For years Apple resisted introducing a two-button mouse claiming that they had not yet found a way to introduce a second button without compromising the looks of the device. Finally a few years ago touch-sensitive technology allowed Apple to modify it's existing mouse to include a second button.
Dubbed the mighty mouse the device has two touch-sensitive areas that function as left and right mouse buttons as well as two programmable touch-sensitive panels at the side and a scroll ball at the front. It connects using USB and is compatible with Windows PCs and Apple Macs.
=Design= The design is certainly stylish and in keeping with Apples other glossy white offerings such as the iPod and iMac. Although having said this, much of Apple's hardware designs now incorporate brushed aluminium and black glass which leaves this device looking a bit out of place. I guess the mighty mouse will eventually receive a makeover to conform with other products. This is a small nitpick though as the mighty mouse is very elegant and modern looking.
=Mouse Buttons= The two main mouse buttons work very well although it takes a bit of getting used to. In order to right mouse click you need to make sure you aren't touching the left mouse button as that also registers on the touch pad. This feels a bit strange at first but you get used to it.
=Scroll Ball= The scroll ball works very well and allows you to scroll up, down, left, right and diagonally easily. This is particularly good when looking at large photos and is a great feature. The only problem is after a while the ball gets gummed up with dirt which seriously affects its responsiveness. As it is not possible to remove the ball this makes it very difficult to clean. The best method I have found is to rub the mouse over a damp towel in a circular motion. This usually works OK but it's still a bit of a pain.
=Side Buttons= Less successful are the side buttons which can be programmed to do pretty much whatever you want and on an Apple machine are initially set to activate dashboard. The problem here is that if you are used to using the old Apple mouse you almost certainly would naturally rest your thumb and little finger one these two areas. Now you can't rest your fingers there are you constantly activate the touch sensitive pads. This can be pretty infuriating especially as I find I have to contort my hand to avoid touching these pads which is very uncomfortable. Fortunately you can deactivate these side buttons, and that is how everyone I know who has one of these mice uses them.
=USB Connecting Wire= Another issue I have with the mouse is the cable which has very thin insulation around it and coils up too easily. I have an early model and I know the similar wire on Apple's laptop chargers was replaced with one with thicker insulation so this may have been corrected. There is also the option of a wirelessbluetooth version.
=Value for Money= In terms of value for money this mouse is OK but it is quite expensive. You do get a lot of features but the side buttons are almost unusable. There are certainly cheaper mice or scroll balls that offer comparable functionality although I'm not sure any others combine to two.
=Summary= Overall this is a bit of a mixed bag and I would recommend you go to an Apple store and try this mouse before you buy. The mouse looks great and the two main buttons work reasonably nicely. When working, the scroll ball is very good and is certainly a step up from a normal scroll wheel. However, the difficulty in cleaning the scroll ball and the poorly executed side buttons bring this mighty mouse back down to earth.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Apple Mighty Mouse is intuitive easy to use and designed toaccommodate whether you ... more
want to use it as a single or multi-buttonmouse. It features the scroll ball an innovative technology thatlets you scroll in all directions with ease--verticallyho...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Jul 29th, 2008
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