Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Of mice and men
This morning's Mighty Mouse introduction really got me excited. Not because I need a new mouse, but because I never saw it coming. For the first time in far too long, Apple's plans were kept as quiet as a... mouse.
The product that Apple actually released isn't even all that appealing to me. It looks sharp, of course, but until I get my hands on one, I'm reserving judgment on whether it will ever replace my beloved 5-button Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse (in black leather, thankyouverymuch). But it doesn't matter whether I like the mouse or not. What matters is that I wasn't expecting it and it felt a little like Christmas morning, even if just for an hour. It was reminiscent of the Stevenotes that used to kick-off Macworlds of days gone by, before a chunk of the Mac web became less interested in provocative predictions and more interested in NDA-busting and one-upmanship.
Thank you, Apple, for reminding me that one of the simplest joys of being a Mac user is the element of surprise.
The product that Apple actually released isn't even all that appealing to me. It looks sharp, of course, but until I get my hands on one, I'm reserving judgment on whether it will ever replace my beloved 5-button Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse (in black leather, thankyouverymuch). But it doesn't matter whether I like the mouse or not. What matters is that I wasn't expecting it and it felt a little like Christmas morning, even if just for an hour. It was reminiscent of the Stevenotes that used to kick-off Macworlds of days gone by, before a chunk of the Mac web became less interested in provocative predictions and more interested in NDA-busting and one-upmanship.
Thank you, Apple, for reminding me that one of the simplest joys of being a Mac user is the element of surprise.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan Baxter said 1:40PM on 8-02-2005
I just went to the Apple store to buy one. I played with it for about a half an hour and didn't like it enough to replace my Logitech MX510. The biggest problem I had with it was if you have your finger even slightly resting on the left side of the mouse you can not right click with out lifting your left finger. Also I found the squeeze buttons to be very hard to press and not very useful. I did however like the scroll ball, it seemed to work well. Tracking was also very good, it seemed faster then your standard Apple mouse.
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Alexandra Richards said 2:49PM on 8-02-2005
What I don't understand is why they are coming out with a new hightech mouse, and it has a wire! Why not bluetooth? I won't be giving up my Logitech bluetooth mouse, even if the buttons don't all work. It looks like a very cool mouse, but I can't live anymore with mouse tails!
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brian said 3:08PM on 8-02-2005
"What I don't understand is why they are coming out with a new hightech mouse, and it has a wire! Why not bluetooth?"
For the same reason Apple *always* drops the ball on the first rev--because they can. People will buy these. In droves. They'll sell a million, then in September (possibly), in time for Christmas (likely), or by springtime (definitely by then) they'll have a wireless one. (And they'll make it sound like a cross between the inventionof the wheel and the Second Coming when they do.) And they'll sell a million of them, too. *Every* new Apple product is "perfect! Except..." and this new mouse is no different. And no, it isn't just a case of adding new features as they're invented. This is obvious stuff that *everybody* says the first day. There's *always* something *totally common* missing from a new Apple product. And once they've sold a million units, *despite* the missing feature, they come out with the new product they should have released in the first place and sell a million more..
Same with the Tiger requirement. What--you're telling me Apple, with all its resources, couldn't make a decent mouse driver for a 3-month-old OS? They always do this--dangle a carrot, either in a great new feature or a "FINALLY!!!" bugfix, as one more way to push you into newer stuff. Death by a thousand cuts. I had a 3-button mouse with 2 scroll wheels that I bought from Radio Shack for $20 about 6 years ago that worked in Win95. It ain't rocket surgery, people. Their motives are transparent.
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Sam said 3:53PM on 8-02-2005
I never thought I'd see the day when Apple would release a multi-button mouse. News of this sort is not revolutionary in any way - there's got to be thousands of multi-button mice on the market today, all purporting to be better and more innovative than the next - news like this is however, the stuff of legends. More:
http://sambot.com/2005/08/i-never-thought-id-see-day.html
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Wai-Tung Leung said 6:24PM on 8-02-2005
I wholeheartedly agree with you Laurie, it was indeed a lovely surprise! Totally caught me off guard when I read the news headlines. Oh how those simple joys have been taken away from me because of those pesky rumour sites that insist to infest all the other news sites instead of keeping it to their own community. *sigh*
Alexandra Richards there is a wireless Might Mouse! Thing is the bluetooth mouse is still running around an exercise wheel in a lab, being tested and modified till it's ready for you. It wouldn't hurt to perhaps wait?
Why is it that almost everyone who has to mention about the lack of bluetooth mouse almost sounds like they assume everyone has bluetooth installed? I read such comments on forums and I almost get the impression that they're saying 'Apple should only make [such and such] and those with older computers don't matter.' Sorry for the off topic rant, but I need to vent it out.
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Laurie said 6:25PM on 8-02-2005
What's interesting about those of you complaining about it not being bluetooth is that if it /was/ bluetooth, there'd be just as many people here saying "Why does Apple always neglect those of us without new hardware?" Apple has released a new mouse that is compatible with virtually all Apple hardware since beige went out of style, and without the need for any other adapters. I don't see anything wrong with that. That's just plain smart.
Can't please all of the people all of the time. I am sure we'll see a wireless version very soon. Odds are good, though, that the people who are the most vocal now are the ones who will still find a reason not to buy it when there /is/ a wireless version.
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smqt said 7:21PM on 8-02-2005
Well, people with older computers matter...
but people spending money to stay up to date, the ones with bluetooth, are allowed to complain.
They were promised a wireless future.
Why should you go back to wires if you don't need them?
Apple is very able to make a bluetooth version me thinks.
Economy...
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Steve M said 12:51AM on 8-03-2005
How can this have been a surprise to anyone. It was rumored shortly after the Mac Mini was released that Apple was working on a multi-button mouse to make the Wintel switchers more comfortable.
The surprise is how long it took, not being wireless, and how expensive it is.
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Bill Eccles said 6:55AM on 8-03-2005
It caught even the most aware of us off guard, too. A conversation with John Gruber (of DaringFireball.net):
From: John Gruber
Subject: Re: Care to weigh in now?
Date: August 1, 2005 10:48:35 AM EDT
To: Bill Eccles
Bill Eccles wrote on 08/01/05 at 8:10 am:
| OK, now that Satan is serving Popsicles in Hell now, is there any
| chance that Steve will endorse the two-or-more-button mouse? Wanna'
| hazard a guess?
Sure: No. :^)
-J.G.
Then... later....
From: Bill Eccles
Subject: Re: Care to weigh in now?
Date: August 2, 2005 10:27:44 AM EDT
To: John Gruber
On Aug 2, 2005, at 10:22 AM, John Gruber wrote:
| Bill Eccles wrote on 08/01/05 at 8:10 am:
||
||
|| OK, now that Satan is serving Popsicles in Hell now, is there any
|| chance that Steve will endorse the two-or-more-button mouse? Wanna'
|| hazard a guess?
|
|
| Wait, wait -- I change my answer to "yes". :^)
|
| -J.G.
You never know....
Steve may find that there's a use for his middle finger other than the... er... "usual" use. ;)
Oh, hell. I just caught on! A visit to apple.com....
Bill
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