“Apple Computer is the design champion of the computer world. But the company has had one blind spot: the mouse. From January 1983, when it introduced the industry’s first mouse, through last month, Apple insisted on producing mice with just one button and no scroll wheel,” Walter S. Mossberg writes for The Wall Street Journal. “On Tuesday, Apple finally gave in — sort of. The company released an optional, add-on mouse called Mighty Mouse that allows right-clicking and scrolling. But in a stubborn homage to the old dogma, Apple designed the Mighty Mouse so it looks like, and can work like, a one-button mouse. Those clashing design goals make the Mighty Mouse harder to use than competing mice.”
“As with all of Apple’s mice in recent years, the Mighty Mouse has no visible buttons. The entire top surface of the shiny white mouse operates as a giant button. In single-button mice, this works fine and is kind of cool. But it makes it hard to do a right-click. So Apple built touch sensors into the Mighty Mouse that detect whether you are pressing its left or right side,” Mossberg writes. “Macintosh fan sites on the Web are already hailing this as another of Apple’s brilliant design coups. It’s not. In my tests, I found that the design makes right-clicking slower and clumsier than on a typical Microsoft or Logitech mouse with real buttons.”
“If you have Apple’s latest operating system, you can set up the Mighty Mouse so both sides act like a left mouse button, in effect turning it into a one-button mouse. Apple ships it that way so as not to shock one-button mouse lovers who have been living in a cave,” Mossberg writes. “The scrolling function on the Apple mouse is also somewhat compromised in the name of design. Instead of the tried and tested scroll wheel, Apple embedded a tiny ‘scroll ball’ in the top of the Mighty Mouse. It allows you to scroll vertically, horizontally and even diagonally. It looks cool, but I found it inferior to a scroll wheel and could never get it to work diagonally.”
Mossberg compares Apple’s Might Mouse with Microsoft’s Wireless Optical Mouse 5000 which he writes, “isn’t as slick-looking as Apple’s,” but nonetheless concludes, “Microsoft has beaten Apple on hardware design, at least in this one case.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Mossberg writes that he “found that right-clicking with the Mighty Mouse was unpredictable. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t,” but we’ve had no such problems with our Mighty Mouse units; our right-clicks work every time. Mossberg also writes that with his Mighty Mouse’s scroll ball, he “could never get it to work diagonally,” but our Mighty Mouse units scroll diagonally just fine with things that can be diagonally scrolled; you can’t scroll diagonally if there’s no point to which to scroll, of course. Mossberg also seems to think that the Microsoft mouse’s “magnifier” function is the best part of Microsoft’s mouse, but states that Windows-only function won’t work for Mac users anyway, so how is the Microsoft mouse really better for Mac users than Apple’s Mighty Mouse?
One-button mouse Mac users haven’t been living in a cave. They’ve been using the best personal computer operating systems and applications for over two decades; operating systems and applications, we might add, that don’t have functions and features destroying the user interface by being orphaned only to a second mouse button. The one-button mouse concept has proven to be very sound and it kept the Mac UI elegant and clean. The Mighty Mouse, because it comes as a one-button mouse by default, preserves the integrity of the UI and keeps developers from mucking things up for users as they’ve done with Windows.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
The Motley Fool: ‘Mighty Mouse may be the next step in Apple’s quiet crusade to lure Windows users’ – August 04, 2005
Review: Apple’s Mighty Mouse – Third-party USB mouse makers should be very afraid – August 03, 2005
Apple introduces multi-button ‘Mighty Mouse’ with ‘Scroll Ball’ for Mac and Windows – August 02, 2005
Apple’s new ‘Mighty Mouse’ provides audio feedback for clicking and scrolling – August 02, 2005
Apple’s mythical two-button mouse – March 19, 2005
RUMOR: Apple may soon debut two-button mouse – March 15, 2005
Apple’s Pro Mouse is truly a joy to use… for about five minutes – May 29, 2004
The time has come for Apple to ship a two-button scroll mouse standard – June 09, 2003
Should Apple reconsider the one-button mouse? – October 23, 2002
Thank gawd we have still have some balance in the world! I think the silly thing STILL has the wacky uncomfortable Apple mouse shape so it’s a non-starter for me anyway. A mouse is like a personal statement and everyone has a preference. Some people will liek this thing and others won’t. BIG DEAL! Not everything Apple makes is perfect for everyone and just because MDN didn’t have that problem doesn’t mean it’s not a problem. I have to agree with many of the PC press on this one. The idea that this is some big deal anyway is rather bizzare when you have the likes of the MX 1000 from Logitech etc.
I appreciate Walt’s point of view. I’ll admit that I’m a bit dubious about the way they built the buttons, but I’ll reserve my judgement until I actually get to use one.
As for who was being truthful, Walt or SteveJack, I think they both were. Not everyone uses a mouse the same way. Most people absolutely hated the hockey puck mouse but it never bothered me a bit. I tried several different multi-button mice before I settled on the Logitech MX510. I love this mouse and think it’s probably the best I’ve ever had, but I can certainly appreciate that others may not like it. A mouse is a very personal piece of hardware. To each his own.
Maybe Walt is just a clutz with big fingers?
I like the one-button mouse design and, frankly, didn’t want Apple to introduce a multi-button mouse… that is until i saw Mighty Mouse. I shouldn’t have ever doubted Apple would do it right. (Forgive me, for i have sinned.)
Walt is just a dinosaur who can’t appreciate innovation and truly elegant design. Being a dinosaur, that’s probably how he knows people once lived in caves!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Let’s all raise a glass of ale to clutzy dinosaurs; Walt, this one’s for you!
The “best” thing about the MS mouse is the Magnifier button? And it’s “Windows only”?
OSX has the same thing built right in (found in System Preferences/Universal Access). IMO, it’s better implemented than the MS magnifier.
All you have to do is simply map the buttons on the mouse.
Mossberg was looking more and more like just an Apple shill. This trouncing of the Mighty Mouse lends more credibility to his earlier heralding of other Apple products.
For Apple, it’s a step in the right direction at the very least. Even if the MM isn’t worth an extra $50US at the moment, it will eventually become the standard mouse included with all machines (and hopefully lose the cheesy –sorry for the pun– name).
Which will be far better than what they have now, in any case.
Walt might be a victim of the capacitance issue.
As I understand it, the right or left click are differentiated by capacitance in the right or left zone incurred by the pressure of the user’s fingers in that zone.
For some limited subset of people this may not work.
Ever know a person who absolutely could not wear a watch? For some people watches just stop. I was one of those until I got into my 30s. No watch lasted more than a month before stopping (no matter how expensive or cheap — I once bought a $150 electronic watch in 1973 to try to get around the problem; it stopped working in about 3 weeks). I still have periods where I have problems using the trackpad on my Powerbook. For these people the Mighty Mouse might not work.
Also capacitance is dependent on the moisture on your hands. Some people have an affliction where their hands sweat profusely. I had a friend in graduate school who had to write his notes with a piece of cardboard under his hand to keep from soaking his notepad and making writing on it impossible. He might have problems using a Mighty Mouse.
And what about those super fastidious people who insist on wearing silk lined suade gloves while using their Mac? They might have problems too. (OK. This last one is a joke!)
The bottom line is Apple’s chosen technology will not work for everyone. Is it possible that Walt fits into one of these categories? Or maybe he just got a defective test unit.
The Mighty Mouse Sucks ass…Microsoft’s Mice are the best, hands down.
Shrug. It’s a new mouse option, take it or leave it but that’s a good thing.
Try it for yourself–a lot of people love it.
At least Mossberg has been proven to think for himself–nobody can say his constant Mac praise is fake now.
“I’ll have to see how that right-click while raising the index finger thing works. Sounds to me like it’s terrible. Having to adapt a technique in order to diguise the buttons. Really it’s looking like form over function on this one. Though it does look nice!”
Newsflash: You actually have to move your finger too on a regular mouse, not just a high-tech Mighty Mouse.
NMFY: Yes, The Mighty Mouse does indeed kick some serious ass… and yes, Microsoft’s Mice do suck, hands down.
Mossberk needs to put his shoes back on and try it with his hands. The mouse, I mean.
MW- problems, as in-moss grower has some.
I agree with Tyk. I took offense at the “cave” comment, but I’m a firm believer in free speech, so I respect Walt’s opinion even though I think he’s being terribly short-sighted.
My sentiment leans more toward those who have physical limitations and cannot use a multi-button mouse — at least not easily. I’m not one of them, although I do appreciate the simplicity of a single button mouse (I have a multi-button USB mouse for my PowerBook, but I rarely use it). However, my mother is another story.
I had always thought that the rocking motion of the newer Apple mice was of questionable value until I realized the method by which my mother clicks her mouse: she tends to use her whole hand. I could definitely see where people with strength problems in their fingers would find this mouse quite a lifesaver vs. the true multi-button mice.
You can do something like this in Mac OS X already (since 10.2 I think).
Never used it before, but I’ve just configured my scroll wheel to keystroke:
command option equals (zoom in) when I scroll up
commans option minus (zoom out) when I scroll down
If you now activate ‘Zoom’ in the ‘Universal Access’ preference pane, when you use the scroll wheel it will zoom in and out of the screen. Quite why you would want to do this however is beyond me, I’ve always got on quite well with the technique of moving my head closer to the screen.
For the record, I use a 2 button mouse with scroll wheel from Macally, I have used 2 button mice since Apple produced the awful hockey puck mouse, and I couldn’t do my job without one now.
Cloudwall, “the tablet came with a wireless, 2-button mouse with a scrollwheel” AND IT DOESN’T REQUIRE BATTERIES!!!
i have been using one, two, and three button mice for a long time. i prefer a single button. i use the keyboard as much as possible because, like others have mentioned, i don’t like carpal tunnel syndrome. sometimes, unfortunately, you have to use the mouse. in an awful lot of cases the need to use a mouse implies a badly thought out user interface. not all of course, games are an exception, and drawing something in illustrator needs a mouse. i don’t live in a cave either. i think walt needs to cut down on his caffeine or change his meds.
OSX has the same thing built right in (found in System Preferences/Universal Access). IMO, it’s better implemented than the MS magnifier.
Actually, Mr. Mossberg’s wrong. Microsoft did implement that feature for the WMO 5000 on Mac OS X. Clicking the button zooms the screen or turns off the zoom, and the scroll wheel controls the zoom level.
Not allowed to say why I know this, but let’s just say I’m a well-informed source working at a large software company in Washington state…
In response to someone asking about other mice, if you get a chance, check out the Logitech Laser Cordless Mouse, the MX1000. Yes, laser, not optical. I was a total skeptic, but it is absolutely amazing. And the rechargeable lithium battery was icing on the cake. If you find a place with a good return policy, it’s worth looking at, especially if you are into design or get wrist cramps (it got rid of mine with its ergo. shape).
Wow, I am usually not overly bothered by the thin skinned “defend Apple at all costs” attitudes you can occasionally come across here at Mac Defence Network, but this thread has been the worst example of whingeing I have seen in a long time. I love my Mac (on my 5th) and would never go back to a PC, but I dropped the 1 button mouse as soon as I could. Spewing venom because some people prefer two buttons and a scroll to a hockey puck is what stops this site from being the absolute best Mac site on the web. Lighten up a little. There are more important things to pout about, like what an a-hole Ballmer is, or how bad Vitsa will turn out to be.
[I]Newsflash: You actually have to move your finger too on a regular mouse, not just a high-tech Mighty Mouse.[/I]
Erm. No you don’t. I rest my index finger on the left button and middle finger on the right. I can right-click without having to raise the index finger. Were I to get one of these, I’d have to modify my clicking technique to overcome this apparent design fault.
“It looks cool, but I found it inferior to a scroll wheel and could never get it to work diagonally.”
I wonder if Walt Mossberg was testing it on a PC? The diagonal scrolling feature only works on a Mac. No diagonal scrolling support built into Windoze I guess.
I’m curious..what do all you multi-button mouse users do with all those extra buttons on a mac. What do you program them for specifically?
Cloudwall said, “I agree with Hammer, a tablet is the best interface. More accurate, certainly better for graphic work (ever try drawing with a mouse?). Also, the tablet came with a wireless, 2-button mouse with a scrollwheel.”
What tablet do you use? Is it still available?
Anyone else have a particular tablet they’d recommend?
I have to go with Walt on this one. The main reason people are looking at this mouse in the first place is the two buttons. Why do you go out of your way to hide the primary feature? Admittedly, it did seem to work okay for me in the store — although I found the side squeezing action to be harder than just having buttons there — I just think Apple is working too hard here. Design philosophy over usefulness.
The nice thing about a thread like this is that it shows how reasonable Mac “zealots” like us can be if criticism is reasoned and fair. Oh sure, you can count the knee-jerk “Walt is a doo-doo head” responses, but they’re in the minority. The sad thing, it’s those folks that the rest of the world thinks about when they think about Mac fans, just like they think of the 300-pound man in a Sailor Moon costume when they think of anime fans.
To be honest a 2 button mouse is nothing to rave about unless playing video games(when I really do love having it for that). I have the MS S+arck and I barely use the right click in most daily uses, more important though is the scroll wheel! I think more people use that more than anything esle. since when reading articles you ususally have to scroll down. just my 2 cents. not supporting either ones just know they both provide something for everyone and now that you have that option in one mouse what is all the fretting for? lol
Wacom is generally considered to be the tablet maker to beat. Here’s a link to their tablet selection wizard:
http://www.wacom.com/tabletwizard/index.cfm
I’m intrigued by the Graphire Bluetooth, myself…
[LordRobin, DAMN YOU FOR PUTTING THAT IMAGE IN MY HEAD!!!]