Apple announced a refresh of their computer line. I had a chance to view the new iMacs at a local Best Buy and, I must say, the 27″ iMac display is stunning.
But, alas, my wallet won out. I did, however, draw from the new line-up with the purchase of the new Apple Magic Mouse to replace my current Apple Bluetooth Mighty Mouse for my desktop machine. The Mighty Mouse will probably find a new home in my laptop bag although, the multi-touch touchpad on my aluminum MacBook tends to eliminate the need for using a separate mouse.
There were four basic reasons I decided to purchase the Magic Mouse.
- Let’s face it. I’m a geek at heart and this is a NEW gadget.
- I was intrigued by the Multi-touch Interface. I suffer from repeated occurrences of Repetitive Strain injury caused by the constant rolling of a mouse scroll wheel or Mighty Mouse scroll-ball. No wheel, no ball, just swipe anywhere on the top surface.
- Scrolling Debris – Maybe I’m the only one that encountered dust, dirt, cracker crumbs or other foreign substances clogging up the scroll function on my mouse. Again, no wheel, no ball, just a smooth multi-touch surface.
- Multi-touch – I have used an iPhone since it’s inception (June, 2007) and I am hooked on a multi-touch user interface (Apple Tablet?)
Well, the Magic Mouse arrived today by FedEx. The packaging was like braking into Ft Knox. I finally freed the mouse from it’s tape prison.
The setup instructions are future-based, referring to a Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8 or Snow Leopard 10.6.2 requirement. Snow Leopard 10.6.2 has not been released yet.
Not to fear, the device paired flawlessly with my Mac Pro, but no multi-touch function. A quick trip to Google directed me to the Apple Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0. Once the update installed and the Mac restarted, the Magic Mouse was fully operational.
First Impressions
- Definitely a different form factor from the Mighty Mouse. Slightly lighter, more slim in width, lower profile. The rounded surface of the Mighty Mouse is replaced by a more “table top” look with noticeable edges on the sides of the mouse.
- Normal mouse functions, tracking, item selection, etc. feel the same. The “click” is still there. Loss of Expose and Dashboard selection capabilities though. Hopefully, a later version of the Magic Mouse software will provide these functions as additional multi-touch gestures.
- Now scrolling can be activated by moving or flicking your finger on the top surface of the mouse. I’m no longer chained to the scroll-ball. Due to low vision, I use the Mac Screen Zoom feature extensively. The Magic Mouse has the ability to Zoom with or without Momentum. This is a nice feature.
- Inadvertent touching – Similar to learning to use a touchpad on a laptop. Sometimes you scroll unintentionally by lightly touching the top surface. I’m getting better.
So far, I am pleased with the purchase.