“These days, as more and more of us are using laptops rather than desktops, the mouse has become an endangered species. Trackpads, after all, can do everything a mouse can — and more. With a Mac trackpad, you can now employ a wide range of finger motions to scroll through documents, tab between open applications, and zoom in and out of photosSteven Levy writes for Wired,” Steven Levy writes for Wired. “And a new wave of touchscreen computers lets you manipulate things directly, like you’re already doing with your smartphone. So, why even bother with a mouse?”
“It’s a question that Apple has obviously been pondering. In October, with characteristic suddenness, the company introduced a radically reimagined device called the Magic Mouse. Clearly, it’s intended to revivify the flagging fortunes of the species, and it just might do that — for a while,” Levy writes. “As one might expect in this Bluetooth age, the $69 mouse is wireless. It’s carefully designed, with a sumptuously cantilevered icy-white carapace over a brushed aluminum hull. And, like other recent Apple designs, the contour is unbroken by any raised button — the device itself is the button.”
“The real advance, however, is that the Magic Mouse is touch sensitive, so it supports the same sorts of gestures that a trackpad or iPhone does, including one I cannot live without: the finger slide that scrolls the page up, down, or sideways,” Levy writes. “If you hold down the Control key, a finger on the mouse can enlarge or shrink the screen image… Is the Magic Mouse the best mouse ever? Nothing superior comes to mind. If I had a Mac desktop, I would use it all the time. But since I have a laptop, I simply forget that the mouse is around; it’s almost as easy, and certainly less complicated, just to use the trackpad.”
Full article here.
Apple’s MAgic Mouse Rocks!
Touch, touch, touch… The future is slowly clearing up. Clicking (whether mouse, or keyboard) is slowly becoming extinct.
Death knell for the mouse?
The more I ponder the what Apple annouced on January 27, theore I’m convinced that we are witnessing the death of the mouse. It may be slow, but it will happen.
Bill Cosby: Himself (1983)
“You know, I brought you in this world, and I can take you out.”
Steve Jobs (to the mouse in January 27, 2010):
“You know, I brought you in this world, and I can take you out.”
Great book to read: The Invisible Computer
http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Computer-Products-Information-Appliances/dp/0262640414
I LOVE my Magic Mouse. It’s compact, so I take it with me and my MacBook Pro everywhere. The erudite Mr. Levy makes good points, however. But just like it’s impossible to wipe out real mice from this world, our friendly electronic marsupial will likely be a hardy survivor no matter what.
It’s even led me to wonder about the iPad. With the keyboard dock accessory, the one thing I noted that was missing was – get ready – a mouse. Perhaps I’ll be surprised, and using a touch screen to navigate will be second nature. But I’m waiting to see if Apple will allow Bluetooth to be used to drive a Magic Mouse with an iPad in its upright position when attached to the keyboard dock.
That said, using the gestures of an iPhone are now second nature to me. But when used with an accessory keyboard, I wonder if an iPad will beg for a Magic Mouse.
Stay tuned. Film at 11. Back to you, Ted.
Oops!
“The more I ponder what Apple annouced on January 27, the more I’m convinced…”
All I can say is thank God. I have not used a mouse in over a year. There is no longer a need for it anymore.
@Breeze
Agreed! Love the Magic Mouse – except for no double click button. I haven’t double clicked in 10 years but I’m getting way faster at it. I downloaded a couple plugins but ended up uninstalling them to due to conflicts.
Two finger swipe forward and backward sure takes some getting used to as well.
Scrolling? Awesome.
Speed and click placement? Awesome.
MW = york
I got nuthin’.
Mice are rodents, not marsupials.
There IS one point to consider. Imagine using hand/finger gestures on a very large monitor. After several hours of this your arms would tire…probably a lot. I can see computers with both touch screens AND a MagicMouse. It would just be easier to do some things on the mouse without having to lift your hands onto the large screen. So, I see no death to the mouse, but a co-existence where each has a role.
I use the mouse whenever I use my laptop on a table. (instead of my lap) I like the track pad but I use it sooooo much that the tip of my index finger gets sore.
Besides, I love the Magic Mouse and it’s better for PhotoShop and Aperture.
Oh by the way, laptops are also doomed. Enjoy them while you can.
Well, I like having my keyboard down and my screen up. And I like being able to touch type without looking at where my fingers are and I think that will take some getting used to if it’s possible on a touch screen – Even Steve had to stare at his hands when he was typing during the demo. Not saying it can’t be done.
As for the mouse, I have always hated mice and used a trackball. My desk is too much a mess to keep a large space open and sliding my hand back and forth for a small space is a pain. I have since gotten a Magic Mouse and its the best mouse I have ever had. But I just wish it were more like a wireless trackpad. And my wrist is starting to hurt from using it and I might go back to my track ball.
External multitouch trackpad. That’s what I want.
Ever try playing DOOM or Crysis with a touchpad? The mouse will be around awhile, at least for gamers.
I don’t see the death of the mouse. It works fine on a desktop and there will always be desktops. People need to sit down at some point. And I don’t see how touching your monitor is any better.
Now for mobile devices sure.
Well this is true for Mac users, but if you look around Windows users, the trackpad 2 or more buttons experience is so lousy that almost all use a mouse when at the office/or house, and revert to track pad when at the coffee shop (if they do not carry it on the bag)
they have no multi touch commands, scrolling is position based or non-existent, buttons often are uncomfortable to reach with a single hand that most users use the trackpad with one hand and reach buttons with the other
ChrissyOne made the same mistake S.Levy made … left out four important words: </b>As We Know Them</b>. Yes … the classic “computer mouse” is doomed, as is the classic “laptop computer”. It will not take long before the iPad envelopes the nice, comfy market for the MacBook. Not long at all.
The story’s the same for the classic three-button mouse. That optical device will be going the way of the “ball” mouse that came before it. Soon to be superseded by a “desktop trackpad”?
The MacBook Pro will be around longer than the MacBook. The “mouse-like device” will be around as long as World of Warcraft defaults to it. The iPad has a lot of growing to do before it can replace even a 13″ MBP. And I don’t mean “inches”. Which is OK, because I can see that in the future. Just not in 2010 or 2011. 2012? Maybe?
@ ChrissyOne
Mice can also be marsupials….at least in Australia.
http://science.jrank.org/pages/4150/Marsupial-Rats-Mice.html
Trackpads are convenient, but also introduce many new opportunities for repetitive stress injuries. Not to mention that people who do precision graphics on a computer screen need a much more precise pointing device than a stubby finger.
Whoever it was that first came up with the idea of touch displays for desktop use, he should be put in a straightjacket and locked away for eternity in a windoze95-only lab.
Its an ergonomic nightmare that just moves the pain from the lower arm up to the shoulder and neck. Ill stick to my mice until the day someone, Apple?, comes up with the next evolutionary step in computing.
@ChrissyOne:
Maybe laptops are doomed, maybe not. Different strokes for different folks.
I no longer use a mouse with my desktop. I use a Bamboo touch pad and am generally very happy with it.
Touch screens and desktops go together like drinking and driving. They’re great until you crash your car or get “Gorilla Arm”. I sure as hell don’t want finger prints on my screen when doing graphic design work. Long live the mouse!
Seconding the call for the external multitouch trackpad!
Magic mouse almost does it, but for me loses as much as it gains.
I have a Magic Mouse, but would love to replace my keyboard with one that incorporates a Macbook-style trackpad.
Better yet would be one with an LCD screen under the trackpad.