Apple Magic Mouse
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB829LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Apple's new wireless Magic Mouse gets a sleek makeover and even has multitouch controls, but it's better as a portable laptop companion rather than a full-size desktop accessory. The swiping gestures add interactivity to Web browsing and media, but the awkwardly narrow single button design leaves us reaching for better mice from Logitech and others.
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CNET editors' review
Apple Magic Mouse price range: $66.94 - $99.99
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 10/21/2009
The good: Sexy design; vertical scrolling works like a physical scroll wheel; pairs easily with Mac computers; ambidextrous.
The bad: Awkwardly narrow profile; doesn't work with Windows PCs; laser sensor not as advanced as Darkfield and BlueTrack competition; horizontal swipes don't feel as natural as thumb buttons; can't customize swiping functions; no pinching.
The bottom line: Apple's new wireless Magic Mouse gets a sleek makeover and even has multitouch controls, but it's better as a portable laptop companion rather than a full-size desktop accessory. The swiping gestures add interactivity to Web browsing and media, but the awkwardly narrow single button design leaves us reaching for better mice from Logitech and others.
Apple's latest pointer, the Magic Mouse, is included with its new iMac desktops, but you can purchase it separately for $69. Just don't confuse it with the Mighty Mouse, because although they're the same price, the differences end there. The Magic Mouse gets an aerodynamic face-lift and also supports application-sensitive touch gestures. New users should expect to spend awhile adjusting to the narrow shape and "buttonless" design. We suspect that many Mac users will hail the Magic Mouse and its multitouch functionality as the first in the next generation of input devices, but we still prefer the Logitech MX 1100 that gives you a more comfortable, sculpted shape, more customizable buttons, a combination scroll wheel, and a more versatile sensor for only $10 more.
Design
In terms of simple aesthetics, Apple has again succeeded in producing a beautifully designed product that still retains the classic Apple stamp and silhouette. The exact dimensions aren't on Apple's Web site, but we measured it at 4.5 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 inch tall. Compared with the Mighty Mouse's oval shape, the rectangular Magic Mouse is definitely smaller, overall, except for its weight, which gains a few ounces because of the two AA alkaline batteries that power it. The design initially brought images of Microsoft's Arc Mouse to mind, although Apple's flatter design almost makes the mouse appear to sit flush with the top of your desk.
The clicker itself is ostensibly buttonless with a smooth, white top shell that blends naturally into the silver undercarriage. The only visible mark is a near subliminal gray Apple logo that sits at the bottom of the mouse to quietly send wonderful Apples flying through your dreams at night. Underneath, the mouse is almost as bare, except for a latch that spans the length of the undercarriage that covers the batteries. There's also a power switch to shut off the mouse as well as an indicator light, and it even goes into battery conservation mode while not in use for an extended period.
We've only set aside our older Logitech and played around with the Magic Mouse for a day now, but we're already suffering from separation anxiety. As was the case with Apple's previous mice, the Magic Mouse feels as if it's carved out of a lump of aluminum. While that does wonders for its looks, its comfort and usability also suffers.
The Magic Mouse's slim profile is just too close to the table to use efficiently and we found ourselves struggling around the narrow form to find a comfortable position for our fingers. Granted, its uniform shape easily accommodates both left- and right-handed users, but the average mouse jockey will certainly find the lack of ergonomics disappointing and maybe even painful after eight hours of work. The lack of two physical buttons is irritating, as usual with Apple mice, but you can go through the preferences to enable the right button and swap the left and right buttons.
The Magic Mouse connects to computers via Bluetooth, but it only works with Apple computers running Mac OS X version 10.5.8 or later and you must install the Wireless Mouse Software update 1.0 that comes included with OS X version 10.6.2. We tried to pair it with a Windows PC and it didn't recognize the mouse. That said, the process to connect it to a Mac is almost hands-free; our new 27-inch iMac automatically discovered the mouse, displayed a small icon, and we were ready to go.
The Magic Mouse incorporates a standard laser sensor that can track on nearly every surface. We say nearly because it's impossible for such devices to work properly on cloth and shiny surfaces such as glass, mirrors, marble countertops, and high varnish wood. Logitech recently introduced a new kind of glass-tracking technology called Darkfield that lets its mice maintain a reliable signal on fully transparent glass, carpet, pant legs, and so on. The feature is not as big of a deal as Logitech and Microsoft would like you to think (Microsoft reports that only 7 percent of mouse users were interested in tracking on glass), but we're disappointed that Apple is still clinging to older laser technology.
Features
Multitouch gestures set the Magic Mouse apart from the competition. The multitouch user area is spread across the entire surface of the mouse, so you can swipe your finger anywhere and expect the same results. Aside from the two main buttons up top, you can also use a single finger to scroll 360 degrees anywhere around a Web page, photo, or document. Swiping two fingers horizontally across the top surface lets you quickly navigate forward and back on the Web or while in video playback. Unfortunately, you can't pinch your media as you can on an iPhone, but you do get a basic zoom feature by holding down the Control key on the keyboard while scrolling up and down the shell with one finger. You can also achieve this function with a keyboard on any Mac by toggling the "Universal Access" setting in Preferences. Finally, Apple's momentum feature senses the speed of your drag and adjusts the corresponding action intuitively.
Our take on the Magic Mouse's multitouch functionality is bittersweet. We like that vertical scrolling on the mouse acts almost exactly like a scroll wheel, except for the obvious fact that you don't get the precision of notched scrolling. Regardless, a simple flick of a finger can send the scroll bar flying down a page and it's easy to stop by simply tapping once again. The capability to pan 360 degrees is also incredibly useful and the most similar to using an actual touch pad, but our main issue lies with the two-finger swipes.
Up until this review, we simply used the forward and back buttons on the side of our Logitech mouse, but navigating through Web sites using the Magic Mouse is considerably more awkward, especially if you use your index and middle fingers as advised by Apple. Additionally, if you don't have a uniform grip on the sides of the mouse with your thumb, ring, and pinky fingers, the shell can easily get away from your hand--this is why a touch surface with no hard buttons just doesn't make sense on a mouse.
Our last complaint with the Magic Mouse is that the software doesn't let you reassign the actions of your finger swipes. In other words, you can't tell the mouse to open a program or stop playback by swiping two fingers across the surface. The custom preferences for the Magic Mouse includes check boxes to turn off the secondary click, momentum scrolling, and screen zoom, as well as options to alter tracking, scrolling, and double-click speed, but it doesn't make sense to trade in our Logitech MX 1100 with nine customizable buttons, a ratcheted/free spinning scroll wheel, and an advanced sensor for an Apple-branded accessory with none of the same features.
User reviews
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Good technology, lack of ergonomics.
Pros: Works well on Macs, lack ergonomics, good look is not everything.
Cons: Shape, lack of Boo Camp support for Windows.
Summary: The Magic Mouse's slim profile is just too close to the table to use efficiently. Lack of ergonomics is very disappointing and maybe even painful after few hours of ...
Summary: The Magic Mouse's slim profile is just too close to the table to use efficiently. Lack of ergonomics is very disappointing and maybe even painful after few hours of work.
Lack of support by Boot Camp makes magic Mouse very limited if I need to use it in Windows. Half price Logitech will do better job than Magic Mouse.
Need ergonomics and software improvement. Nothing magic for the end user....2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Liked scrolling. Needs real buttons and Windows support
by unfrostedpoptart on October 22, 2009
Pros: Nice size. Comfortable. Felt solid. Liked scrolling up-down and side-side by dragging on surface. Better than scroll wheel or Apple's tiny trackball in old version.
Cons: Still want physical buttons, especially for right and middle click.
Want it supported in MS Windows.Summary: Wait and see.
Summary: Wait and see.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fantastic design, ease of use
by drdunkyn on November 25, 2009
Pros: The real beauty of this mouse, aside from its sleek outward appearance, is in its multitouch potential -- using a great app like BetterTouchTool, gestures can be added to replicate functions of MBP trackpads. And it works almost perfectly.
Cons: The lack of built-in support for any gesturing beyond basic scrolling/flipping (which, though cool and useful, is too limited). This has already been corrected, though, by 3rd party software.
Summary: This mouse essentially replicates the functionality of the trackpads on the MBP's, which I have grown to love and find indispensable in working with photos, and movies. The interface ...
Summary: This mouse essentially replicates the functionality of the trackpads on the MBP's, which I have grown to love and find indispensable in working with photos, and movies. The interface feels natural (if you are holding it correctly), and once implemented with the BTT app, gestures enabling up to 23 discrete movements( including 1, 2, and 3 finger touch, click and swipe, as well as pinch to zoom) are now capable of being assigned, in the same way as can be used with the trackpad. Will everyone like it? Of course not. But for people such as myself who have enjoyed the superior multitouch interface that the recent Mac laptops utilize, this will be the perfect addition to a desktop setup. It's not going to cause carpal tunnel, or give you cancer...but naturally, try it first before you buy it to see if it suits your needs.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not an improvement
by NervClaX on October 23, 2009
Pros: Sleek design, effortless glide
Cons: Too narrow, hand cramps, no feedback
Summary: Steve Jobs continues his one-man war against buttons and tastes defeat. The Magic Mouse is pretty, but it is decidedly NOT and improvement for computer input devices. It makes me ...
Summary: Steve Jobs continues his one-man war against buttons and tastes defeat. The Magic Mouse is pretty, but it is decidedly NOT and improvement for computer input devices. It makes me wonder whether they did any consumer research before putting it into production, or they were blinded by their need to be secretive.
3 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Extremely uncomfortable, horrible design
by illegaloperation on October 29, 2009
Pros: Looks good on first sight.
Cons: The mouse does not contour to your hand, making your hand suffer after only a few minutes of use. It is very small and barely rises from the ground. Its very angular sides make it almost impossible to grasp and easily slip out if your hand.
Summary: Think twice before buying a product. Just because it is aesthetically pleasing, doesn't mean that it works the way it suppose to.
Summary: Think twice before buying a product. Just because it is aesthetically pleasing, doesn't mean that it works the way it suppose to.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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If you buy this you need BetterTouchTool U will love it
by pcampagna on December 7, 2009
Pros: Fully custimizable with software. I disliked it initially with it being painfully slow and lacked custimization out of the box. With some research I downloaded the Better Touch Tool and immediately fell in love with the mouse.
Cons: Organomics could be better, but the multi gestures more than make up for that. I also didn;t like that i had to download someone elses software to get it to work the way i liked. Apple should have this software bundled with the mouse.
Summary: initially i disliked it but after living with it and the BetterTouchTool software I FRICKIN LOVE IT! and will never go back to a normal mouse. I have the multigestures ...
Summary: initially i disliked it but after living with it and the BetterTouchTool software I FRICKIN LOVE IT! and will never go back to a normal mouse. I have the multigestures programed to three finger down "close window" two finger up "Expose" two fingers down, "Show desktop" three finger click "Open finder" two finger click "middle click" etc, etc. You must download the software to get the full features that this mouse has to offer. (I am no way affiliated with BTT, just want everyone to know how to fall in love with the magic mouse.
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I love my Magic Mouse
by cdtphilpot on December 5, 2009
Pros: Sleek, uses swipe gestures
Cons: none that I can think of
Summary: I've been using this mouse for several weeks and I absolutely love it. It works really good with my MacBook Pro, I love being able to swipe through pictures, ...
Summary: I've been using this mouse for several weeks and I absolutely love it. It works really good with my MacBook Pro, I love being able to swipe through pictures, and scrolling through web-pages works extremely well.
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interesting, but not an improvement.
by bleachigo on December 3, 2009
Pros: not much, but i suppose it matches a macs hardware in design? somebody will undoubtedly hack this eventually and give it customizable gestures
Cons: not customizable, feels very uncomfortable, slower and less versital than other mice. as with all mac mice, the strange right clicking and lack of a decent scroll wheel is disappointing. no (without hacking) windows support.
Summary: Like they said in the video, stick with the logitech, or razor or pretty much whatever you have if ergonomics and performance matter to you at all.
Summary: Like they said in the video, stick with the logitech, or razor or pretty much whatever you have if ergonomics and performance matter to you at all.
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Very easy to use after update
by Janrym4 on December 1, 2009
Pros: The feel, design, features
Cons: Ergonomics at first time use
Summary: Some people complaint that it lacks ergonomics. Let me tell you at first it feels kind of weird and uncomfortable but I got used to it very quickly!! I can ...
Summary: Some people complaint that it lacks ergonomics. Let me tell you at first it feels kind of weird and uncomfortable but I got used to it very quickly!! I can spend hours and have no hand cramps at all. Love it!
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What a mouse should be like!
by Pogs2009 on November 30, 2009
Pros: The kinetic scrolling is excellent and I love the swipe navigation. Fits nicely below your hand, easy to use for long periods as you don't tend to grip it like a conventional mouse.
Cons: Only one complaint, I used the scroll button on my mighty mouse for Expose, there's no equivalent functionality on magic mouse. Snow Leopard has Expose built into the dock icon, which somewhat mitigates this.
Summary: Excellent mouse, more like a hybrid trackpad/mouse. I can't stand side buttons on a mouse and never use them, so not a miss for me. This is quite ...
Summary: Excellent mouse, more like a hybrid trackpad/mouse. I can't stand side buttons on a mouse and never use them, so not a miss for me. This is quite simply the best mouse I've ever used.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MB829LL/A
- Description: The same Multi-Touch technology first introduced on the revolutionary iPhone comes to the mouse. It's called Magic Mouse, and it's the world's first multi-touch mouse. Click anywhere, scroll in any direction, and swipe through images on its smooth, seamless top shell. It works wirelessly using Bluetooth, so you don't have to worry about cables or adapters cluttering your workspace.
General
- Device Type Mouse
- Orientation Right and left-handed
- Form Factor External
Input Device
- Connectivity Technology Wireless
- Interface Bluetooth
- Movement Detection Technology Laser
- Features Multi-touch technology
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces Mouse
Battery
- Type AA type
- Technology Alkaline
- Installed Qty 2
Manufacturer info
- Apple
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.apple.com
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
