Thanks to a smooth top shell with touch-sensitive technology beneath, Apple Computer’s new “Mighty Mouse” allows you to right click without a right button. Capacitive sensors under Mighty Mouse’s seamless top shell detect where your fingers are and predict your clicking intentions, so you don’t need two buttons — just two fingers. Click on the left side to use Mighty Mouse in its simplest, single-button form. Click on the right to access contextual menus within applications and edit, copy, label or download from your mouse.
But what about feedback for the user? How do you knoe if you’ve just clicked a seamless capacitive sensor contained underneath the smooth shell of the “Mighty Mouse?”
Apple explains that the “Mighty Mouse” provides audio feedback that’s built right into “Mighty Mouse” with a tiny speaker inside that produces button-clicking and Scroll Ball-rolling sound effects. Only Apple would spend so much time and thought building a mouse that works seamlessly with the world’s most advanced operating system.
Find out more about Apple’s “Mighty Mouse” design here.
Advertisment: Order your Apple “Mighty Mouse” now from the Apple Store online!
Related articles:
Review: Apple’s Mighty Mouse – Third-party USB mouse makers should be very afraid – August 02, 2005
Enderle: Apple’s new Mighty Mouse ‘just does not feel like a market leader’ – August 02, 2005
Apple introduces multi-button ‘Mighty Mouse’ with ‘Scroll Ball’ for Mac and Windows – August 02, 2005
My first “First Post” ever!
I’m intrigued by this, and hope it works well with games… tried playing some games on OSX ith the Apple wireless mouse was abit ackward… but the nice mouse that looks like the Apple one but with a proper right-click button and scroll wheel (Forgot the name) looks abit strange, like there’s a crack in the middle due to the split buttons. I hope this Might Mouse comes through!!!
MDN Magic Word: “Thinking”, as in I’m Thinking about getting one of these!
Do you think it’s possible to customise the sounds of the mouse?
I would assume that the sound comes from your computer and not embedded in the mouse. I sure some smart folks will figure out how to do it within minutes of release
As long as a Speak N’ Spell voice doesn’t go “right click, left click, right click, right click, left click, right click” all damn day, it won’t be facing the business-end of my shoe.
How long before we see software patches that change “mouse sound” functionality, like light saber noises for Star Wars fanatics, or a woman’s sighs for porn afficianados? Apple may have just ushered in the new era of “mousecasting”.
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Scrolling and clicking are frequently done, so i wonder if ater a little bit of work, one would not get tired of the sounds (unless they can be de-activated in preferences)……
Otherwise, it doesn’t sound bad. Better late (a lot late, in this case) than never.
Buffy,
The sounds come from an internal speaker placed in the mouse.
Another feature is there is an audible alert when MDN posts a new story so everyone can rush here and be “first post”
Sounds like an Apple Product. I don’t think they know the meaning of the words “me too.”
The product also looks really good – for a mouse. I am sorry but as anybody who has ever gotten used to using one knows – Trackballs Rule. They offer the best control available. I cut my teeth on one with the first Powerbooks (I had a 170) and I STILL very much wish the Apple laptops had trackballs instead of trackpads. Before that the first time I ever used a trackball was on the game Missile Command – anybody remember that?
Still the fact that it has a scroll ball may be its saving grace. You still have to move your whole arm to get anywhere tho.
After several incorrect login attempts, maybe the mouse could say: “Unauthoriused user! Get your dirty hands off of me”
Cheese, I meant that the sound FILE is housed on the computer rather than the sound itself coming from the computer.
Ill be waiting for some Garageband aficiando to record a days worth of right, left and side click and scroll sounds and put them to a techno base beat, then name it “MouseTrax”
Missile Command? Did you say Missile Command? I was addicted to that game. Used to take extended lunch breaks from work and play at the mall. Sunk over $300 bucks into that thing, 1 quarter at a time. Finally got to where I could play as long as I want with just 2 bits. But I still prefer a mouse over a trackball.
But back on topic… the click sounds from the new mouse shouldn’t be any more distracting than the click sounds I hear already from my Logitech mouse. But hopefully there is a volume control somewhere.
MW = “job”, as in the singular of “Jobs”
If it’s pressure sensitive as well, rather than just on/off, it would be extremely useful for games.
Please make it so, and quell the last valid argument of naysayers.
Mighty Mouse = schweet!
I’m really curious about how this will work. How will you avoid not “clicking” when you first put your hand on the mouse? And do you have to keep your fingers off until you want to click? If this was any company other than Apple I’d be very dubious but with Apple, I’m really eager to try it.
I want one. EOM
Buffy:
Since it’s ready to go for Windows or Mac out of the box, I expect the trigger code and sound files will be hard coded on a spec of ROM or some such. The qestion is if you can flash it to modify them. I do hope we can! I also would like volume control. Soft good, loud bad.
Not to rain on anyone’s Mighty Mouse parade, but attached to my G5 PowerMac I have a two button Logitech mouse with a scroll wheel that only cost me $20.
Not sure why one needs sounds. Won’t what happens, or not, on the screen be a clue?
What kinda mouse is on your PC, Luke?
Luke, that is what I use too. Lefthanded btw, tho I pitch righty. Sometimes you can find the optical model for as little as $15. The mini scrollball is interesting, I wonder how it can be so small and not be too sensitive.
Joe McConnell:
“… I wonder how it can be so small and not be too sensitive.”
Set the sensitivity in the control panel. Ever use the li’l red nubbin in the keyboard on a ThinkPad? Same idea.
As to the audio feedback. Mice have always had mechanically amped clicking. The buttons on mice or trackballs could be practically silent if so designed. Pay attention to the world around you a bit more and you could answer a lot of your own questions about it.
cool.. but for god’s sake.. the name cannot be MIghty Mouse!
just too cheesy
To Joe McConnell
The mouse makes a sound for the same reason we have windows on washing machines. So we know the device is working. Old industrial design trick.
If it’s cheesy even better. Mice like cheese.
I think the name is cute. Cute sells.
It also makes you wonder, what does this thing do so well. The name would make me pick up the box to look at the features.