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Was Farmer Al Falfa in any way involved in any of the decisions leading up to the creation of this mouse?

I have no problem with Apple mouse myself, but what is so "ergonomic " about a bar of soap?
Do you really think that Apple designer did product research and  think a bar of soap "shape" is the most ergonomic style  for human hand?

I have found it much easier to adapt to a smaller mouse than the other way 'round. I had a travel mouse for awhile, then I got the wireless mouse which needed extra space for the battery, so it felt odd at first, then I had to fire up my Intuos2 after a year, and that mouse felt like a rat!

As far as ergonomics goes - I have an intellimouse and keyboard at work, except I work for an accountant, so I 'mouse' with my left hand - it's great, once you get used to it. Anyway, the right handed mouse felt wrong at first, but my hand adjusted and I don't notice it. Having said that, the right handed ergonomic 'twist' on the mouse, is probably not good for my left wrist.

So Apple did right with the bar-of-soap design. I read the article where they tore the mouse apart, and it appears that the electronics are ambidextrous (same components on both sides), although the writers didn't seem to get why that was:

"This leads me to wonder why the Apple engineers even included the right sensor at all. I can only speculate that it was cheaper to just throw the second sensor in and not use the functionality, or so that they can swap logic chips in future iterations to change the behavior."

Or maybe lefties manipulate the mouse differently? Or maybe I am just not understanding the jargon.

and this:

"...and even an empty spot with a symbol showing where a capacitor would be (hmm, what sort of Mac rumors could we start with that one?)."

like I said, wireless version coming in January.

pcguy wrote:

I have no problem with Apple mouse myself, but what is so "ergonomic " about a bar of soap?
Do you really think that Apple designer did product research and  think a bar of soap "shape" is the most ergonomic style  for human hand?

"Ergonomic" mice make my hands hurt. They give me RSI-like problems within a day. It has led me to believe that "ergonomics" are bullcrap. I use a computer about 12-13 hours a day, if not more, and I've never experienced any RSI, except when using "ergonomic" mice and keyboards.

,xtG
.tsooJ

Alien wrote:

pcguy wrote:

I have no problem with Apple mouse myself, but what is so "ergonomic " about a bar of soap?
Do you really think that Apple designer did product research and  think a bar of soap "shape" is the most ergonomic style  for human hand?

"Ergonomic" mice make my hands hurt. They give me RSI-like problems within a day. It has led me to believe that "ergonomics" are bullcrap. I use a computer about 12-13 hours a day, if not more, and I've never experienced any RSI, except when using "ergonomic" mice and keyboards.

,xtG
.tsooJ

The entire concept of ergonomics in general is to find equipment, positions and aids that make YOU comfortable.  If the standard equipment is what does that for you, then that would be ergonomic.  I need a wrist pad for my mouse at work to keep my arm straight.  It cracks me up when people come into my office and tell me that the wrist pad thing is useless, because those things do nothing for THEM.  Hmmmmm.  It is not there for them, it is there for me, and it makes ME more comfortable and decreases my wrist-aches after a long day.

Every mouse design in the world is going to be un-ergonomic for someone.  I the apple pro-mouse design is bad for you, don't use it.  But don't assume that just because it is bad for you, it is a bad design.

Alien wrote:

pcguy wrote:

I have no problem with Apple mouse myself, but what is so "ergonomic " about a bar of soap?
Do you really think that Apple designer did product research and  think a bar of soap "shape" is the most ergonomic style  for human hand?

"Ergonomic" mice make my hands hurt. They give me RSI-like problems within a day. It has led me to believe that "ergonomics" are bullcrap. I use a computer about 12-13 hours a day, if not more, and I've never experienced any RSI, except when using "ergonomic" mice and keyboards.

I'm the same as you, Alien.  I can use an Apple keyboard or mouse all day long without an ounce of tiredness, strain, or fatigue, but will experience soreness and fatigue within minutes if I use an "ergonomic" mouse or, god forbid, an ergonomic keyboard.

I've gone through nearly a dozen mice made by a half-dozen companies in my lifetime, and at the end of the day, I'd always come back to my Apple mouse.  I have a bunch of Logitech optical mice sitting in a drawer despite that they have far better tracking, resolution, and features than the Pro Mouse, simply because the Pro Mouse is more comfortable for me to use for 2, 4, 6, or more hours a day.

I plan on picking up a Mighty Mouse tomorrow, as a Pro Mouse with scrolling appeals very much to me.

I would want one, I think, if it were wireless.

CaptKevMan wrote:

It's a nice looking mouse, but it's not $50 nice. I'd pay $30, maybe.

we'll find it on ebay sometime soon around that price, i'm sure ;-D

So I finally got a chance to give the Mighty Mouse a spin. In fact, I'm writing this from the only Mac Mini in the Apple Store with the mouse on it. So here's my 2cents on it.
(long post warning)

The scroll ball has a curious sensation to it when you scroll...it's almost as if it's grating on something, or scratching...you definitely know if you're scrolling or not. It's also very good at determining if you're scrolling horizontally or vertically. Pretty hard to get them mixed up. The speaker clicks (fairly fast) with the scrolling as well, but I can't hear it in the Store here...have to hold it up to my ear and scroll. You do have to push the ball down a little bit to get it scrolling, but it's trivially easy.

As aforementioned, the right/left click detection works exactly like the other people have said. Mouse physically clicks, and tactile feedback is always good, but it just detects which side of the mouse your finger is pushing. It's easy to get mixed up if you keep your pointer finger on the left side of the mouse when you right click...but since I don't do that, it seemed really flawless. Made me smile when I first used it...just seemed as if that's how it should've been all along.

The squeeze buttons are a little hard to push, but with a little practice you can learn exactly how hard they have to be pushed for them to activate (they don't give any tactile feedback...but the speaker apparently clicks, though I can't hear it at all in the loud environment of the Apple Store.)
I really wished that you could activate them independently (forward/back buttons)...Mighty Mouse 2.0, anyone? Throw that in with Bluetooth and I think that would make a great mouse.

Basically...this is the mouse the Pro Mouse should've been. The execution is almost flawless for the clicking mechanism (some people would have to retrain themselves to lift their index finger to rightclick), and it's ambidextrous, which is cool. One thing I noticed, though, was the acceleration curve seemed to be a little different...more stomachable, actually. It gave less of a jump from when you move it slowly to quickly.
Another thing I noticed is that if I set the trackball button to "Mouse 3", and I middle-clicked a link in Safari, it didn't open in a new tab as expected. Maybe USB Overdrive would remedy this?

All in all, it's a great mouse. I think I'm going to be saving up for one soon. Though $50 IS a little steep...maybe $40 or $30 would be more like it.

It's a break for all the multi-button "Made for Mac" mice that didn't look Apple style. Though I'll be sticking with my Logitech MX310 for my gaming PC

Last edited by DJ LUCiTE (2005-08-07 6:37 pm)

Aghk...
Ordered on sunday, still processing.
Estimated ship date is august 22.
Damn, these things must be popular!

I finally got mine. But since school has started back, I haven't had time to post. I've had it for a week now.

Really like it. My $7 Micro$oft Basic Optical Mouse will never be used again. I have the squeezable sides set to Application Switcher because I could never figure out the key command for that. OK, I just discovered it (Command + Tab)
But anyways the sounds the mouse make while scrolling and squeezing sound totally real. I thought it as real until I unplugged it then it made no sound. Very cool product.

I've heard mixed things on the pricing. A family member said $50 wasn't bad, but Leo Laporte said that it was "a little expensive."
But I remember buying a Pro Mouse back in 2002 for $60. One button, $60. So, this isn't bad at all. I just hope they don't fade out the single-button. I still think I like it better. It seems more original to me I guess. More of a tradition.

if i wanted to know my IP address, i'd logically ask "what is my ip?"

I know it's generally thought of as bad to bump old threads, and even though I had to dig through to page 12 to get this thread, consider it bumped.



... Dunno, found it fitting.

-Tim