Apple Magic Mouse
by Apple Computer
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List Price: Our Price: $67.99 You Save: $2.00 (3%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $29.79 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple Magic Mouse
Customer Review: Gorgeous design as usual, but swiping is a bit awkward
Summary: 5 Stars
The Magic Mouse is simply gorgeous to behold and once again, Apple has masterfully merged form with function. This is by far the sexiest looking mouse Apple or anyone has ever created and will surely find its way into art museums around the world just as past Apple products have. The futuristic outer shell resembles a prop out of Minority Report or the hull of an alien spacecraft.
The mouse is comfortable to hold, has good heft and feels solid to the touch, but not heavy. Like Goldilocks, I found it just right. The underside is made of grey metal and is very durable, in contrast to the plastic bellies of other mice which can scratch easily, including Apple's previous designs. On the top, there are no visible buttons. The entire outer shell is one smooth control surface. It is springy and making a satisfying click. With no moving parts and a sealed outer surface, cleaning the Magic Mouse is very easy. No grime can collect to gum up any sensors. The laser tracking system is very responsive and accurate, meaning shiny surfaces are not a problem at all. You don't need to hunt down mouse pads anymore.
Apple removed the little nub that the Apple Mighty Mouse had. Instead, scrolling is accomplished by moving your finger over the shiny surface. It's fast and responsive, and can be customized to your liking from the System Preferences panel to control tracking speed and acceleration. While there, you can also change the gestures and clicking functionality. A helpful video plays on the right side of the panel, showing you how to use the new mouse's button-less controls.
I found swiping to be very awkward and not as responsive. It is used for cycling through photos in iPhoto and going forward or back in web browsers. You have to grip the sides of the mouse to keep it stationary on the desk, then swipe two fingers over the surface. You can try this with your current mouse to get an idea of what that's like. It's just not a natural gesture to me, though it may either improve over time, or fall into disuse.
Lastly, the mouse is BlueTooth which means you don't have to point it at your computer for it to work. You don't even have to be in the same room! BlueTooth is very reliable and I've never had any interference or signal loss issues with Bluetooth devices (Mighty Mouse, PlayStation 3). A work of art and engineering, the Magic Mouse is a class act all the way and sure to draw compliments from your guests. At $69, it is more expensive than comparable wireless mice from other makers. As usual, you'll pay a premium for Apple's superior industrial design and fashion-forward thinking, but the difference in quality is apparent. Highly recommended if you are in the market to welcome a new mouse into your house.
Customer Review: Fantastic (but with a HUGE caveat)
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this mouse for a month and a half now, and it's my absolute favorite mouse I've ever had for both comfort and functionality, BUT buyers really need to be aware that it REQUIRES a 3rd-party app to make it worth it's price.
Pros: love the precision ergonomics, the over all feel and durability, 360 scrolling
Cons: Apple gimped the standard software so bad, you need to install another (free) app just to use it properly
At first I was wary of the Magic Mouse's low profile, but after only an hour or two of using, I found my hand grew used to holding it a little differently to compensate. My last mouse was a Logitech G5, so I was used to holding my mouse in the palm of my hand as I moved it, but with the Magic Mouse, I found it easiest to hold my hand *above* the mouse, grip it with my thumb, little finger, and ring finger, and use my pointer and index finger to left/right click and scroll. This actually worked out very well because the table I'm used to typing at is a little low for my posture, so the Magic Mouse has actually corrected my posture and straightened out my wrist.
The mouse is quite sensitive, and the 360 scroll needed only a few uses for me to swear that I would never go back to the ol' scroll wheel if I could help it. This mouse really makes every move I make with it feel very precise, and it's really appreciated.
HOWEVER, and this is a massive thing, Apple's software is absurdly limited. How limited, say you? So limited that the only functions supported are left-click, right-click, and 360 scroll. No middle-click, no simul-click, no swipes. Apple's $60 magic mouse, out of the box, has barely more functionality than a $10 off-brand 2-button scroll-mouse.
Thankfully, the Internet comes to the rescue! There's already a handful of 3rd-party applications available that unlock the potential of this mouse and turn it from a 1-star clunker to a 5-star masterpiece. I use BetterTouchTool (still in alpha), folks may prefer to use the more polished, if not as versatile, MouseWizard or MagicPrefs. BetterTouchTool is a free app which adds support for up to 115 actions (23 gestures + fn/ctrl/alt/cmd mods) which can be mapped to pre-set functions or keyboard macros, even by application, including taps, finger swipes, and re-mapping the surface of the mouse for different functions (like middle-click). I have different swipes and taps set up to browse the net, use Office, and play WoW. I have never, ever had the ability to customize a mouse in so many useful ways so easily.
In short, this is a fantastic mouse, but anyone who wants it to be worth their money is going to have to be comfortable downloading software that's in development which requires some customization. If that's not your cup of tea, you're better off spending your $60 on Logitech or Razer's better offerings. Gamers who require simul-click are probably still better off with a large gaming mouse with ergonomic grips on the side and discrete buttons.
Customer Review: Great Only with MagicPref installed
Summary: 5 Stars
Alright, I was going to return this mouse an hour after using it. THAT IS UNTIL I installed MagicPref from the Apple website. The tracking was S-L-O-W. My arm was killing me because the even with my small hands my hands felt uncomfortable. Worst yet was the 3rd button is now gone and I couldn't use Final Cut Pro or Maya.
I now can do everything I can with my Mac Book Pro track-pad. Apple is an innovator.
The design is slick and I can maneuver the magic mouse with little effort. I enjoy working on my graphics with this mouse. I am about to play a first person shooter (FPS) game to see if there are any lag, and how this performs on rail games.
So here is my break down: (I took the format another GREAT reviewer on Amazon)
Tracking--
Tracking VERY smooth in everyday use and for FPS games. For having no cords and using solely Bluetooth.
Install "MagicPref" on the Apple website or just google it, and your tracking problems will be solved. Not only that, you will discover MANY MANY other features your magic mouse can do.
Buttons --
This is a one-button mouse that can be used as a three-button mouse thanks to smart software. I have experienced zero problems with the mouse distinguishing between left and right clicks and middle click.
Configuration --
There is so much you can configure on this mice. Things such as:
Clicks and Taps, Swipes, Drag, and Pinch, touch sensitivity, and Extra track speed.
You can also configure for Expose, Space, Dashboard, ect.
Scrolling --
All I can say about this is I LOVE IT!! I love momentum scrolling and with touch sensitivity adjusted, I can control the friction and speed of the scroll.
I can scroll in a website, scroll to another page, scroll to another program, scroll, left right up down with speed and little effort.
Ergonomics --
Don't expect to wrap your hand around this skinny mouse. Even with my small hands I can't get my whole hand around it, let alone rest my palm on it as I maneuver the mouse around. Fortunately, I don't have to manuever the mouse around since I was able to configure it to play games, do graphics, and everyday use settings.
Overall - - I think this is a great mouse for having absolutely NO cords. Great on FPS games, just not as great as my $200 gaming mouse though, but equal to my mid-end gaming mouse. Do note that it will taking a little bit of getting use to.
Great desgin and functionality. I can now have other uses with my Function keys and USB ports open for other things.
LOVE IT!!!
Customer Review: Apple Finally Makes a Mouse Worthy of Its Name
Summary: 5 Stars
The Bottom Line:
If you're a Mac owner and are looking to upgrade the lousy mouse that came with your system you will be very satisfied with the Magic Mouse. Those looking for more buttons and macro functionality should look at similarly priced products from Logitech and others.
Review:
Apple is known for elegantly designed products, but unfortunately its input devices have fallen short over the last decade or so. That all changes today. The Magic Mouse is the first Apple mouse in probably twenty years that lives up to the elegance of the products it will be connected to.
The entire mouse is touch sensitive, and surprisingly it actually works without many 'false' reads. The mouse is smart enough to detect finger movement for scrolling even when my palm is resting on the device.
A 'momentum' setting in the software driver gives your Mac the same type of scrolling behavior as the iPhone. Fast flicks of the finger scroll faster, while slower movements give finer control. It gets a little flaky when a scrollable form is embedded on a webpage, but these are things that can get worked out with future driver releases. Best of all most of the mouse behavior works in virtual environments like VMWare and Parallels.
Magic Mouse also has a very satisfying mechanical clicking system. Like the trackpad on the new Macbooks, it just feels right. Right clicking is available, but it must be configured first in the control panel.
I am puzzled that while Apple prides itself on designing non-replaceable rechargeable batteries into its products, the Magic Mouse runs on AA's! Batteries are included, but they are not rechargeable. You'll need to get your own charger and batteries if you wish to use rechargeables. Battery life is decent, and after three full work days I'm still at 90%.
PROs
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Beautiful design with an innovative touch sensitive surface
Satisfying clicking mechanism
Seamless bluetooth connectivity
CONs
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Only has two possible button combinations (click and right click)
Apple software update required before the mouse is fully functional (as of 11-3-09)
Right clicking needs to be configured in the control panel first
You'll need a seperate battery charger if you wish to use rechargeables
Windows users won't get the same functionality as Mac owners at this time
Customer Review: Best mouse ever. Really.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Magic Mouse is the first mouse that manages to elegantly address all the issues that have been plaguing mouse design for the past 25 years.
* Weight and bulk: you want a mouse that is very light and low profile, to help with posture and strain.
* Easy to clean: flat surface without any nooks or crevices, just wipe with a soft cloth.
* Features: everything you need right at your fingertips: left and right click, horizontal and vertical scroll, screen zoom and previous/next. Unlike the back button on Logitech mice which is very easy to hit by mistake when picking up the mouse, previous/next is a two finger gesture.
- Simplicity: I got used to the mouse right away. There are demonstration videos in the Mouse System Preferences.
- Fast, reliable wireless connection: simple Bluetooth pairing, works right away. Provides battery status and low battery warnings.
- Good glide: probably because of its two raised teflon strips that run the full height of the mouse, the Magic Mouse glides... like magic. It's the best gliding mouse I've ever used, and that contributes in no small amount to the comfort of use.
The top surface of the mouse is clear, curved and smooth. The bottom half is made of Aluminum and features the battery compartment, the optical sensor, a power light and a switch. Unlike the MIghty Mouse, the sensor is always exposed. I liked the Mighty Mouse design's better, because it protected the sensor from collecting lint during transport. Still, the Magic Mouse feels much better built than its predecessor, probably because of its aluminum base.
The Mighty Mouse was already a very good mouse, but it was plagued by a finicky scrollball. The new Magic Mouse improves tremendously on that already innovative design, and after just a few hours spent with it I can't imagine parting with it.
Not everybody will like the Magic Mouse: some people like big, bulky mice, some like physical buttons; some just don't want to deal with batteries and prefer a wired mouse. Still, you should make sure you stop by your local Apple store to play with the Magic Mouse. It's in a class of its own, and it's certainly the best mouse I've ever used.