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August 02, 2005
Apple Introduces Multi-Button Mouse
Yes, it's true, Apple has finally bitten the bullet and ended their prolonged battle between mouse esthetics and functionality. The company today announced the Mighty Mouse, a somewhat cheesily-named product for Apple's standards, but one that will certainly change the face of their peripherals department.
The idea behind it is that you get two buttons with the look and feel of one, since the mouse has only one major button, but can determine where you click on that one button to differentiate between a left and right click.
It also has 360ยบ scrolling, which could either be a blessing or a curse, since it could easily end in disaster if you think you're scrolling straight down when you are really scrolling down and to the left.
Side buttons (never my favorite placement for extra clicking options) also allow application switching and other customized features, but introduce the worry of accidentally clicking one while resting your hand on the side of your mouse.
The other problem is that it does not appear to come with a wireless option. I would find it much more useful with built-in bluetooth, but then it would probably cost $99.
All-in-all, it's a big step for Apple, and I can't wait to get my hands on one to give it a try, but I'm very worried about accidental clicking and scrolling with this model. I certainly won't be rushing to buy one before I have had a chance to test it in-person, and I'll post a full review as soon as I do.
Posted by Alan Joyce at August 2, 2005 05:27 PM
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