Product Review: Apple Mighty Mouse

Apple finally released a... another one button mouse? Yes, in August 2005 Apple introduced the Mighty Mouse — "amazing powers at your fingertips." They even licensed the name from Viacom.

This summer we got new Intel-based iMacs at work, each with a Mighty Mouse. I was so delighted to see one "in the flesh" and put it to good use. Having a two button mouse from Apple is something that is a long time in the making.

I get a lot of work done with Apple computers and products, but the only thing mighty about this Mighty Mouse is the mighty crappy execution. The touch-sensitive buttons do not work reliably.

But before I get into what is wrong with this mouse, lets take a look at what Apple got right: at least it isn't a hockey puck.

For years, Apple has not added a second mouse button in fear that their users would be confused. I myself have never understood this, and always go with a third-party solution from the likes of Kensington, Logitech, or Microsoft.

In their infinite wisdom, Apple decided to put no divider indent between the left and right sensor area of the mouse. Now if that is not confusing, I do not know what is. Yes, that is right, this mouse does not have buttons, it has sensors.

I have gotten over the touch-sensitive mousing, but with no divider indent on the mouse face, I never know if I will get a left or a right click. What makes this worse is the erratically sensitive touch sensors.

Sometimes when I try to perform a right-click, I get a left-click. The reverse, unfortunately, comes with exactly the same result.

This happens all to often to be construed as user error. I work in a fairly fast paced production environment — a daily newspaper — and this mouse is not suitable for my daily life of InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Article Author: Ken Edwards

Ken Edwards is the Gaming Editor at Blogcritics, and calls Breaking Windows home. Ken works part time for Student Publications at BGSU as the Webmaster and System Administrator. He is also a freelance web developer.

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