging, still an awful way to do that!!
    This. It's an asinine design decision, but fanboys go ahead, Apple, of course, is incapable of bad design. 
    williamlondonMplsPtiredskills
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