International Mac Podcast

With Apple’s new mouse comes some pluses and some minuses. There a couple new features to the mouse, including multi-touch, multi-touch gestures, and momentum scrolling (all of which are welcome additions). Some features were left on the cutting room floor as they crafted the new tinier mouse. Exposé and Dashboard buttons have been taken away, however I believe they will return in the form of a software update.  The multi-touch gestures to go forward a page and backward a page are a bit awkward to activate but once you get used to it it’s nice to be able to do. Also adium users will be able to use these gestures to switch between chat windows, like you can on the MacBooks.

The mouse has become smaller but sleeker, with the entire thing being an arc.  For any Mighty Mice users out there, the transition between Mighty to Magic is seamless—well, almost seamless. There is an update that is required before you can start using the Magic Mouse to its fullest.  Anyhow the main point of this post is to put the Magic Mouse up against its predecessor.

BATTLE

All right, the categories: Use, Features, Design, and Faults.

Use

Magic: while using the mouse, I don’t have any real issues.  It seems to actually feel better for moving around the screen, which could just be fresh batteries or it has improved, though I’d put my money on the former.  The two finger gestures are really nice once you get used to moving your fingers like that.  The underbelly holds the on/off button and the latch that opens the button.  It does feel a bit different than the mighty mouse but not bad different, just different.

Mighty: while using the mouse, I have/had issues, issues that cannot be ignored.  The mouse is bigger/bulkier so it seems to fit into your palm a bit more.  The mouse does move around the screen, but lately I have had some issues of it being slow (again might be batteries).  Scrolling is broken though, when I first got the mouse the scrolling was great, I loved being able to scroll 360º instead of just up and down.  One year later, the ball that I loved so much had come to betray me… It has started to fail all of a sudden and I have to almost work it in for it to start working again.  Exposé being only a button press away was nice, and the same goes for dashboard.

Features

Magic: the main feature of this mouse is the multi-touch surface, and I would have been happy with that, however Apple took it a step farther and showed that even with reduced surface area (than the MacBook Pro touchpad), gestures could be accomplished.  So I would take a stab and say that once they figure out what other gestures feel comfortable and easy to pull off, we will see the return of Exposé and Dashboard being accessible from a gesture away.  Another great feature, that ties back to the multi-touch is scrolling.  Momentum scrolling is great, and feels exactly like it does on the iPod Touch/iPhone.

Mighty: the main feature of this mouse is that anything is a click away and usability.  And for the first 6 months this mouse will knock your socks off, the ability to go from Dashboard to Exposé and then pan all over a big picture is amazing when you come from another mouse.  Especially if your old mouse only had a wheel for scrolling in one direction at a time.  The mouse does work after that but at times it is more trouble than it is worth.  Overall it is not a bad mouse but it has issues.

Design

Magic: the design is very minimalistic, like all apple products.  However if you want to compare the two mice, the new magic takes minimalism to a new high.  When placed on a table, you can see no physical buttons or where the mouse begins/ends, it’s all one long arc and near the end is the iconic apple.  The underbelly upholds minimalism too, with a tiny off/on switch and a tiny push latch for batteries.  Also the entire underbelly has a curve to it which is cool to see.

Mighty: the design is the normal minimalistic Apple, however this mouse has two visible buttons and a visible ball for scrolling, and instead of a printed apple, it has the apple carved into the mouse itself.  The mouse is quite sleek with the entire top half being a rounded shape, but the underbelly is flat.  The underbelly has a cool feature which is, to turn on the mouse you slide off the cover that hides the laser, and the mouse turns off.  I really wished they had kept that because I thought it was really cool but then again that would have probably increased the Magic mouses’ size so I’m ok with the cut.

Faults

Magic: with all things, perfection can never be accomplished.  The things this mouse lacks is the ability to go right to Exposé and Dashboard, and my personal wish is for them to bring back the old on/off but that is a dream I dare say shall not be fulfilled.

Mighty: I enjoyed the mouse, however my biggest gripe is that the scroll ball is broken.  It lacks the longevity of other Apple products which is not a good thing.  Also, another thing I’ve been noticing is that 30% and lower has basically been bricking my mouse to the speeds of a turtle, another thing that is not good for a mouse.