Mighty Mouse Act I
Written by Bryan Los on August 7th, 2005 @ 8:37 PMWell, after nearly 21 years and many, many incarnations of the Mac, Apple Computer finally has released a multi-button mouse. In Apple fashion, this isn’t just another computer mouse– it’s a giant leap in mouse innovation.
When Steve Jobs first saw the mouse and GUI in action at Xerox PARC, Jobs knew he wanted this for his new baby, Lisa. However, history will remember Lisa as but a footnote in the computer industry.
With he introduction of the Apple Macintosh in 1984, and with the release of Lisa before it, Apple scaled down the mouse to include only one button. Jobs figured that anyone only needed one button. He may have been right, since that philosophy lasted nearly 21 years.
A Better Mouse
Fast forward to the present, and in particular, OS X (Tiger).
Since before Tiger was released, Apple had been working on a multi-button mouse to take advantage of all the new features that OS 10.4 (Tiger) would bring. The end result is a nifty new mouse simply called ‘Mighty Mouse.’
This is not a simple mouse by any means however. A quick look will reveal no left and right buttons, rather only a smooth top shell. You’ll quickly see the scroll wheel, and two buttons on either side of the mouse.
Apple has also re-invented the scroll wheel. Previously limited to horizontal and vertical tracking, the Mighty Mouse can scroll in 360 degrees. Whether it’s a web page or a large image file, the new scroll wheel can scan the complete work space, without you ever lifting your finger.
The real magic of the mouse lay hidden underneath the top shell– Apple engineers have developed innovative touch-sensitive technology.
Key features of Mighty Mouse (from Apple.com):
- Innovative Scroll Ball and button
Perfectly positioned to roll smoothly under just one finger, Mighty Mouse’s Scroll Ball offers full 360-degree scrolling capability– up/down, left/right and diagonally. You can scroll long web pages, pan full-size images, maneuver around large spreadsheets, control a video timeline and more. And you can even click the Scroll Ball to access your favorite Tiger features such as Dashboard, Spotlight or Expos’. - Touch-sensitive top shell
It looks and feels like a sleek one-button mouse, but Mighty Mouse’s smooth top shell hides a powerful secret: touch-sensitive technology under the shell detects which part of the mouse you’re clicking, so you can both left-click and right-click. And if you prefer the simplicity of a classic one-button mouse, Mighty Mouse is up to the task. Just use the Mac OS X Tiger system preference pane to configure it how you want. - Force-sensing side buttons
When you give Mighty Mouse a squeeze, force-sensing side buttons can be configured to activate Tiger features such as Dashboard, Expos’ or a whole host of other customizable features. - Customizable with Tiger
If you have Mac OS X Tiger, Mighty Mouse can give you fingertip access to the special features you love. Simply use the system preference panel to configure Mighty Mouse in the way that makes you most powerful. Control the Scroll Ball’s tracking and click functions, as well as the right, left and side click functions. And you even can set up different mouse profiles for every user account on your Mac. - Optical Tracking
Powered by a precision optical sensor, Mighty Mouse provides responsive and accurate cursor movement on almost any type of surface– no mouse pad required.
What’s in store for Mighty Mouse? Will it be a hit with Mac and Windows users alike? Who knows, but Apple is sure to help change the way people navigate their computers. The current version is a wired mouse. Apple has not mentioned any plans to make a blue tooth version, although it’s highly suspected that one will be released in the future.
I have ordered a Mighty Mouse, and will write a thorough review when I get it. Please check back next week for my thoughts on this exciting new product.
