While the MM is an improvement on previous designs I am also waiting for Apple to design a decent mouse, I ended up disabling the side buttons as I was finding I was clicking them by mistake.

As for the ball, while it works ok, every now and then I have to try and clean it as it stops working.

Finally, while it’s good to have two buttons, I would like to see a version where the buttons are completely separate – maybe it wouldn’t look as good but at least it would be easier to use.

Well, I guess I’ll put in my two cents.

I have both the wired and wireless version of the Mighty Mouse, and I do like them both.

I naturally just keep one finger on the mouse button, so having to raise one finger to do a right click has never been an issue with me.

I’ve always liked the way Mac OS X shows a contextual menu with a right click on a mouse, so I always used a third party (Microsoft – yuck) mouse for the two buttons. When Apple came out with the programmable two button mouse, I cheered! I LOVE the scroll ball with its 360 degree flexibility, too. Perhaps if they made it a couple of millimeters bigger, but that’s just subjective.

I agree with the comments about the side buttons – they’re just useless, but using the scroll ball as a button is good, but it is also easy to inadvertently activate, tho.

But I do like the clean lines of the MM, and I think its good that it works for both lefties and righties. As a desktop tech, I can appreciate equipment thats so flexible.

Been using MMs for the past year or so (something like that), and have found the scroll ball gets dirty about every three to four months. Cleaning requires spraying Windex on a paper towel and rolling the ball on it repeatedly, then rolling it on the dry towel for a bit. Works like a charm. I find the scroll ball to be much easier to use than wheels. I’ve also disabled the right click and the pinch feature–got used to using a one-click mouse with our SE and haven’t found the need for right clicking, middle clicking, pinky clicking, nor thumb clicking. Thank you, Apple, for making functions one-clickable.

I haven’t had the scrollball to stick. I’ve used the MM for about 9 months, and I don’t wash my hands before using the computer, and it is not in an especially undusty environment, so I have no reason to think my experience would be exceptional.

I like the overall shape of the mighty mouse. I would like the scrollball, if it didn’t get stuck after 3 days of use.

The side buttons are stupid. The pressure required to activate them varies widely. I have a lab full of Macs (I’m a sysadmin at a college) and on some of the mice it takes a huge amount of force to push the buttons, and on others they are activated all the time by accident because it takes no force at all. So I always disable them.

I hate the touch sensor thing for determining whether you’re clicking the left or right side.. no, I don’t mind lifting my left finger to right-click. My problem is that given the way I hold the mouse, half the time it thinks my left-clicks are right-clicks because my finger isn’t in exactly the right spot.

They should just put a slit in the plastic and have two mechanical buttons. And keep the ball, but either provide a reasonable way to clean it, or make it so it doesn’t get stuck so easily to begin with. The ball could be a bit bigger, too.

I like the shape of the MightyMouse, which is why I have one, but have found it mostly useless as a 2 button mouse, which is why when I had some software that really does benefit from multiple mouse buttons, I bought a 3rd party 2 button plus scrollwheel mouse.

I still do not automatically hanker for the two buttons though, I have had too many years of option and command clicking.

I think, at the very least, Apple should produce a clever alternative. The question is this: Is the existing Mighty Mouse the best compromise for the largest number of Mac users? That’s worth a debate.

Peace,
Gene

I’m not sure the Mighty Mouse is the best *possible* compromise for the greatest number of Mac users, but I do think it’s a far better compromise than the vast majority of third-party mice out there.

First off, I agree both vehemently and wholeheartedly that Apple should keep it simple. Just about everyone I know who is not a (for lack of a better term) higher-intensity computer user ignores the right button. Keeping things as simple as possible, until the user decides to ‘unlock’ the extra features (like keyboard shortcuts) is arguably the core of the Mac experience, and without trying to replay the entire two-button mouse argument I submit that the Mighty Mouse design is an archtypical example of this: acts perfectly well as a single-button mouse, but two-button operation available should the user decide to unlock it.

Second, I think highly-sculpted mouse designs are a very individual matter, depending a great deal on the construction of your hand, and therefore the less-sculpted a mouse is, the more suitable it’s going to be for a wider range of users. The current candy-bar shape may not be as suitable for someone with larger hands who prefers a lot of lower palm support, but they can at least use it; a more massive mouse with a large and high rear palm rest might be more comfortable for them, but it wouldn’t work at all for someone with smaller hands. My personal favorite is probably the old Logitech Wheel Mouse (definitely *NOT* the current one), which is somewhere in between, but I’d imagine it’s still too high and hand-filling for many people.

The old Dove-bar ADB mouse was a very nicely shaped one, I agree.

One other thought I had about the perfectly symmetrical shapes of all the ‘clear’ Apple USB mice: they aren’t biased towards any particular style of holding or gripping the mouse, and maybe that’s the biggest reason why it was made that way.

I really like the Mighty Mouse, too. I didn’t expect to. I didn’t much like it when I configured it as a two-button mouse, and I can’t use the side buttons, either. I tend to squeeze the side of the mouse when I’m moving it around. In single-button mode I can use it just like my old Apple mice, using my whole hand rather than pushing buttons with fingers. I find the latter quite tiring in a short time, and can see why people who do lots of mousing like that could get aches and pains. The Mighty Mouse fits right under my size of hand. Someone with a dainty hand or a big paw might well have a very different experience.

I even like the little scroll ball. I figured that I wouldn’t, but I actually do use the thing. I like the fact that in many programs it scrolls horizontally and diagonally and not just vertically. And it doesn’t get in my way. Big honkin’ scroll wheels are major globs that don’t let me rest my hand on the mouse in any comfortable way. But I guess if my employer forced me to use a PC all day, I’d adapt, and that would feel normal after a while, even if my hand hurt by the end of the day.

As a veteran Apple user, I’ve used almost every mouse Apple has produced. My favorite is the mouse that originally was sold as an extra for the Apple IIc. It’s the same serial connection as the first-generation Mac mouse (commonly referred to as a Mac Plus mouse) yet the button is more recessed. What I like about this mouse is that it is heavy, fits my hand nicely, and has a very comfortable clicker. These mice aren’t too commonplace and can be identified by their unique and uniform Apple IIc white colour. I have one connected to my Mac Plus (which I still use on a regular basis).

The only Apple mouse I really haven’t liked is the Mighty Mouse. I, for one, like having one button. Two buttons and a scroll wheel are nice, but I’m just as content using the scroll bar or arrow keys and the control-click combination. It’s the same profile as the old ProMouse, which I like, but it’s that little scroll ball that makes me dislike it. It’s like a big pimple on the mouse that you just want to pop (or at least take some Benzoyl Peroxide to). It’s uncomfortable to use. Why not put a comfortable scroll wheel on there like many of the Logitech and Microsoft models out there?

Jeez — I just use a wired Apple Mouse from about 2002 or so. As a guy whose business has him on the Mac all day, I sure don’t experience those issues. Control-click? This is difficult to master? Oh yes, I also use a 12″ PowerBook and I’m well over 50(!) for what it is worth. I have to agree with the various posters here that there is a level of personal preference that comes into play, but that isn’t any excuse to call Apples mice less than decent. So as far as I’m concerned, they delivered the first decent one back about 1995-6(?) or so — the bar of Dove soap. I loved that one and still use it with my PowerBook 3400c. (I have a rare black one too in mint condition!)

To each his own, though.

My biggest problem with the Mighty Mouse is the fact that it’s touch sensitive rather than mechanical. I rest my fingers on the top of my mouse because that’s the most comfortable way to use it. In order to perform a right click I press down with one finger. To do the same on a Mighty Mouse would require me to lift one finger and press down with another. I’ve tried it and found it got painful after only a few

My experience as well, David. Awkward and then some.

Peace,
Gene

My biggest problem with the Mighty Mouse is the fact that it’s touch sensitive rather than mechanical. I rest my fingers on the top of my mouse because that’s the most comfortable way to use it. In order to perform a right click I press down with one finger. To do the same on a Mighty Mouse would require me to lift one finger and press down with another. I’ve tried it and found it got painful after only a few minutes.

I. m. h. o. the Kensington Expert Mouse (i. e., the 4-button trackball) beats the socks off any available mouse. It’s got great ergonomics: very easy on the hand and, since it doesn’t move, you never have to grope around to find it. And it comes with terrific software (a factor not to be neglected in choosing an imput device). Also, I’ve had mine for several problem-free years. N. b.: I’m talking about the wired version, the wireless version goes through batteries like there’s no tomorrow.

Ah yes, the product formerly known as Turbo Mouse. Alas, I’ve tried it, but it didn’t appeal to me. It just felt awkward, and goes to show the difficulty of appealing to everyone.

Peace,
Gene

I. m. h. o. the Kensington Expert Mouse (i. e., the 4-button trackball) beats the socks off any available mouse. It’s got great ergonomics: very easy on the hand and, since it doesn’t move, you never have to grope around to find it. And it comes with terrific software (a factor not to be neglected in choosing an imput device). Also, I’ve had mine for several problem-free years. N. b.: I’m talking about the wired version, the wireless version goes through batteries like there’s no tomorrow.

I think what this really proves is that with different size hands, different flexibilities, and different uses, no single mouse or keyboard is going to please everyone. Some people love the old one-button. Some love the mighty one. Some prefer MS or Logitech or something else. I doubt that there will ever be a mouse that will please every one unless it has a configurable shape and a changing number of buttons. Hmm…….

I think, at the very least, Apple should produce a clever alternative. The question is this: Is the existing Mighty Mouse the best compromise for the largest number of Mac users? That’s worth a debate.

Peace,
Gene