Apple Magic Mouse hands on review

Apple has broken its long chain of terrible mouse designs with the new Magic Mouse, even if its multitouch features are limited in functionality. In 1983 Apple revolutionized the computing industry by introducing a new device, the mouse. Over the coming years they were cheered, criticized, applauded by a host of bloggers, industry executives and competitors (cough cough- Microsoft) on their latest invention and how well this new device would performed. Today, no one can associate the word computer without mouse. Apple’s first mouse, Lisa Mouse revolutionized the industry which has since been redesigned countless times. Over the years Apple refreshed, reinvented, redesigned the mouse to proudly release on October 20th 2009, the Magic Mouse.

The first thing you will notice when you open your Magic mouse is not just the mouse itself but the beautifully designed packaging. Apple, as always has made the packaging simpler just big enough to squeeze the mouse in. It comes in a packaging similar to the iPod touch, plastic and just big enough to fit the mouse.

Being a previous user of Apple’s mighty mouse, you might be somewhat skeptical that Apple could create a good mouse. You are in for a shock. In my opinion it is neither revolutionary or evolutionary. It falls somewhere between evolutionary and revolutionary. It’s evolutionary since Apple is at the end of the day taking technology we have previously had on the MacBook Pro and applying it to a mouse.

It is revolutionary in terms of a mouse since it is the first of its kind to have multi touch features.
One thing users will notice when first using the Magic Mouse is no track ball. Yes. That’s right. No more annoying track ball which constantly gets dirty and full of dust. One of my major problems with the previous Magic Mouse was the track ball and the insane amount of times I would have to clean it, probably the cause of our love-hate relationship.

The Magic Mouse is a very, very beautiful mouse. Its elegant and simple design along with new technological features make it a strong buy for any Mac user. Its rounded shape could not look any more beautiful. It is just as ergonomic. It fits right into your hand but some people I know find it very unergonomic (this depends on your hand).

Unfortunately it does lack some technological features such as three and four finger gestures. Why you may ask? Well it’s simple, if you are using three or four fingers on gestures how will you control your mouse? I did find it a bit misleading as I myself did think it would support these gestures. Those who often use their mouse to control Expose, Dashboard, show desktop and spaces features will be greatly disappointed as none of these functions can be controlled by the Magic Mouse. None the less the gestures it does support work flawlessly. The right click and left click to my surprise work much better than I had thought and scrolling has never been easier.

Another major improvement is connectivity. My Mighty Mouse worked up to 30 feet away from my computer, even though I have a big house with lots of concrete walls. In addition, when the Mighty Mouse was not used for long enough to go into sleep mode, I found the mouse would reconnect in a matter of seconds, unlike other bluetooth mouses on the market.

Those considering buying the Magic Mouse should be fully aware that it supports a limited number of gestures (three be exact). However, putting this aside, this is by far the best mouse Apple has produced. The on-screen tracking is excellent. Connectivity is more than adequate. However, the biggest disappointment with the Magic Mouse is the way the mouse feels on any surface such as a table or mouse pad. The result is a grinding, rough feel due to its two plastic rails at the bottom. I found the Apple Mouse to have a smoother ride than the Magic Mouse. Although the Magic Mouse is not perfect, for those looking for a elegantly designed mouse with simple two buttons and scrolling features it is definitely a buy. Unfortunately for those looking for more, an Apple solution is yet to be released.

A comparative look on the Magic Mouse size compared to the Mighty Mouse and iPhone 3GS