Mighty Mouse
Apple released its first multibutton mouse today. From their marketing copy:
“Alas the fate of the one-button mouse in today’s multibutton world. Who has time for intuitive, elegant design when there is so much clicking to do?”
On the surface it seems like your garden-variety 4-button-and-scroll-wheel mouse, but there’s some interesting innovation under the white plastic shell.
To begin with, Mighty Mouse actually has no buttons, but rather capacitance sensors that can detect changes in pressure. And the scroll wheel is actually the world’s weensiest trackball, allowing scrolling in any direction. On the surface it would seem to take the best of IBM’s Trackpoint nubbin as found on Thinkpads, and trackball mouse replacements - requiring much less finger travel for less strain, but also providing 360-degree freedom of motion.
And of course, there’s the Apple twist. Without physical switches, how do you know you’ve clicked it?
A tiny speaker inside Mighty Mouse produces button-clicking and Scroll Ball-rolling sound effects.
Oh Apple, with this technology you are spoiling us.
Available now from the Apple Store for $49 US, $65 CDN.
August 2, 2005 10:36 AM
