It was dreadful to use for anyone with normal sized hands. Serious question, is it possible you were a child back then?
The hockey puck also had real negative impact as it solidified in the minds of many critics that Apple is a company willing to put form ahead of function and that their machines were for looking at not doing serious work. Apple has been able to win over a lot of people over time and succeed regardless, but we see echoes of this sentiment to this day.
Actually, it was quite comfortable to use IF you were handling it with 2 fingers on top and click with the middle finger on a low friction pad. But this is not the usual way to handle a mouse and require big hand, and the normal way was indeed both uncomfortable and unprecise.
the biggest problem with the normal way was unwanted rotations of the puck.
Perhaps the answer lay in skating your hand to where the puck wanted to be, rather than skating it to where the puck was.
That's often been the case after an industrial designer becomes famous. I.E., all sorts of things attributed to Raymond Loewy were primarily the work of his understudies.
That's how it works. Once the top dog approves something, it's his (the company's). It's his decision(s), his responsibility, his neck on the line. It's also why underlings are underlings. They're either not ready for such a position, or not fully capable to fill the position. Their work and contributions are no less valid, but they work at the behest and the pleasure of the boss and with commensurate wages, salaries, rewards, compensations, etc.
A round mouse is just a dumb idea. There were also technical limitations at the time, and the mouse used this little rubber ball inside, that kept getting dirty. I don't fault Apple for that, it's not like they could have shipped a laser mouse back then, but there's no excuse for the poor ergonomic design.
Actually, they very well could have shipped a laser mouse when the puck mouse came out. Not that it would have been a good idea, mind, but it was quite possible.
After I left Apple in 1985, I went to Sun Microsystems, who just happened to have an optical mouse for their workstations. Worked great, but only on the grid-patterned mouse pads that came with the optical mouse. IIRC, the mouse was made by Logitech for Sun, and at the time Sun was using ADB for its keyboards and mice with its 68K-based workstations.
So Apple could have shipped an optical mouse with the first iMac, except for probably breaking cost goals, and having to use only the specific mouse pads that worked at the time.
I second that sentiment. I've always used a 3rd party mouse.
Me too. I like a classic Logitech three button with indexed scroll wheel. I have a new iMac 5K with both MM and TP and sort of getting used to it. Still trying to decide which direction to scroll though. For now it is just on default but sometimes confusing when switching to a different machine.
Me too. I like a classic Logitech three button with indexed scroll wheel. I have a new iMac 5K with both MM and TP and sort of getting used to it. Still trying to decide which direction to scroll though. For now it is just on default but sometimes confusing when switching to a different machine.
I have nice wireless 3 button/scroll wheel from Logi too. Apple has never designed a good mouse IMO. Ever.
That mouse was awful. There was no way for the hand to feel which orientation it was in and keep it that way. Utterly ridiculous.
No, Apple has never made a decent mouse. The body-button idea is equally rubbish and the secondary/right click is rubbish on all body-button mice. A mouse shouldn't click accidentally when you pick it up and set it down slightly heavily.
Also, Ive doesn't know a damn thing about GUI design. He has ruined the most elegant mobile computing platform ever made.
Of course it wasn't that big of a deal, because anybody who wanted to, could just hook up a third party mouse or trackball to the iMac, as it was one of the first computers to feature USB, if not the first.
Plenty of PCs has USB but there were very few devices that used it. I remember my Windows computer (Dell?) at work had them.
It wasn’t until it was included on the iMac that USB really took off.
I'm not so sure Ive and team are as good today as they used to be. Those messy plastic antenna openings on the back of the iPhone 6 still bug me and the 6 Plus is ungainly and too large for the screen size compared to competing models. Also the Apple Watch while a good design overall, still looks too standard smartwatch in its proportions.
I'm hoping Apple get the design right with the iPhone 7, until then I'm keeping my 5S which still strikes me as a more classy device than the 6.
As he exists today, Ive is in a league of his own. However, 'Ive' today is not one man but a whole team of expert designers backed by a huge number of expert engineers and unlimited money. He also has a huge amount of experience to draw on, including dreadful designs like the hockey puck and failed designs like the cube and Newton. It stands to reason then that he has surpassed Esslinger.
I think the hockey puck mouse was all Jobs. Just like the Cube. Before NeXT got out of the hardware business, they went to a hockey puck mouse design. It sucked just as bad then as it did on the iMac.
That has got to be one of the worst things that he's ever designed. Somebody should ask him in an interview what he thinks about it today.
I bought one of those early iMacs, and I was happy with the machine, but the Hockey Puck Mouse was an abomination, even when it was released.
It was horrible to use. Ergonomically speaking, it was a pain in the ass and not really made for human hands. A round mouse is just a dumb idea. There were also technical limitations at the time, and the mouse used this little rubber ball inside, that kept getting dirty. I don't fault Apple for that, it's not like they could have shipped a laser mouse back then, but there's no excuse for the poor ergonomic design.
Of course it wasn't that big of a deal, because anybody who wanted to, could just hook up a third party mouse or trackball to the iMac, as it was one of the first computers to feature USB, if not the first.
I probably still have that hockey puck mouse laying around in some box somewhere.
I've got my hockey puck on my wall next to my killer Mac setup :-) It was my first Mac and I fell in love straight away.
Whether that talent is in good hands is an open question.
In my opinion the talent at Apple is in very good hands. If you look at design and the innovative technology that is being developed and used in Apple products it's clear that Apple is working to control its ecosystem. The iPhone has continued to include Apple designed innovations that are ahead of the competition. The analysts and complainers are concerned that too much Apple's revenue comes from iPhone. What other product category in that price range can you think of that runs a 24 month cycle? On top of that Apple is the most profitable and has a very loyal customer base. Tim Cook has guided Apple to be the most valuable company in history. He and the team there seem to be doing something right.
I want to hear how Ives got locked up in the White Dimension, whether he went voluntarily, and how often he does or doesn't visit this world.
The use of white space in design is not new. It's been used in printed materials for a long time. When color displays became available for electronics there was an urge to make everything very colorful to show off the display. In reality the simple use of white combined with color where it makes sense is much better for the human eyes and brain to comprehend and understand.
In my opinion the talent at Apple is in very good hands. If you look at design and the innovative technology that is being developed and used in Apple products it's clear that Apple is working to control its ecosystem. The iPhone has continued to include Apple designed innovations that are ahead of the competition. The analysts and complainers are concerned that too much Apple's revenue comes from iPhone. What other product category in that price range can you think of that runs a 24 month cycle? On top of that Apple is the most profitable and has a very loyal customer base. Tim Cook has guided Apple to be the most valuable company in history. He and the team there seem to be doing something right.
Don't feed the troll. BF has an unhealthy and wrong opinion on Cook despite the facts.
Not only was the iMac "hockey puck" mouse bad, but the mini USB keyboard that came with it was a big step down in quality from Apple's ADB keyboards. I remember actually holding off on buying a new PowerMac G4 until Apple rectified those shortcomings, and they finally did with the Pro Keyboard and Pro Mouse that shipped with the PowerMac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) and the G4 Cube in 2000.
The only good thing about their original USB keyboard is that it was narrow enough to fit in an equipment rack, so I did use them for that purpose for a while.
Whether that talent is in good hands is an open question.
It's only an "open question" to insufferable trolls like you- not to sane, objective, and rational people that can see straight, without a vitriolic trolling agenda and contempt for reality.
Whether that talent is in good hands is an open question.
It's only an "open question" to insufferable trolls like you- not to sane, objective, and rational people that can see straight, without a vitriolic trolling agenda and contempt for reality.
Not only was the iMac "hockey puck" mouse bad, but the mini USB keyboard that came with it was a big step down in quality from Apple's ADB keyboards. I remember actually holding off on buying a new PowerMac G4 until Apple rectified those shortcomings, and they finally did with the Pro Keyboard and Pro Mouse that shipped with the PowerMac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) and the G4 Cube in 2000.
The only good thing about their original USB keyboard is that it was narrow enough to fit in an equipment rack, so I did use them for that purpose for a while.
Ives has a 'round' fetish.
I still have an Indigo iMac just so I can relive the hockey puck aggravation. Unfortunately I ditched the original keyboard.
Comments
Perhaps the answer lay in skating your hand to where the puck wanted to be, rather than skating it to where the puck was.
That's often been the case after an industrial designer becomes famous. I.E., all sorts of things attributed to Raymond Loewy were primarily the work of his understudies.
That's how it works. Once the top dog approves something, it's his (the company's). It's his decision(s), his responsibility, his neck on the line. It's also why underlings are underlings. They're either not ready for such a position, or not fully capable to fill the position. Their work and contributions are no less valid, but they work at the behest and the pleasure of the boss and with commensurate wages, salaries, rewards, compensations, etc.
A round mouse is just a dumb idea. There were also technical limitations at the time, and the mouse used this little rubber ball inside, that kept getting dirty. I don't fault Apple for that, it's not like they could have shipped a laser mouse back then, but there's no excuse for the poor ergonomic design.
Actually, they very well could have shipped a laser mouse when the puck mouse came out. Not that it would have been a good idea, mind, but it was quite possible.
After I left Apple in 1985, I went to Sun Microsystems, who just happened to have an optical mouse for their workstations. Worked great, but only on the grid-patterned mouse pads that came with the optical mouse. IIRC, the mouse was made by Logitech for Sun, and at the time Sun was using ADB for its keyboards and mice with its 68K-based workstations.
So Apple could have shipped an optical mouse with the first iMac, except for probably breaking cost goals, and having to use only the specific mouse pads that worked at the time.
I second that sentiment. I've always used a 3rd party mouse.
Me too. I like a classic Logitech three button with indexed scroll wheel. I have a new iMac 5K with both MM and TP and sort of getting used to it. Still trying to decide which direction to scroll though. For now it is just on default but sometimes confusing when switching to a different machine.
Me too. I like a classic Logitech three button with indexed scroll wheel. I have a new iMac 5K with both MM and TP and sort of getting used to it. Still trying to decide which direction to scroll though. For now it is just on default but sometimes confusing when switching to a different machine.
I have nice wireless 3 button/scroll wheel from Logi too. Apple has never designed a good mouse IMO. Ever.
What does a "windows" mouse look like?
What does a "windows" mouse look like?
Ugly?
No, Apple has never made a decent mouse. The body-button idea is equally rubbish and the secondary/right click is rubbish on all body-button mice. A mouse shouldn't click accidentally when you pick it up and set it down slightly heavily.
Also, Ive doesn't know a damn thing about GUI design. He has ruined the most elegant mobile computing platform ever made.
Of course it wasn't that big of a deal, because anybody who wanted to, could just hook up a third party mouse or trackball to the iMac, as it was one of the first computers to feature USB, if not the first.
Plenty of PCs has USB but there were very few devices that used it. I remember my Windows computer (Dell?) at work had them.
It wasn’t until it was included on the iMac that USB really took off.
I'm hoping Apple get the design right with the iPhone 7, until then I'm keeping my 5S which still strikes me as a more classy device than the 6.
I think the hockey puck mouse was all Jobs. Just like the Cube. Before NeXT got out of the hardware business, they went to a hockey puck mouse design. It sucked just as bad then as it did on the iMac.
I've got my hockey puck on my wall next to my killer Mac setup :-) It was my first Mac and I fell in love straight away.
In my opinion the talent at Apple is in very good hands. If you look at design and the innovative technology that is being developed and used in Apple products it's clear that Apple is working to control its ecosystem. The iPhone has continued to include Apple designed innovations that are ahead of the competition. The analysts and complainers are concerned that too much Apple's revenue comes from iPhone. What other product category in that price range can you think of that runs a 24 month cycle? On top of that Apple is the most profitable and has a very loyal customer base. Tim Cook has guided Apple to be the most valuable company in history. He and the team there seem to be doing something right.
The use of white space in design is not new. It's been used in printed materials for a long time. When color displays became available for electronics there was an urge to make everything very colorful to show off the display. In reality the simple use of white combined with color where it makes sense is much better for the human eyes and brain to comprehend and understand.
Don't feed the troll. BF has an unhealthy and wrong opinion on Cook despite the facts.
Not only was the iMac "hockey puck" mouse bad, but the mini USB keyboard that came with it was a big step down in quality from Apple's ADB keyboards. I remember actually holding off on buying a new PowerMac G4 until Apple rectified those shortcomings, and they finally did with the Pro Keyboard and Pro Mouse that shipped with the PowerMac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) and the G4 Cube in 2000.
The only good thing about their original USB keyboard is that it was narrow enough to fit in an equipment rack, so I did use them for that purpose for a while.
It's only an "open question" to insufferable trolls like you- not to sane, objective, and rational people that can see straight, without a vitriolic trolling agenda and contempt for reality.
Reality is over-rated.
Not only was the iMac "hockey puck" mouse bad, but the mini USB keyboard that came with it was a big step down in quality from Apple's ADB keyboards. I remember actually holding off on buying a new PowerMac G4 until Apple rectified those shortcomings, and they finally did with the Pro Keyboard and Pro Mouse that shipped with the PowerMac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) and the G4 Cube in 2000.
The only good thing about their original USB keyboard is that it was narrow enough to fit in an equipment rack, so I did use them for that purpose for a while.
Ives has a 'round' fetish.
I still have an Indigo iMac just so I can relive the hockey puck aggravation. Unfortunately I ditched the original keyboard.