The New Magic Mouse by Apple
After months of curiosity since its arrival in the open market, I have been anxious to get my hands on Apple’s latest innovation in the realm of the mouse. And as of this week I now own one.
My curiosity was driven by my appreciation for the trackpad on my MacBook Pro, viz., the gestures you can do with finger swiping and such. The reason the trackpad is applicable here is because this new mouse, dubbed the “Magic Mouse”, is almost entirely sensitive to the touch. Even though there are still two click buttons under the surface, about 2/3 of the mouse is similar to the a trackpad in that it detects your finger movements.
Not surprisingly, after only a few days of use (I use a mouse when my MBP is connected to an external display), Apple has exceeded my expectations once again. Here are the things I love about the new mouse:
- The ergonomics – it is curved just right to fit in a natural position for your hands.
- The aesthetics – not only does it have good feel, but it looks awesome, too.
- The gestures – without even touching the keyboard, you can swipe two fingers to the left to go back on Safari (and conversely to the right is forward), swipe through photos easily in iPhoto, scroll vertical *and* horizontal (not a new feature as the Mighty Mouse had that capability), and zoom in/out easily by holding the control button and moving your finger up/down (again, not new, but still just as convenient). Click here to see a demo.
- The reliability – I loved the Mighty Mouse when it came out, but over time, the little ball wheel would get stuck and stop functioning properly. After a few minutes of coaxing it back to normality, I could usually get it to work again, but nonetheless, the dirt/oils buildup in that moving part created problems. Now that the little ball is gone, there are no more moving parts, which everyone knows greatly improves reliability in anything.
- The Bluetooth – I’ve not been a huge advocate for Bluetooth (mainly b/c of dealing with battery usage), but I have to admit, as my wife can testify, I do like less clutter! It’s nice not having to tango with the wire anymore.
- The box it came in. Seriously. I love their packaging!
Anyone else seen or used the Magic Mouse? Thoughts?
