A Two-Button Scrollable Apple Mouse?

There’s a difference between want and need. Wanting something does not necessarily mean you have to have it to survive or exist. The arrival of Lent has reminded me of that. Needing something however, reflects the sheer impossibility of going on with life without it. I have been exposed to something so amazing in it’s enhancement of efficiency and productivity that I don’t know what to do with myself. And I need it. The only problem? I was exposed to it on a **GASP** PC machine and now when I go back to my computer, I feel like I am incomplete. But most importantly, I feel like I am not as productive. I have seen the light of how fast I can work, surf, and play, and gosh darn it, I want it for my Mac!

I am talking about the scrollable mouse and out of the entire Apple Computer catalog, not one of them features this helpful utility. Now why is that? I have a few guesses.

USEFULLNESS
Perhaps our good friends at Apple feel this handy little feature just isn’t useful enough to include in it’s mice (or is it mouses? Maybe it’s Meece). Maybe they feel it’s easier to scroll a 200 page document by moving your cursor onto the scroll bar, positioning it onto the down arrow, and pressing your mouse button until you reach page 84. Or better yet, in a waste of energy, clicking and dragging on the scroll bar. So is Apple telling me that I not only have to push the button, but I have to move my wrist as well? And depending on the size of my arm and the size of the document I have to lift up my elbow pivot off of the desk and move my whole arm? This is absurd don’t you think?

SIMPLICITY
OK. Remember we ARE used to a one-button mouse. We have been trained to hold that CTRL key, click, pull up the options menu and select from there. That I really do not have much problem with. Although it might be yet another reason why computer games are more sophisticated on PCs. I am given the impression that if everything is simplified to one button it will bring a simplicity to computing that a 2 button, scrollable mouse could never bring. After all, with 2 buttons and a scroll wheel, we as Mac users will not know what to do with ourselves. We have given Apple no reason to believe that we can maneuver our stubby fingers into complex mouse configurations. Oh by the way, how many controls do we navigate with on one hand with the iPod?

DESIGN
Now we are getting closer to the heart of the matter. I firmly believe the only reason we, as users of the fastest, most-powerful personal computers on earth, are not using scrollable mice is that it would screw up the beautifully simple design. Yes, as a designer I admit, sometimes decisions are made based on what looks better. But I am a graphic designer. An industrial designer must also think of feel and most importantly, functionality. I feel this is a cop out. I suspect a scrollable mouse is not included because it is another design element that Apple’s simplicity threshold simply cannot sustain.

SOLUTIONS
So what are the solutions? Well, other Apple accessory makers have come up with mice with scrollable features. There are also 2 button mice and most have rid themselves of trackballs and even wires. If you own a Powerbook or iBook, there are free utilities like SideTrack, a brilliant utility that allows you to vertically scroll, horizontally scroll, and double click all on the track pad. Trust me, once you get the hang of it, you won’t go back. Of course you can try all of these. But we shouldn’t have to resort to third-party mice and hacks. I don’t want a different brand of mouse sitting on my desk. I want an Apple one.