Apple Mighty Mouse

It’s shocking but true: Apple has finally shipped a two-button mouse. Unfortunately, the company’s first foray into bi-button rodentia can only be considered a flop.

The problem lies in the way the “buttons” work. You see, there aren’t multiple buttons on top of the mouse, but multiple touch-sensitive areas. Rest your finger to the left of the scroll ball (more on that in a moment), push down on the mouse, and you’ve left-clicked. Rest your finger to the right of the scroll ball, and push down on the mouse, and you’ve right-clicked. Rest your finger on both sides at once, and the results are unpredictable.

This is a problem particularly when you need to click and drag over a large area. Because the button only stays depressed while you’re pushing down on the entire mouse, as soon as you lift the mouse to reposition it in the center of your mousepad, you stop clicking! Imagine the frustration of trying to drag across large photos or circle strafe in a deathmatch.

That said, we really like the scroll ball. It’s infinitely more functional than the standard tilting scroll wheel, and would be perfect if it were slightly larger. Sadly, the Mighty Mouse’s fancy ball can’t save it from some serious design flaws. When you factor in a cord that’s too short and a steep price, you’ll realize you can do a lot better in a mouse.
--Will Smith

Month Reviewed: Holiday 2005

Verdict: 4

+ Mighty Mouse (cartoon) Looks good; useful scroll ball; touch-sensitive buttons.

-Mighty Mouse (mouse) Buttons are too touch senstive. Scroll ball is too smal. Cord is too short.

URL: www.apple.com