Of (Apple) Mice and Men
Jul 15, 2012 · CommentsAppleComputersHardware
I never liked Apple mice very much
I desperately wanted to like Apple mice because I liked the other hardware they made so much, but I was raised on two and three button mice, and my first Apple mouse only had one button. They actually expected me to control+click to get context menus. What’s up with that?
For the last several years I have been partial to Logitech mice, specifically the kind that come with the nano receiver. The M505 has been my ol’ reliable for so long that I almost can’t remember using anything else.
The M505 was not without its flaws however and I was constantly on the lookout for something better. Chief among my complaints was the fact that is was not BlueTooth compatible and I was forced to use the USB receiver. Now this may seem like a small complaint, and Logitech advises that you can leave the receiver in your computer all the time, but I found I was never able to get my 15″ MacBook Pro into my messenger style bag without putting a lot of pressure on the little receiver, and on my USB port.
I very nearly bought a Logitech v470 cordless laser mouse which is BlueTooth and a lot like my favored m505, but no local stores carried them, and I never quite found my self up to the hassle of ordering one from NewEgg given the negative reviews. So I just used the m505 for a long time, sacrificing a USB port to its Nano Receiver.
In the mean time Apple upgraded their mouse offering to the so called Magic Mouse. It looked cool, but I was still gun shy after being burned by my previous Apple/devil mouse and it single pseudo button, terrible scroll wheel, uncomfortable design, etc. that I could not convince myself to try the Magic Mouse, until I did. I saw one sitting out in a Best Buy and played with it a bit.
And I didn’t hate it. It was the only BlueTooth mouse that Best Buy even sold anymore, so I figured I’d take it home and give it a go.
The Magic Mouse paired with an Apple laptop actually works pretty well. The Magic Mouse has a completely smooth surface without anything that looks like a place to click, however when I left click, I get a left click. And, best of all, when I right click, it right clicks!
In place of a scroll wheel the Magic Mouse has a touch sensitive surface like we’ve become used to on Apple iOS devices, and on the MacBook track pads. Theoretically you can do all sorts of multi-touch gestures on it, but I don’t.
I use it to scroll up and down, and go backwards in the browser to the last webpage I was at. Maybe someday I’ll try to get better at multi touch on the Magic Mouse, but for now I am happy to have all my USB ports available for other devices, and have a mouse that is as good looking as the computer its being used with.
