Next up on Apple's new product agenda: A Mightier Mouse, please
Appleinsider's server memories are already choked with threads that pour scorn on the somewhat average performance of Apple's Mighty Mouse. i am not alone in finding it ergonomically uncomfortable but also less intuitive than even some of Microsoft's offerings, which have very neat scroll wheels and greater precision.
So, given the quality of Apple's other input devices and the sheer importance of the mouse as a means of navigating around OSX, i hope Jonathan Ive and his team will now focus on giving us a really excellent new mouse device. The new Apple keyboard was, in my opinion, a real step forward. We just need a mouse that is as good.
As an ex-Windows Apple convert, i have to say that the ability to right click to access secondary menus is very useful. So the ability to change each of the Mighty Mouse button's functions is much appreciated. it is just that clicking any of the buttons to perform a command is anything but a precise action. While i love touch screens and gesture trackpads, I still rely on a keyboard and mouse more than any other input device. If you feel like-minded, i hope you'll support this thread with your own comments so that those at Apple who read this will know how we still feel.
Thanks.
So, given the quality of Apple's other input devices and the sheer importance of the mouse as a means of navigating around OSX, i hope Jonathan Ive and his team will now focus on giving us a really excellent new mouse device. The new Apple keyboard was, in my opinion, a real step forward. We just need a mouse that is as good.
As an ex-Windows Apple convert, i have to say that the ability to right click to access secondary menus is very useful. So the ability to change each of the Mighty Mouse button's functions is much appreciated. it is just that clicking any of the buttons to perform a command is anything but a precise action. While i love touch screens and gesture trackpads, I still rely on a keyboard and mouse more than any other input device. If you feel like-minded, i hope you'll support this thread with your own comments so that those at Apple who read this will know how we still feel.
Thanks.
Comments
Appleinsider's server memories are already choked with threads that pour scorn on the somewhat average performance of Apple's Mighty Mouse. i am not alone in finding it ergonomically uncomfortable but also less intuitive than even some of Microsoft's offerings, which have very neat scroll wheels and greater precision.
So, given the quality of Apple's other input devices and the sheer importance of the mouse as a means of navigating around OSX, i hope Jonathan Ive and his team will now focus on giving us a really excellent new mouse device. The new Apple keyboard was, in my opinion, a real step forward. We just need a mouse that is as good.
As an ex-Windows Apple convert, i have to say that the ability to right click to access secondary menus is very useful. So the ability to change each of the Mighty Mouse button's functions is much appreciated. it is just that clicking any of the buttons to perform a command is anything but a precise action. While i love touch screens and gesture trackpads, I still rely on a keyboard and mouse more than any other input device. If you feel like-minded, i hope you'll support this thread with your own comments so that those at Apple who read this will know how we still feel.
Thanks.
My biggest problem with the mighty mouse is that in order to do said right clickign you have to lift pointer finger completely off the mouse. it is extremely annoying and makes me feel like a 10 year old playing the trumpet or piano with fingers flying wildly in the air. like this.... "trumpet player" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6blvA...eature=related "
http://www.apple.com/feedback/
They missed out the keyboard too just so it wouldn't be obvious.
The Mighty Mouse is a one-button mouse dressed up like a 4-button mouse and that's where it fails.
Apple's flawed logic is that minimalist is always better looking. It's a smart move in some ways because nobody can really say anything bad about nothing. You can't say it has garish bits here and there or giant curved shapes.
When you see the Mighty Mouse, it's just a white blob.
And yet for all its simplicity, it's the only mouse I've seen fail on such a massive scale. Every single Mighty Mouse where I work has been replaced by an alternative. Some people used them fairly happily until I showed them the light of what a good mouse actually feels like to use and they ain't going back.
For Apple to move completely away from one button is almost like them admitting they were wrong all this time - which they were. Apple don't like to do this so I'd be very surprised to see them improving the Mighty Mouse.
Customers tell them what they don't like just like they do with the Apple TV. So what to they do? Lower the price a little. They don't fix the problems because in their world, there are no problems, it's everyone else who's wrong.
Thankfully there are plenty of manufacturers who actually do listen to customers and offer decent mice so you don't have to wait for Apple to do the right thing.
I actually think they are just going to take all the ideas from their twentieth anniversary Mac. The iMac isn't far away from it. It had a detachable trackpad. If they just make a mouse with a trackpad surface on top, they will do pretty well.
Scrolling in all directions, gesture based movements. You still have to move the trackpad itself but left, right clicks are the same as on a laptop. It could still have a single click actually but it would work better than a Mighty Mouse. Then just add a thumb button for an extra click.
They could even allow the trackpad to be a numpad to get round the flaws with the wireless keyboard.
They seriously need to look at some ergonomics textbooks though. It has to be curved to support your hand. The pill shape has got to go.
When you see the Mighty Mouse, it's just a white blob...
...They seriously need to look at some ergonomics textbooks though. It has to be curved to support your hand. The pill shape has got to go.
Hey, Marvin, thanks for a really great response. Good points, nicely made.
Two questions:
1. Other than using the command control click, how the hell do you right click with the single button on a MacBook?
2. What would you recommend as an alternative to the mighty mouse?
If they just make a mouse with a trackpad surface on top, they will do pretty well.
Scrolling in all directions, gesture based movements. You still have to move the trackpad itself but left, right clicks are the same as on a laptop. It could still have a single click actually but it would work better than a Mighty Mouse. Then just add a thumb button for an extra click.
They could even allow the trackpad to be a numpad to get round the flaws with the wireless keyboard.
FingerWorks iGesture NumPad. Got one under my right hand. Apple owns the technology now and they should build the next generation. People love the iGesture pads. Used ones go for hundreds over their original retail price on eBay. For that kind of money, I'm almost tempted to sell mine, except I like it too much.
They seriously need to look at some ergonomics textbooks though. It has to be curved to support your hand. The pill shape has got to go.
It doesn't have to support your hand. The iGesture pad doesn't. No keyboard does. Yet we all use keyboards with no difficulty. On my laptop, I use a travel mouse that's very small and very low profile without any problems. You're supposed to move mice with your fingertips, not with the palm of your hand. The fingers are far more dexterous and sensitive than the palm, after all.
1. Other than using the command control click, how the hell do you right click with the single button on a MacBook?
You put two fingers on the trackpad and click. With a mouse having a trackpad for clicking but the added movement of the pad itself, this is made easier than on the Macbook. The button wouldn't be behind the pad either - perhaps the pad would simply depress like the big square buttons on the original one-button Apple mice.
Basically this mouse with a larger clickable gesture pad where the square button is:
http://www.recycledgoods.com/item/8669.aspx
2. What would you recommend as an alternative to the mighty mouse?
Microsoft or Logitech mice. I personally like the notebook mice like the Logitech VX and the Microsoft notebook mice. The Logitech one with the recharge cradle is nice - I think it's the MX.
FingerWorks iGesture NumPad. Got one under my right hand. Apple owns the technology now and they should build the next generation. People love the iGesture pads. Used ones go for hundreds over their original retail price on eBay. For that kind of money, I'm almost tempted to sell mine, except I like it too much.
Yeah, they look great.
http://www.fingerworks.com/numpad_userguide.html
Ideally, the device would have a custom display on it like an ipod screen that could be customized to different actions. This way you could change photoshop tools with a click. Perhaps a thumb button could cycle through between a numpad, an application palette and a standard gesture pad.
You probably couldn't make it wireless though without running down batteries quickly. Maybe if a thumb button brought up an overlay on screen at the mouse location like Spaces and simply had a grid of 9 slots for actions and these generic zones were marked onto the pad. You'd really need 16 for a numpad though.
It doesn't have to support your hand. The iGesture pad doesn't. No keyboard does. Yet we all use keyboards with no difficulty. On my laptop, I use a travel mouse that's very small and very low profile without any problems. You're supposed to move mice with your fingertips, not with the palm of your hand. The fingers are far more dexterous and sensitive than the palm, after all.
With the Mighty Mouse, my hand was always hovering above the mouse but with curved mice, part of my hand is well supported. My hand isn't fully supported though - mice that do that actually hurt my hand - it's more that the whole length of my fingers are resting on the mouse.
A pad is different because it's touch based so I wouldn't expect the same strain but for a physical button, you exert more pressure. A keyboard is fairly similar and you don't have support but you move your hand more - you don't hit the same areas multiple times so it's harder to get repetitive strain injury.
The Mighty Mouse not only lacks support but it forces you to click straight down. With curved mice, It's more like you are pulling inwards to click. The difference is like if you were tapping someone on the shoulder vs squeezing a ball. The latter is much less strenuous on the finger over a long period of time.
Appleinsider's server memories are already choked with threads that pour scorn on the somewhat average performance of Apple's Mighty Mouse.
More like "hilariously bad". Anyway...
2. What would you recommend as an alternative to the mighty mouse?
That's a highly personal choice. What functionality do you want? Razer, Logitech and Microsoft all make good mice. I find gaming mice have the best usability for general use. Tactile, easily actuated and well shaped buttons plus accurate tracking instead of gimmicks. Check out Logitech MX518 and Razer Deathadder (for which there's a Mac edition out now!). Razer's new Salmosa looks like a great value if you'd prefer a symmetric mouse. I have the Lachesis and am very happy with it.
Or you could consider a trackball? I've been meaning to try one for a long time.
Sucks.
The scroll ball is great when it works, but is hard to clean and keep working on a mouse that gets a lot of use. Right now, between work and home, I use 3 of them and only one, the newest, has a working scroll ball all the time. One works sometimes for scrolling down, and the third is completely unresponsive not matter how much I clean it.
The right "button" works well, but I find that if I have it set to right click I often get the right click when I am trying to left click. It annoys me so much when I am working in InDesign and PhotoShop that I turn it off to work in those applications.
Bottom line, at work due to the unresponsive scroll ball and over-responsive right click I basically have a one button mouse just like before the Mighty Mouse. At home I have one "Mighty Mouse" that works but put up with the annoyance of getting contextual menus when I'm trying to right click. I realize that this is probably due to the way I hold the mouse and click, but it is an annoyance none the less.
While I generally like the MM, the scroll ball is in need of some serious re-engineering. Mine becomes 'frozen' and unresponsive atleast once a week.
I gave up on that piece of crap a long time ago.
Hopefully the image comes up, if not it's on this link
I think Apple had to make a choice with the mighty mouse. A compromise or a good move depending on your point of view.
The idea for the Mighty Mouse could have been that it was a step towards creating a better mouse. They couldn't exactly use the old 1 button mouse forever. That would have been ridiculous. They decided to make a two-button able mouse to work with Tiger (and now Leopard). However they needed to make it fit with the Apple design ideals of sleek looking products. This is where the compromise has been made (imo). Logitech, Microsoft, Razer and all the other companies that make mice have decided that comfort should be more of a concern than the actual aesthetic appeal of the mouse. Which is probably why they are more comfortable than the Mighty Mouse (I refer to both wired and wireless versions). Apple took the other direction, and thus we have an uncomfortable Mighty Mouse. I too agree that the Mighty Mouse is uncomfortable, I use a Logitech G5 with my MBP and that works just fine.
Another issue that we would need to consider is left-handedness. Although the vast majority of the population are right handed, Apple still need to cater for the left handed population. Thus the symmetrical design of the Mighty Mouse. I have noticed that a lot Logitech and Microsoft mice nowadays cater just to those who are right handed. If I remember correctly there is only 1 Logitech mouse that caters for those who use a mouse with their left hand. Since the Mighty Mouse is symmetrical. Both lefties and righties can use it. It cuts costs in a way so that they don't have to design both a left handed mouse and a right handed one.
The squeeze action on the Mighty Mouse also eludes me. The squeeze action on my old mighty mouse was so unresponsive that every time that I wanted to use it I pretty much picked the entire mouse up off the table. Yes it can be programmed to do different functions, as can the other buttons but what's the point if tactile feel is compromised.
As to the roller ball scroller, from my experience with the mighty mouse, once it becomes dirty the ball seizes up and becomes unresponsive. In my opinion, if the ball was slightly larger it would help it means that the ball would scroll easier (especially true for those with larger fingers such as myself) and it would be less prone to becoming stuck with dirt and grime from daily usage.
As much as I love how easy it is to connect to my MBP I will refuse to use one until these issues are resolved. Most notably the comfort and usability issues.
//end rant
http://www.techfresh.net/wp-content/...r-lachesis.jpg
See? Either Apple wasn't capable of building a good mouse, or didn't want to go through the trouble. No compromise is required.
Just some thoughts:
I think Apple had to make a choice with the mighty mouse. A compromise or a good move depending on your point of view.
A ball that gets stuck when after being used for a while is not merely an opinion, it's a bad design decision. I don't need to rant to get my point across, the MM is a piece of crap. I should know I used about 6 of them, until I broke down a bought a real mouse that never fails and is designed for the human hand.
I liked it ergonomically, actually (I have long fingers), but this makes me seriously question ever buying another high-design implement.
Ive needs to toss the MM back into the well and pull something else out of his [hat] that is functional and beautiful.
Gesture keyboard? dunno...
(I do love the alu keyboard though, very svelte and i like the typing surface).
Appleinsider's server memories are already choked with threads that pour scorn on the somewhat average performance of Apple's Mighty Mouse. i am not alone in finding it ergonomically uncomfortable but also less intuitive than even some of Microsoft's offerings, which have very neat scroll wheels and greater precision.
So, given the quality of Apple's other input devices and the sheer importance of the mouse as a means of navigating around OSX, i hope Jonathan Ive and his team will now focus on giving us a really excellent new mouse device. The new Apple keyboard was, in my opinion, a real step forward. We just need a mouse that is as good.
As an ex-Windows Apple convert, i have to say that the ability to right click to access secondary menus is very useful. So the ability to change each of the Mighty Mouse button's functions is much appreciated. it is just that clicking any of the buttons to perform a command is anything but a precise action. While i love touch screens and gesture trackpads, I still rely on a keyboard and mouse more than any other input device. If you feel like-minded, i hope you'll support this thread with your own comments so that those at Apple who read this will know how we still feel.
Thanks.
Agree completely.
I have been thinking about replacing the apple mouse with microsoft or logitech. My problem with it is not only ergonomics, which is not good, but mostly accuracy. It takes a lot more effort to click the right spot in the apple mouse than other mice that cost way less. Apple fix this so I don't have to spend another 50 bucks.
PS: the keyboard is very good.