Back on June 9th of this year, SteveJack wrote, “The time has come for Apple to ship a two-button scroll mouse standard.” Now that Apple has announced their newest mouse, the Apple Wireless Mouse, complete with one button (again), we revisit SteveJack’s opinion article.
“I have been a Mac user since The Beginning. I have used a one-button mouse, as per Steve Jobs’ decree, until mid May 2003. That’s a long time. Then, while in Best Buy, of all places, I picked up a Kensington Pocket Mouse Pro because I wanted an inexpensive mouse that would travel well in my backpack. And, of course, I liked the retractable cord that winds into mouse’s body via its “garage door.” After three weeks with it, I can safely say, the time has come for Apple to ship a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel standard,” SteveJack writes.
Full article in the MacDailyNews Opinion section here.
I think people should cool it a bit. The debate degenerates quickly to name-calling here. Look at this rationally:
The issue of 1-button vs. 2-button vs. 3-button mice is NOT about the OS. That is clear since OS X supports multi-button mice. It is also NOT about mouse design. I hardly believes that a company that can design a computer system can’t put enough circuitry for 2 or 3 button mice. Is it because of His Steve-ness. I doubt that since NeXT has multi-button mice. Is it about the price? Doubt that… 3 button mice are not much more expensive to produce.
So, why the insistence of 1 button mouse?
Can anyone believes that Apple does not do market research? (No, ‘Apple does not call ME’ does not count… you are not the center of the universe, even if you believe so) Should you believe that Apple never considers the implication to exclude multi-button mice in the grand scheme of The Switch? Or its relationship with third-party accessory maker? We can only guess, but we’ll never know for sure unless Apple starts explaining their rationale. *I* think Apple does what is best for *Apple* and to an extent, its customer, and that is shipping one button mice, wahtever *you* may think. You want to change that? Don’t buy Apple’s new mouse, politely send suggestions to Apple, start petitions, etc. Until Apple is convinced that the majority wants multi-button mice, I doubt that it will change.
The original Apple Powerbooks had 2 buttons on trackball.
I hope Apple NEVER bring out a two button mouse – you know why? Because they wouln’t be Apple anymore. How many fingers to you need to point for goodness sake? ONE, and what do you think you have a left hand for??? Jeez, I think most of the posts here are actually from Windows users who have been sent over to secrety try to sabotage Macs superiority!
Regardless of this epic debate, MacOS Rumors says with “very nearly 100% certainty” that a two-button scroll wheel mouse from Apple is on its way.
We all know how accurate MacOS Rumors predictions are, right?
http://www.macosrumors.com
Like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? …get a 2-button mouse.
This isn’t hard. If you use a two-button mouse, you use small muscles and 1 tendon to press each button.
If you use a 1-button mouse you use big muscles and tendons back in your arm.
The mantra of RSI reduction is ‘move the action to the big muscles’ or something like that.
By providing a 1-button mouse they ensure developers will code for it, enabling accessibility for disabled users. If a 2-button mouse was standard there would be programs the next day that required it.
Show me a GUI problem that’s can’t be successfully refactored to not require a right button. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be an option, but not required.
Apple is doing this right, making it optional, and I really don’t understand why some people want to impose their 2-button preference on the rest of the customer base.
The two-button mouse and track pad are a must. I have used the Kensington Orbit for several years and will never go back to a single button mouse or device.
Bill,
Command-W, dozens of times per day has lead to CTS in my middle finger (no, really) of my left hand.
Your info regarding CTS is valid, yet some continue to refuse to – even after a very lengthy debate – allow ‘Apple’ to ‘choose’ what’s right for MOST of its customers.
Ease of use, peripheral partners, CTS, years of R&D, standardization of the Mac GUI (not specific Mac Apps!), usability by left-handers, keyboard shortcuts that are difficult on Windows, two-handed computing, arrow-keys, and many other very valid reasons to continue to OFFER only a one-button Mac mouse won’t convince some that Apple ‘must’ OFFER a choice. Well they do, but you must get it from from Kensington, Macally, et al.
Folks, this is so simple. Go back and re-read Aryugaetu, Carlos, Voodoo’s explanations as to why Apple is unlikely to OFFER their own 2-button mouse.
BTW, tomorrow (Filet-Friday) when you go to McDonald’s for lunch, ask for your Filet-o-Fish without cheese but with lettuce. There’s a button they’ll push. You’ll get your Filet for 10� extra (even tho’ no cheese!). And they won’t have to change their entire product line to satisfy a few hundred of their billions and billions of customers
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AFWIW, some would be correct to point out that not EVERYONE will ‘fold up their tent and move on’ when a competitor (Apple) offers their product for free.
Perhaps what might be a more accurate observation would be that few companies would be eager to promote a product that another gives for free.
However, some companies think or feel that their customers will stay with them because of features, customer service, perceived value, etc.
Again FWIW, a $30 mouse does not have the same profit or profit margin as a $400 database. It might be more difficult for some companies to justify offering a specific product, especially if they weren’t making ‘loads of money’ regardless of their margins.
I’m a current PC user, but my Mac is shipping through Fed-Ex as we speak. I personally love Apple’s GUIS, and their other innovations.
I really don’t like my PC, but I really think that Apple should offer a different mouse as an option. If my mouse wasn’t dual-platform, I would be confused as hell about the one-button mouse because I would be forced to use it.
Whether or not the Apple mouse is more useful or simpler to use, whatever, Apple should at least offer it. What about us PC users who have been raised on the two button mouse?
I agree that the Apple mouse is far more attractive than most PC mice, but for users who aren’t confused by the two-button mouse, and I know it confused me when I first used one, the option needs to be there.
At the Apple store you can adjust how much memory you have and whether or not you want a modem. Even if only 25 percent of the people who bought a Mac got the two-button option, wouldn’t that help Pc-to-Mac conversion rates?
Thinking different doesn’t mean being averse to everything that isn’t familiar.
That’s my two cents.
BTW, sorry to dredge up a mostly dead thread.