The Mouse Roars
Not long ago on Apple Matters, one of their astute (or maybe lucky) writers suggested Apple needed not a two-button mouse, but a multi-button mouse. The article was What OS X could learn from Windows.
In an article that posed five other suggestions for Apple, that suggestion generated the most controversy and comment. Not the multi-button mind you, but the suggestion Apple desert the single-button mouse that had for 20 years, been an icon of what it meant to be a Mac user. Kind of like a rallying flag. You could just imagine the battle flag of the Mac legions bearing, not a Mac, but a one button mouse. In this simple device, were all the philosophies of Macdom - simplicity, ease of use, being different, being innovative, defiance.
And now, in one fell swoop, Apple have reset the playing field. They’ve switched decks on us again. We have to change another argument about why we are Mac users. We are getting to the point where the only difference will be the OS - and I’m just fine with that.
A Mighty Mouse
Here’s how Apple broke the news to world and shattered another myth:
With up to four programmable buttons, Mighty Mouse makes it easy to access key features of Tiger with the side buttons and Scroll Ball providing quick, one-click access to Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé.
Sound familiar? Here’s what was in that article:
3) A multi button mouse. And you thought I’d say two. Why stop at two? Especially with things like Exposé, Dashboard and Spotlight. They’re just crying out for single click activation from a mouse.
That article was written with no prior knowledge of Apple’s plans, including a forgotten rumor on Apple Insider in March, which I didn’t turn up until several days after my article was released.
And now, much sooner than expected Apple has, as desired by me and a few others, given us a multi-button mouse to access things like Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé from a single click.
There were many, many responses to that article - mostly about the mouse. Several people posting comments indicated they did not want button-bloat. A few others said a mouse that worked like a single or multi-button mouse would be good. Maybe Apple has made both of these groups happy as this mouse can be one, two, three or four button. Whatever takes you fancy. But I reckon they’ll start using the other buttons before long.
Several though voiced very strong concerns about ergonomics and software ease of use being compromised - suggesting developers could become lazy. I trust this won’t happen - especially as developers have had context menus for years.
It’s interesting to note, that the side buttons on Apple’s single button mouse have always been there - I’ve tried pressing them many times to no avail. How long have Apple been planning this? Have they planned this from the beginning of the redesigned one-button mouse - like the Intel switch which was planned for from the beginnings of OS X?
And it upholds the ideals of simplicity, ease of use, being different, being innovative - whilst defiantly challenging the PC world to do better.
The Mighty Mouse, although the name doesn’t grab me, certainly grabs me on looks. The Apple designers at their best yet again. And it’s got a scroll wheel that I wanted too! I want one!
What’s it mean?
This isn’t a chance to gloat. Sitting alone in a dimly lit room, there’s no one here to pat my back and say “Good onya, mate!” But that’s cool - since there’s still another five requests on that list that could become egg on my face.
Rather, this is a chance to take stock of Apple. Who are Apple, 2005? How many “nevers” have been tossed aside in the last six months alone? An x86 Mac; A flash based iPod; A cheap Mac; A multi-button Mouse. Hell’s looking decidedly cold. What’s next? iPod’s that play videos are strongly rumored. And what after that? OS X licensed to Dell? The Apple keyboard modifier keys changed to match Windows’? This is a new Apple that is letting go of the past when it sees it doesn’t need to hold onto it. This is an Apple that is prepared to change. This is an Apple that really does want a much larger slice of the PC market. This is an Apple of who you really should never say never.
This Apple is about making great products that really are accessible to everyone. That is the key. That is Apple 2005.
I guess I can take my flame-proof vest off now.
Thanks Steve, I owe you a beer.
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Good enough? I just want it to make some kind of sense.
Yeah, ‘cause your name calling has been a fountain of logic and reasoning. Your mind-numblingly absurd re-defining of “zealot” just so you could call me what I called you was a real prize-winner. Talk about mature. That’s you using the playground equivalent of “No I’m not, you are!”
You know why I think you’re a troll, but you still haven’t explained why you think I’m a zealot.
And this [I’m running out of synonyms for “stupid”, so insert your own here] idea that somehow I need your approval to call you a zealot, or that I have to justify it to you is so utterly absurd that I can’t even believe I bothered to explain it in the first place. It’s not like you asked for my approval before calling me a troll.
So I’m not going to bother. You think I’m a troll. I think you’re a zealot. That hasn’t changed this whole entire thread and it’s not going to. You’re a zealot. Sue me.
And this [I’m running out of synonyms for “stupid”, so insert your own here] idea that somehow I need your approval to call you a zealot, or that I have to justify it to you is so utterly absurd that I can’t even believe I bothered to explain it in the first place. It’s not like you asked for my approval before calling me a troll.
In other words, you label people “Mac zealots” without any rhyme or reason. I suspected as much, but I’m glad we got that straight. Now I’ll leave you to your trolling. Thanks for the laughs. Good day, sir.
In other words, you label people “Mac zealots” without any rhyme or reason.
Um, no. I mean that no reason I give (and I’ve given them) is going to satisfy you, so why should I bother. It’s not like you’ve given a satisfactory reason for calling me a troll.
So we are at an impasse, you immature trolling zealout you.
... continuing earlier post…
The problem as I see it with this mouse is that it’s trying to re-invent the wheel. Or at least the button.
There’s nothing wrong with innovation, of course. Nothing wrong with progress. So when optical mice took over from ball mice, that was not problem. But they worked just as well, and solved the problem of grit and fluff messing up the rollers inside the mouse.
Now apple add a little ball to the top of the mouse. This solves the problem of 360° scrolling. Great !
But who needs 360° scrolling ? A few maybe. But what they didn’t do was do properly. Now we have an optical mouse with a mechanical ball on the top, to collect dust, grease and grime from fingers - and with no obvious way to clean it.
Then the button(s). People seem to think having one button is simple and two buttons is complex. Fine. Use a one button mouse if you think a two button mouse is complex. But to disguise[/] the second button just seems a bit nuts to me. Why disguise it ? It’s just for the sake of appearance. Now if the thing worked properly, that might be a problem. But for plenty of people, it seems, it does not. Plenty of people are finding that in order to right click, they have to lift their left finger. This, I’m afraid falls into the category of style over substance, the classic Apple pitfall.
Most of the time Apple actually delivers style and substance (iPod, iMac for example), and the accusation is just plain wrong. So it’s a shame to have something that is such a terrible compromise.
The zealot in me want to love this thing. It doesn’t take much to sell Apple to me. Give me two equivalent products, one Apple, and Apple 20% more expensive, I’ll take the Apple product. Partly this is because I like the brand (even though I hate brands), but I like the brand because it usually delivers. In this case, I just see a nice looking, flawed, badly designed product.
Oh, back to greasy balls. I’m not certain, but I suspect that if one tried to wear gloves to keep the ball clean, then the button sensors wouldn’t work.
What this has done for me is make me look at ditching my one button mouse and replacing it with something else, but not the mighty mouse. I’m thinking lots of buttons, but only if they’re not easy to trigger accidentally.
Oh, another thing with Mighty Mouse. I understand that the software is really not so great. The left-right on the ball in firefox, for instance, triggers back-forward a page, and it’s not possible to adjust the functions on a per-application basis. The more I think about this, the more it sucks.
Beeblebox and Lavar78, let it rest now, please! Keep any future comment betwen the two of you in email. Let’s stay on topic.
thanks
<style over substance, the classic Apple pitfall.</i>
I’ve read a review that basically said the same thing you are and echoes my thoughts as well.
Basically what the review said was that the best the Might Mouse accomplishes is adding a scroll wheel to the one-button mouse. For those who wnat multi-buttons, you’re much better off going with a third-party mouse.
This product seems like the worst kind of compromise. Yes, it gives one-button mouse users a scroll wheel, BUT it costs $50 extra. And in the effort to keep the single-button users happy, they’ve made the multi-button features too difficult to use.
I think when most of us were lamenting the lack of a multi-button Apple mouse, this isn’t what we had in mind.
Oh, another thing with Mighty Mouse. I understand that the software is really not so great.
I can’t remember the last time I had to INSTALL software to use a mouse. I’m imagining that the drivers for this get added to the next OS X update.
And my apologies, Hadley, for letting that get out of control. I should have known to stop responding a long time ago but I didn’t. After all, I’m a troll apparently and that’s what we do.
I’ve said all I intend to say to him, which I thought I made clear in my last post.
Dick, let us know how you go with your “teleporting” mouse cursor. Mine’s still doing it. Anyone else having that problem? I might go search the Apple discussion forums…
Other than the very noisy squeak, I have no complaints about this mouse.
Contrary to other reviews (some which I wonder if the reviewer actually used the mouse), I have no problems with the left and right click. To anyone who’s not used one, you have to depress the whole mouse (like the single button model). The sensors detect the dominant finger (left or right) to determine whether it’s a left or right click. I find it effortless, no re-learnign required - tho I had been a long time trackball user, so that might have helped.
I notice that this one doesn’t have the clicker adjuster on its base.
I do hope that future updates of the preference pane allows keystrokes to be mapped to buttons.
The scroll ball is good, though the one complaint (and the same might apply to any other mouse), it’s not sensitive to the application it’s in. So if I set it for scrolling pages in Safari, that is way too fast for scrolling a document say in Freehand.
Beeblebrox,
Your defense on calling people names here is that other people have done it to you on other sites.
I didn’t label you a troll until I pointed out to you that you purposefully twist people’s words around in order to inflame the argument (which is exactly what the net-etiquette definition of “troll” is).
You then claim that the “zealots” are calling Windows users sheeps, idiots and morons… Another thing which I checked on this site which turned out to be totally untrue. I didn’t find anyone here saying any such thing. You’re making up “facts” to support your argument… to show that you were “right” to call us names first.
And yes, I called you a troll because I saw you calling people names and baiting them just to start a flame war… that’s what a troll does.
And then you get in a huff at us for calling you a “troll”? I’d say this was a pretty huge case of the pot calling the kettle black.
If my arguement boils down to “You started it”, then so be it. You did… So stop trying to claim you were labelled unfairly.
and it’s not possible to adjust the functions on a per-application basis
Hywel,
I asked this in another thread, but I’m not sure anyone saw/responded:
Does any mouse have application aware buttons? I know some pen-tablets do, but I hadn’t found a mouse that has (though I hadn’t looked all that hard). I like my Logitech, but I too wish it had application-aware button layout switching.
Anyway, I’d debate that missing that feature would count as a point against the Mighty Mouse if no other mouse (in a similar price range) has it.
Firefox automatically assigns back and forward to the left and right scroll on the Mighty Mouse - which is quite cool!
So, I suspect that “application aware buttons” would be something that dependent on the application, rather than the mouse itself.
True, unless you’ve assigned a keystroke to a button, in which case, the keystroke would remain the same no matter which app (I know you can’t do this with a Mighty Mouse at present).
I ask, though, because I remember the old Gravis Mousestick, which had 4 buttons that could change depending on the app you launched.
It came with numerous button layouts for various games, but you could even create presets for any application if you so desired. Even though it was a joystick, not a mouse, the same technology could be used for a mouse since they’re essentially the same from a hardware/software point of view.
I think it was be really sweet if Logitech or Apple or someone came out with an application aware preference pane for their mice. You’d have the default button layout, but could make additional layouts for different apps.
I’m surprised no one is doing it since I believe Gravis wasn’t the only company that had one of these app-aware i/o peripherals back in the System 7 - 8 days (and we know that there are at least a few application aware tablets).
By the way, I noticed a “Button 3” and “Button 4” selections in the pics of the MM preferences pane. Has anyone explored what functions these buttons have in various apps?
After using the Mighty Mouse for a couple of weeks, I can’t recommend it.
It’s not that it’s not good, it’s just not compelling. It’s just a mouse. Cleverly designed, but just a mouse. The scroll ball is a great idea, but Apple aren’t the first to use the scroller for left-right scrolling.
I do find it uncomfortable to use - as I did it’s predecessor, the Pro-Mouse. It doesn’t make mousing any easy than any other mouse I’ve used.
If Apple don’t include the Might Mouse standard with their systems and you want a two (or more) button mouse - shop around, check the offerings from MS and Logitech. I certainly don’t think the Mighty Mouse is worth paying for.
Although I still think the trackball is the most intuitive pointing device, I have enjoyed using some mice. The Mighty Mouse is not one of them.
I’m a recent switcher from the Linux/Windows world, and personally, I do not miss my right-click at all. After trying out the Mighty Mouse, I am not sure whether I care about the right-click, and the squeeze-click, but the nipple is a welcome addition. Scrolling with it feels fantastic. And I love how it still technically has only one clicker.
Too bad I have a Powerbook, with its built-in scrolly touchpad. Otherwise I might have bought a Mighty Mouse. I’ll sit it out and wait for a Bluetooth version.