Hades Freezes Over: Apple Releases a Mouse with Right-Click Ability
08/02/2005 23:21 Filed in: Technology
In 1983 with the introduction of the Apple Lisa and then in 1984 with the release of the Macintosh, a mouse on a computer was something of a novelty. That's hard to imagine today. But I started using computers in 1982, and I never touched a mouse until around 1990 (I wasn't a Mac user back then). And, of course, Apple didn't invent the mouse, but they can be credited with the first computer company to sell a computer (to the average consumer) that required its use. In effect, Apple made the mouse mainstream. However, earlier prototype mice had multiple buttons. But the decision was made at Apple that since the mouse was a new technology (remember--this was the early eighties) for the consumer, that simplicity was the best solution. One button was simple enough--just click.
That seems logical enough, until you realize that it was 21 years ago when the first moused-based Macs came out. And in the two decades since, there's never been more than one button on any mouse manufactured by Apple. Now, if you're a Windows user (as I assume most of you reading this are), this probably sounds crazy to you. And believe it or not, I agree. When I first switched platforms to the Mac in 1998, one of the first things I added to my new computer was a third-party two-button mouse. Over the years, I've used mice made by Microsoft, Logitech, and others. I've tried to like the Apple mice that have come with my Macs. They look really cool (except for the original iMac puck mouse), but I need my ability to right-click. This is even weirder when you realize that Apple introduced contextual menus for right-clicks around 1998 to the Mac OS, even though they were only selling one-button mice. I guess it was a way to appease users who wanted to use mice with two buttons (which was just about everyone).
So enough with the history lesson. Rumors of a two button mouse "soon to be released" from Apple have been flying around since I first started using a Mac, but nothing ever materialized until today. This morning, Apple introduced it's most radical mouse redesign since 1984, The Mighty Mouse.
I still think it's crazy that the PTB at Apple took so long to create a multiple-button mouse. However, in the Mighty Mouse, they have compromised between their own stubbornness and the needs and wants of more sophisticated (i.e. most) users. The new pointing device still has all the simplicity of a one-button mouse. In fact, it still looks like a one-button mouse. But the ability to right-click comes from the touch-sensitive top shell. If you apply pressure on the right side of the mouse, it acts as a right-click.
But the aspect of the new Mighty Mouse that really sets this mouse apart is the 360° scroll ball (as opposed to a scroll wheel). I've got one of the newer PowerBooks that comes with 360° scrolling on the trackpad. This is especially handy in a program like Photoshop when you have an image enlarged and you want to move it around diagonally. 360° scrolling is something most folks will find very useful once they give it a try.
Apple's release of the Mighty Mouse couldn't come at a better time. The last two mice I've used on my desktop Mac (currently an eMac) have worn out. Both were from DVForge , and I had chosen them because they had the look and form factor of the recent mice from Apple, but came with two buttons and a scroll wheel. However, neither have held up that well. The current one randomly double-clicks when I single-click causing me to occasionally delete two email messages instead of one, among other things.
Therefore, with the announcement and release of the Mighty Mouse this morning by Apple, I put my order in. By this evening, I received confirmation that it's already shipped. Not too shabby.