If it was possible to hate an Apple product, it would be the Mighty Mouse, without a doubt. Its insistence on looking nice and symmetrical wreaked havoc on our wrists, and the scroll ball had a tendency to fail. So, when Apple filed a patent that described a new “unibody multifunction mouse,” we got excited. However, we're still a little gun shy when it comes to embracing an Apple made mouse. We're looking at you puck mouse. 

The concept describes a mouse that would have numerous “button zones” that would be linked to GUI actions (hopefully programmable). For example, they could invoke a certain menu action, open a certain program, etc. Where it gets interesting is the description of the actual mouse:

“The distribution of the button zones may be widely varied. For example, the button zones may be positioned almost anywhere on the mouse (e.g., front, back, sides or the like). Further, the button zones may be formed from almost any shape whether simple (e.g., squares, circles, ovals, triangles, rectangles, polygons, and the like) or complex (e.g., random shapes). The shape of multiple button zones may have identical shapes or they may have different shapes. In addition, the size of the button zones may vary according to the specific needs of each device. In most cases, the size of the button zones corresponds to a size that allows them to be easily manipulated by a user (e.g., the size of a finger tip or larger). Moreover, any number of button zones may be used. In most cases, the number of button zones correspond to the number of button functionalities offered by the mouse.”

Presumably, such a mouse would not have a large array of randomly placed buttons, and would employ touch-sensitive surface, and/or a pseudo-click like in the MacBook Pros. It sounds intriguing, but will it redeem Apple and its mouse mishaps?

What do you think. Would you buy a mouse like this? Would it be better than the Mighty Mouse?